Old Glory

Happy Independence Day!

I Heard it Through the Grapevine

Our grapevine has a mind of its own. It's always reaching, always grabbing, always trying to take over everything in its path. I have to wrestle it into submission every summer or it would engulf the whole neighborhood. Creatures live in it too. The rustling leaves and animal noises make it seem even more alive.

Someday maybe I'll be brave enough to eat some of the grapes. Or not.

Death of a Gummi Bear

We had a birthday BBQ on Saturday and someone brought a bag of Gummi Bears. Today I went out to do some yard work in the 90 degree heat and noticed that one of the bears met a very cruel fate. Poor, poor bear!

By the time I finished, I was starting to feel like the bear. I figured I'd better get inside before I met the same fate!

Lowry Avenue Bridge

I just learned last week that they are going to start taking down the Lowry Avenue Bridge this week. I didn't even know it had closed a year ago! I guess when they were repainting the bridge in 2004, engineers noticed that Pier 3 had rotated 11 inches out of vertical alignment. By 2008, they'd noticed it had rotated even more, and were afraid that normal temperature expansion could put too much stress on the superstructure.

So I wanted to get out and get a few documentary photos before they take it down. This bridge was a significant memory in my early childhood. When mom and dad only had one car, we used to drive dad to work a lot. And this bridge was always part of the drive. To me, this was the "Woo Woo" bridge because of the sound the tires made as you drove over it. It could be the dead of winter, and I would still roll down my window and stick my head out to look through the grates as we drove over. The see-through aspect of the bridge fascinated me as a little kid.

Who am I kidding? I'm still fascinated by see-through bridges.

So long, Woo Woo bridge. I hope the bridge that replaces you is just as interesting.

Hennepin Avenue Bridge at Night

A shot of the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge wraps up a week of images along the Mississippi River. The current incarnation was built in 1990. I love the pretty lights dotting the bridge.

Next to it is the Grain Belt Beer sign, an icon that has stood on Nicollet Island since around 1940. I wish they would light it again. The letters used to light up in sequence, which mesmerized me as a little kid.



Techie Corner
Since I was still working without a tripod, I had to lean up against a light pole for this pic. I also couldn't get the whole bridge in the pic with my 75mm equivalent lens, so I had to settle for one of its two towers.