Anticipation

They lined the streets in good numbers waiting for the Saint Paul Winter Carnival Grand Day parade to arrive. The temps during the parade was around 23-25 F degrees. The parade lasted almost two hours. The crowd was very into the festivities and enjoying what was on display. Speaking with my mother about the past parades, she told me the winter carnival parades used to run three or more hours long. You gotta love Minnesotians for standing outside, in freezing temps for hours, watching a parade pass by.

Winter Carnival Ice Carvings

Last time I took photos of the ice carvings from the Saint Paul Winter Carnival the temperatures had risen above freezing temperatures. Thankfully today, the weather has been normal and the ice carvings are still intact. Back in 2008, a day after the carnival started, the temps had gotten so high, the sculptures were partly melted and made for strange looking photos, a sample from my 2008 melted set can be seen here. 2011 is the 125th year of the Winter Carnival and the celebration has just begun.

  

Replacement In Progress

The Hastings Bridge crossing the Mississippi River is currently under construction. The project is to replace the aging bridge with two separate bridges, which will keep the traffic flowing throughout the construction phases. You can follow the bridge progress on the MNDot website: Highway 61 Hasting Bridge

Statue Across The River

I couldn't get too close to this statue as there was a river between myself and the statue. The river is just a short walk from the Minnehaha Falls. If I zoom in on the inscription by the feet of the statue it reads "Over wide and gushing rivers in his arms he bore the maiden" by Longfellow.

Budget Shortfall

Sounds like the majority of states now have a budget shortfall. This is where the elected body will attempt to fix our woes.

Minnesot-ah

I've always liked this sign. It's a store at the Mall Of America that sells Minnesota related items. The majority of the items for sale are made locally by the people of the state.

Missing Summer

I'm sticking with the warmer weather theme because, as of this writing, outside air temps are at -11F (-24C). It's suppose to drop to somewhere between -15F to -18F in the Twin Cities. Head four hours north into Minnesota border and you'll find temps in the -30F to -40F range.

Storms Over St Paul

I took this capture over the past summer as the storm clouds were rolling into downtown St Paul. Ahhh, I wish it was this warm out around the Twin Cities right now. It's currently pretty darn cold and getting colder by weeks end.

Smiling Polar Bears

Is it obvious that the name of this dealership is 'White Bear Chevrolet'? It is now, right? Why is the polar bear smiling?

White Bear Lake Athletic Complex

A easy to follow and well drawn map of the White Bear Lake High School ball fields.