Characters in My Running Play

There are 'characters' that I pass while running.

Old Guy - This man has got to be in his early 80s, he always wears a safety vest. When we pass each other we raise our hands in greeting. I think we crossed paths for about 6 years but he has fallen off the planet in the last six months.

Wheelchair Guy - A very annoying man that has an electric wheelchair he drives over from his house to a coffee shop on Lincoln. He must have a radio because on the trip over I can hear him coming from 4 blocks away. Then he sits in front of the coffee shop all morning - if I go back down for bagels he's still there. He has made odd comments to me but I don't talk back, too weird.

Retired Marine w/Golden Retriever - Okay, I don't know if he was a Marine or not but he looks the part, short hair, very trim, pretty solemn. He and his wife (see Thin Lady) live down the street from me. He usually has his golden retriever trotting along beside him. I like his dog: he never strays or is distracted from where he should be.

Thin Lady - Married to RM w/GR. She usually isn't out until the very end of my run. She looks like she used to be a p.e. teacher. She and I have a nodding acquaintance.

Gaggle - This is a group of women who talk more than they run. I only see them every few weeks. They chatter away about life, kids, husbands, and move like sludge. I have caught a few comments from them about how I pass them so quickly (I'm not that fast, they are just slow.)

Tiger Walker - This woman has a Great Dane that is striped like a tiger - no kidding. This is the biggest dog I have ever seen. She takes him over to the tennis courts by our house and shuts the gates and lets him run. He lopes along the fence trying to play with other dogs. I keep thinking the little dogs look like appetizers to him.

Hat Guy - This old guy has a grey banded hat he wears at a jaunty angle while he walks around the park. He has the funniest rhythm in his walk. It's almost like he is listening to a jazz beat and trying to walk to it. He makes me smile.

Boot Camp People - These are mostly women who get up at 6 a.m. to do what look like silly things in the dark. If I want to be amused I run around the park and watch whatever it is the instructor has them doing. I always - ALWAYS - want to tell them to get better bras!

I don't see all of them everyday, in fact, there are many days that I don't see any of them but I like them. There was a guy that I passed a few times a week on the same street for about a year. I started running another route for a while and then ran the old one one day: this guy ran up to me saying how glad he was that I was okay. It sort of alarmed/amused me. Characters make life more interesting.