Walking in Theodore Wirth Park

Finally, the weekend weather was gorgeous in Minneapolis.

It was a jam-packed time of being outside, being active and being with friends.

On Saturday I participated in the Walk for Animals, a fundraiser for the Humane Society.

Roughly 8,000 people showed up with their dogs, cats, billy goats, ponies, ferrets, hamsters and guinea pigs (I even spotted a man with a monkey!) to complete a five-mile circuit.

The walk wound through Theodore Wirth Park, a 700-plus acre swath of green at the edge of downtown Minneapolis.

The park includes an 18-hole golf course, a wildflower garden, picnic pavilions and a swimming beach.

The air was warm and the general atmosphere couldn't have been more genial.

Everyone was pumped to be outside soaking up sun, getting some exercise and doing some good.

The only thing better than the sun was the people -- er -- animal watching.

A dog with a pink hair? Another wearing a long, blond wig?

Yes and yes.

Plus dogs in tutus, dogs in sweaters, dogs in sunglasses, dogs in strollers, dogs in Baby-Bjorns.

Anyone remember that children's book Go Dog Go?

The entire event was like a page straight out of it!