Saturday - the 4th of July - I got out for a walk and people were nice - not like the Doofus Donald who is anything but nice

It was a great morning for a walk in Central Westchester - the temperature was yet to his 70˙F, the sky was overcast so that one would not bake under a hot sun and the humidity had dropped after last night's rain. There were just enough people at the Kensico Dam Plaza to feel safe regarding potential contagion, but not so empty as to feel lonely while walking.

There were a couple of fitness classes in progress, and people working out on their own or with a personal trainer. Near The Rising a class was working on stretching and general fitness. Overseeing it was Jed, directing it a woman I did not have a chance to speak with. They and their students were eagerly doing what needs to be done to maintain physical fitness and in my mind, especially during these crazy times, enhancing emotional well-being as well.

As I came around the second time, he told me that his students started posing when they saw me.

While walking I photographed a pair of friends, Sarah and Shannon running together. They seemed to be doing pretty well though when we chatted later on, they were very modest and only would say they were trying. I told them they'd be running in the NYC Marathon next year, if there is one. They laughed and said they could only hope so. I got back into my car feeling pretty good about the potential for us to pull through these times. People like these reinforce my natural optimism. 

In South Dakota the a-hole-in-chief chose to open his mouth and fart out a speech designed to alienate half the population and make half of the rest wonder why he is where he is. He sowed hate while ignoring the huge problems confronting the country now, as if covering his eyes and ears would make them go away, as if by burying his head in the sand he expects the rest of us to bury ourselves alongside him. Truly, he is a fool, and the sad sad thing is he is our fool and for the next six months we will have to put up with his lies, his corruption, his betrayal of our nation to our enemies. We must stand up and show we will not be cowed or put down by him, that we are a people who can be fooled some of the time but not all of the time.

We must unelect Trump this year.

On a different tack, I read an interesting article about the incredible and I hope lasting turnaround in the nation as a whole's attitude toward race and systemic racism. It dealt with people who choose to stand during the anthem and how they now need to defend their actions in the face of our need to move forward, and that taking a knee is a small and powerful statement of solidarity, or sympathy and understanding. So if you choose to stand and you are unapologetic, which is your right, then we who see it know something about you that you may not know yourself: that you are harboring racism in your heart.

And, as I said, let's get the crooked asshole out of the White House. UNELECT TRUMP.

Tonight's photos were taken at the Kensico Dam Plaza this morning and celebrate American diversity, strength and fellowship. These are people, though I don't know them well, I respect. They are of the people I spoke with.

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