A Moment of Surreal...

In retrospect, the high, mosquito-like whine of the motor scooter zipping by should have been a sign that things were not quite as they appeared, as I walked across the bridge that summer afternoon.  I may have noticed it then, but I had just run into an old manager, and so was a little bit off-kilter as a result...

The man, tall and well-built paddling down the river would have been ordinary, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was standing on top of his electric blue kayak, poling along for all the world as if he steered a boat through the watery streets of Venice, with a broom.

This should have been my second sign.  It wasn’t until I saw the lady in the flower-print sundress walking with her husband that I finally noticed.  She was using a lovely hot pink umbrella to shade her from the hot sun, while beside her, her husband (dressed in long pants , dark shirt, hat, and sunglasses) pushed the small Jack Russell terrier along in the ‘70’s era stroller.

Really, it was hard to not realize something was up.  I carefully closed up my notebook and made my way back to the relative safety of my office, creeping cautiously past the scooter again, this time noting that it was very much leopard print, and that the gentleman riding it wore boat shoes.

It had gone from being a very stressful day, to being a very weird one, and I wasn’t quite sure where it was going next.  I did, however, know that I desperately hoped there would be no clowns...