Open the Gate

I'm finally able to post my photos by using a library in my new, temporary neighborhood; since I arrived last Monday, I've had nothing but problems using my laptop so I'm learning patience.  Come with me through this gate to my Santa Fe blog for the next few weeks, and I'll show you photos that indicate clearly why I love it here!!

Scary, isn't it?!

Baskets, Here and There

This beautiful basket was one of many sold at St. Kate's summer Art Fair. It will be interesting to see if any that I find in Santa Fe, New Mexico has similar features.

New or Old?

The tricylce looks like an antique, doesn't it?  Don't be fooled.  You can buy one of these at any of Michael's Craft shops, but the cart upon which the crates of flowers rest, definitely is an antique.

Cushioned Bench

We've been browsing around in this narrow passageway on Selby Avenue near the corner of Snelling for a few days now so I think we'd better rest a bit on this nicely cushioned bench.

Another little corner in the narrow passageway.

PS. I'm winging my way to Santa Fe, New Mexico for two weeks, but until I get settled, I'll be posting here.  I'll let you know when I start blogging from there...in a few days.  Stay tuned!

Sun and Shadow

The delightful narrow passageway I showed you last Friday has many twists and turns with a surprise around several corners.  This lovely little garden is one of them. I don't think it's an imaginary garden, but it might have real toads in it.

Camera Critters-Meet Norman

My granddaughter's summer camp has a number of animals: horses, cows, goats, and more, but the children's hands-down favorite is this small calf: meet Norman.  To meet more camera critters posted by bloggers from around the world, click here.

A Real Find!

Recently I have been interested in a friend's quest for wedding attire for her mother-of-the-groom gown and hat. The  wedding party and guests have been asked to wear Victorian vintage clothing, which requires some skillful shopping to find. I hadn't gone to the corner of Selby and Snelling Avenues for sometime, but I know that several vintage clothing shops are thriving there.  Much to my surprise the entire corner has been rejuvenated, and while I was going from store to store, having the time of my life, I discovered several little cobblestone passageways that are in the process of being refurbished.  While I'm waiting for the grand opening of the shop featuring Paris fashions (be still my heart) in a few more days, I'll post more photos from this delightful area.

Patterns

There is no bridge over troubled waters here on St. Kate's campus!  This lovely little bridge leads to an even lovelier little island where one can sit on a bench to watch the ducks and turtles frolic in the water. Come join me!

Meet Lee, the Potter

Lee is another Minnesotan who showed her pieces at the Art Fair on St. Kate's campus last Sunday. Beautiful pieces, aren't they?

Meet Kate, the Potter

Meet Kate, the Potter.  At art fairs I immediately go to the booths that feature pottery or textiles.  Kate's pieces drew me to her tent because of the colours and the lovely pieces she had on display. This fair was especially interesting because the artists and artisans were Midwest people, primarily from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Art Fair

Tomorrow I'll show you some of the wares that were for sale last Sunday outdoors on the beautiful St. Kate's campus.  Every summer a juried show of textiles, pottery, glassware, visual arts, clothing and much more are displayed in white tents, all of which is anticipated and much admired by the community. If you get a little tired walking from the parking lot off Fairview Avenue, rest awhile...

My Green Thumb

When friends discuss their gardening, I smile enigmatically and say very little.  This picture demonstates the extent of my green thumb: ace I am not.  I confess that I enjoy container gardening for herbs, but anything else...?! Back to my novel!!

Just because you've only got houseplants doesn't mean you don't have the gardening spirit - I look upon myself as an indoor gardener. ~Sara Moss-Wolfe

Northern Pacific 1-"Minnetonka"

Northern Pacific 1 "Minnetonka"

The Nothern Pacific Railway's first locomotive was the "Minnetonka", a Smith & Porter 0-4-0 built in 1870, and used in the construction of the railroad as it started west from Carlton, MN. The engine was later sold to a logging company, and spent many years hauling logs before being repurchased by the NP for preservation. She is still owned by the NP's successor, the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe, and in recent years spent some time on display at the company's headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. Happily, she is now back home at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth.

If you are a railroad buff, go to this link http://parkengines.railfan.net/MN/content.shtml to see some fantastic images.

"Caged Goldfinches"

Photographer: Thomas Abercrombie, 1968

"Caged Goldfinches," Kabal, Afghanistan

Last week I posted photos here that  I took of the National Geographic exhibit in Duluth, Minnesota. Although the lights in the gallery made photographing difficult, I want to show you my favorite piece, even though my snapshot does not do it justice.  To learn more about this outstanding photographer who was born in Stillwater, Minnesota, go here and here. He was a true adventurer as well as a terrific photographer.

ABC WEDNESDAY-Y: Youthful Exuberance

My granddaughter has gone to the same summer camp for the past three years.  It's a terrific place with canoeing, swimming, horseback riding, gardening, and other typical camp activities. During each session all the different age groups and the YOUNG exuberant camp counselors put on a Family Day program with silly skits and music.  A great time for all!

To see more "Y" entries for ABC Wednesday, click here.

Canterbury Park

There's always something to do at the race track!

What a hat!!

I have often seen this woman having coffee with friends at Lund's grocery store in Highland Village, and just as often have admired her hat because the silver band reminds me of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Today I stopped to chat with Marion, a 78-year-old Minneapolis resident who buses over to St. Paul frequently to visit a 90-year-old shut-in friend of hers. We had a lovely talk about her hat and her 11-year-old grandson who has given her some fashion tips.  She said that she had been a little depressed this morning, but our chat cheered her up considerably. Guess I'll stop to talk with perfect strangers more often!

Good things happen when you meet strangers.
Yo-Yo Ma

Happy Fourth of July!

 My favorite neighborhood artistic cow gets dressed up for the season and important holidays.  Today she's eager to show off her bikini to help celebrate Independence Day, the 4th of July.  I first introduced you to her here on May 7 in her spring finery. Always original in taste and attire, I watch to see her new wardrobes, and I'm never disappointed.

 

And, in a more serious vein, to convey the spirit of  independence, liberty and freedom: “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”– Abraham Lincoln.

Camera Critters-Meet Bean

 

Two-month-old Bean hangs around a neighborhood coffee shop with his owner.  There are lots of

"ohs" and "ahs" from passersby when seen, especially by children.  Friendly little guy, too.

“Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.”

Emily Dickinson (American Poet)

To see more Camera Critters posted by bloggers from around the world, click here.

DMIR (The Duluth Missabe Iron Range Railroad)

The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is one of  four museums that are housed in the St. Louis County Historical Society in Duluth, MN. When we visited the National Geographical Portrait exhibit we also went to the area that exhibits railroad cars, engines, locomotives, cabooses, and other smaller artifacts of the railroad era.  When our children were small, we often visited this museum, and I think I now get just as big a thrill as they did when they were young. These wheels are on one of the articulated locomotives of the Duluth Missabe Iron Range Railroad. The (DMIR)  is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota. Control of the railway was acquired on May 10, 2004 by the Canadian National Railway (CN) when it purchased the assets of Great Lakes Transportation.

Theme Day: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall!

“Never believe in mirrors or newspapers."

The quote is somewhat ironic since the frame of the mirror and the jug are made of newspapers, designed by artisans in a third world country.  The objects are in a shop called 10,000 Villages,  a non-profit free trade store in St. Paul where I volunteer one day a week.

Theme Day has come around again. This month's choice is "reflections": Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.