September 2009
17 posts
First chilly ride of the season →
By my calculations, autumn arrived in the Twin Cities just after 9:00 AM on Friday. That was when the first drops of rain hit my bike helmet as I turned onto Kellogg Avenue; by the time I…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-09-27 →
Treehouse – 1 by anthony thompson #photo http://ow.ly/15Q4cZ #
Al Capone’s Wisconsin hideout for sale | Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ http://ow.ly/15Q4cY #
Smithsonian Museum Day:…
Esther Callahan, RIP →
Last Thursday, Esther Callahan, a 1931 graduate of the St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, passed away, just short of 102 years old.
She was born in Clement, MN, to a large German…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-09-20 →
South Minneapolis house explodes; five family members injured | StarTribune.com http://ow.ly/15OSVX #
The Lake & The Boat by Ryan-Lewis #photo http://ow.ly/15OYe4 #
Como Park…
the ultimate outdoor office →
I’ve noted elsewhere what I look for in a temporary “office”: “good lighting, a little buzz of activity for my concentration to push against, wireless Internet access, a comfortable seat, and…
the ride goes on: noting the carnage →
Yesterday was my second full round-trip bicycle commute from South Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul. My ride in ends in a glorious flight down Cathedral Hill and past the Minnesota History…
the ur-squirrels of St. Paul →
I ate my lunch today on a bench in Rice Park, enjoying these last few hours of summer weather (you know it’s not going to last …), ruminating about my bike ride, and doing a little writing for…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-09-13 →
Robbers target backyard parties in Minneapolis | Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ http://ow.ly/15O2ZK #
Sphagnum moss filtering water in St. Paul city pools – TwinCities.com …
Conquering Cathedral Hill →
As I noted earlier, Cyclopath, a great bike-centric geowiki from the University of Minnesota, sent me up Ramsey Hill, an extremely steep climb even on foot. Luckily, Bill of twin city…
Biking from the Mississippi to the Mississippi →
Owing to the bend in the river into which St. Paul snuggles, I start my day by crossing the Mississippi and end up a few blocks from it again. The terrain is generally flat, with some hills…
St. Paul Library Holds →
As I noted earlier this week, the Hennepin County Library catalog merger resulted in some chaos at the hold shelf. Rather than organizing holds by patron names, they’re now sorted by a…
Reading on the bus →
The New York Times recently ran a piece about how and what people read on the subway. They highlighted a nice blog dedicated to the subject, and to the gentle voyeurism of glancing at what…
How Milwaukee Avenue was saved from urban renewal →
Over at Twin Cities Streets for People, there’s a student documentary about the history of Milwaukee Avenue, a unique Minneapolis street. Most of the houses along its car-free parkway were…
Catalog merger causes some confusion at the... →
I should preface this by saying that I’m generally not displeased with the merger of the Hennepin County and Minneapolis library systems. The merger saved Minneapolis’ libraries during a grim…
The Mysteries of St. Paul →
For most of my time in the Twin Cities, my orientation has been toward the west. I’ve lived in Northeast Minneapolis and Longfellow, and worked in downtown Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, and St….
Nokomis Library Renovations →
Starting in October, Nokomis Library, one of the cutest little locations in the Minneapolis Hennepin County system, will undergo significant renovations. The library will be closed until some time…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-09-06 →
untitled (swings) from yearofthewhitedog #photo http://ow.ly/15N2VB #
around Como, St. Paul’s Central Park http://ow.ly/15N2VA #
Two Seats at the Counter: Lunch at Mickey’s Diner |…
August 2009
4 posts
Weekly Tweets: 2009-08-23 →
Japanese Lattern I by ? i 9 m a r k ? #photo http://ow.ly/15Lj6T #
John Ashberry’s poem across Hennepin Avenue http://ow.ly/15LmMo #
not all of downtown St. Paul rolls up the…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-08-16 →
The Brain of the Storm by Molly in the Morning #photo http://ow.ly/15KqA0 #
untitled by Moncrief Speaks #photo http://ow.ly/15KsZ1 #
instant run-off candy bars …
Weekly Tweets: 2009-08-09 →
Restored WWII plane returns to South St. Paul hangar – TwinCities.com http://ow.ly/15JPiN #
Pizza Luce Block Party 2009 http://ow.ly/15JPiO #
2009 Powderhorn Park Art Fair …
Weekly Tweets: 2009-08-02 →
Wanda Gág’s ‘Millions of Cats’ — An American Classic for Children « One-Minute Book Reviews http://ow.ly/15IVdh #
Obituary: Roger Greenan, 67, was KSTP-TV helicopter pilot famed for heroic…
July 2009
7 posts
The Best in Tent Camping: Minnesota Guide Book →
My family does quite a bit of tent camping in the warmer months (I haven’t been able to convince them to try Minnesota winter camping yet–when the boys are older I’ll have plenty of opportunities…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-07-26 →
stone arch bridge 1886 from Marnluke http://ow.ly/15IdVP #
The Bakken Museum – 10 Best Days of The Bakken http://ow.ly/15IgGW #
David Gillette (via MinnPost) – How to eat for free this…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-07-19 →
Maintaining the tree canopy | Twin Cities Daily Planet | Minneapolis – St. Paul http://ow.ly/15HySW #
Cultivating common ground at Common Roots Café | Twin Cities Daily Planet | Minneapolis…
River town →
Tucked away in a corner of the Science Museum of Minnesota is the National Park Service’s Mississippi River Visitor Center. It’s easy to miss in the rush to get to all of the great stuff at…
Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat →
I made my umpteenth visit today to the Mill City Museum, but my first viewing of Kevin Kling’s Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat. My short assistants have been talking about this movie for…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-07-12 →
lonliness…….. by // deepu // #photo http://ow.ly/15GYME #
Clouds in reflection by puffclinty #photo http://ow.ly/15H3pY #
Minnesota veterans agency opening 1934 time capsule –…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-07-05 →
The Isles view of Downtown Mpls by jevidon #photo http://ow.ly/15Gnhk #
outside at Broder’s Pasta Bar http://ow.ly/15GoGe #
Jukeboxing: Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge …
June 2009
13 posts
“Twin Cities”: a poem by Carol Muske-Dukes →
Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the Mississippi River are featured in a poem by Carol Muske-Dukes in the current issue of The New Yorker. The opening stanza gives one of the most succinct descriptions…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-06-28 →
Stuff about Minneapolis – Lowry Bridge Goes Boom. http://ow.ly/fpNd #
Commutator Foundry Co. by fivesixzero::Erik Hess #photo http://ow.ly/fpNe #
Como Zoo vying for Best Tourist Spot…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-06-21 →
Fake is the new real http://ow.ly/e8WC #
Munchkin wedding in Minneapolis, June 1939 http://ow.ly/e8WB #
Butterflies and Free Carousel Rides at Como Park and Como Zoo …
Ingenuity, Exhibit C →
Builds Car of Scrap … It Runs Two years of hard work in his home basement machine shop by Roy Soderstrom, 4242 Dight Av. (left), produced this perfect scale replica of a 1942 Oldsmobile….
Ingenuity, Exhibit B →
Wartime transportation problems have been conquered by these three boys who can cover plenty of territory on one-half gallon of gasoline. An old washing machine motor is propelling power…
Ingenuity, Exhibit A →
A home-made “motorized wheelchair” assembled from discarded automobile and washing machine parts, gets Richard Stevens, 14, 3117 Oakland avenue, anywhere he wants to go, although he is…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-06-14 →
twin city sidewalks: Sidewalk Ballfield http://ow.ly/cYGx #
Twin Cites Jazz Festival | KFAI Radio Without Boundaries http://ow.ly/cZYa #
Minneapolis Skyline Over Lake Calhoun at Night…
War bonnet →
He read about them–David Kline, 15, 4218 Twentieth avenue S., who has never seen a real Indian, has made himself this Indian outfit, including headdress, clothes, bows and arrows, from…
Practicing for future meals →
Practicing for future meals, Victoria Marie Malkerson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Philip John Malkerson, 4915 Sixteenth avenue S., is making a cake for her fiance, Pvt. Earl Alfred Loomis to…
The Titanic Exhibition Opens →
We splurged last night on the opening night gala for the Titanic exhibition at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Jack and Peter, my 7-year-old assistants, are Titanic experts (branching out…
Bookmobile, 1958 →
As I’ve noted elsewhere, I’m helping the boys’ school’s archivist to digitize some of the materials that tell the history of Dowling Elementary School (formerly the Michael Dowling School…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-06-07 →
storefronts by bikini sleepshirt #photo http://ow.ly/alKL #
weather by Dan Anderson #photo http://ow.ly/awhS #
The Adventures of Johnny Northside: Finding Out Minneapolis Home…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-05-31 →
Evening Prarie by Turn to Clear Vision #photo http://ow.ly/8Wdh #
Guthrie Theater Observation plus bar by Molly in the morning #photo http://ow.ly/8Wdi #
smile face lemonade stand…
May 2009
6 posts
Weekly Tweets: 2009-05-24 →
The case of the disappearing mailboxes | Twin Cities Daily Planet | Minneapolis - St. Paul http://ow.ly/7pYk #
fruit by miles1322 #photo http://ow.ly/7ytT #
RT @mnreads: Rain Taxi…
Grand Tour 2009: Foshay Tower →
The pinnacle (quite literally) of our Spring Tour was the Foshay Tower, once the tallest building west of Chicago. Completed in 1929, on the eve of the stock market crash, the…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-05-17 →
Skateboarder Under the Bridge 1 by schado #photo http://ow.ly/67fw #
The Adventures of Johnny Northside: Here’s What $7,900 Buys You In The Hawthorne Neighborhood http://ow.ly/67ya #
Weekly Tweets: 2009-05-10 →
camp coldwater, minnesota by sdeviana #photo http://ow.ly/4XPb #
mud girl by bikini sleepshirt #photo #mayday http://ow.ly/4Z3l #
“Our Common Treasury. Dig It” by michele123m #…
In the Heart of the Beast May Day Parade →
The May Day Parade is one of the funkiest, quirkiest, oddest traditions in Minneapolis. For the last 35 years, people have taken to the streets, led by the In the Heart of…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-05-03 →
Tyler Fish makes North Pole expedition http://ow.ly/41DZ #
A closer look at flyover land: Minnesota Book Awards http://ow.ly/41E0 #
over the spillway by truth and soul #photo …
April 2009
18 posts
Weekly Tweets: 2009-04-26 →
Parasole restaurant Holdings’ latest venture, Burger Jones, is set to open May 4 in Calhoun Village http://ow.ly/3jpF #
I Can’t Believe The Books My Library Is Acquiring http://ow.ly/3jpE…
Grand Tour 2009: Franklin Street Bakery →
Though not a major destination, I’m including the Franklin Street Bakery in the Grand Tour because it’s a must-stop spot for South Minneapolis grocery shoppers. I’ve been…
Weekly Tweets: 2009-04-19 →
MPR: Russian ambassador to present award in Minneapolis http://ow.ly/2H61 #
Up, kite! Please? - TwinCities.com http://ow.ly/2K61 #
Earth Day Events in Minneapolis and St. Paul #…