courtyard

Tags: #places #attention #sketchesThe courtyard on the outskirts, between Nordstrom’s EPUB coffee bar and the blank side of the Crate & Barrel, wasn’t the first place I noticed, but it is where I spent the most time observing. I was having a water break, and sat in the shade under the lilac tree on the tiled rim of its giant pot. It wasn’t a hot day, but it was hot enough and all the shaded patio tables in the half-fenced area were taken. A well-dressed guy in a tan blazer and blue oxford shirt, maybe a doctor or some other researcher from the adjacent Stanford medical center or even the university, slouched over the table, head down and evidently having a rest. Maybe he was even napping under his dark sunglasses. Another young man, also in business attire but this time a navy sport coat and a light blue shirt, sat with several plastic takeaway salad bins from the EPUB counter. The evidence suggested that he was on an extended lunch break; he had been at the same station an hour…