Small trains, on the toes and up.

1. The men jog alongside their gauge one trains, giving them a push every now and again to help them along. They look exactly like dads teaching children to ride bicycles.

2. The dog licks Alec's toes and he laughs. When she walks off, he waves his feet at her, hoping she'll come back and do it again.

3. There is a time -- about three minutes while my mother and Alec are occupied with a bowl of water -- when I can lie on my back and just stare at birds sporting high above me in the deep blue vault of the summer sky.