Photo Roundup

Fall means seed-saving time for me. On the left, some seeds and chaff from a small form of Black-Eyed Susan. On the right, the tiny seeds with some chaff above. The pin is for reference to the size of the seeds. My garden yields a wide variety of seeds in all shapes and sizes and gives me something to look forward to during winter.

On a walk downtown Monday, I saw new chairs and tables inside the relocated Mi Buenaventura Restaurant. The sign predicted a May opening, but it took a lot longer to get to this point. The restaurant's original North Avenue location was damaged on March 21 during a demolition of an adjacent building. This is also on North Avenue, across from the main train station on the side closest to the post office.

One of the most nerve-wracking parts of being a pedestrian is dodging bike riders on the sidewalk. If I see them coming, I stand still at one side until they pass so as not to get knocked down. At my age, a fall can lead to a broken hip! But when they come from behind, the most I can do is vent with a few unprintable words as they zoom by. Two single riders had passed me before this pair came from behind. Whatever happened to bicycle bells?

This passageway from East Front Street to Municipal parking Lot 6 was damaged in Hurricane Sandy, but has now been restored and beautified with landscaping. The City Council approved a contract to create a mural at the site and I went to see whether any work had been done.

Oops! No mural yet, but one of the city's taggers has already defaced one wall. The Special Improvement District association has a graffiti-removal program, so maybe they can deal with this one.

--Bernice