Outside the DECC was a booth serving CLIF® Energy Granola.

This is the sign that was next to the CLIF® booth.

This is my CLIF® granola with milk and a paper spoon.

My very tasty Michelina's® All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Dinner

A weekend tradition for Grandma's Marathon since 1977 is Michelina's® All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Dinner!  This is my fourteen dollar meal and it was very good.

This is my seconds, with free coffee!

This is my Ben & Jerry’s® Ice Cream.

I bought a new belt that was on sale at Shopko®

My old belt is falling apart leaving very small bits of leather on the floor.  So I had to buy a new belt.

Today was my first time shopping at Shopko® and I purchased a belt listed for $25.00 for $14.99.  This belt is a good buy for my limited money.

I had an enjoyable shopping experience at Shopko® and if you don’t shop here I encourage you to check out this pleasantly surprising store for yourselves.

My flavorsome Marcus Theatres “Deep Fried Green Beans”

Once each day, I make an attempt to eat foods that I have never eaten before.  I have found some of my most favorite foods and least favorite foods this way.  For five dollars, this was a wholesome treat while taking a leisurely stroll in Duluth’s Canal Park.

My modest proposal for an official sequel to Fallout: Equestria

After the series finale of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Kkat could write a sequel to Fallout Equestria.  Imagine that Littlepip (aka The Stable Dweller) and her friends find and perfect Star Swirl the Bearded’s time travel spell.  They travel back in time to one year before Twilight Sparkle completes with success her entrance exam for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.  They then setup a conference for both Princess Celestia and the Zebra Caesar.  During this meeting, Littlepip and her friends explain with words as well as PipBuck text files, video files, and memory orbs what has happened in the future and how both Princess Celestia and the Zebra Caesar must work together to prevent that future from happening.

After that meeting, Princess Celestia and the Zebra Caesar alarmed and unnerved from the possibility of a dark future for both their nations pledge to prevent the pirates taking the pony tourists or the “Wonderbolt Massacre”.  They also agree to prevent their nations from creating firearms or turning their lasers into weapons.

Thus, the Zebra gem pirates don’t find seventeen vulnerable ponies during their kidnapping attempt.  Instead, the pirates find elite, Zebra Royal Guards that appear as tourist ponies thanks to unicorn magical illusions.  Once the pirates surrender, disarmed, and are bound; the Zebra Caesar passes judgment on the pirates.

Note:  This gives a logical reason why Princess Celestia said in the episode “Friendship is Magic, part 2”, “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it.”  I’ve wondered why Princess Celestia trusted her liberty, her sister Luna, and her kingdom in the hooves of such a young unicorn and now we have a reasonable explanation.  Princess Celestia already knew in advance that Twilight would defeat Nightmare Moon, because Littlepip had already told Princess Celestia that Twilight would defeat Nightmare Moon.

After that, Littlepip and her friends used the time spell to move forward in time to witness the events of the series finale.  Pleased in their belief that their pony nation will have a peaceful future, Littlepip and her friends were satisfied that all will be well when they returned to their own time.

However, when these protagonists return to their own time, they find that their pony nation had become a different version of the Equestrian Wasteland.  Consequently, Littlepip and her friends attempt to find out what caused this version of the Equestrian Wasteland to appear and then make plans to set things right, with or without using Star Swirl the Bearded’s time travel spell once again.  This sequel would also prove opportunities to include story ideas from the newer seasons, such as the changelings, the Crystal Empire, and Yakyakistan along with locations and creatures from the 2017 movie such as Klugetown, Hippogriffia, and Seaquestria.  When I first saw Klugetown and the inhabitants of Klugetown, I knew that town is tailor-made for Fallout: Equestria.

Note:  I wrote this sequel proposal as My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic might end after season nine, although I hope it will continue for many more seasons.  Also, I need to practice writing every day and this is a great topic for me to write about.

Today, I saw “Solo: A Star Wars Story”

I give this entertaining movie 9 out of 10 stars.

I also bought these two boxes of Birthday Day, Cake Cookie Dough Bites.  I saleswoman who sold these to me says that these taste really good.

My new image combining direct and reflected light

I saw this opportunity while walking around my apartment.  I love this image, as direct light is coming through the glass from behind, while additional light from the front is also being reflected off the glass.  What was the apartment store is now being used as storage for my apartment maintenance staff.

My revised poster for the King Manor - Buy a Basket Food Co-op for the rest of 2018

From astute suggestions I received from Carol Uecker, I was able to update my King Manor - Buy a Basket poster.

Carol wrote:  “James, This is a wonderfully laid out poster!  However, check the sentence that starts Five dollars.......  maybe say fruit or vegetable (not and), also change your to you?       I like the inclusion of ALL the dates.   Carol”

While I have no idea how those errors got into my text, this proves that most writers need observant editors to improve their text.

What box sign appears to be better for an advertisement?

Does the horizontal sign on the left appear to be better or the vertical sign on the right?  For myself, I like the horizontal sign better than the vertical sign.

My psychological connection between MLP: FiM and Space Battleship Yamato

This morning, I realized that I like the character of Princess Celestia from “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” because she reminds me of my first animation waifu.  That character is Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar - from the original “Space Battleship Yamato” television series.  These two fictional characters both are intelligent and educated leaders while possessing stately verbal and nonverbal mannerisms, as well as having regal bodies and heavenly hair.  In addition, these two are both secondary characters who guide their series main protagonists to success with encouragement and information.

My next poster for the King Manor - Buy a Basket Food Co-op for the rest of 2018

I enjoy creating posters that are both beautiful and practical.  I hope that all this work building up my artisan portfolio will be of assistance in getting me my first advertising and/or marketing job.

According to this Rainbow Center events newsletter, the fire safety event is today.

But, the fire event safety event poster shows that this event is on the nineteenth of this month.  I wonder when the event this fire safety event will for real happen.

I will end my photographic essay with the construction signs on Superior Street

There is more information posted on these bulletin boards than there was the last time I photographed them.  This makes these bulletin boards more useful to both established residents and tourists.  Please notice the red stoplights that are reflected on the bulletin boards.

I take photographs of the smaller signs that most photographers don’t take the time to photograph.

At the eastern end of the Superior Street construction zone

There is a deep pit for a new pipeline that should serve city residents for one hundred years.

Two construction excavators on Superior Street between South 4th Avenue West and South 3rd Avenue West

I imagine that this asbestos abatement plastic-lined waste dumpster will soon be filled with 100-year-old steam heating pipes that are now under Superior Street.

More construction on Superior Street

This old concrete structure makes a temporary bridge in Superior Street’s deep clay.

The same portable construction light stand looking southwest

What would Duluth look like if we could not build on strong, Minnesota clay?

A portable construction light stand is mirrored in the muddy waters

I love taking arty photographs where objects are reflected in pooled rain water.

More street reconstruction near the Maurices Corporate Office

What is “Parson’s Vault #2”?

I’ve marked the message with an arrow pointing to it on the vault.

Cryptic writing located at the corner of West Superior Street and South 5th Avenue West

I have no idea what information is described in these words that are painted on the sidewalk.

The pedestrian tunnel under West Superior Street

This tunnel connects the Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview and the Duluth Public Library.  I’ve walked this tunnel many times.  I’m seen other walkers and wheelchair users use this tunnel as well.

I see that a big pipeline is placed above the tunnel, and then it bends back down, to what appears to be about three meters below the street pavement.

The reconstruction of the retaining wall, west of the Gateway Tower

This new, concrete wall appears to be almost complete. 

These are wooden construction mats

They are a common sight in construction zones.  They keep heavy construction vehicles from sinking into soft ground, sand, or mud.  Also, they keep pipelines from breaking under the heavy construction vehicles.

These mats appear to have had much use for years.

I’m sure that construction vehicles move these around the Superior Street construction site as needed. 

These items were dug up from under the asphalt pavement

I’m not sure what these wooden posts were used for under the street.  However, they appear to have been in the ground for a long time.

The abandoned trolley tracks are being dug up.  However, I wish that someday in this century new trolley tracks will be put down for a new generation of trolley customers.

Another shot of the abandoned trolley tracks that will soon be recycled into new, useful things.

The street reconstruction south of the Lenox Place Apartments

Somewhere on this street is the eastern edge of the MnDOT reconstruction site and the western edge of the Superior Street reconstruction.  I hope that the construction crews know where the edges of their reconstruction responsibilities are.  I don’t want to see two or three feet of Superior Street remain a gravel road because the construction crews could not agree on who was responsible for rebuilding what sections of this street.

What I found at Lenox Place Apartments

Please notice that rebar below the Lenox Place Apartment sign.  What I find interesting is that those construction workers would leave expensive rebar unattended during a weekend.  With scrap metal thieves in Duluth, Minnesota I would think that the construction contractors would keep all that metal locked away during the weekend.  And, if you see thieves stealing metal or anything else from a public construction site, please report those thieves to the police.

The Mesaba Avenue overpass above West Superior Street

While the Superior Street reconstruction ends west of the Gateway Tower, according to a MnDOT site, this reconstruction depicted in this photograph is part of the MnDOT Highway 194 / Mesaba Avenue / Highway 2 reconstruction project.  Yes, it is true that Minnesota has just two seasons winter and highway construction.

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/hwy194-mesaba-duluth/index.html

Reflection on the SS William A. Irvin

After a rainstorm, go out for a walk to find nice reflections on ground pools of rain water.  I found this one by chance, providing me with a photogenic image for my blog.