Big stone building day

One of the negatives of the State Capitol ride is the giant and somewhat unnecessary plunge after crossing Dale followed by a really high overpass over the train tracks.  I usually take that ride when we have southeast wind as Como at that point is angled across the grid.  I get all of the south and east out of the way on an early leg and have a long pleasant west ride down Summit and then north to where I live.  This issue then is that climbing that high overpass finds me heading pretty much due southeast.  I say the plunge and climb is unnecessary because there really isn't that much actual elevation change.  The street just goes down into a hole before it gets to the railroad tracks.

So today I turned on Dale instead of crossing and went looking for a route through Frogtown.

Yeah, really, part of Saint Paul is referred to as "Frogtown".  The acceptable in polite society version is that that area of town was low lying at the time of original European settlement.  The story says that there were sloughs (I went with that spelling for today) and therefore there were many frogs and that the nightly chorus of frog croaking was quite distinctive.  Hence "Frogtown".

Who knows, that's a story that might even have some truth to it.

So I was on some fairly unfamiliar pavement when I came across one of Saint Paul's most distinguished old stone buildings, the Church of Saint Agnes.

There is some pretty extensive renovation going on there, you do not very often see the front steps of a church blockaded off like that.  I think the parish should promote something like what the French did, have a revolution during which the government confiscates all church property and forever thereafter the government has to pay for maintenance.

I was looking into the sun when I took the photo.  I will do better the next time.

It was shortly after that that I am pretty sure I got "nice biked".

I was at the southwest corner of Como and Rice (back onto Como at the far side of the overpass) waiting for the light to change.  I go straight ahead on Como even though a right turn onto Rice might actually be a slightly more direct route to where I am going because the bike lane goes straight ahead at that point and Rice is a little too busy for me without a bike lane.

A fellow probably several years younger than me but based on his casual mode of dress at mid-day during the usual work week perhaps having the same employment status as me (short version, he wasn't dressed for any job that I can imagine) was coming in the crosswalk across Como heading south towards the Capitol.

When he approached he said, "Man, everything about that bike says speed."  I think a fair translation of that is "nice bike".

As an aside, when I got home I looked at the bicycle a bit and actually I couldn't find the word "speed" anywhere.  As near as I can tell just about everything about that bike says LOOK.

I demurred slightly, allowing as how even though I am still trying the engine driving the bicycle just doesn't produce much speed anymore.

But he hesitated after gaining the curb and insisted on his view and we had a nice little chat until the light changed.  At which point I slowly rode away.

Here's what I mean about Saint Agnes.  I and my fellow citizens are all paying a share of the cost of this massive renovation job.

That is, of course, the local seat of government.

This is the local seat of religion.

Something I learned in France is the difference between a Cathedral and a Basilica.  A basilica is designated by the Pope as an important church building.  A cathedral holds a bishop's throne (a cathedra) making it the home church of the archbishop of the diocese.

A basilica may or may not be a cathedral, quite often they are not.

I learned this at the Basilica of Saint Denis in the suburbs of Paris.

Here's a photo I took that day when I was there with my brother.

Having already displayed the local seats of government and religion I finish today with what was at one time undoubtedly the local seat of commerce.  The James J. Hill house on Summit across from the Cathedral.

It was a big stone building day.

Sure enough though, as I approached home the southeast wind that I started out in turned around to pretty much west.  Last couple of miles home into a headwind.

That couldn't ruin it though, it was a nice ride on a nice day.