Belated Mother's Day!

We'll take ALL the credit, kids!

Update on vertigo: 7TH DAY which is now manageable; I'm past the slap to the ground whirling imbalance with just brief periods of dizziness.  For those of you who inquired,  I have been seeing a neurologist and now also a physical therapist. If that doesn't help, off to a Dizzy and Balance Clinic (no kidding, there is such a thing!!) Love, Dizzy Lizzy

Nature's Gift

Everything comes to those who wait!  For months I have been yearning to see this blossoming crab apple tree in our front yard!

I'm in the 5h day of a miserable bout with Vertigo; hard to post, visit, and comment but I'll be back. . .eventually!!

Polaris Slingshot: Motorcycle or Car?

Ian, from St. Paul's Highland Village,  had been riding motorcycles for many years, but a few years ago he had a bad accident that made riding painful.  So….on May 2nd he bought this Polaris because the design of the seats was more comfortable for his previously injured back.

"In development for three years, the Minnesota designed Slingshot, the 1,666-lb. trike, is more akin to a three-wheeled car with front wheels situated way out in front of the driver. You don’t straddle the rear-drive Slingshot; you sit way back in it, side by side with your passenger in waterproof bucket seats, and your posteriors are only 11.9 inches off the pavement. With its short windscreen and low-sided open-air cockpit, the Slingshot has the visceral appeal of a sportbike, but it drives more like a lightweight sports car, albeit one with three wheels." Credit-CycleWorld: Click here for a review)

Neighbor's Backyard-Good Fences

Every year I wait for these blossoms to erupt to grace the gate and fence of a neighbor's yard.

Linking to Good Fences

Women and flowers

Candid shots of women and flowers at the Market 

Milwaukee Avenue Historical Neighborhood

By chance I recently came upon this two block neighborhood, closed to vehicular traffic tucked away and hidden from a very busy business area on Franklin Avenue.   I was charmed by the houses, many of which have the same architectural design yet are distinguished from one another by individual colors with distinctive creative features by the homeowners.  While sitting on a bench in its centrally located small park,  I met one of the home owners who gave me some information on the neighborhood, saying that, like me, many people are surprised at its existence. If we were in the market for a home rather than downsizing as we are now doing, I would definitely want to move here! Interested in its history I checked the Minnesota Historical Society site and discovered some background historical information.  If you are interested too, click here.

Breakfast at the Market

My breakfast at the market last Saturday: Lightly toasted sesame bagel, lox, cream cheese, onions, tomatoes, ripe olives, and jalapenos and a cold can of hard-core coke. Whether or not I need anything to buy, I drive downtown almost every Saturday or Sunday during the season, just to savor the colors and watch the many vendors and the customers. Early in the season, there are an abundance of flowers.  I bought two large pink geranium plants to hang on my front porch.  Next week I'll load up with herbs and more hanging plants for the backyard patio. After that my version of gardening is finished so I can spend the rest of the summer reading in the sun!! (I am not meant to live in a cold climate. . . my mother warned me!!)

Church Spire #3

3 

Lumin Christi, the former St. Leo's Catholic Church, is the result of a merger of several parishes in the Highland neighborhood in St. Paul.  The church was updated with a very distinct modern interior and exterior. The spire does not resemble many other churches that have a more traditional steeple.

You can see a very different steeple here.

1924 Ford Touring Car's Accessories

Yesterday I showed you this 1924 Ford Model T car that Byron has owned for 50 years.  He pointed out that the Navajo Trading Post bag holds water for the radiator and that the gas tank (shown below) is located under the driver's seat, requiring a hasty retreat if involved in an accident! The tank holds 15 gallons of gas, and the car uses a gallon every ten miles. I expect that planning gas stops on any outing is pretty important!

May 1, 2015 Theme Day: Revolutions

I wonder how many REVOLUTIONS these tires have made during the life of this car?   Not to mention the REVOLUTIONS in car design and performance!! Byron, the owner, has had this 1924 Ford Model T-touring car for 50 years.  While he was still in high school he bought the car from a banker in Forest Lake, Minnesota.  I do not know anyone who has owned a car for 50 years!!He has had lots of fun with it, and I doubt that Byron will ever part with it. Tomorrow I will show you some other features of this car.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers from around the world has interpreted this month's theme, go here.

Good Fences-Governor of Minnesota's Official Residence

 The house was designed by Minneapolis architect William Channing Whitney for Saint Paul lumber businessman Horace Hills Irvine and his family. The 20 room English Tudor house has nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and nine fireplaces. The Irvine family lived in the home from 1912 until 1965, when the Irvines' youngest daughters, Clotilde Irvine Moles and Olivia Irvine Dodge, donated it to the people of Minnesota to serve as the official residence of the First Family.

Linking to Good Fences

Bars on the Window

The date, 1915, is written above the door.  This small building is the old Mendota jail. 

The City provides tours of the Historic City Jail during Mendota Day held in July each year. 

Funeral Honors

Folding of the flag, presentation to family member, and taps at my brother-in-law's burial last week.

Sakura-Monday Murals

Wall Mural at the Japanese restaurant, Sakura, on St. Peter Street in downtown St. Paul

Linking to Monday Murals

Church steeple/spire-Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

Recently I posted a photo of a  Catholic Church on one of my road trips.  Its twin steeples interested me and the comments of other bloggers intrigued me.  I decided to take photos of churches and their steeples to see if a particular style is favored by each of the different religions. I think I'll explore more churches in the Twin Cities to see if there is a trend.

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The Design of the United Methodist Church above: The architects Hewitt and Brown designed the church in English Gothic style, and modeled it after Ely Cathedral. Edwin Hawley Hewitt, who had earlier built St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral nearby on Hennepin Avenue, was a design partner who traveled to England to see Ely Cathedral before this church was built.

Completed in 1916 and measuring 238 feet from the sidewalk to the top of the spire, at the time it was the second tallest building in Minneapolis. Only the clock tower of Minneapolis City Hall was taller. The exterior face is soft gray Bedford limestone. Gustavino tile lines the interior to absorb sound. The pews, altar and balconies are built of white oak. (Credit: Wikipedia)

Coordinates: 44°57′59″N 93°17′15″W^[7]

Public Art

Start Seeing Public Art

Estanisiao Contreras created “La Nuova Vita (The New Life)” in 1983. The sculpture stands in front of Amhoist Tower at the corner of 4th and St. Peter Streets in downtown St. Paul

A plaque near the sculpture reads:

 La Nuova Vita symbolizes the strength and vitality of the many ethnic cultures that contributed to the growth of this City.

Early Morning Sky-Skywatch Friday

I often curse when I cannot fall back asleep in the morning; too often I wake up too early.  A few weeks ago, I guess it was worth staying awake since this sky greeted me when I opened the door.

Linking to Skywatch Friday

For the next few days I will not be commenting on blogs because we will be involved in the memorial and funeral/cemetery burial of my husband's brother.  Families are scattered across a number of states so a family dinner and lunch will be occupying our time.  I have posts scheduled but will be absent for awhile.

Good Fences

This good fence keeps the young children contained in a safe area away from the street traffic that runs parallel to the playground.

Linking to Good Fences

WWII Signs

The Greatest Generation Exhibit at the History Center in St. Paul had these three posters as part of the collection. Certainly is a trip down memory lane.

Linking to Signs

Don, the Bookman

On Monday, April 13,  I posted a sign for the AAUW booksale.  Because I was in the neighborhood on another errand, I stopped for the opening, thinking it was 9 a.m.  I was mistaken—it began at 9:30 but I had arrived about 8:30, I still stayed to listen to the people in a small waiting group that had already gotten their entrance numbers, all of whom were book sellers/buyers.  They related humorous book-buying tales of a both negative and positive nature.  My ears perked up when I heard the name, Santa Fe.  Don is a frequent visitor to New Mexico as I am,  and we have some common favorite spots and places to visit and to eat. Over the years both of us have seen the changes in that lovely city and yearn for the days of yore when it was smaller with fewer part-time people with second and third homes there. Don is from St. Paul and is a graduate of Macalester College. If I go to more sales coveted by book buyers, perhaps I will see him again.  Hope so.