Release the hounds!

There was a power outage in our neighborhood yesterday in the early evening.
It was too dark to read indoors but still fairly light outside, as well as considerably cooler. Thus, with beers and books in hand Dave and I took to our front stoop for, well, beers and books.

It was kind of nifty to watch. Random neighbors going to their front yards, talking to each other, confirming that they hadn't just blown a fuse or something.

It had been a while since I had reason to enjoy time away from tv and the like, longer still since I had chatted with my neighbors.
Most enjoyable of all though, was watching pretty much everyone within a three block radius take their respective dogs out for an additional evening stroll. There must've been twenty dogs walking around, including the extremely adorable pumpkin pie of a pooch Gordie who lives next door.

The outage only lasted about forty minutes. Perfect timing actually, as, by the time the lights came on it was too dark to read outside. So, I walked next door, chatted some more with the neighbors, lavished affection on Gordie and went back inside.

Bottom line? Note to self - don't forget to sit outside this summer. It's always a nice break to have your city feel like a small town, if only for a little while.