Jordan Independent - Looking at a house in Sawmill Woods - Comments

In my experience - for what

bigbobbob — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:07:14 -0600

In my experience - for what it is worth - you make an interesting observation. How much money a person makes, how important a job he/she has, how fancy his house, how deep his pockets and his standing on the political ladder, is little indication of that person's talent. It has been said 'The first (among us) shall be last and the last shall be first'. Nowhere is that more true than in today's political spectrum, where it seems that talent is the last consideration in determining who among us shall be the leaders. What goes around, comes around. Stay tuned.
If you will permit and, I am getting a bit further afield here, Michaelango said, in creating the Pieta, that he had in mind a work of art, found a nice piece of marble, removed the excess stone, and there it was.

Yes, the graffiti. Some of

Kyle Thill — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 06:59:53 -0600

Yes, the graffiti. Some of it just the typical stuff, but [I'm only exposed to it waiting for the train to pass] some of it looks as if the guy or gal has some real talent for art.

The comment 'study urban

bigbobbob — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 21:48:34 -0600

The comment 'study urban art', went way over my head. I don't get it. Are you talking about art sketched on the sides of RR rolling stock?

If your close to the tracks,

Kyle Thill — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:23:27 -0600

If your close to the tracks, you might take the time to study urban art, some of it's pretty classic stuff.

R. W. Johnson We lived in

bigbobbob — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:47:20 -0600

R. W. Johnson
We lived in Mpls years ago on a bueatiful city parkway. Our house was sold and we moved to another on a street traversed by 'street cars'. In fact, the cars turned a corner - with much clatter - at the end of the block. The first night we all heard each and every 'owl' car go by. 'Owl' cars went (late at night) every hour on the hour. From then on, for about 10 years, we did not 'hear' another car. I think that is called 'acclimating'. Not to worry about the few 'M&St.L trains', you won't hear them for very long. And, when you do, they will sound pretty good.

The same train tracks pass

Ray Sandey — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:38:05 -0600

The same train tracks pass through my back yard. We are not near an intersection so the train doesn't blow its whistle near us. We catch a glimpse occasionally but rarely hear it.

I thought other opinions

Mathias Baden — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 13:31:51 -0600

I thought other opinions than just mine might be pertinent, so thanks for responding. If a resident of Sawmill Woods would speak to this, that'd be especially helpful.

Surely, the passing trains are infrequent enough not to bother most people.

It's annoying for me when they do come clanging by, only because -- like you say, kthill -- I sit fewer than 50 feet away from the railroad tracks for a good percentage of every day. When train whistles shrill at each of the intersections of tracks and roadway, it's hard to hear voices on the other end of the phone line.

More than two years ago, shortly after I started working in Jordan, judge David Minge (a former U.S. representative) called me to talk about a Jordan resident and Shakopee lawyer who had filed against him in the 2004 election. To get an interview with an important figure in state government is exciting, especially when he decides the interview is enough of a priority to him that he even called from his cell phone at the airport as he was leaving town.

Then, a train clanged by.

That was a little embarrassing for me, but Minge seemed to understand. I'm growing accustomed to the trains, too. And I regularly remind myself that the trains are often transporting goods that we all need. We should really appreciate trains. Back in the day, towns were created at the intersections of railroad tracks, and many towns exist today just because of the business the railroads conducted years ago with our general stores, lumberyards, and other small companies. I struggle to appreciate those facts when I feel they are a nuisance to me. I need to stop thinking that way.

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

I didn’t realize they were

Brandon — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 11:22:21 -0600

I didn’t realize they were the same tracks as those that pass the Independent office. They also go right past my bedroom window, and I haven’t noticed any huge problems. Every once and a while I’ll have to put up with a train while trying to watch TV, and once I was awoken by a train at about 4 a.m. But the traffic is usually pretty limited, and it has never been a huge problem for me.

Those same tracks go by my

Kyle Thill — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:49:19 -0600

Those same tracks go by my house [and by the Jordan Independent offices I might add] and the trains are probably on order of less than one a day?

I see them occasionally but not often, I don't think its enough to be more than a slight amusement seeing them.

In that they’re only feet from your desk Mathias, I'd think you'd have a good feel for it.

Looking at a house in Sawmill Woods

Mathias Baden — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:45:58 -0600

A friend of mine is looking into buying a house in the Sawmill Woods neighborhood. She is concerned about living close to train tracks, though.