Poem on a Bridge

Read a poem while pushing my bicycle across a pedestrian bridge spanning sixteen lanes of traffic. Took one line literally, applied it to this week’s weather.

Categorized as Arts

Confronting History

Cycled around southeast Minneapolis looking for public art. This mask of Little Crow, chief of the Mdewakanton Dakota, is on sacred ground in Minnehaha Park. He was murdered by a settler in 1863 while picking raspberries. The Legislature awarded the settler $500.

Meeting Lucille van Pelt

Lucille van Pelt ambushed me with a “newspaper” outside the building where the Star Tribune is printed. On our “No-News Wednesdays” we carefully avoid all news, including the Star Tribune. Mercifully, Lucy’s news was a little out-of-date.

Categorized as Arts

Remembrance of Earth’s Past

It’s “No-News Wednesday,” a day without any news media. Made a dent in the second book in the “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy by Cixin Liu. I normally don’t go for science fiction, but this is a fine summer read. I get to see through Chinese eyes, dimmed by translation.

Categorized as Arts

Izzy’s Ice Cream

This week I bought our final Saturday evening ice cream treats from Izzy’s ice cream store just down the road from where we live. Covid-19, and the uncertainties it’s bringing, gate-crashed the business model; the store is closing. Izzy’s and our home are built on what was a polluted rail yard, a so-called brown field… Continue reading Izzy’s Ice Cream

Casket Arts

It’s Tuesday, so cycled with a friend in search of things we’ve never seen before. The grounds of the Casket Arts Community are always a good bet. This is a base for over 140 artists and art businesses. In 1882 the Northwestern Casket Company made caskets.

Categorized as Arts

Eye-popping Art

Most Tuesdays I cycle with a friend, often looking for things we’ve not seen before. Our ride, today, included sidewalk art on Downtown’s Nicollet Mall

Categorized as Arts

Oozing with Contempt

Cycled across (positively) 4th Street in Dinkytown, Minneapolis. Back when I was a student, I loved the way Dylan oozes with contempt in this song. The title probably refers to the 4th Street that runs through Greenwich Village, but Minneapolis can claim some connection.

Categorized as Arts

The Willey House

On my cycle ride, down a dead-end street in an unassuming Minneapolis neighborhood: The Willey House. Built in 1934, it’s the first home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for a middle-income family. Although only the garage is visible from the street, the heritage is clear.