Beauty And The Beast

I've seen this shot in the past by another local photographer and it's always stood out in my mind because of the contrasts between the two buildings. There I was a few weeks ago, in the exact spot for this shot, I had to have one that I could call my own. I left one clue in the photo for the other local daily photo bloggers to figure out where I am standing for this shot. I do wish I had taken this photo a little later in the spring when there would be leaves on the trees to add in more color.

Before I Leave The Green Stairs

The view from the top of the green stairs is quite a place to be. There is so much to see from this vantage point. The tower you see is the heart of the lower Westside neightborhood into the projects. I know this tower has a name, but I cannot recall it at the moment. I googled for the name, but was unable to find what it is called. The tower has been repainted, restored and looks so nice from what I remember growing up and seeing what it looked like.

In the distance and what you cannot see is the Mississippi River, it's there, obviously below the viewable site. The bluffs in the distance is St Paul's East Side neighborhood.

You're In The Jungle Baby

As I was walking down the green stairs that I've recently posted about, I passed this bit of graffiti. I smiled and felt at home. I grew up in this Westside neighborhood, whomever wrote this just wanted to show their westside pride. There even used to be a West Side Pride Day parade. Salute!

What The Hell Is That?

Yikes, you'll hurt your neck if you look up for a long time at this photo. This is me looking up from the very bottom of the green stairs from my April 22nd photo with all of the naked tree branches reaching out to touch the green stair frame. One thing I noticed about the stairs, the closer one gets to the bottom, the rustier the stairs become as the rain drops really start to work on the metal and old paint trying to cover it. I can tell you this, when the bottom of the stairs finally starts to give way from being so rusty, the tree branches should be long enough to grab and hold the stairs upright.

Build It And They Will Come

The Mississippi River shipping season is open to barge traffic now as of March 28. Almost a month later, the river is starting to warm a bit, but the small boat docks sit empty. Soon they will be filled with boats of all flavors and variety.

Shit On A Shingle

Gasp! There's a swear word in the title! You'll have to click on the photo to look closer if you don't understand today's curse word in my title and how it relates to todays photo. I've given the literal meaning to this phrase thanks to some local pigeons defecating on the Landmark Center roof tiles in downtown St Paul.

However, the meaning behind today's title stems from my father. Growing up with my folks, but mom would make this dinner. There was toasted bread and something like cream of mushroom soup and chopped beef. My dad would call it 'shit on a shingle' but there was a real name for this dish, I believe it was 'chipped beef on toast' perhaps. I know some of you know exactly what I'm talking about and some of you have a look of confusion.

I just celebrated one year with this photo blog, why not start the next year out with a little flare and personality? I'm not a real big fan of being politically correct so you'll get some oddities here on this daily photo site. If I made you smile today, you're welcome!

1 Year Anniversary For Twin Cities Daily Photo

Today is officially one full year of the Twin Cities Daily Photo. I've really enjoyed getting out and seeing the Twin Cities in a way that I wasn't seeing the Twin Cities.

I took this photo in the fall of 2006. It was during my son's football practice. It was their final day of football and they were playing a game of flag football. It his grade, the do not put the pads on and play a real game, that will be next fall. My son is actually not in this photo, but I liked the angle and the trees in the background.

It's A Long Way To The Top

Make that 189 stairs in all from the bottom to the top of the green stairs. When I was here taking this photo, there was someone walking up and down the stairs for exercise. I'm not sure how many times up and down she walked, but that is an interesting way to avoid purchasing expensive gym equipment to get the same type of work out. The stairs are located on the bluff in the Westside neighborhood, in St Paul.

Click the photo to get rid of the crappy shrunken graphics.

LOTR: The Two Towers

Sorry to say, this is not the two towers from the Lord Of The Rings series. Instead, these two towers can be found on Harriot Island across the Mississippi River from downtown St Paul. This is a new addition to the park where summer concerts are held.

Read To The End

Another photo of the James J Hill public library in downtown St Paul. I've always liked the detail the building has, the double stairwell entrance and the overall look of the building.