WmX – Page 163 – Black and White

Frontage zone, the new ugly

meter box — Our City embarked, some time ago, on a Code Audit and the “Streets that Work” plan. Staff, Boards, Commissions, Advisory Committees, many people involved. We’ve been visited by smart coders, enlightened engineers and other luminaries. The gradual transition to a lovely Commons is in process.
Since electrification at the beginning of the 20th C we’ve grown accustomed to the overhead infrastructure. The utility poles block our sidewalks, the wires divide the sky.
Stormwater and wastewater infrastructure was in the ground.
But oh, what is this? A handy above ground casket, looks like New Orleans.

30 x1028 px box — Used to be, the water meter was in the right of way, under the sidewalk, accessed by a meter cover (visible in Google’s 2008 Street View photo). The water meter has risen! Into a concrete box. Why?

Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)

Miss Chelsea — SAK Construction’s TBM, Miss Chelsea is on the move, headed NNE, grinding through 1700+ feet of bedrock, going where no one has gone before.
Interesting boring job.

operator conveyance — Drive to work, ride the man-basket down into the hole, fire up the TBM. How is the machine moved forward? What protective gear does the operator wear? At the moment it’s a horizontal short walk (100+ feet) from the tunnel entrance to Ms. Chelsea. Later on it’ll be longer. Bike to work? What is the lighting like in there? Any chance of a live video feed?

old soldier, Carl D. Proffitt

Chubby fetches the DP — Olive and Chubby built their Woolen Mills house in 1939. I admire his service record. Daily Progress has that story.

2009 Dogwood Festival Parade — Additionally, I admire his persistence, his neighborliness. He always had a kind word. He lived on, beyond Olive, beyond five siblings. It takes a lot of courage to age in place. Chubby Proffitt had courage.

Chance

Chance the dog — Mike’s dog, Chance. He lost his sunglasses somewhere along Route 29

brown and white

waiting for Dr. Handley — old dog old human visit Georgetown Veterinary. Wish we aged at the same rate.

Monticello, Saunders Trail, VDOT, Route 20 South

Saunders trail — Walked to Monticello this morning on the Saunders trail. Lots of pedestrians out. Encountered 114 people on the way up the mountain, 130 on the way down.

Saunders trail lot — People enjoy walking in a place where cars are disciplined and there is canopy overhead. The great paradox is that to find such a place they have to drive to it. The Saunder’s Trail Parking lot was packed.

bike hell — Long range City and County plans envision a bike ped connection to the Saunder’s trailhead. Meanwhile, from Charlottesville one must walk or bike 4000+ feet on the VDOT Route 20 South straightaway. A road that is a killing field for cyclists and walkers. There are no provisions for users other than motorists. The vehicles are in max velocity mode. Taching up for I-64, or in a post interstate frame of mind, four lane divided highway, high speed merges, go go go!

Panhandling Planter

charlottesville downtown plantless planter — This planter near the “central place” of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall seems to support fauna more often than flora.

old dogs

town creek — A decade earlier we jumped in the water. Now we look at the water.

distant storm

Town Creek night — the well mannered thunderstorm, produced a quarter inch of rain, light wind and a little cloud illumination.

3/7

0.42857142857? 3:7? Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. — 0.42857142857? 3:7? Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. There is the symbol, not sure of the intended meaning.