Did I say it was raining?

Macalester College appeared to belong to that long ago Twilight Zone episode where the "normal" world was distorted.

Monday morning welcome

Shopping weekend

The Sears parking lot in St. Paul must have been the only shopping place in the city that wasn't jam-packed this weekend. How do they manage to stay open?

MIsty lake

One of the first really cold days produces this misty affect over Lake Minnetonka as the cold air touches the warmer water. Later this winter when the lake is frozen we won't have this wonderfully impressionistic view of the lake.

The lucky ones

Here's a few that escaped the chopping block seen wandering down by the Mississippi River where it meets the Minnesota River.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The palm trees are a giveaway. This is not St. Paul (for the 2nd time this month - am I breaking the City Daily Photo rules too much?) but La Jolla, California and their answer to Macy's T-day parade.

Modern day Minneapolis

Minneapolis didn't look anything like this when I was growing up. The government center (right of center with clock tower) was one of the tallest buildings downtown. Now it's dwarfed by skyscrapers whose names I don't even know.

Music, miracles, ministries

Coming off I-35W to the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus, this towering Jesus invites drivers and their passengers to join the love power. I don't know if this church actually still exists or is left over from the post-hippie days of Jesus people.

Urban wildlife

I spotted this little Downy woodpecker along the Mississippi earlier this fall shortly after watching an eagle soar along the river. Do eagles eat smaller birds? If so, this one was lucky to have been overlooked.

Cliquot Club

I love having my camera ready to capture some of the old ads that still exist on the sides of buildings in the Twin Cities. This one is in the Midway area of St. Paul.

Solo on the Mississippi

It's probably too chilly to do this now, but a couple of weeks ago a solo rower had the river all to himself one warmish afternoon. I love the pattern the oars leave on the water.

Wet snow

Winter's come too soon and too wet to the Twin Cities. Elderly maples and juvenile Japanese lilacs couldn't stand up to the weight of the snow.

This is not Saint Paul!

No, indeed. This is not Saint Paul. But it is fall ... at the Horse Guard in London. I was surprised to see that fall colors and falling leaves are somewhat behind the Twin Cities even though London is much further north. Must be that cheeky Gulf Stream.