Spring Has Arrived

This is our first experience with spring, a season that had gone unnoticed for the first 24 years of my life. I had lived through Texas spring, usually a week long period of rain before the sun is out in full force and attempting to bake me alive every time I dare leave the inside. That however did not prepare me for what nature had in store for my eyes.

It is one thing to slowly notice the return of color to trees and the flowers just beginning to open, but the first signs of the city in bloom make for a powerful sight. Oddly enough I think the nature of city living forces me to take notice even more, as every time I walk to work or the movies or more likely Emack and Bolios Ice Cream Shop, I skip by freshly planted tulips and a rainbow of other wildlife taking root in every inch of dirt the sidewalks spare.

The parks have been the biggest surprise. As if the junior beer belly that took resident upon my body shortly after leaving school wasn't enough reason to exercise, every corner of the parks are filled with pink, yellow and white trees. The leaves spray beneath the canopy like a rainbow colored bed for the brave souls sleeping beneath the shade.

Last weekend I took a jog along the river and these painted leaves were everywhere. It was a strange experience for this Texan, and a bit distracting from my normal jogging habits of pretending I am in a race with every other jogger in sight. At the 79th street boat basin an horde of boats were on display. Appallingly expensive yachts larger than my parents 2 story home were parked next to the full time residents that appear to be made of dark green plywood. Both owners were out grilling and grinning and enjoying the season in general.