A Little Scare

My young friend and I were just leaving the turtle pond at the botanic garden when I saw a weird cloud. And another and another. And then I realized it was not a cloud but smoke and I could hear a crackling sound. I don't know why I didn't call 911 but I did call the local police department. Just as I was describing it ("Yes, I do see an enormous amount of smoke!") I saw a helicopter. Phew. My thought was to get out so I did not take a picture at that point.

When we were closer to the exit I did take a picture, but the smoke was so unpleasant I did not want to linger. As we left we could see people waiting to get in and employees gathered in the parking lot.

I received this email thirty minutes after I called. 

And the city posted this.

It didn't take long for the fire to be under control and for the air to clear. That was enough of that.

Bookstore Update

I finally visited the Huntley Bookstore inside the campus library. Because there was restricted entry I was given a sticker that gave me permission to go to the store but not hang out in other parts of the building.

I think there used to be seating in this area.

The store seemed to have a bit of many things.

My fellow blogger alerted me to the sad news outside the old building.

from google
The beautiful avocado tree that used to be in front of the building

is gone forever.

Sigh.

Rabble Rousers

I have been writing about the Los Angeles County Fair for ages. This visit started a little differently because of this email exchange.

Guess how A. and I went to the fair?

There were already two other bikes parked there.

We did all the usual things and had a great time!

competitive table settings

cool quilt

oranges in the garden section

amazing costumed person walking around

in the art gallery

classic car show

and tricked out banana bikes

It was so nice to be able to go in May when the weather was better. I wonder if they will stick with the spring dates.

One Last Cleveland Post

water!

more water!
annual hydrant flushing

I saw this house in the neighborhood

and found out later it was being used to
represent LeBron James' coach's house.

very nice sidewalk stamp

I have so many pictures of this view and I keep taking more!

Signs of the City

 Different front yards, different signs.

Art in the Airport

Artists Won Kyoung Lee and Matthew Alden Price wanted to gather objects that showed the diversity of Philadelphia. These objects, donated by the people who live there, are now on display at the airport and if you go to their website you can learn the story behind each one. 

My Philadelphia Story

I wonder what I would submit for each city I have lived in. Maybe that is a topic for a future blog post.

Down by the Old Mill Stream

 How could it be that A. did not know this song?

The next day we hiked around Barker's Mill.

Haven't seen a sign like this in a while.

Surprise in Philadelphia

I have seen plenty of covered bridges in Vermont, but I had no idea there was one in a major US city.

Thomas Mill Covered Bridge
This bridge was built in 1855 and refurbished in 1939 and again in the year 2000.

A. took on on a beautiful ride in the Wissahickon Gorge. I could imagine walking, running, or cycling here often.

Transportation

It is not always true that I enjoy the journey as much as the destination, but during my last trip there were some parts I enjoyed.

We had a long layover in Denver but D. knew
about a patio with plenty of places to sit

and a good view.

We brought only one bike on the trip (which D. and A. were able to repair).
A. had his own bike and was able to borrow one for me to use.
The weather was ideal, the trails were fantastic, and our tour guide was the best!

We rented a car but on my last day I got to take a train to the airport.

Bye, Philadelphia.

I took the Rapid from the airport for the last part of my trip.
Two different transit systems in one day!

It was nice enough weather to use my Ohio bicycle.

No picture of a car, but here's a view of the
art museum on the drive to the airport.

Stadium Mustard in airport!

Planes, trains, automobiles, and bicycles - another great trip!