365 in 365 for 2014: Images 062 through 068

First full week of March and I had run out of ideas to take pictures.  Wandered onto Grand Avenue for a couple days.  Mother Nature was a tease and brought some warmish weather, but that quickly dissipated.  The start of Spring was only weeks away and it couldn't come soon enough.  Minnesota had been cold and dreary since the end of October and it wears on a person.  Here are some pictures from the "turn."  The home stretch will soon follow.

No. 062:  03-03-2014

The Wife and I had one of the last meals served at
this closed Greek restaurant on Grand Avenue.

No. 063:  03-04-2014

This is La Cucaracha near the corner of Dale Street and
Grand Avenue.  I proposed to my Wife here on Valentine's Day.

No. 064:  03-05-2014

Do you know the old joke about who's buried in Grant's tomb? This
is Tavern on Grand.  Guess what street it's on?

No. 065:  03-06-2014

Warmer weather caused some snow melt on the roads and
pathways around Lake of the Isles.

No. 066:  03-07-2014

Ah, the first crow of Spring and the rejuvenation of life.
What?  Crows are associated with death?  Never mind.

No. 067:  03-08-2014

An old bridge support in the Mississippi River.  It will be a 
shame when it tumbles years from now.

No. 068:  03-09-2014

Interesting ice display outside the Weisman Museum.

"Wan, Wisconsin! Wan, Wisconsin!"

Think you got enough room on either side of you two?

I'm not going to mince words.  I hate Wisconsin.  The more I'm exposed to the place, the less I like it, in spite of the fact my Wife grew up there.  My disdain, long cultivated before Scott Walker and Paul Ryan gained national prominence, was reaffirmed during a recent trip to the Dells for a volleyball tournament.

First, let me explain why I dislike Wisconsin so much; it's the state's drivers. I'll freely admit I'm a curmudgeon, and nothing sets me off more than the buffoonery I suffer when I'm driving; and odds are there's a Wisconsin plate on the vehicle causing my consternation.  You can't win with them!  They drive too slowly when in front of you, follow too closely when behind you, and they can attack without warning (i.e. signalling).

I have countless stories of run-ins with Wisconsin drivers. Like the driver who almost made a left turn onto a one way street from Hennepin Avenue, then proceeded to drive one more block on the wrong side of the double yellow line. I assume he thought every street in the area was a one way.  Or the woman in the Audi on I-94 heading into St. Paul, who either didn't see or ignored my signal to change lanes so she could use the travel lane to whip around someone in the passing lane. Or the cheesehead who arrived at a four way stop after I did, but made a right turn in front of me as I went straight.

I have a theory on the lack of quality drivers in America's Dairyland.  The small southeast region, from Madison east to Milwaukee and south to Kenosha, has a heavy influence from Chicago drivers.  Chicagoans, like Bostonians, are aggressive drivers, darting quickly from lane to lane in order to make progress.  This is a necessity to get around a large, tightly packed metropolis.  They're aggressive, but not stupid.  Import this behavior north of the state line and you get people who think this is the only way to drive without understanding the reasons why.

Everywhere else you'll find people who are at best two generations removed from the farm.  If they aren't driving cars, they're driving tractors.  In fact, the top speed limit in any small town off the highway is the same as your typical school zone. Seriously, if you have to get from one point in Wisconsin to another using a road not labelled 90 or 94, you might as well pack a lunch.  These areas are where the fatty deposits develop that clog the arteries of our interstate system.