August 29, 2016 - 22:15
Last year I was on leave during the fall semester. I'd just moved into the city of Philadelphia, the days were bright and blue, and I was learning to take pictures. One late afternoon I was wandering with my camera through the narrow streets and alleyways over on the east side of the city. I was in a little dead-end alley where the sun was coming down in slices, and I liked the way the light looked falling over the cobblestones and cement. A guy was standing about a block away working his cell phone, but otherwise it was quiet. Then a tall young man walking his dog crossed at the intersection with a larger street - was it Pine? - and called out to me: "Hey, yeah follow the light!" I laughed, agreed, and when I turned back into the alley a light blue balloon had settled just for a moment into a stripe of sunshine. I don't think you can really make that out in the picture. And I haven't been able to locate that alleyway again somehow...