Encounters in Old Town

 The first thing I noticed strolling into the Plaza Vieja on Friday morning was some very loud music and this dog sitting beside the gazebo.  The vest indicated he was a service dog and it appeared one of his service talents was musical appreciation.

I stopped to pet the dog, and got talking with his owner who was wielding the highly amplified guitar.  I learned the dog's name was Papito, and his real mission in life was the pursuit of the cloth frisbee seen lying in the shadow to the lower right.  I tossed the frisbee as instructed and it was clear that this was an activity with unlimited possibilities.

Papito's owner related a bit of his life story, including an addiction to gambling which had resulted in a recent large loss and some thought of putting out his hat next to the gazebo for some grocery money.  I snapped a quick shot up through the railing of the gazebo and then walked past a funeral in progress at San Felipe de Neri and on to Church Street.  

I heard my name called and there was our friend, Mary, with her four sisters from Silver City, mid-way through their own Old Town stroll.  It seemed an extraordinary event.  I had not recalled that she had mentioned coming from such a large family of sisters.  They must have been a phenomenon while growing up in that little New Mexico town.