Got a replacement porch today. Ran six miles. Continued old movie viewing.
The home renovation is wrapping up. Today the concrete guys came and poured out the new replacement porch and steps. This is the last major piece of the home renovation project, started six months ago--after this, the front yard will no longer look like a construction zone, and we can actually park in the driveway again, though it might take a few days or weeks to push around the dirt to my satisfaction for drainage and landscaping, and another few days or weeks to arrange for a few yards of gravel to be dumped and gracefully arranged. For me, I'll be happy to see this mostly done; still have a new garage door to be delivered and installed (again, days or weeks or months in the future) and stucco to be redone (after garage door). The project milestones I'm most looking forward to are being able to use the front door again--and the outhouse removed from the front driveway.
Went for a long run around the park at lunchtime, decided to explore the west side of the park to see what what disallowed and what wasn't. Bored park rangers were still in front of the tennis courts, and on the far far side of the park a pair of black and whites were 69ing, cops sharing takeout burritos, I just ran past them tacking to the northern perimeter of the park along the bridle trail (bridge stamp in the concrete: 1946). Graffiti had been removed on the chain link over the 163 freeway (really, dudes, that's just ineffective). Homeless tarps and tents had been removed from the picnic benches on the far west side of the canyon at Upas and 7th streets, a couple of homeless themselves were curbside with their roller bags next to the street, looking somewhat bored yet anxious as most anybody these odd days.
A few risk-takers were on the little parking loop past the Girl Scout camps on that west side, older grayhairs somewhat daring the park rangers to ticket them in their flaunting of social distancing, plus a few hipster couples pushing strollers and dogs, and some gays on rollerblades--really, rainbow tie-dye t-shirts?--but I wasn't judgy just amused as to "why would you wear THAT".
Down 6th Street, peer east across the Cabrillo Bridge with a big sign "PARK CLOSED" and another bored ranger in a pickup parked astride the centerline, like a SWAT cop holding the perimeter, flying down towards the 5 on that long downhill and scattering more dogwalkers. For once, I was the runner forcing the dog owners to move away, rather than avoiding their bitey dogs who can't stand the sight of a primate running at them.
Decided to skirt the edge of downtown, east on Cedar St, north on Park Blvd, realized I hadn't heard a single aircraft until two Alaska E170s flew over, one after the other, and then Southwest, then more stillness. Watched a 215 and a 7 bus go by, each with two people on them, a driver and a passenger. Ran by medical staff in gray scrubs headed to the naval hospital. Saw some food bank/takeaway boxes in the parking lot behind the science center with signs "STAY IN YOUR CAR" and gloved folks handing out cardboard lunch boxes. Smiled when I saw some a scruffy looking couple with their overstuffed rollerbags enjoying their lunchboxes in the rose garden. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day.
Back down and back home, it was a long run, right around a 10k, or somewhat over 6 miles. Took off my shirt for the last mile, it was sunny and warmish and more humid than I expected, without much of a breeze. Sun felt good.
Watched yet another movie on Criterion Channel in the evening. Last four movie watchings:
- Panique, 1946ish. Really enjoyed this.
- From Here to Eternity. Burt Lancaster, 1953 or so. Watchable, enjoyable, but just dated in its attempts to be scandalous.
- I Walk Alone. Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, 1946ish. Yeah, more enjoyable, especially when Kirk Douglas tried to explain corporate governance in very contemporary terms around limited partnerships and board voting shares and the like.
- Cactus Flower. Goldie Hawn, Walter Mattheau, Ingrid Bergman, 1969 perhaps. Most fun of them all, lots of zingers.
That's all. A fairly pleasant day. Thinking about what little projects that can keep me busy this weekend--likely yet more drywall patching and painting in the garage, whoo hoo.
Looking foward to pushing around dirt in the front yard too, and finally replanting it when that reconstruction is done. I checked on all the cuttings I took in October; now that the weather is warming up they're growing strongly, so yes, the front yard will be planted with literally the same plants, in the same places. I kinda like that continuity and comfort. After all this disruption, we'll get back to things, and they'll pretty much look the same after all this is done and over.