TRAGEDIES

William Shakespeare was correct when he said: When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions.


Late Saturday night on May 26th my sister who lives in Green Bay, WI had emergency surgery for a brain aneurysm; five days later -- today, Thursday May 31, her son and my nephew, had a heart attack and died this morning--about 6 hours ago. My own family right now is in the middle of making plans to travel there, where I will stay after they leave to return to St. Paul so that I can help my sister when she is discharged. She's still on a respirator. What a shocking and sad week this has been. I hope to continue to post photos while I'm there in order to stay focused on the present, but I doubt that I'll make many comments on your blogs. Keep us in your thoughts.

Light the Way

"No light, but rather darkness visible" Paradise Lost by John Milton

The Cathedral of St. Paul will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of its completion date on June 1. Unlike its nearby neighbor, the Capitol, the Cathedral has never been lighted at night. To remedy this unfortunate oversight, a local doctor has arranged and paid to have it beautifully luminated on the evenings of May 30th and 31st. I, of course, was among the admirers, shooting away to capture this event. The huge granite building was designed by the French-born architect Emmanuel Masqueray and is situated on St. Anthony Hill. "Step inside...awe is a word seldom used in architectual discourse anymore, but it applies here. The sweep of space beneath the dome simply has no equal in the Twin Cities." (AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, by Larry Millett) To see a few more photos I took tonight, click here and visit ExtraExtra my blog for extra Cathedral photos.

"Diggin' Dinos"

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Animal Farm by George Orwell.

St. Paul (and "that other city", Minneapolis)is enjoying an exhibition "of dinosaur figures that are being painted by local artists and placed throughout the Twin Cities from May 28th through September 3. The dinosaurs are 8 feet long and 4.5 feet wide. Eighty of them will be placed in St. Paul and 20 in Minneapolis. Several will be shown at the state fair. Then, like the 'Peanuts' statues of recent years, many of the Dinos will be auctioned off by the non-profit Capital City Partnership."(Avenues: Saint Paul's News and Arts Monthly, June 2007. They are delightful and individually named to represent different establishments or organizations. I've discovered six of them already. As soon as I can take a photo of a complete figure, I'll post it because they are a hoot. Too many are placed in positions that make it difficult to take a full photo. Stay tuned!

A Chance Encounter

On Friday night, May 25, DH and I went to listen to another performance of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. We ate a light supper and went early to Ordway, the concert hall, which is right across the street from the delightful Rice Park that has a fountain, statues of notable local heros, and lots of benches. Many concert goers were "loitering" in the pleasant summer evening, waiting for the concert. Camera at the ready, I snapped lots of photos which you will see later. When we started back, just ahead of us was one of the musicians, walking toward the stage door and carrying his instrument in a familiar-looking black case. Turning to DH I wondered aloud if it was "HIM." Suspecting what I was going to do, DH did a quick fade and walked away from me. Subject "HIM" was on a cell phone. Walking a short distance behind HIM, I respectfully waited 'til he had switched off. Follow the dailogue:

ME: Excuse me, but are you Joshua Bell?
JB: (Smiling and briefly turning): Yes, I am.
ME: (Stupidly): I read about you in the DC subway. May I take your picture?
JB: (Smiling weakly) Yes, but I'm in kind of a hurry. (Concert started in :20 min. where he was the featured violin soloist on his insured 1.5 M dollar Stradivarius).
I took the quick snap which is posted above and off he went. A woman behind us smiled and said, "Is he a relative, do you want me to take your picture with him?" I laughed and said, "No, that is Joshua Bell!!"

The concert which ended a three-year association of Bell's with the orchestra as an artistic partner was incredibly sweet and wildly received by the audience.

For a review of the performance in our local newspaper, click here.
To see the concert hall, St. Paul's finest click here, which incidentally is the 15th photo I posted on this blog!

Traditional Memorial Day

This grave headstone marks my husband's family plot in Calgary Cemetery in St.Paul. To observe Memorial Day I took photos of the markers to honor my children's ancestors who are there: Great Grandparents Anna and Frederick, Grandparents Cecelia and Frederick, Great Aunt Frances and Great Uncle Art. To see the small stones implanted in the grass, visit my ExtraExtra Photo blog by checking here.

Beautiful Blue

A door does not have to be big like this one to be beautiful!

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose!

Soon we will be putting flags and flowers on graves, if it's allowed by the cemetery. I'd like to put these roses on the gravesites of all my loved ones and yours who are no longer with us.

St Luke's in St. Paul

"One of the city's outstanding parish churches, a free interpretation of French and Italian Romanesque. The facade has elaborately carved portals, the largest of which depicts Christ and various saints...Above the main portal is a spectacular rose window set within a pattern frame." (AIA Guide to the Twin Cities by Larry Millett, p451). I don't have a picture of the rose window, but I'll go back and photograph that and the inside of the church soon. The church was completed in 1925. For a close-up of the front door and a photo of another door in the church, click here. Thanks to Isabella for her comment yesterday, which is now the title of this post.

Church Door #3 (Side Entrance)

This is the door on the side entrance of St. Luke's Catholic Church located on the corner of Lexington Boulevard and Summit Avenue. Would you like to see the main entrance?

More "wildlife"

The neighborhood in which I found this interesting little fella is the same one where I photographed the carved tree statue yesterday. The toad looks like it is a sprinkler; when the hose is attached it appears that water sprouts out of the top of his head. He is located in a beautifully landscaped small garden. To see more of his lovely environment, click here.

Yard Man

These wooden statues carved from fallen trees can be found on boulevards and in small neighborhood yards. I saw this one on a quiet block on Ashland Avenue, a place where many homes nearby beautify their plots of land with flowers and statues. A pleasure to see. For more angles of this "yard man" click here to see a collage.

Quack! Quack!

Since many bloggers are posting pictures of wildlife, I thought I'd add this little family of a slightly different species, found in the bakery department of Lund's grocery store in Highland Village. Check this site for another family of a different species.

Another new neighbor!

This is nothing like our friend Abraham Lincoln's yard, but wildlife is finding hospitable surroundings close to our home. He's been feasting on our newly planted flowers. My other new neighbors have me worried since the birds haven't hatched, and I'm concerned about how the mother bird is incubating the eggs since she isn't there most of the time. I always thought the mother bird was supposed to sit on the nest all the time. Well, we'll see soon I hope.

Going Up?

It's the week-end so the inevitable occurs: gas prices increase. Perhaps a better solution would be what is occurring on Carol's post. Click here to find out!

Ummmm, good!

Often on a Friday night DH (Dear Husband) and I will stop for a light supper at Cafe Latte on Grand Avenue. The restaurant has tasty sandwiches, delicious soups, great salads and pastries "to die for"--especially chocolate. For variety there are cheesecakes, truffles, scones, and different desserts such as the above luscious delight.

Church Door #2

This door graces the entrance to St. Paul's on the Hill Episcopal Church which was founded in 1854. It's located on historical Summit Avenue.

You've Got Mail!!

A truly unique box for snail mail.

New Neighbors!!

We have a purple verbena hanging basket on both sides of our front door. During the past week I notice a small bird, perhaps a gold finch, fly out of one of the baskets whenever any of us entered or left the house. The light bulb finally went on. I took a stepstool and gingerly parted the blossoms to find a beautifully formed nest with 3 tiny blue eggs in it. We now use the side door and posted a sign on the front entrance, warning unsuspecting intruders. Now I just have to figure out how I can water the plant on a daily basis without disturbing the nest and eggs. Tricky!
ADDENDUM: So far so good! This was a macro shot of the eggs and nest so the actual items are much smaller than the photo. My fingers are crossed; I hope the fertilized water we poured on the plant before we found the nest hasn't damaged the eggs. The mother bird is still around!

Minnesota Bloggers

A multi-talented group of all ages met on Saturday, May 12, 2007. An historic meeting! From upper left, clockwise: Chris and Sophie; The MN Bloggers: Steve (Slinger),Kate, Carol, Sophie, and Chris; Chris, Sophie and Deb; and Slinger.

Church Door

Happy Mother's Day!!

St. Kate's church door looks very different during the day than it does at night.
Click here to see the difference.

Location, location, location

Remember this post? Since I took the first photo, I discovered that Macalester College has sold some older houses on the campus to a local developer for a couple dollars (!!)in order to expand their athletic facilities. The new owner will move all of the houses into neighborhoods, remodel and refurbish them and sell each one at a profit. Without informing the public, the houses have been moved late at night to eliminate too many problems with sightseers. Darn! What a photo that would have been: houses lumbering down the streets of St. Paul. This house now rests on a lot on Snelling Avenue.

Use Your Head!

I wonder if this planter is made in the image of the owner of the house where it resides on the front porch?

An Angel

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION!I should have researched this before I posted the photo! I just called the church, and I was told that the anchor is the official logo of the church. It is a symbol of HOPE and ties in with the name of the church itself. The anchor and rope, combined with HH (House of Hope) is frequently used with church literature.

This guardian angel rests on the front lawn of House of Hope Presbyterian Church on Summit Avenue, looking after the parishoners and passersby as well.

Indian Mounds

These Indian Mounds are located in a park which is situated high above the Mississippi River across from the city center of St. Paul. The overlook is awesome, but I think that I need to call the park service with a complaint. The park is overrun with dandelions and marred by ugly grafitti. Since it's a burial ground, it's a sacred place and needs more care! Its history is outlined on the placque below.

My Fine Feathered Friend

The Farmers Market opened two week-ends ago, and I am delighted since it's my favorite early Saturday morning sojourn during the season. This man has been at the Market, willingly posing for pictures as he sells his wares, for as long as I can remember.

St Paul and Its Sister Cities

If you live in a large city, your local government has probably established sister cities in many parts of the world. Do you know the names and locations of them? These are St. Paul's 10 sister cities: Changsha, China - Ciudad Romero, El Salvador - Culiacan, Mexico - Hadera and Tiberias, Israel - Lawaaikamp, South Africa - Manzanillo, Mexico - Modena, Italy - Nagasaki, Japan - Neuss, Germany - Novosibirsk, Russia. I have visited two of them: Lawaaikamp, South Africa and Novosibirsk, Russia. Alas, those were the days before my digital cameras, but I shall look for photos to represent each city, and it will take awhile since my film photographs are scattered throughout the house. I have visited all but two of the countries. The ones I missed are China and Japan. I would love to know what bloggers have sister cities!!

A Stoned House

A friend of mine and I have recently begun to walk in neighborhoods that are unfamiliar to us. The gardens and houses we've seen are varied and different. This one is unusual because of the number of stones used in the landscaping. What do you think of it?

New Neighbors!

Actually these two are not new neighbors, they return every year and hang out in the neighborhood. Today they spent their time walking to and fro across three yards, and I "shot" them on my neighbor's lawn.

Sadie

Sadie has been a member of our household for 22 years. She arrived as a gift to our son Karl when she was only a chick. When Karl moved out, guess who inherited her?! Birds are very social and very smart. She doesn't like too many people but she thinks I am pretty terrific. Occasionally she bites the hand who feeds her, but I told you she is smart--she prefers me to other family members with the exception of Karl.

An Abundance of Blossoms

The four seasons in the Midwest result in very different environments. Spring has to be the most glorious visually as trees turn green almost overnight and flowers and vegetables make their appearance. It's difficult to decide which annuals to choose because of the variety and abundance. What's your favorite garden flower?

Spring tulips

Theme Day-Where Am I?

Now, if not in St. Paul, where am I??!! NO! I'm not in Mexico. I AM in St. Paul where many Mexican and Central American families have lived for generations in a neighborhood that retains much of the Hispanic-speaking cultures. Great place to eat and buy groceries; that is, if you like Mexican food!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------At least 82 other city daily photo blogs participate in this theme day today, why don't you pay them a visit? Remember, due to time difference they might not all be ready when you visit them.

Monte Carlo, Monaco -
Rome, Italy -
Singapore, Singapore -
Tenerife, Spain -
Rotterdam, Netherlands -
London, UK -
Montréal (QC), Canada -
Melbourne, Australia -
Naples (FL), USA -
Bastia, France -
Hong Kong, China -
Mazatlan, Mexico -
Buenos Aeres, Argentina -
Manila, Philippines -
Arradon, France -
Madison (WI), USA -
Evry, France -
Seoul, Korea -
Shanghai, China -
Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia -
Sequim (WA), USA -
Singapore, Singapore -
Budapest, Hungary -
Baziège, France -
Hamburg, Germany -
Toruń, Poland -
Nelson, New Zealand -
Madison (WI), USA -
Vantaa, Finland -
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Mainz, Germany -
Dubai, UAE -
Saint Paul (MN), USA -
Cork, Ireland -
Stockholm, Sweden -
Menton, France -
Tel Aviv, Israel -
Albuquerque (NM), USA -
Kitakami, Japan -
Stayton (OR), USA -
Szentes, Hungary -
Stavanger, Norway -
Grenoble, France -
Villigen, Switzerland -
Paris, France -
Hyde, UK -
Moscow, Russia -
Joplin (MO), USA -
Jakarta, Indonesia -
Greenville (SC), USA -
Cape Town, South Africa -
Asheville (NC), USA -
Seattle (WA), USA -
Kyoto, Japan -
Tokyo, Japan -
Madrid, Spain -
Auckland, New Zealand -
Oulu, Finland -
Lubbock (TX), USA -
Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina -
Baton Rouge (LA), USA -
Sydney, Australia -
Maple Ridge (BC), Canada -
Vancouver, Canada -
Seattle (WA), USA -
Selma (AL), USA -
Chandler (AZ), USA -
Sharon (CT), USA -
Manila, Philippines -
Lyon, France -
New York City (NY), USA -
Los Angeles (CA), USA -
Brookville (OH), USA -
Hayle, UK -
Wailea (HI), USA -
Saarbrücken, Germany -
San Diego (CA), USA -
Boston (MA), USA -
Saint Louis (MO), USA -
Cypress (TX), USA -
Anderson (SC), USA -
Torino, Italy