The cold gray north

Last Friday as the plane came through the clouds and the ground appeared in cold shades of brown and gray I remembered just how dreary things could look in Minneapolis in March. The lakes were still somewhat frozen, all the snow was gone but no green was in sight, no blooms on the trees. I've lived in California for just less than three years and I had forgotten the grayness that fillness other parts of the country. Of course it rained for most of the weekend adding to the grayness. Monday the sun was shining and I had a wonderful day walking around downtown Minneapolis. But even though the day was beautiful and sunny the wind was biting cold and the sky still had that winter look. Had it not been for the skyways I would have had to have forgone much of my wandering. One bright spot was the new light rail line connecting the Mall of America and the airport to downtown Minneapolis. The cars are painted a cheerful sunny yellow. The cars inside are buslike, with big windows, light and airy. Overall I'm glad I had a visit to the Twin Cities and I certainly came away with a new appreciation of the green hills, leafy trees, and flowers in white, purple, orange and yellow that are on every corner that brighten every day.