Minnesota If don’t remember the shape of the State of Minnesota, glance at the map I posted and look at the very top. You’ll notice a small part, roughly in the shape of a chimney or a partly smashed top hat, that extends farther north than the rest of Minnesota, which is
On a Saturday night in June, the parlor of the restored Grand Rapids (Minnesota) house where little Judy Garland (nee Frances Ethel Gumm) spent the first four years of her life is draped with nostalgia. The parlor, decorated with period furniture, an upright piano, and a small gaggle of old queens and divas, is an
It started so innocently. First I started taking pictures of fun/odd statues that I came across. Then I wanted to get in a picture of a giant mining truck, so I could provide a sense of scale. After that, I had the brilliant idea that I should be appearing next to all the odd/fun statues
This was a good week for getting outside. To kick things off, I had a chance to chat and learn from two of the area’s experts on the natural world: Bill Marshall, the sage of the forest, and John Latimer, a man in touch with the seasons and cycles. Thanks to them, this city
I’m a threat to the national security of two countries, apparently: Canada and the US. Slowly step away from me. Last weekend I took a break from my normal routine—a vacation day, as normal people call it—and drove up to International Falls, just because it’s there. I thought it might be fun to cross
Mississippi River near Grand Rapids MN After a week, I’m settling in and getting a pretty good feel for Grand Rapids and surrounding areas. The Mississippi is a very different river up here, smaller and in some ways just one of many mid-size streams, not as central in the consciousness of folks like
