Win Lose Draw

This is what the Mississippi River looked like in my neighborhood today as it experienced its scheduled drawdown. I think I read somewhere that it's so the infrastructure of the locks and dams can be inspected. Meanwhile there were flocks of gulls and human onlookers. Many people seemed to be treasure hunting.

 

I watched a crew of workers pull bikes and scooters out of the muck with ropes and hooks.

There was an immense tangle of stuff, including the metal box below. The workers tried for a few minutes to open it--to no avail. The whole situation seemed bleak to me despite the volunteers from the park service talking with visitors about the river and its original configuration before the sawmills, and the flour mills, and the shoring up of the ruined falls. All the while, the evidence of current stupidity and ruination is poking up from the mud. Hundreds of plastic water bottles, trash of every imaginable kind, including the Nice Ride rental bikes and the rental scooters that are a plague for pedestrians on city sidewalks. The pile above represents only five minutes or so of work. I suppose this went on for hours. We're a disaster, we humans. 

I hope someone found treasure. Gold, or silver, or a box of something precious. 

When I got home I opened the bill from my kidney procedure. 20,800 and some dollars--not including the doctor's visits and the testing beforehand. Because I have a Medicare Advantage plan that I pay 99 dollars a month for, all but 250.00 dollars of that was covered. I'll bet our president's care for his Covid hospitalization totaled a quarter of a million. It's disgusting that so many people do not have decent health care or insurance of any kind--especially during a pandemic. These United States are so far into the muck, I fear we may never get out. 

BUT I have cast my ballot. And I do hope for change.

The Tall Ship Report

The tall ship San Salvador, the re-creation of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo's 16th century vessel, is here in Channel Islands harbor. She is beautiful. I hope to watch her sail away for her next adventure on Monday morning. 

My earliest memories are of the Mississippi River. We had a pontoon boat.

My introduction to the tall ship world came several years ago through my daughter, C. While you could not pay me to climb the rigging, nothing beneath my work boots but rope, I'm thrilled to have been introduced to this esoteric world of thrills and beauty.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Minneapolis!

Ruins--Did you know that flour dust is more explosive than gun powder? 

One of the reasons Minneapolis is know as the Mill City

Nature, co-exsiting with the city

The beautiful Hennepin Avenue Bridge

Many bridges--they say that if the river is calm at night the reflection of this bridge in the water looks like a giant cat's eye.

Fine food--there's a lot of it in Minneapolis.

Three one-eyed creatures at a tiki bar

And the food here at Psycho Suzi's was great!

Besides eating and drinking, I reconnected with friends, went to wonderful bookstores, saw a lot of art and some great theatre.

Of course I went out on the river and a lake.

View from the Mississippi Queen

Feeling like the queen of Lake Jane
(Photo taken by a friend who had her phone in a zip-lock bag for safekeeping)

 And for some reason, I did not cry on the plane ride home.