RIOT LOG: Some pictures I forgot from Saturday morning

[dreamshark]

I could have sworn that we saw video identified as the White Castle on fire, but it looks... fine? Maybe the building was misidentified. Or maybe it's just that hard to burn up a building made of stainless steel. 

One of the more terrifying pictures I took, although you have to think about it to realize it. This is Dave's old apartment building on the corner of Lake and Nicollet, adjacent to the Wells Fargo that was destroyed by fire. There are hundreds of apartments in that building, mostly occupied by Somali families. It's an okay building inside, but does not have the world's greatest fire exits. Note that every one of the shops on the lower level was broken open. All it would have taken was one well-placed Molotov cocktail and that building would have gone up in flames. 

And now for something completely different. On the way home I went past this remarkable yard art on Stevens Avenue around 39th Street. It's a little hard to see, but that's a dead parrot that the cat and dog are staring at in wonder. WTF?

Comments

[maruad]

I am appreciating the photos and updates.

The cat, dog and dead parrot makes me think someone had three unrelated animal statues and a sense of humour. It is the eyes on the cat that make it work.

[dreamshark]

Yeah, the cat's expression is priceless. I think all of the statues were made at once, judging by the materials and placement. They may at one time have had 3 unrelated ANIMALS that needed to be memorialized.

[maruad]

Interesting. I assumed the statues were acquired separately.

[laramie]

I was just thinking about Dave's old building, and wondering how it came through.

Also, thinking it turned out to be a mixed blessing that I couldn't afford to move in there. Things have been remarkably peaceful out here in Fridley.

I came into South Mpls on Friday to deliver food to the Community Center down at 3001 Lake St. E, where they were collecting. I also wanted to see how things looked in the Hi-Lake neighborhood, but traffic was horrid and I couldn't get close to anything. At that point Uncle's was still okay.

[dreamshark]

Dave would have found all of this tremendously exciting. He would have been out in the thick of things taking pictures and interviewing everybody. Impossible not to think of him while watching the videos and visiting the aftermath. I miss him.

[laramie]

I'm sure you're right. If he was fascinated by the road repair project, all this action, upheaval and the changes to the landscape would have had him out with his camera day and night.

[spiderplanet]

Fortunately, buildings as recently built or renovated as that one would have sprinklers. The people would have survived in a fire, though probably not without significant emotional scarring.

[bibliofile]

Yes, thanks for all the photos.

Loving the lawn art. Maybe it's replying to the giant spoon + cherry over in the sculpture garden?