New York City, June 22, 2015

★★★ The clearing where the children were waiting for soccer camp to start was still mild and shady, with a deep blue sky showing above the trees. Clover whitened the fenced-off lawn and plantain sent up its spikes. One or two dandelions, then one or two more, stood up compact and yellow. An evaporative breeze crossed the top of Columbus Circle, meeting the light sweat from the walk out of the Park. The heat was firm but bearable, with clouds interrupting the sun before it could build to its worst. Grand Street was uncrowded. The afternoon glare caught the grime on the apartment windows. The three-year-old descried a rainbow in the iridescent plastic of the ancient floor lamp where it faced the west. The long bright evening allowed time after dinner for racing on the two-wheeled scooter and then on the three-wheeled scooter and then on just plain feet. Blank blue clouds hung in the west, like a subtle color gradient flattened in digital video.