The Mary Tyler Moore House

On our trip around Lake of the Isles today, Dale and I also stopped by the Mary Tyler Moore house.   Photo taken March 22, 2011.

Brown Christmas & Brown New Year's

This was our first brown Christmas since 2006. There's talk of snow tonight so we'll see if it turns out to be a brown New Year's as well...

Minnehaha Creek in December

We are experiencing unseasonably warm weather for December. I took a walk down by Minnehaha Creek today and discovered that it was not completely frozen over. The top photo was taken on the north side of the creek at 12th Avenue and the bottom photo on the north side of the creek close to 11th Avenue.

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

My friend Noel and I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts today to see the Edo Pop exhibit. This sculpture of a dog greeted us in the lobby.

Cobblestone on Main Street

The cobblestone on Main Street near St. Anthony Main.

St. Anthony Main

I remember when St. Anthony Main opened as a shopping and entertainment complex. It was the early 1980's and it was quite a novelty. It was a hopping place in it's time and has become rather deserted as of late.  Photo taken 2011.

St. Anthony Main

Dale ran in the Big Gay 5K this morning. The starting point was Wilde Roast Coffee at St. Anthony Main.  Photo taken 2011.

Fall In Minneapolis

I have vivid memories of Fall in Minneapolis. I love so much about Fall - the bright colors of the leaves against a bright blue sky, the dead leaves and how they crunch when you step on them and how they smell when you rake and bag them, the warm glow cast by the October sun and much more. I remember Sam, Pete and I helping rake leaves into big piles and then getting a ladder so we could jump in them.

The above photo taken near 12th Avenue and 44th Street in Minneapolis on Sunday October 2, 2011.

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.

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.

Snow!

Part of living in Minneapolis is having to deal with weather extremes. The summer is hot and can be incredibly humid. The winter of course brings snow. Lots of snow (how much varies a lot from year to year). Driving in it, shoveling it, roof raking it, all take a toll the longer winter drags on. As a kid I remember how much fun the snow could be. Sam, Pete, and I made snowmen, skied, skated, cross country skied, sledded and made snow angels. I loved it. It's still just as pretty as it ever was to me but as an adult it just seems like a lot more work.

(Above photo taken 2-20-11 during one of the heaviest snowstorms of the season.)

Wells Fargo Tower Minneapolis

Dale and I had dinner at Bank Restaurant in Downtown Minneapolis tonight. At left are pictures of Wells Fargo Center. The bottom picture was taken on February 12, 2011 with my iPhone from the street across from the restaurant. I love the Wells Fargo tower which was formerly called Norwest Center. It was built in 1988.