Recently I spent a few days substituting at my former school, an activity which I don't do often anymore altho I still miss my colleagues and the students. I wandered to the library to get some ideas for the November theme day, but nothing unique really stands out...yet. Take a look at the art work on the top shelf; the paintings and pots are all students' work. The school has a fantastic art department, and students' work at all levels (6th thru 12th grades) are proudly posted all over the school: classrooms, meeting rooms, lounges, offices, and halls plus the formal gallery. I probably should spend more time photographing and using art for my own photo theme instead!
This statue very recently was placed in the courtyard of St. Paul Academy-Summit School, where I taught in the English Department for 30 years before I retired in 2003. It was donated by one of the school's families, and, because it is so new, there is still no plaque to identify it. Without clear identification, it is still a beautiful piece.
Adults can have Halloween fun, too. This delightful decoration is on the front lawn of a neighbor's home where NO childen reside. Doesn't seem to stop any of us from decorating to please the munchins who come to our door every year, begging for goodies.
On Saturday night, my DH, another couple and I went to the annual fall Art Crawl. I saw this big wall painting with other large colourful artwork in a studio that appeared to symbolize Mexican historical culture. The artist revealed to me that he is Mexican and paints aspects of his cultural heritage, but because of time limitations as he spoke with other patrons, I wasn't able to engage him further, I picked up one of his business cards and learned the history of the artist Ernesto (Neto) Ybarra, "who was born on the westside of St. Paul of Mexican parents and raised under the watchful eye of his Abuela Martinez. The majority of Neto’s paintings often prideful in size, attempts to capture the colors of Mexico and speak of Mesoamerica and the continuing ideals of Mexican cultures and indigenous peoples of the Americas. Neto has two children, he refers to them as his Sun and his Moon. He continues to live, paint, and otherwise work on the westside [of St. Paul]." Go to this website to see a gallery of his paintings.
This 15 ton cast iron turbine has a rotation speed of 100 RPM's, 4,500 horsepower. This is one of 4 turbines Ford Motor Company installed in 1924 at the hydro electric plant on the Mississippi in St. Paul. The turbines were replaced between 1992-1994 after 70 years of service. This one water-driven turbine produced 1,341,776,000 kilowatt hours (KWB) of electricity in its lifetime. This offset the burning of 286,000 tons of coal and avoided 470,000 pounds of particulates, 4,589,000 pounds of sulphur dioxide and 5,340,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide (Information taken from plaque on the turbine).
A year or so ago I had a mural theme that I posted off and on, and this one reminded me of the wealth of images we have on the streets here in both St. Paul and Minneapolis. I find this mural which is adjacent to a recently closed restaurant a rather curious one showing different modes of transportation; however, I cannot quite understand the buildings and searchlights. Any ideas?
According to the pundits, one of the reasons for Obama's popularity is his appeal to young voters. I've never seen a political sign on the spokes of a bicycle, which certainly does provide variety. Earlier I posted the photo on the bottom right, which clearly shows that the campaign includes more than the standard lawn signs.
There is a worldwide practice now of marking the place where bicyclists have been killed while riding in traffic. Bikes painted white are placed in the spot where the cyclist lost his/her life. This bike belongs to a woman, an experienced biker, who was killed just east of Snelling on Summit Avenue last week about 9:30 in the morning. With the advent of high gasoline prices more people are using bikes, and even before that, Twin Citians have been avid bicycle riders for pleasure and exercise as well as commuting back and forth to work. It is mandatory that motorist and bicyclists work together to cut down on these terrible tragedies. Too many motorists do not "see" and some of them actually resent and terrorize the riders, and, unfortunately, too many cyclists ignore traffic rules and proper night lights and reflective clothing. The road can be shared by all of us; we need to drive and ride intelligently.
This lovely sculpture is directly outside the main entrance of the University of St. Thomas' library on the St. Paul campus where I'm taking an art history course. Art work is scattered throughout the campus, both inside the buildings and outside on the grounds. Some are labelled, others are not. When I can't find the title or artist's name, I get a mite frustrated. In the past I've logged on to the school's website but have not been successful in finding a place where the art pieces are located and displayed. Guess I'll go to the library and ask them to help me out! Isn't this a lovely piece, though, especially against the bright blue sky with scattered clouds? It reminds me a bit of some of the pieces I've seen at camps, commemorating the Holocaust (Dachau outside of Munich for one), but instead of twisted bodies, this is very joyful with freedom of movement. As bodies were meant to be!!
Listen, up!! I may no longer be in the classroom, but I can still teach by example!!
While I was walking home from my class Thursday morning, I noticed this note carelessly tossed (or lost) on the sidewalk. To me it was a poem to life, and it brightened my day!
The playground at my granddaughter's school is getting a facelift. It was fun watching the workers with the equipment.
Sorry folks, but no-one guessed what was in the gift box I posted on September 11. DH knows that I love perfume, and he's a careful observer. He noticed that a bottle of my favorite scent, Tuscany, by Estee Lauder (the nearly-empty one in front) was getting low. It's been increasingly hard to get but he tracked it down and bought a bottle for me. Behind the perfume is a make-up kit containing lots of lipsticks and other fun cosmetics. Last year he found a company that makes perfume that is no longer sold and he ordered a bottle of a scent, Replique, that I used to wear when we were dating. In addition, he gave both of us a subscription to the Minnesota Opera this season. Gotta love the guy!
Children's art work is prominently displayed on the wall of the St. Paul Obama Headquarters where I will volunteer 'til November 3rd. The cardboard figure on the left does not quite measure up to the Fitzgerald sculpture I recently posted so instead of talking to Obama, I'll just work for him, at least until Election Day.
On several Friday mornings during the winter concert season my DH and I attend the St. Paul Chamber orchestra. Across the street from the beautiful Ordway Center is a small jewel of a park that is surrounded on all four sides by the Ordway, Larkmark Center, the Central Library, and the St. Paul Hotel. In addition to beautiful flowers the park contains several sculptures that depict part of the city's history, several of which I have already posted but my favorite is "one of our boys", FScott Fitzgerald. My dear husband who wrote his college thesis on This Side of Paradise is amused because I always stop to say "hello" and have a brief conversation with Scott. Often I tell him how much my students enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby and sometimes quote a line or two from the novel. What could be better: great music and great literature, coming together in one day...how I love it!
The upholstery in the van and the dog caught my eye. I wonder if it was planned?
The First National Bank Building in downtown St. Paul is a familiar landmark. 
Seven Years Later. Again, I relied upon television to give me the photos I needed to demonstate one small aspect of the many ways 9/11 was commemorated in our country.
Once upon a September morn, I was born. A much better way to remember 9-11, isn't it? Thanks to DH, this lovely gift appeared today. Now I can't wait to see what's in it! Quiz: A postcard from the city on the Mississippi goes to the first person who correctly guesses what's in it!! (Gosh, I hope it's something good!!)
There's something about horses that really appeals to me. For some reason, my husband loves the top photo. Can't imagine why because the rear end of one of them sort of spoils it for me. Nonetheless, I like both photos.
School has barely begun, but already the seniors are out and about, doing their "traditional" little tricks. Foam sprayed on the lawn next to the T-P'ed trees was their signature--"Seniors"--lucky homeowners.
A decade or two ago there were many riding stables close to St. Paul, but now they are fewer in number. We were lucky enough to find Davenport Stables in an area that is about 50 minutes from our home. The stable is well-maintained with plenty of land for all the horses.
On August 29, I posted a collage of the DNC from photos I took while watching television. To go full circle, here is another collage of the Republican Convention. Perhaps we'll now get back to our normal everyday life here in river city. I had fully intended to mingle with the crowds and the protestors, but my family prevailed upon me to remain in our much quieter neighborhood. A chance of a lifetime, but I decided to honour my family's request. I still think they're spoil sports, though, and I'll have to settle for television coverage. I'll never get this same chance again!!
I was very surprised to see this lovely statue on a very small front yard of a modest house on a leafy, tree-filled street. The world is full of pleasant surprises if one only looks for them!
Despite the fact that the Republican National Convention is in town and I had hoped to get photos of the protestors plus it was theme day (with lots of computer viewing), I went instead on our annual trek to the Minnesota State Fair. (I missed some photo ops as protestors made their views known) The day was brutally hot and humid, but, as usual, we had a good time.
Novosibirsk (Russian: Новосиби́рск, pronounced [nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk]) is Russia's third-largest city, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It is also the largest city in Siberia and the administrative center of Siberian Federal District, in the southwest where it is located.
