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I was up early to finish matting 30 prints to go up in a New York restaurant. I'll write more about it after the installation.

So it was a beautiful day, and there was a lot of work behind me (I had been up since 5 a.m.) and I got a chance to just put the M3 around my neck with the fifty and out I go. If you haven't shot for a while - the city seems alive with possibilities. You know the feeling. I had lost a couple of good shooting days - it was the torrential rain season here - working on two projects in the house.

But as I say - it was a crisp spring day. On the corner was the homeless woman with her dog and possessions in a shopping cart. But the cart was decked out with colorful objects. Her dog "shorty" was asleep. I leave them to their own world without any desire to interfere.

And two avenues over - ah - my favorite subject: a cat is sitting in the middle of the sidewalk in profile. It has just stepped out from a deli and people walk around it.

I bend down - it's always a careful thing with cats - how close to get so it doesn't scoot off - but the cat senses I'm a friend and ignores me. I can put it nicely in the bottom third. Now - what to fill the rest of the frame with? Will someone interesting walk by?

Will the cat even turn to look at me? And so I sit on my haunches, as does the cat, waiting. Okay, I take a shot or two first just in case (hammering the nail). And from behind an older woman walks by - stops and turns. She seems to be annoyed. Snap. Certainly she'll be out of focus. Fine. But what is she annoyed about? She takes a few more steps into frame. Snap.

I can almost hear her say, tut tut. But tut tut about what? Is it now illegal to photograph cats? Is she upset that the cat is in the middle of the sidewalk blocking pedestrians? Is she worried that the cat will run into traffic?

I know not. After a few minutes she walks off. The cat turns - as cats do - and moves lazily back into the store. I continue on my way - as I usually do - but her expression leaves me puzzled. And that's the mystery of even the simplest, most reverential shot on the street.