I really prefer the Farmers' Market flowers, or any flowers grown outside in the summer, but when it's winter, I'd gladly fetch a bouquet like these that are still on display in our supermarkets. I wonder why anyone would buy these in the summer when others are available?
This display case in Lunds in Highland Park, one of our local supermarkets, has both national and international cheeses on display. Not a bad selection!
Bath anyone? This was an arresting spectacle on Kellogg Boulevard. I wonder how all that foam developed in the fountain? Surrounding it were benches on which were a few sleeping homeless men, both young and old. It would be tempting to use it as a personal bath, I imagine.
Fountains in the city are both small and large. This is one of several that dot neighborhoods in St. Paul.
The downtown Farmers' Market has musicians who entertain on Saturdays. Go to kate-musings to see more photos.
One of the few small theatres left in St. Paul and its suburbs. Lucky for me, it's within walking distance of my house. It has an art deco facade which is not visible from this shot, though.
The exhibit of plasticated bodies and body parts has created lots of interest in the Cities as well as in other cities where it has travelled. (This larger than life mural is on the entrance wall of the Minnesota Science Museum in downtown St. Paul) Some medical people have written letters of protest, feeling that the human body has been desecrated in the name of art. I took my 12-year-old grandson to it, and we both learned a great deal from it. The atmosphere in the galleries as people moved from one section to the next was hushed and very reverent. The poses of the athletes, ice skaters, and dancers were remarkable. The diseased organs were not my favorite and scared the devil out of me! If you are a smoker, you would quit after seeing all the blackened lungs on the bodies. All in all, if it comes to your city, don't miss it!!
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The cheerleaders of our local soccer team, The Minnesota Thunder, accommodate their fans after a game by doing more acrobatics.
These metal images on the campus of the University of St. Thomas make me smile. Don't know why they are all female; guess I need to find out why. They're on the corner of Summit and Cretin Avenues on the sidewalk leading to the Science Building. Wonder why they were placed there near that particular building?
Flags of Old Glory are abundantly displayed over the 4th of July, but recently buntings are becoming more commonplace and are seen often now, draped on private homes, fences and porches.
For several years (three-in-a-row, I think) our city fathers had Schultz's characters made and distributed throughout the city to honor the creator of the comic strip, who was born and reared in St. Paul. One year it was all Charlie Brown, the next it was Lucy, and, of course, Snoopy. Later all the sculptures were sold to individuals, businesses, schools, and other places where they now stand. This one is owned by a local Half-Price bookstore, appropriately so.
These two beautiful people obligingly posed for a picture by their interesting truck. I had two very nice shots of the truck itself, but, alas, damaged them as I was trying to transfer them to the computer. Don't ask; I don't know how I did it. Today I took better pictures in Minneapolis than in St. Paul. Go see them on kate-musing. I still have lots to learn about photography and linking, which is still a mystery to me.
A modest clock tower, but its time is accurate which is not always the case. The symmetry of the tower seems almost austere.
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Workman, one of three, who are beautifying our home by adding shrubs and trees to the front yard.
Another tree sculpture in front of Groveland Elementary School. This one and its companion which has disappeared forever was vandalized several years ago. But baby Panda doesn't look too bad, despite its wear and tear.
Whenever a student walked into my English classroom with one of these, that person was immediately "suspect." Unfair perhaps, but too often foolish young sprouts would rely upon these tidy little books instead of reading the novels. And often wondered why they flunked the test! Have to smile whenever I pass this rack at a bookstore since retirement allows me to be merely amused now when I see them. I no longer have to convince students that they'll get lots more from the book itself.
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Instead of whacking down trees and then grinding down the stump, some innovative artists have become tree sculptors. When I get a decent camera I'll retake this wonderful full-length creation of a woman in period dress, holding a parasol. Standing across from the University Club, an old St. Paul watering-hole, this woman fits right in. I wonder if F. Scott is looking down on her?!
The Ordway Center across from Rice Park in downtown St. Paul is a gem. The interior has old world charm with red velvet seats, brass rails, and lots and lots of wood which enhances musical sounds.
In this building adults and children have spent many happy and educational hours viewing exhibits covering a broad range of subjects. The most recent is "Body Worlds" which has dozens of donated, plasticated cadavers showing the human body in various poses: soccer player, chess player, ice skaters, a teacher, and even a pregnant woman with a well-developed fetus. It has been a resounding success. While going through the exhibit, I was impressed by the hushed tones in all the galleries. Reverential almost.
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Landmark Center, a former legal center, was saved from the wrecking ball by a group of civic-minded and concerned citizens in the 70's. A state-wide contest then was held to name the building. My contribution, alas, was not selected. Good thing since I now can't remember what it was!
A remnant and a memorial to times past, this landmark rises high in a park in the Highland Park neighborhood. Closed to the public for most of the year, it is opened in July each year during the Highland Arts and Crafts Fair. Youngsters and folks heartier than I climb the many steps for a breathtaking view of the surrounding area.
On a non-descript street in Merriam Park, the door promised a startling and extraordinary activity. It made me pause, but the photo made me smile with my own "soul" exposed on the door. Something, someone must think I need some readjustment to my personality and bechons me to enter.
Brewberry's Neighborhood Coffee Shop has always been a favorite place to meet and greet friends and, after years of hard work, the owners have enjoyed success in this converted gas station building. Too good to be true, recently corporate America decided to move in. Caribou did a market study and did indeed decide that the corner of Fairview and Randolph Avenues would be a good location for another cafe. Neighbors and students from St. Catherine's College and St. Paul Academy-Summit School have remained loyal, and despite the presence of Caribou directly across the street, Brewberry's is still thriving--and serving great pastries, sandwiches, soups, and coffee!
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F. Scott is the only name you need mention, and everyone knows to whom you are referring. F. Scott Fitzgerald is known and loved by the people in St. Paul. This life-size statue in Rice Park downtown immortalizes him just as his novels do. The legendary wordsmith is alive in the hearts of all true St. Paulites.
©KateMura
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