Flock of Birds

Every time we drive in to and out of town there always seem to be a lot of birds flying around. I like birds. I used to have a parakeet named Ringo. He could say his name and did many things on command. I always liked watching the birds in the northeast, Midwest and south. When we walk in the park I’m always looking out for my favorite cardinals. Once in awhile a Hawk shows up. I find it interesting that pigeons always leave about six inches apart from each other when they are resting together. Perhaps it gives them enough space to flap wings without hitting each other when they decide to take off. The other day we were stuck in a traffic jam so the car was not moving with any speed. That gave me an opportunity to take a few photos of the action. The birds were sitting on top of the building and on top of the signage along the freeway. They all seemed to be content watching all of us below. It’s a unique perspective - in either direction. 

Chalk Comments on the Path in the Park

Someone was trying to get someone else motivated and energized. We drove over to the park this morning to dispose of the glass bottles at the recycle dumpster, then continued on our morning walk. As we started down the usual path I began to notice chalk messages - arrows, turn to the right.... some of them were harder to read than others. The messages weren’t there yesterday and it hadn’t rained, but the idea and the attempt to make the walking path a bit more interesting should be congratulated. Yesterday we saw three deer - one buck in the rear - wandering along the stream. Today we saw the encouraging words of a female youngster spurring on her friends or perhaps unknowns to find their way along the winding walk. Perhaps it was a challenge or just something to just keep busy. The pink, blue and yellow letters seemed a bit out of place among the fallen leaves and rustic surroundings. It’s more like something you would see in a suburban or urban neighborhood. It’s funny to see things re-emerge from the 50’s and 50’s - board games, jigsaw puzzles, home cooked meals. Here’s another example of staying active. Not such a bad idea. 

China Daily

One routinely runs in to all sorts of newspapers, real estate, advertisements, and otherwise types of publications located on street corners that are either free or have a minimum charge. Although lately, we rarely pick up anything from the corner box except for the Hill Rag- our favorite neighborhood publication with the great cover art. Most of what we read is on line. It almost seems odd to even hold a newspaper anymore. One of our friends always picks up the Wall Street Journal when he visits, even though I can get it for him on the Kindle, and now the IPad. Things are changing- although I am not surprised in the least. We came across a newspaper box that contains the China Daily- right next to Politico and all the others. It sits right outside of the Capitol Hill Suites across from the Library. Although this particular publication may not have been available just a few years ago, it certainly makes sense today. Our grandson is taking Chinese in 3rd grade on Capitol Hill. My mother spoke both Polish and English when she grew up. We learned Polish first and quickly forgot it. In high school we had to take Latin, and then had a choice between French and Spanish. I selected French and could read it quite well, but never used it. My husband speaks not only fluent Farsi, but English, and French. In this town, there is about every language on earth- at the Library, there are over 120 (?) or so? I started collecting Madame Alexander foreign land dolls when I was six and have always been intrigued with other cultures. Milwaukee has a huge Polish and German population- something not as common here. There sure are a lot more tools available today to help one learn and navigate their way through another country. How does one decide which language to learn fluently now? Or is it just a little bit of this and that?



Something of interest



Fits right in with the rest

An Accident Waiting to Happen

Since the construction on the place across the street is about finished, the vehicles traveling along the streets are moving at a quicker pace. And, a green light means you move forward without stopping. I saw three vehicles pass through a red light today, one after the other, including a fire truck. When I walked back to work after lunch, one car slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting broadside into a car that was moving the right of way with the green light. Only one block away is another mess like this. There are 5-6 streets that converge on this intersection, and it's very confusing. I was crossing at the crosswalk at this same intersection last week, and the lady in the car was very upset that another car passed in front of her. When I told her she had the red light, she thought I was nuts. There are two stoplights posted- one close to the cross walk where the car stops, and another one several feet away in the distance. The driver sees the green light in the distance, ignoring the red light right in front of their face. I guess that's why roundabouts are so common here.  I don't remember ever seeing anything as confusing as this! I just forwarded this blog and photo to the Police FYI. There are a lot of children in the neighborhood.

Response received from Police almost immediately after sending:

Your report will be forwarded to the Department of Transportation for action.

Tom WilkinsExecutive Director,
Intelligence Fusion DivisionMetropolitan Police DepartmentWashington, D.C.

The cab has the right of way- but the driver STOPPED at the red light
is looking at the green arrow in the distance
and moves right in to the vehicle passing right in front of him

WHICH WAY DO I GO?

Driving around downtown can be confusing. It was just noted in yesterday's entry that we are able to find our way home easily by using monuments on the horizon to guide us - as lighthouses of sorts. But it is still important to have road signs that point one in the right direction.

Do I turn right or left?