New York City, October 2, 2017

★★★★★ Sky and air and temperature were flawless again. A worker played twin hoses over the plantings on the Broadway median. Within a block, facing into the sun, the six-year-old shed his hoodie. Within a few more blocks, it was time to veer off down Columbus, where the sun was less direct. On the way back uptown, after the checkup and the lollipop were finished, the watering truck had just arrived on Dante Square. In the late afternoon, lamps were glowing warmly in the deep shadows of the cross street, even as the sky was still bright. The expensive towers below the Park caught the sun but didn’t do anything interesting with it. Two police vehicles sped past the joggers, lights and sirens on, leaving a cloud of dust hanging in the ebbing light. By bedtime, the bathroom floor was cold underfoot.