Pre-sunrise trafffic. Mon. Oct. 2 rush hour for St. Paul 8-to-5ers. Amtrak tracks to the left, and a lone houseboat chugging upstream on the right. I'm at the city end of Roberts bridge, finding it a great privilege to be temporarily unemployed.

Today was eventful: A front page story in the Local News section of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, including several photos. Later today I heard from Prairie Home Companion...MaryJo and I will be special guests on the Oct. 14 show, icluding dinner with the staff and cast, attending the rehearsal, and sitting onstage during the show.

I was only trying to get tickets to sit in the audience, so this is a great surprise, and one of the neatest opportunities in my life! We are truly thrilled.
Not far (20 steps) from where I shot the picture of rush hour is a tiny city park with a number of small sculptures and randomly placed poetic lyrics mostly about our connection with Native Americans. It's a serene and inspiring little niche in the corner of the city, tucked between the end of Roberts Bridge and a large generic office building.
there were several panels in the railing above the river. You can imagine why I was drawn to this particular one.
This entire trip started as somewhat of a dream, and in many ways is more than "real" as it unfolds. Though I have tried to take in as much as possible, there is much more I have had to pass up, for lack of time, or simple neglect. The trip deserves to be taken more slowly, more people could have been met and enjoyed, many places beckoned for a call but were passed by.

This tug has been converted to the Riverside Grill, where MaryJo and I will have our wedding dinner and ceremony on Oct. 15. I'll be thinking about all the tug captains who used to push huge tows up and down the Mississippi with this extra large tug. I'm glad she's still being put to good use, and was spared from the scrapyard.

The leaves are turning rapidly now in St. Paul, and beginning to lose their grip on the trees.
The recent 80 degree daytime temps will soon give way to frequent frost warnings, and thoughts of heading back South will prevail for this captain and crew.