i spy

232/365: black beads

A backwards “s” for the Ƨtart of Ƨchool…Zzzzzz.

personal history

223/365: lunch @ the veranda, st. james hotel

Last Friday we journeyed down river to visit friends in Davenport, Iowa. Along the river roads, we stopped over in Red Wing for a lovely lunch at the St. James Hotel. It’s where we spent our first Valentine’s Day, where Brad proposed, and where we celebrated one of our early anniversaries. We wanted to share this history with the kids and revisit them ourselves – adding a fresh memory to the many treasured stories that already unfolded in this place.

 

out of town: la crosse WI

I forgot to mention that I’d be out of town for a couple days. Brad & I enjoyed our Christmas gift from my parents: a weekend stay in La Crosse, Wisconsin (along with child care AND puppy sitting). Yeah, they’re pretty awesome. Thanks Mom & Dad 🙂

La Crosse is one of many cool towns along the mighty Mississippi and just a few hours drive from Minneapolis. We experienced the town entirely on foot. It felt so good to park the car on Friday and not need it again till we left Sunday morning. Walking around and seeing the sights is my favorite thing. Especially when I’m with my favorite person.

Today’s photo captures two La Crosse icons: the steeple of St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral – visible from anywhere in the city; and the jaunty mascot of the historic Cavalier Theater & Lounge where a young Liberace once took the stage.

99/100: cavalier & cross

happy accident

It is no one’s design or intention. But this line forms the most interesting part of the whole wall.

We might think we’re seeking perfection but, a lot of what we love most is in the flaws.

60/365: crack

room with a view

We spent the afternoon at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, enjoying hands-on projects with the kids and taking in a mini-concert with the Laurels String Quartet. But somehow, with a world of art & activity inside those walls, the photo I ended up with was a look outside. It’s a view of the Minneapolis College of Art & Design or, more to the point, a composition of bricks, windows, and branches. And, while it would seem to be a black & white photograph, it is actually in full color.

39/365: MCAD, february

out of the blue

More often than not, the extra in the ordinary is simply a matter of seeing it that way.

32/365: daydream

07.22.13 Figaro!

One of my favorite new traditions of the summer: the Mill City Summer Opera staged in the Mill City Museum courtyard under the stars. I can’t imagine a better way to spend a summer evening.

203/365: mill city ruins courtyard

This year, the Mill City Summer Opera performed Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.

03.17.13 muddle puddle

Reflections can be so much more than mirror images. The pictures you see on the surface of the water place the sky at your feet and lend a glossy luminescence to even the drabbest of subjects. Then all it takes is the slightest disturbance – a drop of water, a hint of breeze – to set off waves of shimmering distortion, confusing reality into brilliance.

76/365: architectural reflection

01.17.13 still / life

The window frames a readymade tableau. The everyday objects, the dusty stillness are redolent of someone else’s life. I would never be invited to enter this intimate space, yet here is a peek. An anonymous portrait shot in the nude.

17/365: still life in the snow

P.S. I feel a series coming on. See Day 4.

01.05.13 our house

This is where I live. Our house.

It is not a big house. Or a fancy house. But it is a very fine house because it is full of the people I love.

5/365: our house

*This photo was taken from outside the front door looking all the way through to the back door. There are trees visible through (and reflected in) the glass on both doors.