June 2015 Posts

The Keep Aways at Tom’s Burned Down Café

.. and then the woman with the green hair appears.

Water

This video by Mickie Keuning celebrates the emotions of water in Duluth. The song is “Lakehouse” by Of Monsters and Men.

Over the Edge for the Duluth Y

Bulldog Over the EdgeHave you ever thought that your love of the community and desire to send someone off a building would ever come together in a socially acceptable way? It finally has!

For the third year people will be going “over the edge” for a great cause, rappelling over the side of the nine-story Sellwood Building in Downtown Duluth on July 8 and 9. This exhilarating and completely safe experience is open to everyone with a sense of adventure and the desire to raise support for an incredible cause: the Y!

Help Cheryl Skafte and others reach their fundraising goal.

If you would like to participate, the ticket to your “Over the Edge” adventure is raising $1,000 for the Duluth Area Family YMCA. You don’t need to be an experienced rappeller, just at least 14 years old and between 100 and 300 pounds.

Special VIP day on July 9 available for those who are in Don Ness’ book … or know they should be.

This Week: marathonery and non

Untitled design
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:

Lots going on, this week, with Grandma’s Marathon taking the prize for the biggest event. In addition to the main race, there’s also the Garry Bjorklund half-marathon, the William A. Irvin 5k, two nights of non-local music in a big tent and two nights of mostly-local music in a big tent.

Events not directly related to running people (or people who are running) include guitarist Billy Barnard, a big kids’ games day at the Duluth Library, a chess grand master at the Superior Library, a meeting meant to keep locals informed about the Grand Avenue rehab project, the Duluth Farmers Market, the interactive comedic play Game Show goes up and local comic artists show their stuff.

Free Dental Care

My friend Noland is awesome at using social media to make social services visible. I thought I might boost his signal here.

If anyone is in need of free dental services, there’s a free dental clinic at the DECC on July 17-18. Doors open at 5:30 a.m.; first come, first served. Parking is free.

If you can’t wait for the middle of July, here are some lists of low-cost dental providers throughout Minnesota.

Lake Superior masons, past Portorama leader and more in the Look at Lakeside newsletter

Look at LakesideThe Look at Lakeside newsletter turned three years old with its 18th issue, published a few weeks ago (six issues per year). The newsletter is online at lookatlakeside.com. It was interesting to get a tour of the masonic lodge in Lakeside. How many buildings do we drive by often but haven’t been in? Maybe I’m a curious person but it’s interesting to me to think about all the people who have been in a place over the years.

Art Aplenty in Minneapolis and Duluth

On Friday night I saw Cheng-Khee Chee demonstrate his painting at the Tweed Museum — OMG what an honor and a treasure to watch someone create a painting of Koi before your eyes. Thanks to Tweed Director Ken Bloom for making this possible.

Selective Focus: Idyll/Idle

Tina Luanna Fox

Tina Luanna Fox, untitled

It might be the nascent Quaker in me, or the latent Buddhist, but I’m coming to appreciate matters that are lovely because of their impermanence. Artists, maybe photographers in particular, are susceptible to an alternative notion that we can keep moments, thoughts, and experiences — as though the marking were the substantive thing when the effects may be more so. That said, sharing our markings can produce grand effects. 

The Hoot Owls – “Flippin’ Bird”

Duluth band the Hoot Owls released this song in 2007 on the album Alien Scrapyard. Now a delightful video has emerged.

DirecTV service/signal in Duluth?

I had DirecTV when I lived in Minneapolis and was very happy with it. When we moved up here we rented for starters and I just went with Charter because the rental was wired for cable.

I really don’t like very much about Charter, other than the Internet, which my company pays for anyway. I am considering going back to DirecTV when my promotional rate with Charter is up.

My question is, with the frequent fog, heavy snow, etc. is signal strength an issue? I’d love some feedback from people who have used or are using DirecTV in Duluth. Thanks!

Adam Swanson’s Spirit Mountain Mural

Local filmmaker Nicholas Sunsdahl has put out his second film in the past year: “Adam Swanson’s Spirit Mountain Mural.”

It’s about the mural now on display at the Spirit Mountain Grand Avenue Chalet. The mural was produced as part of the city of Duluth’s One Percent for the Arts program, and it’s subtitled in French, because, you know, Quebec isn’t far away.

Dead tree or stunted bloomer?

northern pin oak close up

A recent news release from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports that “foresters are seeing many silver maples and some elms with stunted or no leaves and an abundance of seeds this spring. These trees are not dead and will rebound over the next couple of years.”

The image above is of a tree I planted last fall that hasn’t produced leaves this spring. I can’t remember what kind of tree it is, but I think it’s a northern pin oak. The DNR lists elms, maples, ashes and oaks as potential stunted bloomers.

Canal Park parking has been … um … streamlined

The Duluth News Tribune reported on Monday that rates have changed at three parking lots in Canal Park. Two examples are the Northwest Iron lot (between Grandma’s Saloon and the DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace) and the Lighthouse lot (near the lighthouse pier). The minimum rate is now $3 for three hours, up from last year’s $2 for two hours.

The DNT notes:

Parking Operations Specialist Mark Bauer said the city decided to make the changes to streamline the parking process.

“Instead of trying to interpret and guess how much time you’re going to be there, we thought it would be easier to just simply pay for this three-hour block of time,” Bauer said. “It simply covers you up to that three-hour limit.”

There has been no word yet on whether hotels in the area will be streamlining their processes by invoking a three-night minimum stay or whether bars will enforce a three-drink minimum for customer convenience.

Canadian wildfire haze over Duluth

Duluth Sun

Forest fires burning across Saskatchewan are making for a rather psychedelic afternoon.

Beginner’s Guide to Backpacking on the Superior Hiking Trail

Greg Poulton and Logan Faulkingham, experiential education students at Minnesota State University, Mankato, provide advice for people new to backpacking who would like to take a trip on the Superior Hiking Trail. It features tips and tricks for menu planning, equipment selection, packing and cooking, plus footage of the fall colors, waterfalls, Lake Superior and a little wildlife.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!