Call ahead

I rode past that shoe that I photoed yesterday.  Today it had moved out into the bike lane (aka the street) and seemed less charming than yesterday.  Out in the street it looked pretty much like what it actually is: a lost shoe, a piece of urban trash.  I didn't update the photo.

I was trying to go north as I haven't been lately.  Fairly quickly I stumbled onto extremely bad news.  That's Garden Avenue leading away to the east from Hamline Avenue.

I use Garden to cross Snelling and to cross Hamline.  It is still a safe spot for crossing Snelling but with that huge application of oil and loose gravel I won't be using Garden east of Hamline.  The not completely visible in this photograph extended disaster is the local municipal government's plan when oiling and gravelling the street.

They don't just treat the street.

In this instance they have extended the oil and gravel all the way out into the traffic lane on Hamline.  This means they have completely covered the shoulder.  You know, the shoulder, the place where bicyclists ride.

I tried to veer off and get away without riding in the oil but quite quickly discovered what did not come as a surprise.  They are doing lots of streets over there, including Roselawn.

My option at every one of those streets is to take the lane, riding completely out into the middle of the area that cars pretty much consider, perhaps not unreasonably, as their territory.  Not a good plan.

This is trouble, I count on Hamline to get to every place I ride to the north.

So I rode out to the north a ways anyway, eventually confirming a couple of really ugly repeats of the oil and gravel treatment along the way.  Traffic was relatively light so I was able to take the lane when I needed to thinking I might be keeping oil covered little bits of gravel off my tires.  *sigh*  Eventually I had to find a shady spot to stop to clean the junk off my tires.

I HATE that.

So I headed the other direction.  I stopped to get a picture of the rain garden I often picture later in the year.  This is the one where I get photos of those red flowers.

The recent abundance of moisture has created quite good conditions for these plants which probably fairly obviously have been selected for a rain garden due to their ability to thrive in pretty damp conditions.

It already is looking pretty attractive and ends up by the end of the growing season being pretty spectacular.  I wonder if we can get one of those planted in the storm runoff capture dead hole the city created next to our house.

The big old car show comes to the Fairgrounds this weekend.  I was riding through.  By the way if you think I ride there a lot it appears that you are right.  I am now on a nod and wave of the hand basis with the State Fair policeman who works the day shift over there.

He's about my age, although probably at least a couple of years younger.  He is still showing up for work every day.

The big old car show brings huge crowds and lots of the vendors who might ordinarily be expected to only be open for the actual Fair show up for these other big events and open their stands.  Here's one I hadn't seen before.

So poutine, as served by Duke at this establishment, is fresh cut french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and piping hot gravy.

Hence the title of today's post.  You probably want to call ahead and schedule you arterial un-blockage surgery before you place your order for a serving of that.

World Cup today:  Huge game in the second of today's three.  As I believe to be true, Brazil today was NOT good enough, playing a nil-nil tie with Mexico.  Mexico did not make the tournament directly from the usual qualification process and, in fact, barely squeaked into the tournament by filling one of the supplemental qualification berths with a back door victory over New Zealand, the first team outside the regular qualification in the Asian zone.  Mexico was extremely fortunate to even qualify for that game, getting there only after zone qualification leader USA scored in added time at the end of its last qualification game.  USA did not need the goal, did not need the game.  If the USA had coasted Mexico would be watching the tournament from home.  Instead the USA scored and Mexico today played and tied Brazil.

Brazil has some great players but they are not good enough this time.  They are going to be really, really disappointed when the elimination comes.  I still expect it to be Spain in the first round of the knockout phase.

Huge win yesterday for the USA.  One of our German guys gets the game winner.  We have five guys on the team who really are Germans, having grown up in Germany with their German mothers.  They qualify for our team by having American (usually American military) fathers.

I note another member of the family has been roped in by the tournament.  I concur that the tournament is in its early stages but a LOT has already happened.  It is fascinating at this stage, everyone is still here.  I loved Japan v. Côte d'Ivoire.  I am hugely entertained by Russia v. South Korea.  A little late to the party but the Asians are coming.  Does anyone think it will be a long time before China arrives?  And after they arrive does anyone think it will be a long time before they win?

Personally I don't think Italy can win the tournament this time.  I don't think their opening win was over a team of extremely high quality.  The English have the best league but their national team is short of quality up front (only Rooney), a little old in midfield (Garrard? really? Is he really at this point in his career the Captain and face of English football?) and too young at the back.  England is an OK team, top 10 or so in the world but Italy should not be booking rooms at the finals based on 2-1 over England.

I do think Balotelli is a wonderful player and perhaps by next time may be one of the very best in the world.  That would make Italy a contender at that time.

Best sporting event in the world.