Sunshine For an Hour

I decided perhaps part of my walking difficulty is due to improper shoes, so today I went to a special, high-end shoe store and got a new pair of walking shoes, with a feature that hopefully will help me prevent any future black toe nail problems  and also provide me with better cushioning to prevent more damage to my knee.

I realized around 6 PM the sun was actually shining. (Later in the evening I heard on TV that we have had a whole 6 hours of sunshine in the first 7 days of June, so that's why seeing sun became important!) I was out the door with the new shoes to take a walk along the river.

Here's are some river views. All the rain has produced beautiful greens everywhere.

Harriett Island Park

Tour Boats Along Harriett Island

University of Minnesota Show Boat

Due to high water downstream a number of barges are being stored here at Upper Landing.

The light for reflection was so perfect that one can see the barge number both ways.

Buildings from downtown St. Paul are being reflected. To the left is the now vacant Ramsey County Jail. For sometime the view along the river was not prized. Prisoners had a view that probably some day will cost a hotel guest $500/day. This jail is now located elsewhere and a developer is being sought for this property.

In the center is the First National Bank building. It has a different name now, but that's the name that I'll always use.  The Wabasha Avenue bridge is also reflected in the river.

Today the floats along the observation platform are floating level.

Above is how the floats looked as the result of the 2012 summer drought.

I found the fountain at Upper Landing Park in operation. The video below show the fountain as I climbed up from the river level to the plaza. I've never seen an official description of this fountain, but to my mind, it represents the grain that was moved and loaded from the nearby elevator tower for many years.

(Sorry, I forgot I had the camera turned vertical. This video will look better if you turn your computer on a right angle.)

Up on the plaza grandparents and a child were having fun.