Lines And Angles And Sky, Oh My

I really like this photo, the contrasting colors, the building detail. Mainly I like that the two roof lines of the buildings in the background have the exact same roof angle as the green roof does. Your thoughts?

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Zurich, Switzerland - a must see!
New York, New York
Kyle, Texas

New And Old

Just before I posted today's photo taken near the farmers market in downtown St Paul, something stood out to me that hadn't occurred to me when I took the photo, nor when I processed it for adding to the site today. The front of the brick building is complete newer than the rear portion of the building. Which then brings to question, was the front of the building was refaced with the newer brick, or was it a completely new addition to the building? The brick color obviously doesn't even come close to a match.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Port Angeles, Washington
San Diego, California

Your Signature Please

Found this fabulous signature on the side of an electrical box while at the Farmers Market in downtown St Paul. I'm not sure who 'glow' is, but their handiwork is now displayed on the Twin Cities Daily Photo.

My 4 Daily Photo Favorites:
Santa Fe, New Mexico
New York, New York
Naples, Florida
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Go Green!!

Or green with envy of this fabulous looking dinosaur that WAS on display up until about two weeks ago. The day I took this photo was the first time I had seen any of these dinosaurs scattered around St Paul. I'm not sure how many in all, but there was more than just this one. Three days later, I made a return visit to the very same sidewalk that this green giant was on display with about twelve other creatively painted dinos. History had repeated itself and all of the dinosaurs had vanished! Gasp! I'm blaming global warming on this recent dino extinction.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Van Buren, Arkansas
Nashville, Tennessee
North Bay [ON], Canada

I've Been Tagged

Another fun view of the Farmers Market in Downtown St Paul.

I've been TAGGED by Rambling Round of Selma, Alabama this past lazy Sunday. I've been asked to list eight random things about myself that you do not know and in turn, tag eight others to do the same.

My 8 Random Facts:
1. I've been out of the United States only two times. Both times to visit the country of Jamaica.
2. I will be traveling to Irving, Texas very soon.
3. I watch the TV show 'Survivor' with my wife and kids.
4. My senior year in high school, I received an A- in Chemistry, and a D+ in Algebra 2/Trig
5. I have been married for 13 years and loving everyday of it.
6. I work in the computer field.
7. My first car was a 1976 Mercury Cougar.
8. I like to dance with my wife.

I am tagging these 8 City Daily Photo Bloggers. [skip this if you've been tagged already]
1. Ann of Montego Bay, Jamaica
2. Chandlermom of Chandler, Arizona
3. Ben & Meg of Nelson, New Zealand
4. fenix of Boston, Massachusetts
5. Ming the Merciless of New York, New York
6. Bill of Delta, Colorado
7. Victoria of Joplin, Missouri
8. bwide of River Falls, Wisconsin

These are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

Hot Banana Peppers - $2.00 Per Tray

The other weekend we made a trip to the Farmers Market located in downtown St Paul. It was semi rainy day and couldn't do much photo taking. I had to limit the photos to under the shelter of the rain. Though we didn't purchase any of the peppers, the colors stood out for this photo. We did however buy some broccoli. My goodness it was delicious! I'd never tasted broccoli that tasted this good in my life, EVER! I'm not sure if it was a different kind of broccoli or that it was frozen, or bundled and sitting on a shelf in a grocery store. We'll be making another trip back just for some more broccoli.

If you read yesterday's comments, I was asked to give 8 random facts about myself from 'rambling round' of Selma, Alabama. I will honor this, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow evening as it's getting late tonight.

Ultimate Alarm Clock Ringer

I like this, the Star Sprinkler Corporation and they worked in a star as part of their alarm design. It's the details that make a fire alarm work. If you are lucky enough to find the exact manhole cover featured in yesterday's photo, turn around and you'll see this fire alarm as well.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Boston, Massachusetts
Brighton, UK
Sharon, Connecticut

A Perfect Circle

TCT CO is what is printed on the manhole cover. Not 100% sure what TCT stands for, I would guess Twin Cities Transportation Company. I just don't know exactly what it stands for. I found this cover in a very old part of downtown St Paul near the farmers market that does not see very much traffic. It is located as you enter a parking area with some of it paved over with black top, which is partly visible in this photo. I do wish there would have been a date stamp of some sort to give me a time period to research back to. Google searching found nothing, perhaps the search term I used was not bringing me the answers I was looking for.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Forks, Washington
St Louis, Missouri
Minneapolis, Minnesota

When Dinosaurs Ran Wild

Thursday marked the open night of Hockey for the Minnesota Wild. Tonights match up was from the Windy City, Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild were victorious with a 1-0 score. This photo was from this past Saturday's pre-season game. Outside of the Minnesota Science Museum, there sits about a dozen painted dinosaurs. All painted with a different theme. I've seen photos posted of the dino's on the other local photo blogs [St Paul - Kate, St Paul - Kate, St Paul - Carol], but until last Saturday, I had never seen any in person.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
St Paul, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Joplin, Missouri

Windows Galore

Seen At Holman Field

Home of the Minnesota Army National Guard Aviation is located at Holman Field just across the Mississippi River from downtown St Paul.

My Feet On The Ground

Yesterday I showed you the penthouse level of The Saint Paul Hotel, today is the lower level, more specifically the lobby entrance.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Quincy, Massachusetts
St Paul, Minnesota
Paris, France

Penthouse

One building I've wanted to capture a night photo of is The St Paul Hotel. As long as I can remember, this is downtown St Paul's most famous hotel. The historic value of this building, I wouldn't know where to begin. It is however within a stones throw of yesterday's Landmark Center photo.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Miami, Florida
Saigon, Vietnam
Wichita, Kansas

Not The Red Roof In

This is historic Landmark Center, downtown St Paul. Believe it or not, over 18 years ago, I was dancing inside this building at a prom. It was my soon to be wife's prom at the time. Considering what this building was originally, for it to be used to host a prom many years later is, well, laughable.

Bridge Under A Bridge

The lift bridge in St Paul that crosses over the Mississippi River is for trains only. It's still in use today, but the trains typically travel rather slow in this area. The train tracks curve under the Robert Street Bridge and along the river. If you follow this set of tracks, you'll run into the switching yard that I've recently posted a couple of photos of. [scroll down a couple days]

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Greenville, South Carolina
New York, New York
Nelson, New Zealand

I See A Little Silhouette Of A Man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, Will You Do The Fandango?

javascript:void(0) Publish Post That's me, right there on the walkway. I'm right there standing on the sidewalk. You can clearly see my shadow, can you not?

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
St Paul, Minnesota
Selma, Alabama
Ioannina, Greece

Back It Up Mike, Back It Up

If I were to back up just a bit and give a panoramic view of the train switching yard, you'll see a lot more of what is there to see. I'm not sure how many train tracks they have in this yard, but it's something grand to see when it is full of trains. The switching yard also runs through, or around Pig's Eye Lake. Technically it is really part of the Mississippi River, but they like to name some of the bays Lakes. If you click the photo, I've enlarged the photo to 1600 x 600 in size.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
San Diego, California
Boston, Massachusetts
Cape Town, South Africa

Control Center

What you're looking at is part of the rail road switching yard in St Paul that runs along Highway 61. On the other side of the control center, out of site, is the Mississippi River. You can see the one car in the photo, this is the employee parking lot, you walk up the stairs and cross over the railroad tracks to the control room. The exact location of this place is almost as far south in St Paul one could get. It's about half mile to a mile north of the St Paul border where Highway 494 and Highway 61 cross. Newport is directly south of this location. Most people who know this area, honestly don't realize this is part of St Paul.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Newcastle, UK
Honolulu, Hawaii
Monrovia, California

Green Grass, Blue Sky, Power Plant

Perhaps it's just me, but I happen to like this photo. Outstanding looking sky, puffy clouds, green field below, one very large smoke stack. Does it get any better than this? I was right, it's just me. Took this one while traveling on Sheppard Road in St Paul. This is the Xcel Energy Plant, used to be called the NSP plant until recently. 400 foot tall comes to mind on the height of the tower. I did brief google search, but couldn't find any specs related to the tower height.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Torino, Italy
Cairo, Egypt
Wailea, Hawaii

What Does This Mean?

To me it's just graffiti, but to the person who wrote "Moose Youth RV St Paul Oh Sicks" it was something special to write it on this fence of rusted barbed wire. From what I've googled, it's an organization for kids to make the right choices in life. Interesting concept....peer pressure to do the right thing instead of the bad. I like it.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Stavanger, Norway
Phoenix, Arizona
Berlin, Germany

Now This Is An Anchor

This anchor can be found at Harriot Island in St Paul. The plaque at the bottom right corner reads:

USS SAINT PAUL
(CA-73) ANCHOR

COMMISSIONED 1945 - DECOMMISSIONED 1971
FIRED THE LAST NAVAL SLAVO IN WORLD WAR II
FIRED THE LAST NAVAL SLAVO IN THE VIETNAM WAR

ANCHOR ORIGINALLY DEDICATED ON
HARRIOT ISLAND OCTOBER 1982

REDEDICATED ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2000

High Atop The Highest Hill

The Cathedral sits on the highest point in St Paul so it can be visible for miles. I'm at a very low vantage point for this photo, but I really like this shot because of the road leading in the direction of the Cathedral. I know the road doesn't directly go to the chapel, but it gives the illusion that it does.

My 4 Daily Photo Favorites:
St Kilda, Australia
Montreal (QC), Canada
Ampang, Malaysia
Novara, Italy

Anno Domini 1925

I was taking a photo of the Robert Street Bridge, specifically the medallion detail on one of the twelve piers, when out of the sky appeared a private airplane flying right into my camera lens. It had taken off from the St Paul downtown airport, also known as Holman Field. I'm confused why the date AD 1925 is on the medallion. Bridge construction started in 1924 but wasn't completed until 1926. So why the 1925 date? The Robert Street Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Sometime within the past 15 years, the bridge underwent a major restoration process. They thankfully kept the exact design of the bridge intact and just gave it a face lift.

Enforcer Boogaard Signs For Three Years

Fan favorite Derek Boogaard #24, resigned with the Minnesota Wild for a three year deal on Wednesday. This is good news for the Minnesota Wild hockey fans. Boogaard is the teams enforcer, his main function on the team is to protect the players from dirty play from the opposing team. This photo was from April 17, during game 4 of the playoffs versus the eventual Stanley Cup Winners, the Anaheim Ducks. It was taken during the pre-game warm ups. Game 4 was Minnesota's only victory against the Ducks. A little over three months until the hockey season starts up once again in October.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Little Rock, Arkansas
Dubai, UAE
Hong Kong, China

This Is Not An Exit

I've always liked this entrance to this building located in downtown St Paul. The pillars, just huge, massive, strength. When I took this photo some time ago, I never noticed the sign that says "Lofts" there in the bottom left corner. This used to be a restaurant called Leeann Chins, a very popular Twin Cities Asian food chain. I'd have to say they are not at this location any longer. I'll have to investigate it because I'm just not sure. The building was completed in 1923 and was originally the St Paul Union Depot. [photo of the building as it appeared in 1925] I'll have to do a follow up on this in the future....unless one of the local daily photo bloggers know of it's current status.

My 5 Daily Photo Favorites:
Kyoto, Japan
Newcastle, UK
Kajang, Malaysia
Nantes, France
Moscow, Russia

All Those Balconies, Not One In Use

It's shame, all of those great balconies on the Galtier Plaza Building and not one of them is being used. Granted, the sun is setting, but it is on the opposite side of the building. The people who live in this high rise must be visiting their neighbors on the west side of the building who face the sunset. That has to be the answer.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Riga, Latvia
Madison, Wisconsin
Guelph, Ontario

Don't Even Think About It

Nope, sorry 'bout that, don't come down here, not open for business. Was walking through an open field and found this sign on the ground. Why was it here? When was this path closed? What path was closed as there is a fence and then a wide open field. There was no walking path. My mind is still wondering about this sign and what it closed access to at the time. I thought it made for a great photo opportunity.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Torino, Italy
Novara, Italy
Coral Gables, Florida

West Point

Looking at the west point of Raspberry Island, home of the Minnesota Boat Club and a broader view of the banquette hall. The point of the island collects a large amount of drift wood that flows downstream on the mighty Mississippi River.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Bangalore, India
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Paris, France

Minnesota Boat Club

The Minnesota Boat Club is located on Raspberry Island in St Paul on the Mississippi River. Established in 1870, it is the states oldest athletic organization. The building to the right is a banquette hall and can be rented for events. I've recently posted an areal photo of this building on July 2. The club offers competitive and recreational rowing opportunities for members of all ages.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
La Quinta, California
New Orleans, Louisiana
Cairo/Giza, Egypt

Historic St Paul Gangster Hideout

As promised, more information on the Wabasha Cave Tours from yesterday's photo. Here is a more expanded view. It's built into the side of the cliff south of downtown St Paul in the lower Westside neighborhood. It's made of sandstone and made of easy digging when the caves were first mined back in the 1800's. The facility in it's past has been a speakeasy, a restaurant, a nightclub called the 'Castle Royal' an office building and now it serves as a tour stop on various Twin Cities tours. Back in it's hay day as a speakeasy during prohibition, it was a well known hang out for gangsters, including John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Ma Barker. Some well known big bands have played here like Cab Calloway, Harry James and the Tommy Dorsey Band.

The cave tours are held Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for a small fee of $5 dollars where you can learn about the 150 year history of the caves. The secret caves were used by the gangsters to escape the law when the time arose during prohibition. There is also a gangster tour which visit many places in the Twin Cities for a fee of $22 dollars. The tour guide is dressed in clothing of the gangster era.

If you shall ever find yourself in the Twin Cities, I highly recommend one of the tours. I have not been on the tour since I've gotten my digital camera, but I will promise to go and snap some photos when I do.

My 4 Daily Photo Favorites:
Boston, Massachusetts
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Manila, Philippines
Monte Carlo, Monaco

Caves? What Caves?

Do you see the caves in this photo? I'll explain what this is in tomorrows post.

FOK

Farwell, Ozmun, Kirk & Co. was a harware wholesaler located in St. Paul, just south of downtown and across the Mississippi River. They sold all types of hardware and used tradenames such as Chispa Bicycles, Farwell Arms, F.O.K and Company, etc. The building was built in 1911, and is commonly known as the 'FOK Building'. FOK did their part to help during both World Wars by manufacturing ammunition and transporting it via the railroad that ran alongside the north end of the warehouse. The building was sold to ACVR in 1982 and is currently being rented out to various tenants.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Joplin, Missouri
Wailea, Hawaii
New York, New York

Hop, Skip And A Jump

If you scroll down to yesterday's photo, you can see this very peer that I'm standing on taking a photo of. It's a new addition to the riverside off of Harriot Island. The last time I was here, there was a narrow three foot wide peer to walk on, but that only got you to the boat you see tied up to the peer on the left. That is a restaurant that used to be called the 'No Wake Cafe'. It's now called the 'River Boat Grill'. I'll have to eat here and give a review of it some day soon. The boat on the right is a new addition, it's a Bed and Breakfast, called the Covington Inn, that is open about nine months of the year. It's closed from the end of November until sometime in the spring. The peer and both of these two river boats make this a place to visit if you're ever in town.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Montpellier, France
Kyle, Texas

Floaters And Drifters