A Balmy 45 Degrees

Well the weather people got it right two days in a row ... by noon the temperature had risen to 40 degrees.  By the time I got my act together and stepped outside it was a balmy 45.  I left the house with WAY too many layers so I ended up hitting the streets in a long sleeve, fleece vest and token L.L.Bean boots.  While there was nine inches of snow last night, the warm weather and shoveling made the sidewalks pretty easy to navigate.  

People in the neighborhood have been busy building snowmen.  

This one improvised with a Hopkins scarf, some grapes for eyes and a mini carrot for a nose. 

There was some modern art along the way.

Then I went across the Jone Falls Stream to take some obligatory artsy photos at Clipper Mill.  The area originally was home to eleven mills thanks to the Jones Falls which provided much needed waterpower; several plants and foundries helped create a bustling economy.  In fact, the brackets and 36 inch columns which support the US Capitol dome were created here.  In 1995, a fire damaged most of the commerical space so over the last few years it has been transformed into apartments and commercial space.  

After a three hour walkabout through several Baltimore neighborhoods and Druid Hill Park,
I treated myself to a giant scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream from The Charmery.

On the way back I swung by the Papermoon diner.  

The crazy colored statues popped among the piles of snow.  

The warm weather was fun while it lasted!  Tomorrow we are back to the deep freeze.