A group of young people sitting in the park talking is a very inviting sight. Firstly because I was young once and being with those who are currently young is fun. There is an enthusiasm and an interest in almost everything that years of work and the temptations of mediocrity have not stolen away from them (not yet, at least). Ideas are put forth and debated with vigor, and though there is an interest in having one’s own pet point win the race, yet there is still opportunity to learn.

A second reason is their relative openness to the stranger in their midst (and as my daughter Lizzy likes to point out, there are not many who are stranger than I). In addition to the sextuplet above, I also met Tom and Carol by Deer Lake, where they were reading a book on ending war (“Last night I had the strangest dream I ever dreamed before; I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war”).

Yuri was fishing at the bottom of the Deer Lake rapids (Yuri is originally from the Ukraine, where, he told me, the winters are milder and the summers cooler than here in the city of the French King), Mike, a student at St. Louis University, was journaling by the edge of the Grand Basin and Kelly and Brad were sitting on the balustrade overlooking the two larger fountains at the foot of Art Hill.

In addition to those people I did meet, there were plenty I didn’t: cyclists, dog walkers, joggers, rollerbladers, lovers and photographers all were taking advantage of what just may be the last fine day of the year to soak up the sun in the ambience of the greatest of America’s urban parks. Go ahead, take a look for yourself.