The road(s) less traveled

Pop quiz! Identify Bermtopia's most iconic landmark:

A. The Clock Tower

B. Our beautiful, in this case brooding, somewhat depressing, Falls

C. Or this?

Congratulations. If you answered C, you have aced the quiz.

Ah, summertime and the livin' is. . . . well, becoming increasingly difficult to navigate on the Mean Streets of Bermtopia's South Hill.

We do love our summer road projects in Bermtopia. One day, we rail incessantly about the teeth-rattling, pothole-pocked washboard streets we drive on, the next, we wail about the dirt, detours and detritus of the repairs. Keeps the mind sharp, I think.

But, you know, it's not all that bad.

The Great 29th Avenue Facelift is plucking right along. And because there is no known force on earth  capable of keeping me away from Trader Joe's, I'm getting to know 37th, 25th and 14th Avenues like the back of my hand. I wave to the neighbors. We show each other pictures of our kids. I sneak a few squash onto front porches. Heck, I think I'm going on a cruise with some nice people down on 14th.

Note to self: Check calendar!!!!

This Monday morning, though, the other shoe, or should I say, jack hammer dropped. The SAY WHAT? much heralded  Adams Street Rehabilitation Project kicked off with a fury of dump trucks, street graders and other large, impressive yellow earth and rock-moving things lumbering down Madison and Adams around 7:15 a.m.

We were not completely unprepared for this. Numerous signs and symbols in circus-colored spray paint have been dotting the streets and street corners below and around 21st for the last month or so. Some attributed these cryptic markings to the City of Bermtopia, but I swore it was Druids. I stand corrected.

Druids? You've come back as R.E.M.?
Wow.
Good to know.

Here's the 4-1-1 from the city: The Adams 12-Step Program involves new ADA curb ramps and storm drain repair on:

Jefferson: 21st to 15th. . . Madison: 21st to 17th. . . 17th, 18th and 19th: Cedar to Madison. . . and 20th: Adams to Madison. You know who you are.

Of course, this precludes closing most streets around the construction area, presenting one teeny, tiny problem for me, the Queen and Supreme Goddess. When Pigs Fly Farm, my shared vegetable patch with Mr. and Mrs. Farmer Jim and the Farmanatrixes, is smack dab in the middle of the Nightmare chaos on 19th Street. Farmer Jim gave me a heads-up this weekend that parking --  heck, just getting to the dang Farm -- could be a challenge.

But we urban farmers are a crafty, resourceful lot.

There's a reason my mama gave me the middle name "Local traffic only."