I caught my first glimpse yesterday of downtown Raleigh legend Rodney Hines, better known as the No Hand King. I looked up from my desk to see this guy deftly maneuvering his bike on one wheel between the tables outside the Raleigh Times. Using no hands, of course.
Its the first time I’ve seen him and I’ve been working downtown for almost five months. Perhaps that’s the way it should be for legends, n’est pas? It was worth the wait, though: the guy is talented!
Last week was the last day of school in the Wake County school system. As I pedaled to work I was once again astonished at how different the streets looked. Gone were all the school buses, idling at lights. Gone was the long line of cars waiting to drop kids off at school. Gone were the stream of pedestrians walking to and from the school.
It was eerily quiet, like Wednesday morning became Sunday morning. A remarkable difference.
I was wondering what kind of difference the area’s air quality sensors detected between Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s CO2 and CO levels. Then the Great Smokeout of 2008 occurred and dashed my hopes of an accurate measurement. Perhaps the county’s traffic counters registered a change?
I’ve written before about Raleigh Police Chief Harry Dolan, being that he’s eight feet tall and is frequently seen towering over downtown buildings, waiting for Godzilla.
One thing I’ve noticed is that he’s frequently seen. Just like the beat cops under his command, he seems to work out of his car and not an office. So he’s likely to have a good idea about what goes on in the streets. That’s a fantastic trait in a police chief. I can see why he’s such a good leader.
Now if we could only get more pay for our officers . . .
Had a classic summertime slow-moving thunderstorm pass over last night. It must have been right on top of us. The lightning was as intense as I’ve heard, with non-stop bolting for a good 20 minutes or more. On my way out to get my paper I expect to see a few nearby pine trees still steaming from the jolts.
I also expect my rain tank to be full at 330 gallons. Sunday morning I was down to 60 gallons. Not a bad turnaround.
Update: “Lake Turner” is at 275 gallons: not full but not bad, either.
The N&O sacked dozens of newsroom staffmembers today as parent company McClatchy wrestled with sagging revenues. There had been rumors that this would happen, so hopefully those affected had time to prepare.
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I enjoyed my Father’s Day and I hope my other father readers did, too.
Woke up to a nice breakfast Kelly whipped up. She and the kids gave me cards and a gift. Then after breakfast we hopped on our bikes again to ride the greenways. We were all beaming when we reached our turnaround point of Lassiter Mill. Hallie was especially happy. Its obvious how much fun we have on our rides! I crushed the trails, too. I’ve gained a lot of strength from my simple, 30-minute-a-day rides.
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Its been a really good day, part of my Father’s Day Weekend Extravaganza. The kids woke up happy, we breakfast, and then K and T went to a friend’s birthday party. H and I spent the morning planting the tomato plants Dad gave us. Then we went out to discover our neighborhood pool, Longview. We returned for lunch (the pool’s hours are 1-5 on weekends – huh?), and K and T joined us for a few good hours at the pool. Both kids swam like fish, too, which was a lot of fun.
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I saw Sponge play on their Wax Ecstatic tour at the former MARS club near the Longbranch. A great band of the 90s.
Will I wake up
Is it a dream I made up
No, I guess it’s reality
What will change us
Or will we mess up
Only chance to connect with a dream
Say a prayer for me
I’m buried by the sound
In a world of human wreckage
Well, I’m lost and I’m found
and I can’t touch the ground
I’m plowed into the sound
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Smoke from the wildfires is still affecting Raleigh’s air quality, though yesterday’s haze and smell seem to be gone. The N.C Department of Environment and Natural Resource’s Division of Air Quality department shows a particulate pollution level of 151, which is just over the threshold of “Code Red.”
I’m hoping the air clears soon as I’m really missing my morning bike rides to work.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay have the right of habeas corpus, just like everyone else. The ruling doesn’t mean they go free, or that they’re squeaky clean for that matter. It means that charges against them must be proven before they can be locked up forever.
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