Walking around Crown Point's Courthouse Square

I enjoy my morning walks through town, especially when the humidity is low.  Carol had two bills on the kitchen table ready for drop-off at the post office, so I took them and went on my morning walk at 5:30am, knowing that the coffee shop at the square is open at 6am.  The walk is only three miles long, but it goes through the historic Sunny Side and East Side  neighborhoods with its 100+-year-old Victorian homes. Several homes had boxes of spent fireworks ready for trash pick-up.

I didn't even feel tired after yesterday's 13-mile walk through Chicago.  Zeke looked refreshed, too, walking confidently next to me, alert for squirrels.  He has learned to appreciate peeing on green grass and chasing squirrels while on this road trip.  The town was still waking up.  The courthouse square was mostly void of parked cars.  I had started my walk an hour earlier than usual.

Sips Coffee Shop on the north side of the courthouse square still had its outdoor tables and chairs locked up.  It was 6:20am when I walked by.  It opens at 6am every day. Was the place even open?  Had the owners decided to take a week-long vacation?  There was no sign indicating that, and when I peeked through the front window, I could see a young woman wiping down the front counter.  I pressed down on the door handle.  It was open. I tied Zeke up outside and walked in. I was her first customer of the day and she seemed surprised to see me.

I sat outside for 45 minutes, relaxing and watching morning commuters drive by.  I'm loving this cool summer morning weather.  Tomorrow the oppressive humidity is expected back. Zeke kept looking out toward the square across the street for squirrels and I had to hold on to his leash.  He would have darted across the busy road had I not paid attention.

Only one other customer came in that first hour, a town fire fighter who stopped in for his morning coffee to go.  He drove off in his brown Jeep.  Had the barista set up the tables and chairs in a timely manner, I'm sure more people would have stopped by.  There were more customers outside on the Fourth when I last did this walk.

I looped around the square on my walk back to Carol's, letting Zeke off-leash for the half-mile jaunt on the maintenance road toward the Sportsplex indoor track.  On my way back to the main road, I spotted a young robin nestling on the side of the road, leaning against the median.  It looked dead.  It didn't move when I approached it. I picked it up, took it home, and fed it some of Zeke's wet dog food.  The little bird was both hungry and thirsty.