Damage at Como reflecting pool

It was a coolish day and it rained now and then, but it was a day off from the action on the courts. I decided to get a photo of the State Fair without actually going into the grounds. An odd quest, but it also allowed some time to get photos of a lovely fallish day, and about two miles of walking as cross training. It was the middle of the afternoon and I parked by Como Lake. Even with the State Fair a mile away there was no competition for parking spots in the lot by the lake. Even an extra mile walk is too much when there are free park and ride facilities all over the Twin Cities.

On the way to Snelling Avenue while walking through the park, I encountered this. The reflecting pool near the Conservatory has taken some damage. It looks like a simple wall failure resulting in a cave-in under the patio like structure. It's an old wall, and apparently imperfectly built, but it may be a major job to get it repaired.



I continued walking in a Snelling direction and passed by the lily pad pool next to the Conservatory itself. The lily pads are not native to Minnesota, but they throw off some attractive flowers and interesting hued pads. I liked these.



As I watched and walked along the pool, I encountered wild life. This female mallard was swimming among the pads and the other water plants in the pool. She wasn't about to leave, having apparently grown accustomed to sightseers. So I took her picture.



I did make it all the way to Snelling. The space needle was descending as I arrived, and to prove that I was indeed at the gates of the Minnesota Get-together, I took this picture from near the main entrance on Snelling and Dan Patch Avenue. It was a nice day and especially nice to walk outside, but I was happy enough to avoid the shoulder to shoulder crowds inside the gates.



More tennis tomorrow.