Downtown St. Paul Voice Sept 2020 by St. Paul Publishing Co.

Downtown St. Paul New resources for those hit by the pandemic

Pedal Pleasure Page 4

Page 7

Volume 26 | Number 9

Your Community News & Information Source

Y closes downtown fitness center

Life on the River

Tim Spitzack Editor

he Downtown St. Paul YMCA is one of three branches that no longer offers a fitness and wellness center. Instead, the Downtown, River Valley-Prior Lake and Lino Lakes branches will become community response hubs for food distribution and other services. The YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities plans to work with government leaders, community members and other partners to plan for services that are expected to be the most needed in the future. Members of these locations may use the fitness centers at other Y locations, including the nearest ones at St. Paul Midway, St. Paul Eastside and Inver Grove Heights. “These are trying times, not just for the YMCA but for all of us collectively,” said Senior Communications Director Joan Schimml. “The changes we are making are not ones we had planned to make when we began the year but have become necessary for the Y to remain sustainable and relevant for the near and long term. The YMCA’s mission and commitment to our community remains the same, and we look forward to continuing to serve our neighbors well into the future.” The change was forced by the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in recent years the Y had been exploring leaving Cray Plaza, 194 E. Sixth St., and relocating elsewhere downtown.

September 2020

Photo by Barbara Howell

Meet a St. Paul couple who has lived on the Mississippi for more than three decades Tim Spitzack Editor

t was love lost that prompted Truman Howell to live on the Mississippi River—and love found that sealed the deal. Now, after 30 years, he is one of the longest liveaboard residents at the St. Paul Yacht Club, and he can’t imagine life any other way. In 1989, he had just gone through a divorce and needed to quickly find an inexpensive place to live, so he packed

his bags and moved aboard the Howell-e-luyah, a 14x57-foot houseboat he owned and had docked at the club. “She got the house. I got the boat,” he quipped when recounting the story. He also got the lifestyle that came with it, and if you ask him, he got the better end of the settlement. “I haven’t been land-based since,” he said. Howell is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and an architect by trade. River living / Page 2

Closing the gap: Robert Piram Trail inches closer to completion Tim Spitzack Editor

ignificant progress has been made this summer to close the gap between St. Paul’s trail system and the Mississippi River Trail, and by next spring cyclists and pedestrians will be able to safely travel between Harriet Island Regional Park and Kaposia Landing Park in South St. Paul. From there, they can access the Mississippi River Trail and travel to Rosemount. A small gap still exists near Spring Lake Park Reserve in Rosemount and the trail leading to Hastings. The new segment will be part of the multi-state bike trail that begins at the Mississippi River’s headwaters at Itasca State Park and follows the river all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The $8 million project, a joint effort between the City of St. Paul and Dakota County, began in September 2019 and is funded by a Federal Surface Transportation Program grant, Legacy Funds, the National Park Service, Metropolitan Council, Dakota County and Ramsey County. The project includes a 10-foot wide multi-purpose trail approximately. 3.7 miles in length, a pedestrian overpass bridge in South St. Paul, two boardwalk bridges in St. Paul, landscaping, wayfinding signage, and cultural/ historical interpretive elements. For more information, call 651-266-6407 or visit www.stpaul.gov and search the trail name.

Goodman named new director of St. Paul PED Tara Guy Contributor

here is a fresh new face at St. Paul City Hall these days in the person of Nicolle Goodman, the city’s new director of planning and economic development. She is one of at least half a dozen new hires at the director level in less than a year. Goodman’s appointment was announced by Mayor Melvin Carter in

Nicolle Goodman

mid-July and she assumed the position on Aug. 3, following a whirlwind move to St. Paul from Oklahoma City, where she had lived for 16 years. “I haven’t purchased a home yet because I wanted to get to the know the neighborhoods before I decide where to buy. For now, I’ve rented a cute apartment in Summit Hill,” said Goodman. “I’ll be looking for a home to purchase in a neigh-

borhood where people like to get to know their neighbors, spend time together and do things together to strengthen the neighborhood.” An element of culture shock might be expected with a move to St. Paul from Oklahoma City. At a glance, the two cities are vastly different. Oklahoma City sprawls over 620 square miles in four counties and has around 655,000 residents. It has one of the

world’s largest livestock markets and is situated in the middle of an active oil field. In contrast, St. Paul has a relatively compact footprint, at 56 square miles, all situated in Ramsey County, and a population of about 308,000. Culture shock turned out to be irrelevant in this instance, however. “My dad and stepmom and my sister have been in the Twin Cities for over 30 years so I’ve been com-

ing here to visit my entire adult life,” said Goodman. “I always said if I were to ever leave Oklahoma City it would be to move here.” Goodman holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma, with a concentration in public management and an emphasis in urban planning. She also brings an impressive wealth Goodman / Page 6

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River living from page 1

He earned his degree from the University of Kansas in 1963 and spent the next two years serving in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, where he helped build roads and bridges and worked on other construction projects. That’s also where he married. When the couple eventually settled in Crystal, Minn., Howell began working in architectural design with a large Minneapolis firm. By the late ’70s he’d started his own firm working out of their home. He went on to specialize in the hospitality industry and has designed more than 300 hotels and 60 restaurants across the country. Truman Howell Architects is now based in Monticello, specializing in commercial projects, and at 79 he is still drafting designs. His work space is the exquisitely apportioned pilot house of an all-steel, freighter-style vessel named Trubador, docked close to the slip that held the Howell-e-luyah.

Howell found love again, and in 2006 married Barbara Haake. It wasn’t hard to convince her that a houseboat was the perfect abode. She already had liveaboard experience from a 6-month adventure sailing through the Caribbean. After discovering that life in a tropical paradise can be boring, she returned to her home in Mounds View, Minn., where she worked as a benefits consultant and served a term as a Minnesota state representative during the Gov. Jesse Ventura administration. She has three children from her first marriage, and eight grandchildren. Truman has two sons, Bryan and Eric. Eric, who has provided Truman with a grandchild of his own, had just graduated from high school in the late ’80s and lived with his father on the boat. “He always brags about growing up on the river,” said Truman. Nowadays the entire family enjoys visiting the couple on their boat.

Trubador—a name created using letters from Truman, Barbara and Dwelling on the River—is much different than Truman’s first boat. At 24-by-65-feet, it’s considerably larger—one of the largest at the Yacht Club—and more beautifully designed. Using photos of a Florida Bay Coaster, Truman designed the boat himself. The sketches were ready in about a week but the building process took much longer. He found a boat builder in Escanaba, Mich., and he and Barbara spent much of 1994 traveling between here and there to oversee the progress. The couple made the 12-hour round-trip drive a few times a month for several months. When the boat was finally finished, they motored it home through Lake Michigan and down waterways in Illinois to the Mississippi River. At St. Louis, they headed north to St. Paul. With its Twin 175 hp John Deere diesel engines— each with a 500-gallon fuel tank—the boat has a traveling speed of 8 mph upriver and 10-12 mph downriver.

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Barbara and Truman Howell in the pilot house of the Trubador. The journey took about 21 days.

Floating home The Trubador has more space than many of the homes in the neighboring West Side community. With nearly 1,800 square feet of living space, it has a large main salon with hardwood floors and a wood-burning stove on the first level. The salon and the spacious master stateroom

(bedroom) on the upper level have French doors with a view of the St. Paul skyline. Also on the first level are two smaller staterooms for guests, and a three-quarter head (bathroom). The master head on the second level is as large as any bathroom you’d find in most homes. It has tile flooring and a corner Jacuzzi-style bathtub. In the upper level pilot house, which features all black walnut woodwork,

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Truman has carved out space for a design table to work on architectural projects and his creative arts, which include drawing and painting. He also enjoys pottery but engages in that art below a skylight in the hull, next to the engine room. Throughout the boat, the walls are filled with original artwork from around the country, and many of their own pieces. Barbara also enjoys painting, primarily portraits. Tru-

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P eople man’s architectural sketch of the Trubador, as well as that of St. Paul’s Public Dock, are among the framed and displayed works. Truman helped design the dock in 1993, and was responsible for everything visible from the waterline on up.

Unique lifestyle Both Truman and Barbara speak highly of the liveaboard community at the club, the city itself and the river. As we sat on the open deck of the stern during our interview, each was often temporarily distracted by a passing neighbor, a heron jabbing its long-pointed beak into the river to catch a fish, the thump-thump of carp crashing against the steel hull, or a barge slowly motoring past. This activity is what they enjoy most, along with the rumble of nearby trains, the buzz of aircraft at nearby Holman Field, and the many outdoor events at Raspberry and Harriet Islands. The noise and the hubbub don’t bother them at all. “Part of living here is accepting that this is a park,” said Truman. He was also quick to share comments he’s heard from other boaters, especially those who

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‘This is so unique,’ said Barbara, her admiration for their home and the river coming through loud and clear in her soft-spoken comment. ‘If we had to sell it, I would never want to come down here and see it again. I would just cry.’ have made “The Loop,” a trip down the Mississippi, through the Gulf of Mexico, through Florida, up the Atlantic seaboard and back through the Great Lakes and interior waterways. “The ‘loopers’ all say there is no marina with a better location to a city than here in St. Paul,” he said. “They all pale in comparison.” The Yacht Club was formed in 1912, and at its peak in the mid-’90s had around 225 members and 25 boats that people lived on year-round. Today, it has about 125 members and the number of liveaboard boats has dwindled to 15. Nonetheless, it’s a tight-knit little community that gathers often during the summer for “docktails”—cocktails and conversation on the dock. While those get-togethers have been few this year due to the pandemic, they are treasured times where re-

lationships are formed and information is shared. Most of the liveaboards never take their boats out of the harbor. The Howells haven’t had theirs out for the past two years, partly because it’s difficult. Silt and sediment have formed in the riverbed around them and they’re waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the harbor. Barbara said the Corps dredges when they deem it necessary, and it hasn’t been done for quite some time. It’s a bit of a sore spot for the Howells and the other liveaboards, who are becoming stuck in the muck. But they don’t seem to mind too much. They enjoy each other’s company and the gentle, ever-changing cadence of life around them. “We met a great group of friends right away,” said Barbara. “There’s so much camaraderie here. It’s the most wonderful place to live.”

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It’s not without its challenges, though. “The first year was tough,” confessed Truman. “It was really cold. The Howell-eluyah had very little insulation and a gas heater that produced just enough heat to make it livable.” Barbara said there is not one single drawback to living on the Trubador, but later mentioned that getting to her car requires a bit of effort: walking down a long dock, a flight of 18 steps then several yards to the parking lot. They use a solid wire cart to bring home their groceries. In winter, it’s even more difficult if the lot hasn’t been plowed and their car is buried beneath snow. However, she said all liveaboards are good about shoveling the walkway and helping each other in other ways. Because of this, the weather doesn’t bother her. “Wintertime is gorgeous,”

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she said. “Every season here is beautiful.” That includes springtime, when the river frequently floods. During extraordinarily high water times, the club shuts off the electricity—each boat is connected to electric and city sewer— and the boaters must use generators to keep their lights on and refrigerators cold. It’s during those times that the Howells especially appreciate the warmth of their wood-burning stove. “We enjoy the challenges of it. It creates a lot of exercise,” said Barbara, 79, revealing her adventurous spirit. Perhaps she gained some of that by rubbing elbows with Arctic explorer Will Steger, who lives on his boat nearby. Truman agreed. “Everything you do is an exertion,” he said. It was clear he was coming at it from a different angle. He had a heart attack

20 years ago and open-heart surgery in 2011, so he moves a bit slower these days. He is even beginning to question how much longer he can remain in the home he loves. When asked about the possibility of moving back to land he said, “We’re hoping to put it off as long as possible. Will I miss the experience? Oh yeah. Big time. But at some point, we need to face reality.” He understands that the many steps required to get to the boat—and the several winding stairways in their home—are perhaps now his biggest obstacles. Barbara is hoping they don’t need to make that decision anytime soon. “This is so unique,” she said, her admiration for their home and the river coming through loud and clear in her soft-spoken comment. “If we had to sell it, I would never want to come down here and see it again. I would just cry.” For now, they’ll push aside that thought and continue to enjoy life on the river, where they can watch eagles and herons, observe magnificent sunsets and sunrises, and rest soundly in their own bed while Old Man River rocks them to sleep.

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Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2020 - Page 3

A rts & Culture

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The Urban Explorer Exploring our regional amenities Ginny Contreras Sawyer Contributor

Pedal Pleasure Biking has always been one of my go-to activities for summer. I find it’s a great way to enjoy nature while eluding mosquitos, and with more than 56 regional parks and 400 miles of trails in the 7-county metro area, I’m always finding new places to explore. Today my route is close to home, from Harriet Island Regional Park on the West Side to Indian Mounds Regional Park in East St. Paul, one of the city’s oldest parks. By the time I got to Harriet Island, it was mid-morning and there were already groups of picnickers, walkers and a few people reading in the shade. Everything was luscious and green. It was the perfect day for a bike ride, hot but not too humid. Once I got going, the natural ventilation would be enough

to keep me cool. Before heading to the main trail, I tooled around the park and the riverside boardwalk. Among the sights were a nature playground with a giant clam shell as a sandbox, a historic anchor and a section of an original riverboat walkway, a pointillistic portrait of Harriet Bishop, the city’s first school teacher, and of course the big show-stopper, the gorgeous view of the downtown skyline across the river. There was something achingly nostalgic about the paddlewheel boats docked on the river and the art deco design of the lamp posts and pedestrian bridges. I was tempted to plunk down in the shade of one of the towering cottonwood trees and drink in the scene before me, but onward I went, across the Wabasha Street Bridge

and Raspberry Island. Like a little kid, I looked below at the Mighty Mississippi as I rode along and felt the thrill of its immense size and power. On the other side, the bike path joins up with the sidewalk, and I cruised down Kellogg Boulevard, going around pedestrians as care-

fully as possible. That may be the only complaint I have about St. Paul bike paths— you start on a wonderfully paved and marked trail then get dumped onto either a sidewalk or street for a few blocks or sometimes longer, until the trail picks up again. I pedaled past Union Depot, CHS Field and the

Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. So far it had been a relaxing and flat ride, but soon I reached Commercial Street and my vacation was over. It was time for the 200foot climb to Dayton’s Bluff. I gave myself a pep talk to the rhythm of my pedaling: You can do it. You can do it. The yellow, purple and white

prairie flowers were like cheerleaders lining my path. Slowly but surely, I went up and up, each yard of pavement hard fought. When I saw the Airway Beacon up ahead, I stood and pedaled with my full body. Victory was within my grasp! Magically, a park bench appeared at the top of the

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A rts & Culture hill and I pulled off to park my bike. The whole ride up the view had been at my back, but as I turned around I was shocked to see the panorama before me: the field of wildflowers and the river and St. Paul skyline down below. I sat for a while, catching my breath. This has to be one of the best views of the city, and completely worth the effort.

Your community news and information source The only thing missing is a beer garden. I left my bike and started walking around the Indian burial mounds, the namesake of this regional park. They weren’t well-marked, only a small plaque and a wrought-iron gate to keep intruders out. I grabbed my phone to search the internet for more information and

discovered that these are six of the remaining burial mounds that anthropologists believe to be remnants of the Hopewell Culture. They are thought to be nearly 2,000 years old. I took a moment to imagine this place without the skyline, without the bike trail—just the bluff, the river and the sky. Yes, it did

{ THE FULLER FILES } Hotel 340, located in the St. Paul Athletic Building at 340 Cedar St., has worked out an agreement with Ramsey County and Interfaith Action to provide temporary shelter for homeless people, most of whom were living in shelters at area churches. It’s a win-win for those needing housing and the hotel, which has seen a drastic drop in occupancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel, now temporarily closed to the public, is using 26 rooms on two floors for the project and receives $1,200 per month for each room. Interfaith Action, a nonprofit that works

to reduce poverty, serves meals. Tenant protection - The St. Paul City Council recently voted 7-0 to adopt stricter regulations to prevent rental tenants from being evicted during the COVID-19 pandemic. A landlord must now provide a written notice with reasons why they don’t want to renew a lease, using evidence that occurred within the past three years. Also, security deposits and movein fees may not exceed one month’s rent. Christine Sagstetter has been named interim CEO at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts. She will

feel like a sacred site, about as close to heaven as a mere mortal could get. The newly paved trail continued, hugging the treelined edge of the bluff, and I hopped back on my bike to follow it. I passed a shaded playground and picnic area, and a cluster of pine trees just begging for some hammocks.

Finally, on the other side is anywhere in any city so of the park, next to Burns impressive a combination Avenue, I found an infor- of views where nearly the mation display that showed whole of the business section pictures of men in top hats of a great city, so imposing and women in hoop skirts an expanse of river, with a walking around the mounds, vast sweep of country lying a map of the region, and beyond, can all be taken in order, after 4 pm the words of one prominent w/$20 at a min. single viewpoint.” businessman from 1913. It I couldn’t have put it any said, “It is doubtful if there better.

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fill that role until the Ordway search committee finds a successor to CEO Jamie Grant, whose last day is Aug. 31. Grant resigned to take a similar position with McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, Cal. Sagstetter has been CFO at the Ordway for the past 27 years. The Health Partners clinic at Wabasha and Plato survived a reduction plan that closed eight clinics in the metro area, including east metro clinics in Highland Park, Cottage Grove, Stillwater and Mahtomedi. The Health Center for Women at 2635 University Ave. will be converted into an OB-GYN clinic.

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Goodman

from page 1

of hands-on economic development experience. In the five years preceding her new appointment, Goodman served as vice president of the nonprofit Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, managing economic development entities, programs and projects. In that role she planned and implemented tax increment financing (TIF), retail strategy and incentives, city and urban redevelopment programs, as well as developing job creation sites and public-private development projects. The Alliance operated similar to the St. Paul Planning and Economic Development Department’s management of the HRA. In addition, for five years preceding her management role with the Alliance, Goodman was the program administrator for Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS3), the third iteration of Oklahoma City’s famous massive redevelopment program. Funded by a one-cent sales tax initiative for capital improvement projects, the nearly $800

million program resulted in the addition of a 70acre downtown park, a new convention center, a new fairgrounds expo center, a modern streetcar system, a downtown whitewater rafting facility and other riverfront improvements, four senior health and wellness centers, and more than 100 miles of sidewalks and trails. Because of that enormous investment, downtown housing exponentially increased, together with demand for additional residential amenities, such as grocery, retail shops and other services. That project is widely considered one of the most successful public-private partnerships in the U.S. St. Paul itself has several high-profile properties ripe for redevelopment, such as the Ford and Sears sites, Hillcrest golf course, Boys Totem Town, the RiverCentre ramp, and others. The potential for these properties naturally appeals to Goodman but are not what attracted her to the city.

‘Many families and communities have been left out of opportunities to have assets and to build wealth, often due to systems of institutional racism going generations back and continuing today,’ said Goodman. ‘When people, families, communities have assets—a home, a business, job skills, a network, access to capital—they can build a future. They can send their kids to college. They can plan for retirement. They can survive downturns in the economy.’ “I was drawn to St. Paul because of Mayor Carter’s stated core values,” she said. “Being involved with projects of that scale with equity and inclusivity as the guiding principles was attractive to me. Doing this work without those core values as a compass becomes more about real estate development than economic development or community development.” While PED naturally engages in the world of lending and finance and its stated mission is to build community wealth, Goodman’s personal philosophy includes a sense of fairness and equity that is rare in the broader world of high finance and investment. “Many families and communities have been left out of opportunities to have assets and to build wealth, often due to systems of

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institutional racism going generations back and continuing today,” she said. “When people, families, communities have assets—a home, a business, job skills, a network, access to capital— they can build a future. They can send their kids to college. They can plan for retirement. They can survive downturns in the economy, including when something like COVID happens.” Much has happened in the community at large since Goodman applied for the position in February, including not just the pandemic but the tragic murder of George Floyd and the extensive property damage and loss of businesses due to civil unrest in response to his murder. “Priorities now include rebuilding and recovering in a way that truly does bring

equity and builds a city that works for everyone,” she said. Asked how her first few weeks in her new position have gone, Goodman was enthusiastic. “Deputy Director Kristin Guild has been amazing. She’s just been absolutely fantastic,” she said. “I’ve also been so impressed by the talent and passion of the team leads and all of the staff that I have met so far. Several of them reached out before I even started and have made me feel so welcome.” More broadly, it seems the storied “Minnesota Nice” ethos holds true. “After the press release came out about my having been hired, people from the community started reaching out to welcome me to St. Paul, asking how they could help me, telling me they are looking forward to working

together,” she said. “Everyone I have encountered has been incredibly friendly, welcoming and helpful. I’ve been blown away by the warm welcome.” Goodman may even find a few more welcomed surprises as she settles in. “I recently started exploring Ancestry.com and found that much of my family lineage is in the Twin Cities,” she said. “My greatgreat grandparents both arrived in Minneapolis in the late 1800s…from Sweden. They married in Minneapolis in 1889, and raised eight daughters, including my great grandmother Violet. I believe that many of those eight daughters raised their own families in the area, so I likely have many cousins here that I haven’t met before. It would be really fun to find some of them.”

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Postscript

I was headed out for my daily hike. There was thunder in the distance. “It’s getting lighter,” my husband, Peter, said. “I don’t think we’re going to get any rain.” The air smelled like a storm to me, but what do I know? If my dog, Milo, were still alive I would have asked him. Milo would huddle in the corner of the kitchen when a thunderstorm approached. “There’s no storm on the radar,” Peter would tell him. Milo didn’t care what the

radar said. We called him, “Doppler Dog,” because if Milo was in the corner, bad weather was never far be-

hind. But Milo is no longer with us and I was headed out on a hike. “Do you think I need a hat?” I asked. If the sun came out, I’d want a hat. “I don’t think you’ll need it,” Peter assured me. It might be worth noting that both Peter and I grew up on the plains of the Midwest where you can see a storm coming from miles away and the weather is predicted accurately to within the quarter of an hour. I left the house without a hat and it started to rain before I’d even made it to the trail. That might have been a good time to turn around. I didn’t. I go on my hike almost every day. I hike in the snow and the drizzle and the cold.

Employment help available

New resource for artists

Career labs open in St. Paul

Ramsey County recently launched Job Connect, a new interactive job board, to help the unemployed find work. It’s the latest upgrade to the County’s economic development website, www. RamseyCountyMeansBusiness.com, which provides business development resources and incentives. Job Connect allows users to search for jobs by keyword and location using an interactive map. It highlights major industries in the county, including healthcare, technology, manufacturing, construction and more. Each listing includes information about responsibilities, qualifications, industry, education level, nearby transit and pay. Businesses may post jobs for free. A workforce training dashboard is also being developed to connect job seekers to short-term education opportunities. Visit the job board at www.ramseycounty. us/jobconnect.

Springboard for the Arts has created a new resource to help working artists. The 116-page fully illustrated “A Handbook for Artists Working in Community” is available for free at https:// springboardforthearts.org/ artists-working-in-community. It is organized into five sections: artist groundwork, community groundwork, project formation, project implementation and group participation tools. “This handbook is a practical manual for individual artists who would like to begin or deepen this kind of artistic practice—work in and work with community,” said Springboard Associate Director Jun-Li Wang. “We’re thrilled to be able to share insights, tools and wisdom gathered from our work and from creative practitioners immersed in community in different ways.”

The City of St. Paul and Ramsey County have teamed up to open six career labs that offer free assistance to job seekers. The labs provide computer access, printing and copying, digital literacy programs, job search and resume assistance and other workforce support programs through 2020. All sites require reservations, and participants must wear face coverings and follow social distancing guidelines. Labs are offered at the following St. Paul Public Library branches: Dayton’s Bluff, Rice Street, Rondo Community Library and Sun Ray locations, as well as Ramsey County Library branches in Maplewood and Roseville. An additional site will open in Downtown St. Paul in late August. For more information, visit ramseycounty.us/ CareerLabs.

Summer Storm

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“There is no bad weather,” a naturalist in Alaska once told me, “only inappropriate clothing choices.” I like that. So when it started to rain, I wished I had my hat. But the weather was warm and, as Peter pointed out, it was getting lighter up ahead. Unfortunately, that was not where the weather was coming from. By the time I got to the trail, the rain was steady but not cold. I started walking faster. When I reached the section of the trail that goes into a ravine, the sky opened up and a sheet of rain fell. In moments, I was as wet as it was possible to get. I was now going at a brisk trot. It couldn’t have been

more than five minutes later that the sky crackled with lightning. I have never had thunder crash so close overhead in my life. My hair would have stood on end if it hadn’t been plastered to my head. The lightning and thunder were simultaneous, so I figured I had walked smack-dab into the middle of a summer storm. The rain was now coming down in buckets and the entire trail had become a swiftly flowing stream. I needed my hiking poles to hop along the newly formed riverbank—jumping from one rock to another, my boots filled with water, my eyes stinging from the rain—and all I could think was, “Oh my gosh, it’s good

to be alive!” By the time I was headed home, the rain started to slow. It came to a stop about a half-mile from home. I noticed the puddles getting smaller until the ground was nearly dry. Peter was surprised when I got home. “You sure hiked fast today!” he said. He had no idea what had been happening just a couple of miles away. At our house, it had hardly rained. I got in a hot bath, and as I washed the mud off my legs I knew I would never have gone on that hike if I’d known how bad it would get. And I was so glad I hadn’t missed it. Till next time.

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Education That Suits Your Student SCHOOL CHOICE DIRECTORY

Visit www.stpaulpublishing.com/schoolchoice to explore these schools and for tips on how to choose a school that best fits your student's and family's needs.

CHARTER

Academia Cesar Chavez 1801 Lacrosse Ave., St. Paul 651-778-2940 www.cesarchavezschool.com Achieve Language Academy 2169 Stillwater Ave. E. St. Paul 651-738-4875 www.achievemn.org St. Paul City School PreK-12 260 Edmund Ave., St. Paul 651-225-9177 www.stpaulcityschool.org

COLLEGES / UNIVERSITIES St. Paul College 235 Marshall Ave., St. Paul 651-846-1600 https://saintpaul.edu

PAROCHIAL

St. Croix Lutheran Academy 1200 Oakdale Ave., West St. Paul 651-455-1521 www.stcroixlutheran.org

Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2020 - Page 7

10th Annual!

CRAZY DAYS SALE FRIDAY & SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4-5

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BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL Protect your student’s vision

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FREE Local Shuttle and Same Day Service on Most Repairs! Page 8 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2020