Red, white and blue morning.

 

A befuddlement of rails

 

If ever there were a calling for supervisory talent, this is it. Track-layers assembled the end rails at the Southwest Station cross-over junction today, a maze of steel to withstand the ages and facilitate the reversal of direction for future light rail traffic. 

The station will serve as the new end point to the green line, replacing the Target Field station, as the line reaches westward. As ever, we are vigilant to the public trust and our supervisory responsibility. We stand by, ready to assist as needed.

So far. no one has called. Fortunately, we are stationed 24/7 nearby.

Tonight, looking out the window, while watching to Twins

 

Fire!

The garden out front of our new location burned brightly with fall colors this weekend.

I know. A man out standing in his field

My 84-year-old North Dakota cousin still loves harvest time and checking the wheat. The family gathers its grain crops now with huge computerized equipment in air-conditioned cabs, but it still comes down as always to the earth, rain and sun -- and rolling the kernels in the palm of your weathered hand. We hope the excitement of harvest time never gets old. (Photo by Kelli Rolfsrud McCoy)

End of the Green Line

 

End of the Line

Designers of the Southwest Station must have seen Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder in the “Silver Streak” runaway train crash into the Chicago Union Station gift shop, and hope to avert a similar catastrophe with these over-water heavy-duty steel and concrete barriers. The forms are still in place but should eventually reveal an effective back stop. 

Thank you, thank you!

Thank you, Thank you!

Kathleen has been thrilled by the overwhelming floral response from her many fans. A special display was needed to assemble the generous show of support.

Just kidding, but thanks sincerely for everything you have said and done. We continue to progress. The floral display is actually John’s handiwork in our business center, but proves a worthy backdrop for this little joke. 

The Blue Streak

 Kathleen's getaway vehicle, used for major trips. Walker exercise paramount. Blue streak used for convenience and sitting at table, etc.

The Blue Streak

Medical magic

 Highly technical drawing of spinal situation. 

Before entering surgery, Kathleen asked the neuro surgeon exactly what she was getting in to. He quickly complied, grabbed a marker and borrowed her white board for a presentation. 

See the drawings under the word Trauma? Well, the circle on the right represents a normal spinal cord. The drawing in the middle shows the result of her fall. The fractured vertebra, represented by the triangular shape,  has squashed the circle. This the surgeon would remove and the result is the injured spinal cord on the left, expanding into the new channel over time. Steel structures will replace the busted bone.

He’s a magician. Won’t even be a scar at throat entry point. Actually, he’s just a damn good, gifted surgeon, and a good man to boot. We’re so lucky.