Ice die

A local bar has strung blocks of ice like so many giant dice to form a beaded wall along their currently unused patio. Pretty soon these will start melting (if we're lucky!).

I is for imagery

Don't miss the ladies' loo at the Gaslight in Des Moines.

For more ABC Wednesday posts, go here.

A little fishy

Not sure what this graffiti is doing on an annex to the old 'A' mill in Minneapolis. Are they swimming toward the door?

Alley graffiti

A little preview of tomorrow's post - this funny stencil appears on an electrical box in an alleyway in my neighborhood. Wonder of Excel Energy knows about this or maybe they did it!

Thanksgiving: Minnesota style

Did you know that Minnesota produces more turkeys than any other state in the union? Here's how we celebrate in the Twin Cities. Happy Thanksgiving!

Banksy in St. Paul?

Just discovered on the back side of an apartment building along Grand Avenue. Looks a lot like our very own Banksy wannabe. First post for this week's theme.

Theme day: Fences

The art community of Lowertown in St. Paul advertised their recent art crawl on a chain link fence that surrounds a construction site. Click here to see thumbnails of theme day participants.

Breaking news 2

Remember the "breaking news" banner from the Minneapolis Open Book Center? Here's another one. Post 4 for this week's theme.

Fantasy foals

These prancers were drawing curious crowds at the Minnesota State Fair a couple of weeks ago. Wouldn't it be fun to have them growing in your front yard? We're back to the mystery theme today - Monday was the Paris tea towels, Tuesday the riverboats, now this. What's your best guess?

Pile of rocks marks the spot

Last post for this week taken in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul where some enterprising homeowner has carefully marked off his/her property line. Theme revealed tomorrow, but surely you've guessed it by now. If not, go back Mon-Friday to see if you can figure it out.

Another corny idea

I was biking along 46th Street in south Minneapolis last week and came across this clever contraption which I can only assume is someone's effort to keep the squirrels out of their bird feeders by offering them their own gourmet treat. I hope it's working.

Post #4 for this week's theme. How are you doing? Got it yet?

Art car #1

Post 2 for this week's theme. Probably not too obvious yet what the theme is. While I was photographing this car which is covered in bones from top to bottom and back to front, the owner approached and told me that every July there is a parade of "art cars" featuring all the crazy things people have glued to their automobiles. I missed it this year, but you can bet it'll be on my calendar for next year.

What a corny idea!

The start of a new theme for the week of August 8-12. This image is from my hometown, Rochester, which is a little over an hour south of the Twin Cities. The city is famous for being the home of the Mayo Clinic, but this water tower has nothing to do with the medical industry. It has been around as long as I can remember rising above a canning factory formerly owned and operated by Libby's.

Distracted fan

The Minnesota Stars have a small enough crowd as it is at most games - 2,000 to 3,000 - without having to compete with Facebook.

Design a dress

I've been spending some time on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota in McNeal Hall which houses the College of Design and the Goldstein Museum of Design. I guess this room is the incubator, as it were.

Summer Olympics

Ely (Minnesota, duh!) lost out to Rio a couple of years back but the residents of the little town at the end of the road certainly had some gumption. Maybe they should shoot for the Winter Olympics which is more fitting for their 9-month winter climate. This is hardly a day trip since Ely is practically at the Canadian border, but hey, we all gotta get outta town sometime.

One solution for the budget gap

That's what our Democratic governor wants to do, but the Republican legislature won't touch it with a 10-foot pole so the whole government will probably be shutting down in a couple of weeks ; - (

Demise of winter

Okay, you heard it right. As of yesterday evening when the outdoor temperature was still hovering around 100 degrees the remains of a gargantuan snow pile in the St. Paul Sears parking lot was finally coming to its messy end. It took record heat to get rid of near-record snowfall. What a great climate!

Defying gravity

No, don't turn the photo around. They are indeed dancing on the side of a building. Project Bandaloop is in town for the Flint Hills International Children's Festival. Only one day left - today. Don't miss these dancers! They'll be doing it again at 11AM and 1PM off the west side of the Lawson Building. More photos on my Facebook page.

Country chicken

If you're on the road this Memorial Day weekend, you may see this somewhere in southeastern Minnesota. Stop for breakfast - pretty good eggs and hash browns (sorry, that's all I remember, can't even recall the name of the town).