Independence, Kansas, one fine evening

I saw my quarry. They were walking, in pairs, westward, along the sidewalks and grassy paths of Independence, Kansas. Two older, two younger. The older pair, adults, were in front while their offspring followed behind, a few paces back. On occasion one of the young ones would stray from the path, which caused the other young one to utter a sharp growl, which in turn caused the adults to turn back to see just what their brood was up to. The smallest one fell back into step, only to be distracted anew by yet another shiny object or plaything. Another growl, another disapproving glance from up front. I followed a safe distance behind, silently tracking their steps and hoping to get a shot with my camera. This was, after all, a rare sight in front of me, and I wanted to capture it for posterity.
I clicked off several shots, but doing good camera work while walking in low light is tricky and I did not get the pictures I wanted. And then, just as I thought I was going to get a good close up, one of the small ones turned a head and spied me behind them. I froze, camera in hand. A passing car stopped for directions, and after telling them that I didn’t live here, I turned back to discover that my quarry had vanished.
Sad, I continued on towards the restaurant in the center of town, where I had a horrible meal. Heading back to my lodging for the night I saw them again. They were all standing in a group in front of a dollar store. I approached, and they immediately recognized me. A lovely family, the owners of the motel where I am staying for a night or two. I asked them if I might get a shot of all four of them, and they readily consented. Its not often I see whole families out for a nice walk together. Two adorable children, a boy and a little girl with a fondness for rubber balls and toys who just wanted to grab every one she saw on her walk into town. Two loving parents who let their kids have a little independence but who are right there with a glance or a stern word if there are rules broken, and a big brother learning a little bit about being responsible for his little sister. It was warming to my heart. They had too many groceries to carry back so were waiting on a cab (they have no car). They offered me a ride but I declined. Somehow they were perfect just as the nice foursome that I watched walk into town together, and I didn’t want to mess that up.