Why are we so fascincated with primates? A relative, perhaps??!!
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How many of you would be happy to have these messages in your yard?!.jpg)
This is part of the new renovation at Como Park Zoo. The sloth that was in yesterday's photograph lives in this building.
Today in Minnesota History: 1930 - St. Paul's Frank B. Kellogg wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Kellogg had served as secretary of state during the Coolidge administration and as a judge on the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague. (Reference: MNHS.ORG)
After going through the new tropical rain forest installation at Como Zoo, we visited the primate area, but not before I said "Hello" to one of my oldest friends. Be sure to visit this site 
The temperature at high noon the day after Thanksgiving! Believe it or not, this is unseasonably warm for this time of year!!.jpg)
The Burbank-Livingston-Griggs house, the second oldest house still standing on Summit Avenue, was built by James Burbank in 1862. It was constructed of Mendota limestone, and was built in the Italian villa style. After changing ownership among St. Paul's prominent families, it was donated to the Mn. Historical Society in 1962. It is no longer open, but when my children were small, we often toured the house which was open as a museum at the time. The playroom with vintage toys was always a favorite stop.
Not exactly a turkey, but poultry will do. Handsome devil, isn't he? My dinner plates for our Thanksgiving dinner. To see my many blessings, click here!.0.jpg)
Since the Blair Arcade murals seemed to be so well-received, I decided to add more..0.jpg)
Another Fitzgerald post: F.Ssott Fitzgerald wrote the novel, This Side of Paradise, while living in this brownstone apartment building on 593/599 Summit Avenue. He had met Zelda, his future wife, while serving in the army. Originally she had not wanted to marry Scott because of his uncertain financial future, but after the publication of the novel, she apparently changed her mind. They did not remain long in Minnesota and led a busy, often debt-ridden existence, as international icons of the Jazz Age. For two other views of this historic building, visit this site.
Yesterday I met St. Paul Carol for the first time at Nina's Cafe in the Blair Arcade. Downstairs the bookstore owned by Garrison Keillor was having a neighborhood Open House. Garrison autographed books for hours and here he is with Carol as he signs her books for her. For more pictures of the Open House which was very crowded, click here, walk in and join the festivities!.jpg)
This is another view of the Garrison Keillor bookstore in the basement of the Blair Arcade that St. Paul blogger Carol showed you here in an earlier post.
This is part of an addition to the school in which I used to teach English literature and writing. Look closely and you'll see the art gallery on the first floor with part of the library above it.
When I was without a camera, several weeks ago I was surprised to see this bus on the streets of St. Paul. While sitting in a café on Wednesday, it rolled by. I grabbed my camera and chased it. Why? Because I'll be leaving for a 3 months stay in Mazatlán on January 7, I wanted something to show my friends in México (and you, too!). I've eaten in the restaurant shown on the bus, located in El Centro, the old section where I'll be staying for three months. If all goes well, I'll be blogging, but without internet in my rental, I'll have to be creative. Can't wait to hit the beach! (For two more views of this fabulous bus, click here.
How do young people deal with death? Several years ago the student who is the focus of this memorial died tragically of an undiagnosed heart condition. His friends designed and created this set of drums, depicting his life and many interests. It now hangs on the wall in the entrance foyer of his former school.
This rather austere building on Holly Avenue once was a boarding school for girls. Scott enrolled in a dancing school here (bet it was his mother's or grandmother's idea!). Because his grades were not very good, he was expelled from St.Paul Academy and enrolled in an Eastern boarding school at age 15. Until he entered Princeton, he was home only for the holidays.
Fitzgerald Series: St. Paul Academy's first school (an all-boys school) on 25 North Dale that F. Scott Fitzgerald attended. The school expanded and became co-ed over the years and has two campuses. Click here to see the Upper School campus as it appears today. Tomorrow I'll show you a close up of the statue of the youthful F. Scott that has recently been installed on the front steps of the building (look closely) which is now occupied by business offices.
F. Scott Fitzgerald Series: Those of you who are familiar with American literature are undoubtedly familiar with F. Scott, one of our boys. For the next few days, I will show you places where he lived, went to school during his early years, and where he hung out. He was born in this building to Edward and Mollie McQuillan Fitzgerald..jpg)
Another indoor mural at the Blair Arcade. Today in MN History:-1913-Day two of the three-day Great Storm of 1913, which kills 251 people on the Great Lakes (forty-four on Lake Superior) and sinks seventeen boats. (Historical information taken from the MN Historical Society's website: mnhs.org)
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Another Blair Arcade Mural: Although the present day corner looks much different than this painting, this is the corner where the building still stands.0.jpg)
The chandeliers in the Blair Arcade are worth seeing. Today in MN. History-1889-
Inside the Blaire Arcade on Western and Selby Avenues are a number of murals depicting life in St. Paul at the turn of the century. In the background is the artist's rendition of the Cathedral, located just down the street.
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This inscription is on the Statue of Liberty that resides in New York City on Ellis Island. This much smaller facsimile of the statue is located in a cafe in St. Paul. One of my former students, whom I was delighted to run into while there, posed with Lady Liberty. Because he is an agile soccer player and one of the coaches for the Minnesota Thunder Soccer team, he was able to hop on a table top to allow me to get full advantage of both him and the statue for the photo.
I mean no disrespect of this icon or to my French friends; here is some background information: Designers: Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, born in Colmar, France, in 1834. The interior iron framework was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, also designer of the Eiffel Tower. The statue's pedestal was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt.
Today in Mn. History: 1864- The steamboat John Rumsey explodes near the lower levee in St. Paul, killing seven of the crew. Explosions, usually caused by excessive steam pressure, were a common occurrence on Mississippi riverboats. (Historical information taken from the MN Historical Society's website: mnhs.org)
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I think that I can be forgiven for using this photo, which is not mine but has been published widely throughout the US. By now all of you have probably read about John Kerry's verbal gaff (and insensitivity) for which he finally had to apologize. In essence during a speech at a college he exhorted the students to study hard because if the didn't, they would "wind up in Iraq." Politicians, especially Republicans, have been outraged primarily because it's an important election year across the country, and they can make political hay because of Democrat Kerry's remark. Of course, most important, it's a slur against the intelligence of the men and women in uniform. The Minnesota National Guard in Iraq made this hilarious misspelled sign, having fun with Kerry's comments. Love those Minnesotans!
Many Hispanic cultures honor their deceased loved ones on both November 1, All Saints Day and November 2, All Soul's Day: the 1st for children and infants, and the 2nd for the adults.
November Theme Day: If this lawn decoration is not gone already, it will be removed by tomorrow. Thank goodness! After tonight, I'm ready to say good-bye to Halloween. The urchins at the door were delightful, but there were too many of them. Our neighbors tend to take Halloween decorations down quickly, unlike Christmas scenes, lights, and wreaths which seem to stay up forever!
