Thursday, October 11, 2012

October continues

Summer disappeared so suddenly that it seems like it may make a comeback. It wasn't to be today, although it wasn't too bad a day for autumn. The mercury (who uses mercury thermometers any more?) rose to 50 degrees, stuck for an hour or so and then drifted back into the forties. [How nice would it be to drift back into the forties?]

A walk around Crosby Farm with my camera seemed like a good idea.  I was surprised on arrival to find that the park is in the midst of improvements.  A good deal of asphalt is about to be replaced by prairie, and the parking lot enlarged to replace lost parking elsewhere.  In addition, a new stretch of bike path was bulldozed through the edge of the woods to allow easier access to Upper Lake, necessary because of the loss of road surface.  I guess.  The park was posted as closed, but I walked by the sign and visited Upper Lake.  There were just a few people around, but the wild birds were nestled onto the lakes surface; a bunch of mallards and a flock of Canada geese.  The trees are well on the way to their colorful best, a few have dropped their leaves - probably ashes.

It was a nice walk and a nice day in the forest in the heart of the Twin Cities.  By the big river.


I walked by this structure.  It's just a big pile of drift wood, deposited by the floods of the spring, but now a long way from the nearest body of water.  Upper Lake is in the background.


Johnny Unitas was in the news lately, because his record for TD's in consecutive football games was broken by Drew Brees. Because Alex Karras (Mongo in "Blazing Saddles") died this week at 77, I wondered whether Johnny U. was still alive. Pro football is pretty hard on the human body. He died in 2002 at the age of 69, a fact not lost on a guy about to change decades. He had a heart attack. He had lost almost total use of his right hand, with the middle finger and thumb noticeably disfigured from being repeatedly broken during games.  Tennis is hard on your body, too, but nothing like that.

2 comments:

Retired Professor said...

It looks like the wind has finally calmed down some, at least.

Alex Karras was a cowboy in Blazing Saddles, among other things. I was sad to read the news of his passing.

This will seem warm, in February.

Gino said...

Johnny Unitas just pawn in game of football. Mongo knocked out a horse.