Random Posts

Not-so-high-speed rail advice

Next week, my daughters and I are going to be heading out on a week-long trip via Amtrak out of St. Paul. Having spoken to someone at the station who suggested that the parking lot there might be full so close to Christmas, I’m wondering if anyone has recommendations for long-term parking options in the general vicinity of the station. No one we know in the Cities is going to be available to ferry us, and both timing and cost considerations militate against the bus or shuttle. Has anybody done this successfully?

[State Library of Queensland, Australia, on Flickr]

Missing Siberian Husky in Duluth

Nine-year-old female husky with two blue eyes and wearing a black collar named Sasha has been missing since Monday, Dec. 6, at approximately 6:30 p.m. She was found in Kohl’s parking lot, but then broke loose from animal control at the Duluth Animal Shelter on 27th West. That is where she was last seen. She is very small for a husky (only about 45-50 lbs) and may appear to be younger than she is, but she has a special diet and will get sick if off it too long. If you have any information, please contact me at 218-391-8149 or call the Duluth Police Department/Animal Shelter. Please help!!! There are kids really missing her.

City of Duluth Quarterly

Duluthians should find the first issue of City of Duluth Quarterly in their mailboxes today, Dec. 10. It’s part of Mayor Don Ness’ plan to improve city communications. The magazine is produced by city staff and New Ventures Publishing Corp.

New Ventures is owned by former Duluth News Tribune publisher Marti Buscaglia and also publishes Duluth-Superior Magazine.

Duluth Christmas Tree Sellers

I was wondering where in the heck a person buys a Christmas tree in Duluth these days? It’s not exactly something you can look up online as far as I know … PDD’s help is greatly appreciated!

You got your zombies in my movie theater

The season finale of The Walking Dead is Sunday. Standing room only has been a problem for some of the weeks. Get there early (it’s free!), buy a beer and bring a little extra scratch to Dragonport Games, where you can buy more than 1000 pages of Walking Dead comics, books and more.

Lost Dog in West Duluth – Sugar

Contact Tom @ 218-349-0514 if you have any info on the whereabouts of Sugar.

Lost Dog - Dec 1st - Sugar

Northern Lights Books & Gifts closing?

In my email today:

Dear Loyal Customers,

Sometime in the near future the Duluth News Tribune will be running a story about Northern Lights Books & Gifts being for sale. It is true. Since August I have been contacting our top customers and local book colleagues to let them know I was looking for a buyer. Our lease will be up the end of February and I do not plan to renew.

I have decided to scale back my professional responsibilities so I can be available to travel in order to care for elderly parents in northern Illinois. Over the past year I have been gone nine weeks. I am very grateful to my staff for their professionalism and for their loyal efforts on behalf of the bookstore.

There have also been significant changes in traditional bookselling. I believe we are at a “Guttenberg” moment in publishing with the impact of electronic media. A new fresh approach is required for continued success in bookselling at the brick and mortar level. My heart and head are distracted with other priorities and I do not have the energy to figure out what comes next for profitible bookselling.

It has truly been an honor and a dream come true to serve the community of book lovers who have shopped with us for the past seventeen years. In the meantime we are operating full steam ahead through the holiday season.

Gratefully,
Anita Zager
Northern Lights Books & Gifts

“Trail uses” this week’s theme at Hartley Nature Center

Ease back into your week … swing by Hartley Nature Center. There is fresh snow on the XC trails, and at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, an Adult Night Out presentation on Minnesota’s Hiking and Running Trails by Kate Havelin, who has written two books on hiking and running trails of Minnesota.

Lake Superior Hand Jive

Does anyone else do this? When people ask where I’m from, I often make my hand into the shape of Lake Superior and say, “This is Lake Superior and I live here, at the western tip.”

I think maybe I’m just a tad jealous of the Michiganders (lower peninsula) getting to use their hands as maps all the time.

Ten Minutes with Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff

I met Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff at a Sustainable Duluth event at the Clyde Iron Works earlier this fall. Naomi came to Duluth five years ago and is currently editor of the Duluth Hillisider, the community newspaper, and a founder of the Duluth Daily Photo blog. Like many of the artists and writers I’ve interviewed here, her passion for what she would become emerged early in life.

Ennyman: When did you first take an interest in writing? And who were your biggest influences?

Naomi: I first became interested in journalism when I was in junior high school. As icebreaker, our typing teacher had everyone anonymously write down his or her favorite television show on a slip of paper. My favorite show was 60 Minutes and when the teacher read it out loud, the whole class erupted into laughter.

As a high school junior, I wrote for our high school paper. The summer before my senior year, I attended Northwestern University’s six-week Summer Institute of Journalism in Evanston, Ill. We participated in mock interviews of famous people and we also had some real interviews. My senior year I wrote for the Grand Forks Herald’s Teen scene. I was paid to produce one story a week on area teenagers. (I doubt any newspapers are paying teenagers to write stories now.)

To see the rest of this interview, visit Ennyman’s Territory and http://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com

Thankful in Duluth — 2010 Edition

thanksgivingchuckI’ll lead this year’s PDD Thanksgiving prayer by declaring I’m thankful my Internet is finally back up and running, just in time for giving thanks (and after $100 and hours of anguish.)

I’m also thankful for the batch of glogg I need to start making right this minute!

… and friends and family and yada yada.

What are you thankful for?

(Here’s what PDDers were thankful for in 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003.)

Oh, the possibilities

Okay, I need a little help. I finally got a M-F, 9-5 job in Duluth and will not have to work weekends for the first time since I was 14 years old. I have a 1 year old daughter and want to take advantage of some weekend family activities but have been out of the loop for a while. What is out there that I may have forgot or have not heard about yet?

Sustainability

lastest reports are that the unemployment rate in Duluth is six point nine . Thank you Mayor Ness . It’s curious that we as a city haven’t embraced sustaniblity concepts beyon(sp) what has been done..I’m curious why we’re not more progressive. Noithing in the paper about solar prodjects. I could get down into that but Mister mayor leave a legacy.

Because We All Need to Wine a Little

The First Chinook – Proceeds help local Girl Scout Troop

Another great Christmas gift that helps support Duluth Girl Scout Troops 4154 & 4123.

A delightful picture book filled with true stories of adventure…
The First Chinook by David Pagel is the story of Arthur T Walden and his legendary sled dog, Chinook. Impressively illustrated by Rick Allen’s woodcuts and engravings, the story begins in the mid-Winter of 1917 when a golden-colored puppy was born in New Hampshire. Over the next 12 years Arthur’s enthusiastic dog would set mushing records, help popularize the sport of sled dog racing, and become legendary.

Specially priced at $15.

To order the book or for more info please email  thefirstchinook(at)gmail.com
Thank you…

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