First off, sorry to hear about your wife. I wish her the best recovery possible.

I prefer to walk alone when I am taking pictures. No distractions. I actually like walking in crowds downtown. Like people surfing buzzing in an out of the crowds with nowhere to go. Just wandering through them. I'd like to someday understand how to photograph people in crowds or people in general. Almost like you did with these ducks. I just have no focus when I look at people or crowds. Maybe someday. BTW, here is my walk this week. https://ecency.com/hive-155530/@rt395/night-walking