From the olden days

Time seems to fly by yet it moves slowly too. Lately, I have been noticing how things have changed.  Change is a constant and is to be expected and sometimes it is a good thing but not always.

The picture was taken in 2013. I think 2014 was the last year of the petunia baskets in St. Paul.  I always appreciated them but wish I had taken more pictures.

hanging basket of flower
Downtown St. Paul

Housing where parking used to be

It is nice to see housing where parking used to be. I know parking is important but I think housing is even more so. More housing is being built on the site and I believe it is “affordable housing”.  The building in the picture is the Arlow. They are on Kellogg Blvd. in downtown St. Paul and across the street from the Xcel Center.

 

the Arlow
The Arlow apartments at Kellogg and West 7th
The Intersection of West 7th and Kellogg
The intersection of West 7th and Kellogg

Normal spring flooding

There is some flooding along the Mississippi River. This is normal for this time of year. Last year’s drought wasn’t normal. The land along the river in St. Paul is mostly parkland. There used to be a neighborhood called “Little Italy” but it flooded many times.

Last year the river was low due to drought. Restrictions were put on water usage. That is something we are not used to in St. Paul. The pictures show a normal Mississippi River.

Mississippi River downtown St. Paul
Mississippi River
Mississippi River
Mississippi River – Harriet Island in the background

 

Throwback to March 2019

I took these pictures of Shepard Road, and Raspberry Island three years ago today on March 31, 2019.  We won’t be seeing floods like that this year but with all the rain and snow we have been getting we may see an end to last year’s drought.  The river is still low but it has at least risen to the point where it looks normal again.

Shepard Road flooded
Shepard Road, the Wabasha Street bridge and the Mississippi River
Raspberry Island
The Mississippi River in 2019 covers part of Raspberry Island