An Unlovely Surprise

Earlier this spring, road work began in my neighborhood. At first, I was actually pretty pumped about it. My apartment building is located between a bridge and a little commercial area. The bridge, which crosses a little creek and associated biking and walking trails, needed to close so it could be removed and replaced. Awesome! While it's a little difficult for me to get north, to the other side of the creek, I  rarely go that direction and the detours are very convenient. And, though I know the local businesses have struggled, traffic has really decreased with the bridge closed. Jaywalking became the norm!

Then came the noise. Jackhammers and more. And the jiggling of my huge apartment building. The first time I felt the building shake while I was sitting at my dining room table, I thought I might barf! It's not as thought it's an earthquake and it doesn't disrupt my bookshelves or things hanging on the wall. But still, this is Minnesota, where the ground doesn't shake.

I thought the noise was unpleasant. Things recently took another turn for the worse. ROAD WORK! Yeesh. Here's a view towards the creek: 

Yep. That's the street, with the crane in the background. All traffic has been routed to the west side of the street. Here's a view towards the neighborhood businesses:

It's crazy bumpy to cross the gravel to get to the paved part - and there is a huge sewer cover in the middle of the lane which only recently got itself a safety cone to prevent unsuspecting passers-by from flattening their tires. It has a little bit of a Wild West feel, don't you think?

And then things took what is (hopefully) the last turn for the worse:

Yep. That's a Port-A-Potty on the lawn at my apartment building. While I know the work crews need a place to use the facilities, I can't help but feeling a little like Hilly in The Help. One day I came home, saw this, and could only ask myself: "Why is there a toilet on my lawn?" At least I can be sure that this one is for a good cause!

PS: I hope you enjoy the photos in this post. I recently got the new Android Instagram App and decided to give it a whirl.