2011 Minnesota State Fair

I took this picture from the Skyride at the Minnesota State Fair. In the distance you can see the Minneapolis skyline.

Accenture Tower

Another photo from a 1990 trip to the observation deck of the Foshay Tower with my friend David. The 33-floor building you see here is called Accenture Tower and was built in 1987. I thought it used to be called Lincoln Center but I can't find any information online to verify that.

The IDS Center and Norwest Center

This photo is from the same roll as the picture in my last post. Here you can see part of the IDS Tower and most of Norwest Center which is now officially called Wells Fargo Center. Photos taken during a 1990 trip to the observation deck of the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis with my friend David.

The IDS Center - Photo from a Pleasant Day

My last post included a picture of the IDS Center on a rainy day. Here is a photo I took of the building in 1990 from the observation deck of the Foshay Tower. Obviously it was a much nicer day! I like how the clouds reflected on the tower look as though they are passing right through it.

The IDS Center - Another Rainy Day Photo

This photo of the IDS Center was taken in 1980 on the same day I took The Nicollet Mall on a Rainy Day. Rather gloomy I'd say.

The Nicollet Mall on a Rainy Day Part 2

Here's another I photoshopped version of my 1980 photo The Nicollet Mall on a Rainy Day that I tried to make look like a painting. My inspiration was Rainy Evening on Hennepin Avenue, 1902, by Robert Koehler which hangs in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. You should be able to click on it to enlarge it.

The Nicollet Mall on a Rainy Day Part 1

I took the above photo in 1980 and titled it The Nicollet Mall on a Rainy Day. As a kid I had a bubble umbrella just like the woman in the foreground to the left.

One of my favorite paintings from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts has always been Rainy Evening on Hennepin Avenue. I think I've loved this painting by Robert Koehler since childhood because it really captures a mood and also because it's a window into the past of Minneapolis. Hennepin Avenue looks nothing like this and hasn't for quite a long time. I like how the people are walking toward you in the painting. In my photo the people are walking away.

I recently photoshopped the photo I took more than 30 years ago to make it look a bit more like a painting. You should be able to click on it to enlarge it.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 8

Photo taken August 2, 2011.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 7

One of the private family mausoleums at St. Mary's cemetery. Photo taken 8-11-11.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 6

I walked over to the cemetery to visit Dad today. This mausoleum is his resting place. Photos taken 8-11-11.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 5

The cemetery has beautiful gently rolling hills. The mausoleum in the above picture opened in 1994. It is where Dad is buried. Photos taken 8-11-11.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 4

Marker at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Minneapolis. Photo taken 8-2-11.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 3

When Becky was living here with my nephews between 2007 and 2009 she would take them to the cemetery to visit Dad's grave. She would sometimes stop by the statue pictured above.

More from The Catholic Cemeteries web site:

"The 65-acre property was originally opened as a parish cemetery in 1873 by the Church of the Immaculate Conception (now the Basilica of St. Mary). In 1887, it became an Archdiocesan-wide cemetery." Photo taken 8-2-11.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 2

The following is from The Catholic Cemeteries web site:

"Located in the heart of south Minneapolis, St. Mary's cemetery is a historic cemetery characterized by gentle hills, towering trees and majestic monuments and family mausoleums."  Photo taken 2011.

St. Mary's Cemetery Part 1

Dad died in 2007 and is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Minneapolis. The cemetery is located at 4403 Chicago Avenue South.

Return in the Rain

Just got back from a trip to Colorado today. We ran into a huge storm just south of the city and it was still raining when we pulled in the driveway. I like this photo I took in 1980 of the Nicollet Mall on a rainy day. Wow. Thirty-one years ago.

Minneapolis City Hall

Another old photo I found recently. The shot is of Minneapolis City Hall and was taken from the Hennepin County Government Center which is just next door. I love how the Government Center windows frame City Hall. Too bad it was such a dark rainy day.