We had actual rain yesterday, the first significant rain of the month. I got out for a short walk but honestly probably came up a bit short on that one hour outside every day for a year promise. It was raining.
I am still committed to the idea and intend to get out for an hour on days when it is snowing or when it is cold. But rain? Rain is so . . . wet.
And now the temperatures are threatening to return to normal. Just as we get used to the idea of endless August it appears that October will arrive on schedule. Our overnight low was in the low 50s.
But today was NICE. After a cool start the temperature reached 76 on the thermometer in our front yard at 3:30 as I returned from a nice ride.
I was a little uncertain of wind direction as I started. I knew it was south but southwest or southeast still seemed up for grabs so I took that loop through the Fairgrounds that I have been riding a lot of late, testing the wind in the various directions. It was a fabulous day at the Fairgrounds as there are TWO big events going on over there.
At the northeast corner of the grounds there was some sort of dog show. It was a big enough deal that there was a fair food shack open.
I took this picture of the wind turbine blade that has been pictured here before. I think that the fabulous blue sky behind the blade makes that a good picture without there having to be more content. But that isn't even the real reason why I took the picture.
Nope, that picture is to prove that even as late as today, September 26, it is still possible to purchase sausage on a stick at the Fairgrounds. You might have to zoom in on the photo but you should be able to tell that that stand is open and that there on the white portion of the above the window sign, towards the right appears: "Corn dogs". Sausage on a stick.
At the opposite corner of the grounds there is a big horse show. They have lots of horse shows over there. I ride there a lot, I see it all the time. This one, however, must be one of the largest shows that they have. The parking lots over there are all full of cars and trucks with horse trailers. Here is a trailer preparing to perform its intended task, transporting horses.
Eventually I decided the wind was more southwest than southeast and so I rode a more westerly route, down through the campus. I didn't want to ride the Stone Arch Bridge which is often my choice when headed over there. It was too nice a day, the bridge promised to be overrun by pedestrians.
Instead I detoured down Main Street and eventually crossed the bridge to Nicollet Island. I was absolutely positive that I had never ridden there on my bicycle. After having ridden there today I was struck by the thought that I may never have been there at all. It was a nice scenic ride around the island on the brick street.
I have pictured the Grain Belt Beer sign before. Here it is from behind, photo taken from the parking lot of De la Salle High School.
I have settled on the Intercampus Transitway as the only route that I am comfortable with for crossing the railroad tracks that I cross using the Dead Man's Curve passage when it is available. I came back from my ride today along that route. At the north end the transitway sort of dumps you onto the Fairgrounds. You could turn right on Como but it just feels more natural to ride to the end of transitway and cut through the Fairgrounds parking lots and circle back inside the Fairgrounds towards a favorable spot for a Snelling Avenue crossing.
I was in the process of doing just that when I spotted a really nice old car from a distance of a couple of blocks. I thought to myself that the car was on the Fairgrounds on the wrong weekend, that that street rod event was at the beginning of the summer. But it was a really nice looking old car so I turned where I had last seen it and tried to catch up. I lost the trail but cutting back through the grounds spotted the car again. The driver seemed to be on a sight seeing tour of the grounds and was driving slowly so I was able to close up a bit. Eventually I was able to draw alongside and confirm that it was a really nice old Oldsmobile 98. I at first guessed to myself 1957 and got ahead of the classic car so that I could turn around with favorable sun direction and get a photo of the car as he passed.
The driver slowed to, I thought, allow me to get the picture, a driver proud of his car.
"A '57?", I inquired.
"56", he replied, "Don't I know you?"
"Larrie?", I asked.
So last week I rode through our old neighborhood and talked to Maurice who now lives in Larrie and Kathy's old house. Today I ran into Larrie himself. Larrie confirms that it is a 56 Oldsmobile 98, a beauty, Larrie's deceased father's car, and Larrie had his mother out for a ride in it on a beautiful fall day. Larrie's father was superintendent of the Fair is what I believe he said and he and his mother were out checking out the sights. To make the whole thing even more interesting just about a week ago TOPWLH and I ran into Kathy in the grocery store.
You can leave the old neighborhood but apparently the old neighborhood never leaves you.
This evening in Nantes, FC Nantes improved to four wins in four starts at home with a 2-1 victory over Nimes. Nantes set an all time Ligue 2 record for fastest goal at the start of a game when
defender Remi Maréval scored after just 10 seconds of play. Those familiar with football will know that the opening kickoff must travel forward. The usual procedure at the upper levels of the sport is for one player to roll the ball forward for one circumference of the ball after which another player plays the ball back to his teammates to maintain possession. It is one of the set plays used fairly often at that point to have that player send a long kick towards goal while the forwards move in to try to use field position to gain an advantage. Today the ball was played back to Maréval and he launched one towards goal from 60 meters away. The ball somehow eluded the keeper and went into the net.
Nantes again assumes first place in the table based on goal differential over Caen. Just as last week Nantes must await the result of Caen's game to determine if they are truly in first place. Caen, as they did last week, play on Monday night.
We had walked past a restaurant on the Champs Elysee that was emitting a strong sauerkraut aroma so we set off last evening with choucroute in mind. We ended up at the same Alsatian restaurant where we ate last year. I think he actually has five different sausages there, one is hidden behind the kraut.
And I got a picture of the baptismal font.
But the 10am opening bell of the show we wanted to see beckoned so we set off across the river to see "Paris au temps des Impressionistes, Les Chefs-d'oeuvre du musée d’Orsay à l'Hôtel de Ville". Paris in the time of the Impressionists, Masterpieces from the Orsay Museum at City Hall.
I took a picture of this building across the street. It is a pretty nice looking building in its own right, it looks like it should be significant in some way.
The significance is that they are having a big sale. That building is a department store, Bazaar de l'Hotel d'Ville, the store next to city hall.
We met some people from Nebraska when we were taking the Eiffel Tower picture. I was lining up my shot when the husband standing behind me assured his wife that "they will be leaving soon" assuming as we all do sometimes that because it is after all France and because we don't understand much of what most of them are saying that they probably don't understand much of what we are saying.
I took the picture and turned around and asked them if they needed our space. A good time was had by all.
You need the relative desertion of this time of year to notice some of these things, I guess. So Pronto Pups appeared at the Fair for the first time 62 Fairs ago. Who knew?
Instead I got an opportunity to take a close look at the detour sign. That "7" is a tape number, not paint. They removed yesterday's "6" replacing it with this new schedule.
I take the water flowing over the edge as evidence that the construction season down in the gorge below the Falls is at an end. It was pretty over there today, and for a not too surprising change, there weren't very many people around.
Eventually I decided the wind was more southwest than southeast and so I rode a more westerly route, down through the campus. I didn't want to ride the Stone Arch Bridge which is often my choice when headed over there. It was too nice a day, the bridge promised to be overrun by pedestrians.
I have settled on the Intercampus Transitway as the only route that I am comfortable with for crossing the railroad tracks that I cross using the Dead Man's Curve passage when it is available. I came back from my ride today along that route. At the north end the transitway sort of dumps you onto the Fairgrounds. You could turn right on Como but it just feels more natural to ride to the end of transitway and cut through the Fairgrounds parking lots and circle back inside the Fairgrounds towards a favorable spot for a Snelling Avenue crossing.
The driver slowed to, I thought, allow me to get the picture, a driver proud of his car.
Here's the Jan and Dean tie-in. Raymond Avenue is closed for replacement of the railroad bridge. This is a dangerous spot for both cars and bicyclists that I have always referred to as "Dead Man's Curve" even though I am personally unaware of any fatal accidents there.
The guy on security was glad to have someone to talk to and gave me the details. The old bridge will be removed. There will be substantial regrading and then a new bridge will be installed. We can anticipate that the double curve under the bridge will be reduced and that visibility for users from both directions will be increased. The process is expected to take about six weeks. In the meantime, as Raymond Avenue provides one of the very few crossings of that particular set of railroad tracks I now need to find another route to Saint Paul.
Just after publishing yesterday's post I clicked on the cable TV and happened to pass by CNN. Wolf Blitzer was just finishing up some coverage of the wacky Mexico airplane hijacking. It seems that my observation about yesterday's date was NOT ill advised. This hijacker guy was pretty wacky and was also pretty clearly an end of the world cultist. I am pleased to find that, as I suspected was the case, that there were end of the world cultists holding vigils, or in this case hijacking an airplane, to commemorate the numerical significance of the day. I feel officially vindicated.
