Tomorrow is Labour Day (I went with the British spelling in deference to Lady Mallowan, DBE). This is the day which each year marks for me the end of summer. The mornings of late are distinctly fall like and we can all feel it coming but even so I wasn't quite ready for this.
There are varieties of maple that turn pretty early, particularly if they are under stress. Even so, Labour Day, school started, leaves changing colour (charmed to be of service Your Ladyship), we can all feel it coming.I had to cross Snelling to get that picture so I decided to circle up close to the Fair to see what I could see. What I did see quickly disabused me of the thoughts which I admit I was entertaining of trying to ride my normal route down Como immediately adjacent to the Fair. For example, here is what you do if you live one block away from the Snelling Avenue gate.
I heard some of the commercial speech going on and that homeowner was getting $15 from those individuals being given the opportunity to park in his front yard. At other places people in cars were being required to not only pay the $15 but also to leave their keys with the homeowner/entrepreneur so that the car could be moved if necessary to avoid anyone being blocked in. I don't know, a stranger moving your car? Is that even covered by your car insurance? Or by his homeowner's insurance?I decided to get my bicycle riding self out of there. I ended up circling back out of that area. Because of the south wind (yet again) I wanted to ride south so I eventually rode back down to my new Fair inspired crossing west of the Fairgrounds heading south towards Saint Paul. I solved a mystery that had been plaguing my thoughts since I began taking this route. The first time I rode it I was riding along Folwell Avenue just after turning off Coffman Street looking for Grantham which I knew to be the street I wanted to be on to take me out to Como (locals may notice that this ride goes through that part of Falcon Heights commonly referred to as "University Grove" and that there is a definite University of Minnesota related street naming convention in the Grove). The first couple of times through this neighborhood I couldn't find Grantham which resulted in my riding what I discovered today was an unnecessary detour.
Today I found out what was going on and present a pictorial explanation which I am going to call "LOOK at the Street Change Names".
I was standing in Saint Paul when I took that picture, diagonally across the street is Falcon Heights (you can tell by the extra fancy street name signs in Falcon Heights). Hoyt Avenue is the common part of the puzzle, the street located on the border between these two municipalities. A good close look (I have another picture from that perspective and will post it if necessary) will reveal that Grantham in Saint Paul is Northrop in Falcon Heights (see above about University Grove street naming convention). Well. OK then, when looking for Grantham be sure to turn on Northrop.Today's adrenaline moment was provided by the stupidly self-absorbed woman who stopped in the middle of the street to take on a passenger outside the Odd Fellows Hall and then decided to exit from her illegal parking with an illegal middle of the block U-turn. Fortunately enough, I could see in plenty of time that she was stupid (stopped in the middle of the street) and figured that she could and would do more of the same so I was able to stop about a foot and half from her driver's side window as she swung across in front of me.
Be careful out there, if you are on a bicycle they don't see you.
1 comment:
You have an eclectic assortment of commenters, to be sure. Dead people, especially dead authors, may be the oddest so far.
That's way too much color on that tree.....
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