Wires Everywhere

It's A Bird, It's A Plane....

I bet you're curious how I got this grasshopper photo? There was a bit of luck involved to the grasshopper like this. I was leaving for work on a very hot a steamy afternoon. I opened the car door and was hit in the face by a wall of sweltering heat from the car sitting in the sun all afternoon. It was very hot outside and even hotter inside my vehicle. I must get inside the car so I can leave, I turn on the engine and fire up the air conditioner. I'm sitting there for a few minutes in the drivers seat, when this grasshopper jumps onto the front window of my car. What luck eh?

Have you ever had strange luck like this for a photo?

Favre On The Loose

I made it to the Minnesota Vikings versus the Detroit Lions game on Sunday with my wifey. The Vikings was by a score of 24-10. Something I didn't expect to happen was seeing Brent Favre up here in the stands with me. I'm not sure how he found the time to watch the game from the fans perspective, but as you can see, I have him right there in the photo.

Decay

Found this graffiti weathered bench while walking along the river path at Minnehaha Falls.

Please Be Careful

Be careful out there, this is a combined path.

Jointly Built Bridge

Found this plaque on the Minneapolis side of the Ford Parkway Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. Looks like the bridge was built on a joint effort between the two neighboring cities.

Minnehaha Falls

The ever popular tourist attraction in Minneapolis, the Minnehaha Falls. Depending on the amount of rain, the Falls can dry up. I've seen it once, but this summer we've had plenty of rain to keep the falls busy.

Not A Pretty Sight

I'm on the hunt for graffiti this month as the October theme day is graffiti. I have this feeling that this electrical box has been the host of graffiti in the past judging by the odd paint job it currently has.

Free Falling

If you were around my blog in late July of this year, you most likely saw my Flugtag 2010 St Paul photos. Interesting thing they did to start the show was to drop to guys from a plane and land on the ramp from which the vehicles would launch from. It was quite an entrance and the first time I've ever photographed someone free falling from an airplane before. It was quite the challenge as I was amazed at how fast they descended from the sky to the ground.

   

Pollen

Secret Life Of The Bees

These different colors of honey always make for a great photo. The color and flavor of honey are determined by the flowers from which the nectar was collected. As you can see, there is a large range from light to dark. One thing I learned about bees this year is during the winter months, when there is snow on the ground and we are all wearing our winter coats, gloves, boots, to stay warm, the bees are still alive inside of the bee hives here in Minnesota. With all of the bees moving their wings, it can reach a balmy 80 degrees inside the hives, just from the heat energy produced from the worker bees buzzing their wings. That's right, 80 degrees inside the hive from their buzzing wings, while it's -5 F outside the hive.

Under The Bleachers

The view from under the bleachers at the new Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.

Sticker On A Post

I believe it reads 'Infected Mass'. From their MySpace page it was a band from Saint Paul, Minnesota. The band is now defunct, but this sticker remains.

Highland 1 & 2 Theater

I had set out to photograph the Highland Theater located on Cleveland Avenue and Ford Parkway in St Paul. I have this photo, but I waited for 10 to 15 minutes for the police officer to leave. You can see the officer in the photo and there was a very long conversation going on. This gives me a reason to go back to the theater for a full shot without vehicles in front of the building.

Carnies Rule

These two carnies are taking a break at the Minnesota State Fair, but as I was watching them and taking this photo, they didn't have all that much to do.

The Wild Wild West

Is this a left over wagon from 'The Wild Wild West' TV show from the 1960's? Probably not, but this weathered wagon can be found on 7th Street and Hathaway Street in St Paul if you're interested in seeing it.

The Big Green Caterpillar

This big green caterpillar will morph into a big brown moth. The bright green is surprising, not to mention the size of the big green bug. With camera in hand, swc was able to capture this contribution photo. I've found a site that shows what this caterpillar will turn into for those interested in more of the story.

Midway At The Fair

I'm unsure of the name of this ride from the Midway at the Minnesota State Fair, but the light show it produced is awesome. Bonus to this shot is the flags blowing so hard as it was a very windy evening.

Ride The Slide

At $2 dollars per ride, it's one of the cheapest activities at the Minnesota State Fair. Granted, it takes you longer to walk up the stairs than it does to come down the yellow and green slide. And if you look really close, there are a couple of microphones right down the center of the slide that will pick up everything you say or yell as you make your way down....

Fresh French Fries

The Fresh French Fries booth has upgraded their sign in a big way. Back in 2006 I posted a photo of their booth as it was one of my favorite places to eat when I'm at the fair. So I was very surprised to see the new sign in lights. All the booth serves is fresh french fries, plus soda. For you bargain shoppers, and I only found this offer at the Fries booths, but they did offer half price refills on soda. That's a huge savings if you don't mind carrying around a cup.

Gladiolus Room

More from the MN State Fair....from the Horticulture building, every year they have flower contest for several different flowers. These are the Gladiolus contest, I believe they are judged on their looks, purity, hybrids, but it always appears to be just one stem of the flower for the judgement. There are other contest, like ones that involve props, plus different flowers all together.

Theme Day: Open Air Markets

Greetings to all of my fellow Theme Day visitors. Now, I wasn't planning on participating in the September theme day photo, as I really didn't have any photos from an open air market. I couldn't make time to get to the semi-local farmers market, so I was going to skip it. This past Sunday, I took my family to the Minnesota State Fair and found my self walking down the isles of the International Bazaar. So a bit of intentional luck, I am able to participate in the open air market theme day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Those of you familiar with the fair I'm sure have walked through the Bazaar. It's amazing how great the place looks after the update to the area. You'll find all kinds of international items for sale with most at bargain pricing.