Orchids

I kept seeing the leaves of these orchids as a wonderful spray of energy, and decided they would show up best against our black wall with window light.

The Basilica of St. Mary on Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis

Basilica of St. Mary - Click to see full size

This is the latest in a series of formal portraits I am doing of wonderful old buildings around the cities. I am working on film with a large format camera, and developing the black and white images myself.

The light was perfect for this portrait.  I actually took it at rush hour across the broad intersection, and was able to get the shot between waves of traffic.

Here is some interesting information from Wikipedia*:

"The Basilica of Saint Mary was the first basilica established in the United States of America, honored by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Basilica of Saint Mary is the Co-Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Recognized as one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the country, the Basilica of Saint Mary was constructed between 1907 and 1915 to the design of celebrated Franco-American architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. It dominates its own city block on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis."

*Quoted under the fair use provision of Section 107 of the United States Copyright Law, (title 17, U. S. Code).

Jay Cooke State Park, March 21 2011

We went up the road from the spillway, to this place along the river where the current had broken through the ice, and the solitary tree marked the frozen bank.

An eternal thought

An angel in the cemetary holds eternity in a moment.

Lakewood Cemetary, Minneapolis

Something about the grave markers in the snow has drawn me back to this site. The stark branches and grasping shadows add an eerie backdrop to the sunlit figure.

Two tranquilities

The bear on the left is tranquil with the simplicity of death. The Buddha on the right is tranquil with the complexity of life.

Species

Here is a group portrait of several species. One of them is looking right at you.

Single Orchid leaf in foreground.

We overlook so much in looking for something.

Leo contemplates mortality.

Or maybe a bug on the Dracena.

Grin and Bear it

Bear skull. Memento Mori.

The stark beauty of nature

A very weathered sea shell collected from the beach in Florida in 1996.

Composition in black and white

Tea cup, pot, and strainer. Found art in The Purple Sandpiper near 82nd & Lyndale in Bloomington.  This modest looking restaurant sports a champions heart.  Local produce and meats are their specialty, and great service their badge.

February Thaw, Stillwater

On Valentine's Day, we spent the afternoon in Stillwater shopping, eating, walking around outside. It was in the 40s, and a store owner at the mall was hosing down his wooden deck behind the store, while someone in a bathing suit jogged by.

Minnesota, you have to live it to believe it.

People and Places, Stillwater, Valentine's Day 2011

Jody is with ethel's dress shop in the Grand Garage mall.

Owner, with his family, of Reve 324 bistro. We had sandwiches and a modest but spunky Grenache wine. Excellent, recommended.

Cecilia, proprietor of Chestnut Street Books.

I spent $60 without getting past the first shelf by the door!

Anastasia. The lost daughter of the Czar? Or simply a great paddlewheeler frozen in the St. Croix River.

Scenes from Stillwater, Valentine's Day

Paddlewheelers icebound for the winter.

Memorial to the pony express?

Clerk in the cookware store with her unique glasses.

Facades downtown.

Valentine's Day in Stillwater

The owner of Reve 324, a new bistro in Stillwater, and a photo of their Valentine's Day cheesecake special. Check it out.

Happy Accident

This is our breakfront. The Ansel Adams poster came from a thrift store. The poster is advertising something called "The Mural Project" -- a series of extraordinary photos of major National Parks views done by Adams, probably in the '50s. A few weeks after finding the poster, we were in Stillwater, 30 miles away, and came across the first edition of the book "The Mural Project" in Chestnut Street Books. Happy accident.

What Cezanne would see on our table

Cezanne said it took a lot of experience to reduce a painting to pure emotion. It took a lifetime. This photograph reminds me of Cezanne's still lifes.

Poinsettia

A reminder of Christmas hangs around after the Feast of Epiphany.

Are you lookin at me?

These guys are brothers. Really.