All right, I confess. As much as I like finding insects, chasing birds, tracking turtles and treeing raccoons, my favorite species is Homo Sapiens. They are the most fun to watch and engage, though also the most potentially dangerous. But I do feel a strong affinity to the species and frequently engage members when out for a Forest Park stroll.
Today I met Josh and Nula feasting on chips and hummus by the edge of what, had it been in Venice, would be the Grand Canal. Herbert and Agatha engage me on Picnic Island by the suspension bridge and we talk for a while. On the other side of the bridge, I meet Candice and Lionel, who pause for a photo.

I carefully followed the curve of Post Dispatch Lake and as I walked along the north shore came across Machmoud and his family having a picnic. I said hello and they invited me to join them and treated me like royalty. Machmoud came from Bagdad about a year ago and his brother and his family just within the past few weeks. I sat and talked with them for perhaps half an hour before moving on around the lake. It was a good evening! Here are the photos.