Shells on beach

Aaaaaah. I wish I was still there. On Fire Island, that is.

CostCo invades Fire Island

These airplanes go overhead regularly at Fire Island, usually advertising events and plays in town. This one was advertising CostCo. It made me laugh and then cringe.

Zee Whiz!

A brightly colored barge/houseboat parked (are boats parked?) by Ocean Beach, Fire Island, NY.

Vodka thanks us

Yeah, no problem. You're welcome.

For Rent

Spent last weekend in New York. Snapped this shot on the Upper East Side. I have a thing for signs painted on the sides of buildings. They seem somehow of another time.

Electronics

I remember when this sign used to say "No Smoking." How 21st century of Delta to change the signage on their airplanes.

Winter

On these hot summer nights, I like to be reminded of what Saint Paul is like when the temperature drops and the sun sets at 4:30. This is Rice Park in downtown Saint Paul.

Oops

I got back late on Monday from New York and worked late on Tuesday thus, for the first time ever, I forgot to post a picture for yesterday. Oh well. There's a first time for everything. While I'm sorting through vacation shots / stockpiling more Saint Paul images, here's one I snapped of my cat, Ringo (so called because the first thing he did when we brought him home was jump all over my brother's drum set). He is mesmerized, no doubt by some hopping sparrow or other.

Fire Island

As you read this, I am probably on my way back from Fire Island, NY, where I spent a long weekend visiting friends. I will probably cheat and post a few shots from the trip. This is a photo from the same trip last year. It was gray and gloomy for a couple days when we were there, but it gave the ocean and nice troubled look.

Hearts

A little while back I posted a picture of the asbestos-ridden deserted government buildings at Coldwater Springs. Here is the same building again, but now you can see the extent of its desertion. Is it weird that I find this a strangely romantic image?

Many balconies

A (relatively) new apartment complex on Grand Ave. This building also made room for the chain drugstore, national cell phone retailer, international athletics clothing store, and Starbucks that we so desperately needed...

1964

Now, I'm an art fan and, generally speaking, I like my fair share of 20th and 21st century art. And I'm also a fan of the Walker Art Center. However, all that being said, I do not get this piece from the 1964 exhibit on show now at the Walker. Can someone explain it to me?

All lined up in a row

These items caught my eye as they were all so neatly lined up together.

A bit of light and crystal

Some lobby art hanging from the ceiling at the Walker Art Center. Just noticed it on a visit there the other day and either it's new or I just haven't ever noticed it before...

Mini H-A H-A

And here it is! Minnehaha Falls! It was dried up last summer, so doing rather better so far this year.

Thingy

I have no idea what it means when a house has this kind of pointy bit that sticks out of the roof...but I like it. I know it's not a dormer, but that's the only word I can think of. Anyone an architecture major out there?

Morris dancers

Some morris dancers doing their thing at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. Traditionally, morris dancers are all male, so this female troupe was very cool and also somewhat odd-looking. It must be a nice way to spend a cool, summer evening--tapping your heels and flinging white handkerchiefs.

Twins Country

The Twins' new Target Field was packed a few nights ago. I liked this image of the field with the classic Minneapolis skyline in the background.

Speaking of sports, the U.S. national soccer team is playing its first World Cup game today. I am way excited but totally annoyed that I have to work today and record the game. Don't give anything away!

Barge

A towboat pushes a barge down the Mississippi River. This just makes me want to jump on a raft and float down the Mississippi to New Orleans, preferably with my very own Huck Finn...

Cathedral and Capitol

The Cathedral mirrored with the Capitol dome (see it there in the bottom right corner?) down John Ireland Boulevard. For some reason, this juxtaposition is so cool to me when I walk this way to work, but it's much less striking when I take a photograph. It's probably because my point-and-shoot camera flattens everything instead of showing the depth between the two. Ah, to have a better camera.

Open Field

The Walker Art Center has opened their outdoor summer exhibits. This is what they did last year--artistic mini golf. Some of the holes were awesome, some were pretty but weren't very practical. This one, with hanging plastic bottles blocking your view and your swing, was about in the middle. Check out their Open Field website to see what they're up to this summer!

Reflections of the Landmark

As promised, some more images of the Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul. Here is it reflected in the neighboring building (Travelers Insruance, I think...but I'm probably mistaken). It's such a beautiful building, inside and out.

Summer!

For some unknown reason (an art festival of some kind, I think) my usual downtown bus stop has been decorated with colorful streamers on all the trees. I liked them with the Victorian office building (the Hamm building, if you'd care to know) in the background.

More Stillwater

Another shot of Stillwater, MN. An old sawmill redone into trendy shops and and lofts. Classic example of the gentrification and tourist-driven renovation of much of Stillwater's original downtown area.

Stillwater

Spent Memorial Day in Stillwater, MN. Here is the famed Stillwater lift bridge which gives its name to Lift Bridge Beer Company, an excellent local brewer that makes my favorite beer of the moment, Farm Girl Saison.

DT STP

This is the view from one my jobs--downtown Saint Paul. You can see the Landmark Center (the shorter stone tower on the right side with the reddish top). It's a gorgeous building. I'll have to snap a few shots next time I'm down the hill.

Nice paint job

I've always liked the colors on this Victorian house. They have a weird modern extension at the back, though, which always looks very incongruous.

Asbestos and Cancer

I hope whoever painted these hearts didn't develop cancer or lung disease in the process. This is at Camp Coldwater near Fort Snelling: now full of abandoned, asbestos-ridden federal government buildings covered in various forms of graffiti.

Guitar

Played a gig on the local Fresh Air radio station, KFAI, a few weeks ago. Snapped this shot of the guitarist's vintage-looking instrument. This might be a Danelectro? I could be totally totally wrong. I know next to nothing about guitars.