Winter Scenery From My Door Step

I do post this shot quite often in the winter months. It's always a unique scene. 

Rice Park On A Cool Evening

The shine on the brick laid streets is ready for a Hollywood movie.

It's So Bright

Nighttime photography is so much easier when there is snow everywhere. 

The Busted Nut

It is a little on the small side, but the place is very popular with a great menu. Highly recommend making a visit to The Busted Nut Bar & Grill if you're looking for a new place to eat out. The menu is very decently priced, plus their drink prices are low. The atmosphere is historic with an original feel looking.

Winter Is Here

We've had a little bit of snow, but after this 8.5" inches of snow fell, I officially declare the season of winter has begun. 

Queue the White Walkers....

Ghost Ad Mystery

It's a great example of an unknown ghost ad. Well beyond identification, unless you know what this said back when it was new. 

Hidden Graffiti

Because, why not?

Barge Cargo

At first glance, I thought this was just whatever they dredged up from the bottom of the Mississippi River, but there is some rock at the very bottom, so I'm unsure what material this actually is. 

Graffiti Door

So much to look at, so little time

Graffiti Window

This one caught my eye over the weekend.

Spot The Difference

 

 

Which version of this pond do you prefer, Spring or Fall?

Halloween Pumpkin

Our pumpkin carving for Halloween 2022.

High Tide In Hastings

High Tide On The Mississippi River

Everything looks good on the Mississippi River, way up here in Minnesota. Our lock and damn system is working great to create the pools of water needed to keep the river from drying out. There aren't however, any lock and damns after Missouri.

New Balcony's, Old Advertisements

I always love photographing Ghost Ads, but this one is different from most of them. Unsure which business this used to be, but it appears to be an apartment building now since the balcony's are right iin the middle of the old advertisement that used to be here. 

Spiral Brewery On Tap

We love hanging out at Spiral Brewery in Hastings. Cozy atmosphere, local feel, great brews and they have a board where you can buy a beer for a friend. Their Townie is amazing and a local favorite. My personal favorite is LeDuc Red, which they have been out of for a while. Their seltzer's according to my wife are outstanding!

More Street Sign Stickers

There is so much space available for stickers on this one. 

Fall Colors On The Mississippi

Fall is here in the Twin Cities. Can you spot the difference from my last posted photo?

Smith Avenue Bridge

This is the Smith Avenue bridge, or National Bridge Number ID #62090, but us locals call it, and everyone knowns it as "The High Bridge". At a height of 160 feet, it is the tallest bridge in Minnesota. At 2760 feet in length, it connects St Paul's West Side neighborhood with the West End neighborhood.

Birch Tree Garden

 

The leaves are just starting to change colors here in Cottage Grove and all over the Twin Cities. 

Hallway Mural

I wish I had more info on this mural, that can be found in the hallway, on your way to the restroom at Barrel Theory Brewing. It is my favorite in this hallway, and there are a couple more that I will share in the coming days. 

Busy As A Bee

I wish I knew the name of this plant, but every year when it finally blooms, near the end of summer, it attracts the bumble bees. There are usually 20-30 bees on our two plants collecting pollen for the entire day. This pollen collection last about a month and now they are gone until next season.

View From The Bridge

The view of Stillwater from the lift bridge.

The Scenic 10th Hole

 

It reminds me of the old Windows XP wallpaper that we all used to look at. A very scenic 10th green nonetheless.

Ride The Lightning

 

Is it just me, or does it look like a horse is running out of the lightning? I took well over one hundred shots with my Samsung Galaxy S20+ to get one semi decent lightning capture. Didn't have a tripod with me, so I was standing on my lawn snapping away. About three minutes of photo taking, a lower bank of clouds rolled in and the lightning show was over. At least I got one shot!

Just Outside My Window

We stayed two nights at a hotel on 7th Street in downtown St Paul last winter because we were attending a Minnesota Wild hockey game. That's not something we normally do since we live only 22 minutes away from the stadium. What a fun experience and highly recommended if you've never done that before. When we were in our hotel room, we were treated with this amazing view of the State Capital building. 

Hasting Bridge At Sunset

The Hastings Bridge does have a lot of great locations to capture it well. Throwing in a blooming sunset just adds to it. 

Muddy Waters

Last Friday's photo, I was on the Wisconsin side, looking at the Minnesota side of things. Well, today I am once again in Wisconsin and capturing the banks of Minnesota. Today I am in Prescott, WI at Muddy Waters Bar & Grill. It is one of my favorite summertime places to eat outdoors. You do get greeted by a loud train crossing the BNSF Railroad lift bridge that crosses the Saint Croix. Just adds to the uniqueness 

Gone Fishing

Hope everyone gets out of town for the extended Labor Day Weekend that is upon us. While I was in Wisconsin when I took this sunset photo, the land on the other side of the St Croix River is Minnesota.

More From Kenny Chesney Concert

Another shot from the Kenny Chesney concert held at US Bank Stadium. 

View From Ox Cart Rooftop

Looking east from the Ox Cart Rooftop you can see quite a bit. CHS Field, Interstate 94, Metro State. 

Ox Cart Rooftop

One of my favorite summertime destinations is the Ox Cart Arcade and Rooftop. The arcade is below at street level with another restaurant, but their rooftop setup is amazing! Their website needs some major help, so don't let that stop you from coming here. The view is outstanding and it overlooks CHS field, home of the Saint Paul Saints.

Painting With Style Revisit

I thought I was taking a photo of the Valspar Building. As I'm typing, I realized they refreshed the paint job on the building. I had captured the same building back in 2006, which you can see here with the original paint. Today, it is now the Sherwin Williams Building. It makes sense they refreshed the paint job, and I wouldn't have looked closer if they hadn't. Nice to see they kept the familiar feel to the building as well. 

Kenny Chesney At US Bank Stadium

It was a great show at US Bank Stadium a couple weekends ago at the Kenny Chesney concert at US Bank Stadium. We purchased tickets back in March or April to the Sandbar section, which were general admission section, and right next to the stage. The show was supposed to take place in 2020, but was postponed, like many shows until 2022. I'm just glad we didn't have to wait three years to see him perform.

Old Dominion At US Bank Stadium

Last year in 2021, the song 'I Was On A Boat That Day' by Old Dominion was me and my wife's theme song for the summer. To see them sing it live was quite a treat. We certainly would see them again if they return as the headliner. They opened for Kenny Chesney with a couple other bands. 

East Side of US Bank Stadium

It's an odd duck of a stadium, artistically pleasing, and yet really difficult to photograph. I've only captured a couple of photos of the new US Bank Stadium, and haven't felt I captured it well. Maybe it's the size of the structure, or I'm always on my way in to the stadium and don't take my time. 

Round House Revisited

This is my second time photographing the round house in Hastings. The first time I posted a photo of this house, it was my fifth post ever on my photoblog. Way back on April 30, 2006. That really goes way back. The house looked a little plain back then, but maybe that was because it was a springtime photo. 

Here is a link to my 5th Post: https://www.twincitiesdailyphoto.com/2006/04/round-house-in-hastings.html

River Walking Path

The left path is for walking, the right path is for biking. I certainly prefer the divided grass path between the two versus a painted white line. During my walks where we share the path, I venture over the white line quite often and get reminded every time.

Tugboat Itasca

Measuring in at 65 feet in length, Tugboat Itasca pushes downstream in the Mississippi River

Downtown Patios

It's not a large patio by any means. When you live downtown St Paul, and you have this extra space, what a beautiful space it has become. 

Lake Rebecca

Lake Rebecca, which is attached to the Mississippi River in Hastings. 

Red Daylilies In Bloom

My Red daylilies have bloomed as of last week. Some years they are the last to bloom, other years, my Stargazer Lilies are the last to bloom. This year, they are second to last. 

80th Street Tunnel

The tunnel under 80th Street in Cottage Grove is one of my favorite walking paths in my neighborhood. Once through the tunnel, the path leads through the valley of homes, and to the end of this path. Mainly this area is to collect the rainfall. Behind me, there are multiple ways you can walk, which is why we like going this way.  

The Royal Club

 

I had a sore shoulder to begin the work week, but I left work early Friday to play18 holes at The Royal Club in Lake Elmo with my local group of friends. On the 8th hole, I tweaked my shoulder, then played the 9th in pain. So I decided to start taking photos, instead of golfing the back nine. Sore shoulder and all, it was still much better than being at work. 

Randy Houser Stole The Show

Randy Houser was the surprise performance of the evening for me. They opened before Alabama took the stage and my oh my, they were outstanding! Soulful voice, bluesy, country, powerful. My wife and I love the performance. The crowd at one point was chanting, Randy! Randy! Randy! I believe I knew one of his songs, but definitely not his name. If you ever get a chance to see Randy Houser, don't hesitate, just go see him. 

Lakefront Music Fest Crowd

One of the performing artist on the night said there was over 18,000 people in attendance. This crowd shot is a small portion of the people. It's essentially one side of the grounds and doesn't include the people near the stage, nor the center or other side. 

Alabama At Lakefront Music Fest

They were a fill in for Toby Keith due to health reasons, but Alabama put on a great show for their 50th Anniversary Tour. Their age is certainly showing for the legacy members. Having never seen Alabama before, it was certainly memorable. 

Sam Hunt Performs At Treasure Island

My wife and I spent the weekend at a couple of different concerts. First up was country singer, Sam Hunt. He appeared at Treasure Island in Welch, MN this past Friday. Sam is one of my wife's favorite country artist, so I surprised her by getting tickets for us. The show was very entertaining and the crowd was certainly into it as well.

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof Is On Fire

How could anyone pass up this rooftop advertisement? When you look to the left, the arrow points to a door, next to a parking garage. So a bit strange at first glance however, seven or eight flights up the stairwell and you've made it to the top.