wildlife close encounters

I took the girls to visit my grandmother today. Grammie lives in Edina; if you're familiar with Edinborough Park, her balcony overlooks the indoor playground. If you're not familiar with the area, let me describe it just a little: you take 494, which is an enormous highway, and then you exit onto France Avenue, which at this point is a six-lane-wide suburban through-street. As you get off the highway, to your left is a big box plaza and to your right is a tall office building and a Fuddrucker's hamburger place.

As I turned onto France Avenue, I saw what looked like a dog, and slowed down, not wanting to hit it.

It was a fox. Trotting across France Ave. I didn't get a picture -- I was too busy yelling "Molly! Kiera! LOOK AT THAT!!!" to bother digging out my cell phone.

It came within a few feet of the car, and then headed off into the parking lot of the office building.

I had never seen a fox in the wild before. Edina? At the intersection of France and 494? Not where I would have expected to spot one.