New York City, July 31, 2013

★★★★ Cool air flowed through the open apartment doors, making the morning outdoors irresistible. If the day was a little more humid than the days before, there was just enough new cloud cover blunting the sun to offset it. Clouds moved under clouds, making the already mild shadows fade in and out. The breeze turned this way and that; a half-dried leaf audibly hit the ground. Inside the fence at West 4th Street, handballs were making popping noises in three games at once, while basketball players in uniform milled around waiting to play. Sunset was another shameless spectacular, piles of zinc and slate dotted suddenly with pink.