Why Don't You Make Like A Tree, And Leaf

Looking at my webstats the past couple of days, I've seen a lot of hits coming from google with the common words being 'Twin Cities Fall Colors' or some variation of them. Thus today's photo has a lot of fall colors in them, but oh what a photo. The bridge is the High Bridge coming from the West Side. The bluff beyond the bridge, the area above is Cherokee Park. Another great place to view the Mississippi River and all that there is to see from higher up. The boats trolling up and down the river, plus the barge docked to shore. The only thing that is missing is my blue sky. I'm not sure why there isn't one, but it was rather sunny the day of this photo.

Holy Facade Batman!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist the title. Today I'm posting two photos of the facade on the Cathedral of St Paul. Mainly to show the depth of the sixty-foot rendition of Christ and the twelve apostles. The inscription on the arch reads "Go therefore and teach ye all nations." To the left is a twelve-foot-high figure of Saint Peter, semi washed out from the suns glare unfortunately, with a matching one of Saint Paul on the right side. I will have to revisit the Cathedral and get some additional exterior photos as there is much beauty I've not captured. Then work my way into the interior as I've never stepped foot inside before.

Let's Take A Closer Look Bob

I must correct yesterday's entry. In my hurried effort to post a little info on the Cathedral of St Paul, I googled in error and ended up at St Paul's Cathedral. Well the St Paul's Cathedral is in the city of London! So yeah, 300 years ago THEIR cathedral named St Paul's was built, again. This Cathedral of St Paul was scheduled to hold it's first mass on Easter Sunday, 1915. However, they finished work a week early and it was held Palm Sunday. This is the fourth building that has been named the Cathedral of St Paul.

The dome is 120 foot wide, curved steel beams, covered with a clay tile surface and overlaid with copper. The copper lantern on the very top is about 30 feet tall. In the photo, I'm standing on the North West corner which is higher up on a hill.

They have a 'virtual tour' page on their website, You can visit the tour here. It has a fairly detailed map of the insides.

Here Is The Church, Here Is The Steeple

Well, it's a bit more than a church. All of this beautiful architect belongs to St Paul's Cathedral. The Cathedral has had millions of people worship here since the first service back in 1697 took place. That's over three hundred years ago. Recently restored in 1997, the cathedral lost it's greenish tint to a newer brown colored top. The old roof I believe was made of copper, thus the greenish tint as the weather took it's tool. I'm not sure if the new dome is made of copper or some other type of metal. It looks very nice, but I do miss the greenish color it once had.

Ice Palace 2004 Series - pic 6

Another photo from my Ice Palace series. Frontal view of the of the main tower. This Ice Palace was built for the St Paul Winter Carnival in January 2004. Each block of ice is about the size of a bath tub.

No Clever Caption Needed

Today's photo is another drive by photo shooting series. I saw the couple standing there as I was approaching, quickly grabbed my camera, powered it on a snapped the shot in a matter of seconds. [If you look close you can see a bug splat spot from my windshield on the mans collar] I'm not sure what to think of the signs they are holding. There was not an abandoned vehicle anywhere on the road I was traveling on. I see the dollar sign for the letter "S". If I were to guess, his sign should read "Need Cash". I'd never seen any pan handlers in this location [in Eagan] nor anywhere else nearby, so they caught me with surprise.

The one question that always pops into my head is, who stops and gives money to people with the usual 'Will work for food' signs? I've read stories of people who do this make more than enough to make a living on, but are these stories really true? Who's giving their money away if it is? Could you ask for a receipt so you can write it off on your taxes as a charitable donation?

I do like this photo though as it shows what a lot of us see here in the United States. I've never given money to anyone holding a sign before, but I have dropped a buck or two into a musical case/hat of someone playing an instrument outside of a sporting event or concert. We've all seen them too, but I have no problem giving money for their musical talent as they are working or doing something for their paycheck.

Where The Sun Don't Shine

The sun was nearly set as I was sitting waiting for the traffic to clear. The Robert Street Bridge, the way the shadows and the sun was hitting the underside of the bridge was something that I've never seen like this. It was really great timing on this shot and I took the snap, looked in the rear view mirror and there was already a car waiting for me to turn. I just hoped the shot turned out as I wouldn't be at this spot to take a shot like this, with the sun shining the way it was, perhaps for quite a while. The days are getting much shorter and I've been thinking about how I'm going to be able to take photos for this site. I typically take them after work hours, but in a month or so, it will be completely dark when I leave work. Couple that with it being dark when I leave....It could prove to be a challenge at times.

I Wish To Welcome You To....

For some reason I was humming the Munchkins from the Wizard Of Oz singing in their high pitch voices, but substituting Cottage Grove in place of Munchkin Land. Sing it out loud right now, it flows perfectly.

Any way, this sign on Highway 61 south is seen just as leave St Paul Park and you enter the land of Cottage Grove, established in 1843. Us property tax payers spent a lot of money on that sign and the upkeep of the trees and lawn through out the year. Someone has to enjoy it, that is your task of the day to enjoy the 'Welcome To Cottage Grove' sign. I expect a full report on how much enjoyment you received from today's entry.

You Can Call Me Ray

I recall a commercial with the title line in it....you can call me Ray or you can call me Jay....I'll have to think on this one or google search it. I know it was for some product, perhaps a beer commercial of some sort. Heck, it was 25-30 years ago when I last saw the commercial.

Anyway, this sunset was from about a month ago. I was at my sons soccer game, it was almost the end of the game, the sky was getting dark. I look over my shoulder and see this brilliant sun ray. Actually there are several sun's rays shining through. I was so happy I brought my camera that evening. Dang those big ugly power lines for getting in the way of my photo.

Daily Photo Theme Day: Taxis

46 Daily Photo Bloggers around the world are posting a theme picture today of a taxi; select a number to visit another: [Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day] 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46