Born on the Fourth of July! Maggi's Birthday!

On July 4, 2007 I first posted Maggi's photo to celebrate this day. Since four years have passed and some of you may not have been part of CDP then, I am reposting it...Maggi our nine-year-old "mongrel" dog was born on the Fourth of July and is of mixed breed.  This mixed ancestry is similar to many Americans  and certainly is parallel to the members in our own family. We can lay claim to African Americans, Belgian, Dutch, French, German, Irish, Italian, Native American, and West Indies ancestors.  Now that's truly USA!!

Sunday Bridge-Different View Points

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The 740 River Drive Apartment and Condo building looks like it's sitting on  the Ford Parkway Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi river, connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis.  Of course, it isn't but it sits on the banks of the Mississippi and has a fantastic view of both the bridge and the river.

                                                                    The bridge is designed with beautiful arches.

Before crossing the bridge on the west side, a road runs down to the locks and dams where there is a Visitor Center.

It's great fun either to walk or bike across the bridge when everything along the river is lush and green.


To see more Sunday Bridges,  go to Louis La Vache's meme.  

Camera Critters-Bovinely Beautiful

Kerry Brooks Pottery:  "My handmade pottery is fired to the highest stoneware temperature for maximum durability.  Each piece is lead-free and can be used in the dishwasher, microwave, and oven.  Enjoy!"

The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other, milk.
~Ogden Nash


To see how other bloggers posted camera critters, go here!

July, 2011 Theme Day-Green

Meet Sadie 

who has been a member

of our household for

25 long years.

Because today is theme day for the colour green, you undoubtedly want to see other CDP posts from around the world.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Another fancy "do"

Erin from Plymouth, Minnesota, had a hairdo which is a bit more conservative and less colourful than Loren's.  I think that they both share the same desire to stand out in a crowd, which they and their friends did very well. Erin told me that he had finished his post-high school coursework and is currently employed with Target Corporation.  Just a group of kids looking to have a good time at the St. Paul Jazz Festival.

A little Saucy!

Would you like a little salsa with your tacos?

Bet your boots!

Just a regular boot.

One that you or I might wear.

Hair-raising!

The 13th Annual Jazz Festival was again held in the lovely Mears Park in downtown St. Paul. The spectators were almost as interesting as the musicians.  Loren who was visiting from Milwaukee where she currently lives originally hails from Green Bay, Wisconsin where I spent my tender growing-up years. The conincidences don't end there; her grandparents live in Kewaunee, not far from Door County where  I was born. And, I bet you thought that another coincidence was our similarities in hair style and colour that I had when I was her age! Not a chance, folks!

Sunday Bridges-Double Decker

This overpass on Godfrey Parkway is a rather scenic roadway, leading to the Ford Parkway bridge if you're travelling on the top but going straight ahead leads to West River Parkway along the Mississippi River.

To see more Sunday bridges, click here

Camera Critters-Olivia and neighborhood cat

The cat is a beauty.  Despite the bell on its collar, I wish that this cat would not be allowed to roam the streets, especially since baby birds are just stretching their wings and learning how to fly.  Should I broach the subject with its owner?

To see more camera critters from throughout the globe, click here.

Macabre or Realistic?

If none of you have ever seen an urn room, I'm providing you a sneak peek.  This room is located at O'Halloran and Murphy Funeral Home on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. Surprised at the variety, or would you settle for a cardboard box?   It seems that more and more people are becoming proactive and are pre-planning their own funerals.  If you might be interested in cremation, there are lots of urns from which to choose.  Although I am currently not at all interested in this wonderful service, provided by one of my former students who is now a funeral director (stepping in his father's footsteps) I'm rather partial to the Rustic Sage myself.


 An interesting question: I wonder how many bloggers have done this or are thinking about their own future service?

Pianos on Parade #3-"Under the Sea"

To have a whale of a time...

Sit down and play!

This is one of the 20 pianos as part of the Pianos on Parade project. Located downtown at the Traveler's buildings across from St. Peter Street, it was painted by students at the Northwest Youth and Family Services center.  To see two pianos I have posted earlier, go here and here.

"It's like a whole orchestra, the piano for me."
Dave Brubeck

ABC Wednesday-"W" Wholly Wonderful Pasta Bar

Broder's Pasta Bar, our favorite Twin City restaurant, includes an outdoor patio which makes summer dining very, very nice and wholly delightful!!

If you go here, you will find many more wonderful ABC WEDNESDAY posts from bloggers around the world.

A 21st Century Mary Poppins!

 Mary Poppins blew by me...

Cycling at an amazing speed.


"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."  

~H.G. Wells~

Happy Dad's Day! 2011

For Jim, my DH: Husband, Father, and Grandfather.  It's been quite a ride...for all of us!!


For all the Dads and Granddads "out there!"

Not Forgotten by Sheila Packa

I learned to ride

the two wheel bicycle

with my father.

He oiled the chain

clothes-pinned playing cards

to the spokes, put on the basket

to carry my lunch.

By his side, I learned balance

and took on speed

centered behind the wide

handlebars, my hands

on the white grips

my feet pedaling.

One moment he was

holding me up

and the next moment

although I didn't know it

he had let go.

When I wobbled, suddenly

afraid, he yelled keep going—

keep going!

Beneath the trees in the driveway

the distance increasing between us

I eventually rode until he was out of sight.

I counted on him.

That he could hold me was a given

that he could release me was a gift.

Camera Critters-Goats...Part of the old sod??

"Al Johnson’s is an authentic Swedish family owned restaurant where you can find goats grazing the sod roof. It's quite a sight, and it's made this place one of the most famous restaurants in Door County, WI. Inside the casual, carpeted dining room, young ladies in Scandinavian garb dish out limpa bread and Swedish meatballs.

The menu consists of a variety of Swedish fare, from pancakes with lingonberries to Swedish meatballs, whitefish, sandwiches, salads, and a variety of hot and cold plates."

To learn more about the history of the restaurant, to see the photo gallery and learn the history of the goats who are on the roof of the restaurant, go here.

Go here if you'd like to see more Camera Critters.

The Watering Hole

This is one reason why our canine friends enjoy joining us at our neighborhood cafe.  We all need to feel welcomed!

End-of-School-Year Fun Run, 2011

 At my granddaughter's school the end-of- the-year fun run with a carnival-like fair afterwards was once again a success. Some walked while most ran around a huge city block surrounding the school.  Each of the runners (students, faculty, and parents) got a ribbon and a t-shirt commemorating the event when they crossed the finish line. When out-of-sight our granddaughter revealed that she often walked and even collected some interesting leaves and stones, but when she approached the end, she picked up her pace.

1-2-3...here's Olivia!!

Another ABC WEDNESDAY POST-"V" VERY, VERY FUNKY!- Pianos on Parade

 During the months of June and July, 20 pianos decorated by local artists will be placed throughout the city by an organization called  Keys 4/4 Kids. Read here for a complete description of this musical project. Passersby are encouraged to sit down and play. Last Thursday I toured the city quite early to find some of the pianos in parks, on sidewalks, and next to buildings before many people were out and about so I found no performers, but I found great pianos.  This one is in front of Ordway Theatre and was decorated by Joy Liberman, whom you have met on my blog before when she did the Apple-a-Day project.  Here is what she said about this piano: "Keycycle" My paintings are representational but often have an added level of meaning. I seek unique possibilities for joining common subjects and materials. "Bicycle Races" by Queen is the subject of my Pianos on Parade project. Both bicycles and pianos are machines that can take one for a ride, either on a physical or spiritual dimension. www.joylibermanpaintings.com.

If you go HERE, you'll find more ABC WEDNESDAY posts.  (Check my post yesterday, too, please!

ABC WEDNESDAY-"V" VERY, VERY FRENCH!!

On June 7th I posted a photo of this lovely young woman, making crepes in front of the Meritage restaurant in downtown St. Paul.  The chairs on the terrace remind me of the cafes in Paris. The food  in this restaurant is excellent.  Come join me and DH for a very fine meal sometime!

To see more ABC Wednesday post, go here.