Cricket in the Sun

Cricket in the Sun (from the series: They Move Amongst Us)

The cricket was just standing there on a stone picnic table waiting for anyone or anything to come by. It didn’t care much when I turned up, it just ignored me. It was one of those hot Texas days where the sweat drips off you if you do nothing more energetic than breathe.

People move from one air-conditioned environment to another; from their house to a car, to a coffee shop, to a mall, to a restaurant. Once the temperature rises above 90 there
are few places outdoors that offer any respite. But if you go down by the lakes, in Austin, the temperature falls a little - maybe even as much as 5-6 degrees. It goes from intolerable to merely brutal.

That’s where I found this cricket, trying to stay cool, near Lake Buchanan.