Some of the decorative ironwork on the Duck Bridge - slated for replacement next year.
The bridge has a very unusual surface. You can see the water through that ironwork grille.
The bridge is very corroded. This is not confidence inspiring.
The view of the Merrimack to the south. That's the freeway bridge ahead. The mills to the right are mostly renovated. The one on the left is slated for renovation.
I'm really not sure why they were cutting out these iron railings. They had the bridge closed for several weeks to do utility work. The mill you see here is the New Balance headquarters.
There are beavers in this old industrial city. I've seen them, sometimes. This tree was taken down by their handiwork.
I wonder who once looked out this window. There's garbage like this all over my route.
Thie McGovern transportation center is brand-spanking-new. It will likely have a transformative effect on this route and lead to more respectable businesses. I like the circles statue.
For the space of about three days this building was condemned. Then the wooden fire entrance appeared. Not coincidental, I think. This mill building is theoretically being renovated, but got hit hard by the financial crisis. It's hard to understate just how long and massive this building is.
This park is really in transition. It's a neat space with a great new playground. There's a group of guys who plays volleyball here (badly) most evenings. It gets a lot of use, but I wouldn't want to be here after dark. Also, I like the gazebo.
The sign say “Family Day Care - Se Cuidan Ninos”. The driveway is the drive-through area for the local Dunkin' Donuts.
There was a whole pile of condoms on the ground outside the boarding house. They've gradually disintigrated and disappeared as the spring has worn on.
This is a boarding house. Recently they had a sign up explaining they were spraying for roaches. There are usually residents hanging around the doors, some of whom are looking for an evening's work. This is Lawrence at its most depressed and depressing.
This building and sign have, like so much else in Lawrence, seen better times.
Now we start getting to the suburban houses. I like the vegetable garden this family is growing.
Arrived! Abuela has three fruit trees she very carefully nurtures and harvests every year.
Hey! What luck! I'm just in time for a tea party!
Gigi wants a hug.
I think they aren't allowed to touch Thane when I'm not there, so they beg me to snuggle him while I am there.
Nice barrette, Grey. He complained the other day because Abuela wouldn't let Elizabeth share her makeup.
A dense, but nicish suburban strip. The houses vary wildly in how they're maintained. Some of them remind me a lot of our house growing up in Prosser. I think they even have the same floorplan.
The other side of the boarding house. The sign in the window says “Valley Lodging: Rooms for Rent”
19th Century Lawrence, here. This must have been some sort of smelter, now tagged by graffiti artists.
The clock tower in the New Balance factory is considered the symbol of Lawrence. This is taken from the same spot as the smelter.
Working on the bridge. I liked the “Bridge Out Ahead” sign, since it made me feel like the General Lee was going to come bustin' through that sign at any moment.
The mills you can see here are pretty much abandoned. There definitely isn't enough parking to make offices out of all of them. I'm not sure what the plan is for them.
Home sweet home! These mills across the canal are all occupied, mostly by small companies.
