Attack Of The 50 Foot Mermaid

For as long as I can remember, this very large mermaid has yet to put her arms down. It sits atop a restaurant on Highway 10 in Mounds View. The name of the restaurant shouldn't be of surprise, it is called 'The Mermaid'. Since I've started this photo blog, there are a few things around the Twin Cities that I've had on my list to photograph someday, this was one of them.

Optical Illusion

While this beautifully red painted paddle wheel looks like it's in good working order. Take a close look at the slats of wood that are just about sitting in the water. By the lack of paint, this tells me that the paddle wheel is just for show and never moves. I do know there are a couple of boats docked up at Harriot Island on the Mississippi River in St Paul that are permanent. I would have to guess this was one of the fixed ships.

City Pages Street Team

A couple of weekends ago, my wife and I went out with a few other couples for the evening. After our dinner stop in downtown Minneapolis, we made a stop at a tavern nearby called Glueck's. While we were there enjoying our favorite beverages of choice, someone from the City Pages Street Team asked if they could take our photo. Everyone in our party agreed with the teams of signing a photo waiver of some sort to release the photo for the weekly local newspaper. [The City Pages is a very popular weekly newspaper with a somewhat different take on Twin Cities news and events] While I did agree to sign the waiver, I also asked if I could take their photo to include on the Twin Cities Daily Photo. I took the verbal agreement and the 'thumbs up' in the photo as a green light. I must give credit for this photo to my wife as I posed with the City Pages Street Team member.

10 Foot Parking Zone

While sitting at a stop light on my way to work, I pulled along side this bus. Having my camera by my side, I snapped a quick shot, the light turned green and continued on my journey.

And Like That....It Was Gone

Follow up from a couple of days ago. I swung by the site of the Green Stairs on the West Side neighborhood. The removal has completed. All I found at the site are the cement stairs and green railing that lead the tower portion.

I also received an email from Carol, formerly of St Paul Daily Photo. She too documented the green stairs with photos. She was able to watch a good deal of the stair removal and took some photos during the process. See her photos here

Under The Hood

Arrgh, I've misplaced my camera. Where did I leave it? For the photo....Standing under the Wabasha Street Bridge in St Paul.

Two Different Elements

Where else can you find a beautiful, all glass building, with a river barge parked right in front of it? I'm across the Mississippi River with downtown St Paul nearly at my back for this shot. The two extremely different man made objects really contrast each other.

Prepare For Digital Television

February 17, 2009....That is the last day to receive over the air, analog television signals in the United States. The morning of February 18, you should receive 'snow' on your screen without a convert box. While some television providers will continue to broadcast analog signals, the majority are no longer allowed too to make way for future innovative services. If you have cable, satellite or have digital television, a converter box is not necessary. As of now, you have less than 9 months, or 269 days before the switch....

For more information:

DTV Answers
Digital TV Facts
Digital TV Transition

Repost - Green Stairs At Night

With the news of yesterday's photo still in mind, I had to repost one of my favorite photos from the green stairs which is in day two of dismantling.

  

Dismantling The Historic Green Stairs

The 92 year old, 191 stairs and a historic piece of the lower West Side neighborhood in St Paul, has closed and is in the process of being dismantled. A steel beam was damaged earlier in May when a huge chuck of the limestone cliff damaged the structure and cracked a gusset plate. Sadly, this small icon of St Paul will be lost. Growing up very close to these stairs and playing on them quite often, it is sad to see this happening. My friends and I would have a stop watch, race to the bottom and back up to see who was the fastest. It was a grueling workout and I often saw people using the stairs for exercise.

So far, about a third of the structure is gone, plus the walkway from the bluffs to the main stairwell. If time permits, I will return tomorrow to photo graph the progress. There is talk of raising funds for a replacement stairwell by the two US senators of Minnesota, Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar.

The green stairs have been a favorite location to shoot photos from. The view is a classic downtown St Paul view.

Night time shot from the top of the green stairs
Day time shot from the top of the green stairs

   

35W Bridge Freeway Ends

In yesterday's photo I was traveling on 35W, as you may recall last summer on August 2, 2007, the 35W bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. As I rounded the bend in yesterday's photo, I saw the signs for the freeway ending just ahead. Nearly a year later, progress on a new replacement bridge is underway. From what I hear, they are several months ahead of schedule from the expected completion date. Though there are 20? million dollars extra if they finish ahead of schedule. Oh what an incentive will do to people.

The Other Side Of The Twin Cities

Seams like I have posted quite a few St Paul photos as of late. There is good reason, it's rare these days that I get over to Minneapolis like I was in the past. Plus, I do know St Paul much better than Minneapolis as I grew up on the St Paul side of the Twin Cities. It just so happened last week I made a very brief trip through Minneapolis via the heavily construction zone called Interstate 35W. WOW! I have never seen so much construction happening on 35W in my life. If your heading north, it starts at 494 and continues all the way up to the 35W bridge collapse. There was perhaps, maybe five miles of that stretch of highway that was not under some sort of construction.

As for the photo, in all honestly, what I like about the photo is the yellow buses parked on the bridge. It gives the steel and glass downtown some color.

I am thankful for: Not having to drive on 35W on a daily basis.

Robin Taking A Bath

A contribution from SWC as he captured this robin in the bird bath which sits on the rail of his deck. There are about 30 photos in this set as the robin was cleaning itself in the water for good five minutes. These five photos tell the story from the dry start to the plump finish.
   

Place To Eat In St Paul

For as long as I can remember, Savoy Inn has stood in this location on Seventh Street and the end of the Lafayette Bridge in St Paul. I've heard so many good things about this place, they must be doing something right because they are still there year after year. Yet, I have never paid a visit to this restaurant. The longer I post photos of the Twin Cities, the more I realize there are many things I have not tried, been to, stopped at, in my very own neighborhood.

The Big Drop

There is a new roller coaster at the Mall Of America. It almost reaches to the ceiling. While watching the cars roll past this top most point, the people are just a couple of feet from the glass before they are sent down racing around the track. I'll have to ride this one another day.

Something Different For Today

I was taking a few macro shots with my camera over the weekend and really like how this one turned out. I'm making this a short post today as I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I thought it was my spring time allergies, but I believe I actually have a cold.

Which Is More Frightening?

When I first read this sign in my Cottage Grove neighborhood I did a double take. Was it because of gas being at $3.65 per gallon? Or was it $2000.00 dollars for a car wash! All right, it does read "unlimited" car washes for $2000 dollars, but still! Perhaps are they forgetting that silly little decimal point and the price is really $19.99? I personally read it as $2000 dollars for a car wash, there has to be others that have thought the same....right?

My Daily Photo Favorites: Brookeville, Ohio | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Portland, Maine

Downtown St Paul Icon

I've featured the 1st National Bank building in a few shots during the past couple of years of the Twin Cities Daily Photo blog. For the city of St Paul, it is one of a few major, visual landmarks it offers.

Hastings Bridge Construction

Starting Monday, drivers crossing the Hastings River Bridge will find the two lane bridge a temporary one lane bridge during some bridge maintenance. Expect traffic delays and alternate routes are encouraged. The bridge deck resurfacing and bridge painting project will last until mid July. There are plans for a much needed replacement bridge project to begin in 2010.

A Victim Of Mother Nature

This very large tree was no match for Mother Nature along the shore of the St Croix River. In all honesty, the photo does not show the size of the tree. It looks rather small in the photo, but it was probably the largest tree in the area that I was in for the photo. If you look close, there is a bird house attached to the midsection of the tree on the left of the trunk. The hole for the birds was about the size of a softball, which is made for very large birds that would nest inside.

Lafayette Bridge

Opened in 1968, carries four lanes of traffic, it is 3375 feet long and spans the Mississippi River in St Paul. The bridge is part of US Route 52, however I grew up calling it Highway 3. At some point during the past 20 years, they connected one part of the freeway to another unfinished portion, renamed the Highway 3 to US 52. There are still signs that read 'Old Highway 3' at a couple of spots along the way.

My Daily Photo Favorites: Two Harbors, Minnesota | Terrell, Texas | Le Guilvinec, France

ShortArmGuy To Appear On Miami Ink

My good friend, Short Arm Guy, AKA: Todd Swank from Prior Lake, received a call from the Miami Ink Studio that his footage will appear on the popular TLC reality show "Miami Ink". This Thursday, May 8 @ 9:00 PM [Central] is when he will make his national television debut.

My first entry on ShortArmGuy in October 2007 and his journey to the Miami Ink tattoo Parlor.

Here is the email I received from him once he found out the news:

"It's Official!! I received a call from Adam with Miami Ink on Friday. He said my episode will be on in 2 weeks on Thursday, May 8th. So set your DVR's now to watch it! Miami Ink is on Thursday nights on TLC at 9PM Central Standard Time. If you haven't read about my Miami Ink Experience yet, check out the link here. It's been 6 months since I taped the episode, so I don't really remember much about what I said. All I know is that I had cameras on me for about 5 hours and I was being pretty chatty. Please keep in mind that If I come off as a schmuck, it's all in the editing. If I come off as cool, then that's exactly the way I am in real life!"

  

Along The Peer

I was trying to capture the railing as it trailed off along the bank of the Mississippi River, but it sort of gets lost with all of the water and the bridges in the shot. Perhaps I should have zoomed in more on the railing?

I'm Gonna Break My Rusty Cage And Run

Found this very rusty tow truck located in Eagan, just off the beaten path of Highway 13. Makes me wonder if Mark's Towing is still in business.

My Daily Photo Favorites: Portland, Maine | Evry, France | Sunshine Coast, Australia | St Paul, Minnesota - on Hiatus!

Lined Up At The Starting Line

Another from yesterday's photo theme. Today, the Legends are waiting for the green light to shine at the starting line at Elko Speedway.

Legends Mini Cars

Car racing season in the Twin Cities is just about to kick off for the season at Elko Speedway. A good friend of mine, also a co-worker, is one of the mechanics for the number 87 car you see in the photo. This smaller, Model T type car races in the "Legends" division of racing. I don't know if this car is modeled after the Model T, but it is similar to that type of car. Let me tell you, these cars barely fit one driver, but they pack quite the punch. I was amazed at the speed the Legends can have. To me, just your average fan, it's sort of like a really fast go-cart you would drive at an amusement park. The great big "X" on the front fender is a notice for the other drivers that this car is one of the leaders in points. The points leaders sort of have the right of way on the track. That doesn't always happen, but that's the plan.

Some excellent information about the Legend Cars and what they are capable of. It had been since last fall that I heard the specs on the cars and just couldn't recall much of the details. Wisconsin Rapids drives has driven the cars and has first hand knowledge. Here is his feedback:

They are actually 3/8th scale replicas of Dodge, Ford and Chevy 1937-1940 automobiles. They also have two body styles for each year, The 87 car is a sedan, while the 16 car is a coupe.

They are a blast to drive, I raced 90+ races in Wisconsin and Minnesota (Elko was the best track).

They are fast - these 135HP, 1100lb full suspension race cars are a handful and can top out at nearly 100 MPH at Marshfield WI, and probably about 85 here at Elko, carring about 60 through the corners.

My Daily Photo Favorites: Melbourne, Australia | Torino, Italy | Chicago, Illinois | Buenos Aries, Argentina

Interesting Links Of the Day: Type Racer - race against other and show off your typing skills

No Sticks Allowed

Happy Birthday Dad!

I've been having this tug-of-war in my mind with this sign in my neighborhood. As the sign reads, it's very self explanatory. Hockey sticks are not allowed on the general hockey rink. It appears to be an easy rule to follow. You can see the hockey rink in the background clearly marked with a 'red line' and two 'blue lines' on the boards around the rink. Now the problem I have with this sign and it's rule....if you walk around the park, looking in every direction, you could even get on satellite map site and view the park from the air. The rink that you see in the background is the ONLY rink in this park. You see, there is no general rink that one could ice skate on. The rink is clearly set up as a hockey rink, yet this sign says you're not allowed to bring hockey sticks onto it, if it was indeed the general rink. Perhaps I need to alert my city council about this confusing matter.

My Daily Photo Favorites: Rabaul, Papua New Guinea | New Orleans, Louisiana | Montreal, Canada

Theme Day: Numbers

First of the month is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. This theme is a bit different, the challenge is to take photo of 'numbers' in your city. Well, I can only think of one number in the city I grew up in. This grand daddy of the numeral 1 is high a top the First National Bank Building, downtown, St Paul.

Please make a stop at other cities participating in the numbers theme that are listed below today's photo. Keep in mind the time zone differences for everyone to post their photos.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Albuquerque (NM) American Fork (UT) Arradon, France Aspen (CO) Athens, Greece Auckland, New Zealand Austin (TX) Avignon, France Barrow-in-Furness, UK Barton (VT) Belgrade, SerbiaBellefonte (PA) Bicheno, Australia Bogor, Indonesia Boston (MA) Boston (MA) Bucharest, Romania Budapest, Hungary Buenos Aires, Argentina Busan, Korea South Canterbury, UKChandler (AZ) Chateaubriant, France Cheltenham, UK Chesapeake (VA) Chicago (IL)Christchurch, New Zealand Clearwater (FL) Clearwater Beach (FL) Cleveland (OH) Cologne, Germany Concordia Sagittaria, Italy Coral Gables (FL) Corsicana (TX) Dallas (TX) Darmstadt, Germany Dunedin (FL) Durban, South Africa East Gwillimbury, Canada Evry, France Forks (WA) Geneva (IL) Glasgow, Scotland Greenville (SC) Gun Barrel City (TX) Hamilton, New Zealand Hampton (VA) Helsinki, Finland Hobart, Australia Hong Kong, Hong Kong Hyde, UKInverness (IL) Ioannina, Greece Jackson (MS) Jefferson City (MO) Jogjakarta, Indonesia Joplin (MO) Katonah (NY) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kyoto, Japan Larchmont (NY) Las Vegas (NV) Le Guilvinec, France Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon, Portugal Lodz, Poland London, UK London, UK Mainz, Germany Malaga, Spain Manila, Philippines Maple Ridge, Canada Marseille, France Medan, Indonesia Melbourne, Australia Melbourne, Australia Memphis (TN) Menton, France Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City, Mexico Minneapolis (MN) Minneapolis (MN) Minsk, Belarus Misawa, Japan Monrovia (CA) Monte Carlo, Monaco Monterrey, Mexico Montpellier, France Moscow, Russia Mumbai, India Mumbai, India Nancy, France Nashville (TN) Nelson, New Zealand New Orleans (LA) New York City (NY) New York City (NY) Newport News (VA) Norfolk (VA) North Hampton (NH) Norwich, UK Nottingham, UK Ocean Township (NJ) Omsk, Russia Orlando (FL)Oslo, Norway Owasso (OK) Paderborn, Germany Paris, France Pasadena (CA) Pasadena (CA)Penang, Malaysia Perth, Australia Phoenix (AZ) Pilisvörösvár, Hungary Port Angeles (WA) Port Elizabeth, South Africa Port Townsend (WA) Port Vila, Vanuatu Portsmouth (VA) Prague, Czech Republic Quincy (MA) Rabaul, Papua New Guinea Ramsey, Isle of Man Riga, Latvia Rollag, Norway Rotterdam, Netherlands Saarbrücken, Germany Saigon, Vietnam Saint Paul (MN)Salem (OR) Salt Lake City (UT) Salt Lake City (UT) San Diego (CA) San Diego (CA) San Francisco (CA) San Francisco (CA) Seattle (WA) Seattle (WA) Selma (AL) Seoul, South KoreaSesimbra, Portugal Setúbal, Portugal Sharon (CT) Singapore, Singapore Sofia, Bulgaria St Francis, South Africa Stanwood (WA) Stavanger, Norway Stayton (OR) Stockholm, SwedenStouffville, Canada Subang Jaya, Malaysia Suffolk (VA) Sunshine Coast, Australia Sydney, Australia Székesfehérvár, Hungary Tacloban City, Philippines Tel-Aviv, Israel Terrell (TX)Terrell (TX) Tokyo, Japan Torun, Poland Torun, Poland Toulouse, France Turin, Italy Tuzla, Bosnia Twin Cities (MN) Vichy, France Victoria, Canada Vienna, Austria Virginia Beach (VA)Wailea (HI) Washington (DC) Wassenaar, Netherlands West Paris (ME) West Sacramento (CA)Weston (FL) Williamsburg (VA) Willits (CA) Yardley (PA)