“The Price of Admission for Living in the Northland”?
Wildwoods shared this story about wildlife and domestic pets:
On Friday, Wildwoods sent three fox kits down to our friend Connie, who specializes in raising and releasing orphaned foxes. Their stories illustrate the range of problems we may cause for our wild neighbors — through carelessness, through intolerance, and through misplaced “love.” (more…)
This Week: art, horses, beer docs and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
The Spirit Room celebrates its first year with a multi-day bash, Wordsmith Wednesdays is going down at Amazing Grace, the Three Bridges International Music Festival continues, the Duluth Huskies battle a team from Alexandria that is unfortunately not called the Big Oles, the River Rovers Nature Play Group for kids is assembling in Billings Park and Art in the Alley opens its Mall-area location.
In Lincoln Park, there’s music on the 22nd and the Neighborhood Summer Celebration on the 25th, the craft-beer documentary film Blood, Sweat and Beer plays at Bent Paddle, the Chum Rhubarb Festival gets underway on Saturday (as does the 45th annual Park Point Art Fair) and the Gala of the Royal Horses is at Amsoil Arena.
Is this bear poop on my front lawn?
These droppings were six feet from my front door this morning on North 42nd Avenue West in West Duluth.
St. Paul gets all up in Duluth’s craft-beer capital-proclaiming face
A new billboard has popped up on Grand Avenue in West Duluth with fighting words issued from St. Paul. Duluth, many will recall, claimed the title of “Craft Beer Capital of Minnesota” back in February 2013. (more…)
Knife River Fawn
Video by Frank Sander from out the window of the Blau House at the Little Knife Sanctuary in Knife River, with music by Ryan Clover.
Agassiz Oscillation Ensemble – “Shoulders in Heavy”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7PIFvvV7DM
Cinematography – Allen Killian-Moore
“Shoulders in Heavy” is a selected portion from side A of the forthcoming Agassiz Oscillation Ensemble album Workplace Democracy, to be released on Chicago-based 1980 Records in July.
Selective Focus: Zen
Bryce Kastning, untitled
I did not anticipate needing this theme to the degree that I did; sometimes, you can be overwhelmed by the coarse, the squalid, the noisy, and the negative. Photography often affords me a psychic reprieve, and I’m grateful now to live in a place where one can so easily step into a placid physical place when the madness gets too far inside. Sufficient? Time will tell. (more…)
Charlie Parr’s Stumpjumper Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW5pT89lgys
Phil Cook, producer of Charlie Parr’s new album Stumpjumper, narrates this video that follows Parr from the North Shores of Duluth to the hills of North Carolina. The footage was shot by Cook, Maxwell McGruder and Adam Heathcott.
Skyline Parkway sign vector
Does anyone have a vector image of the Skyline Parkway sign? Google is coming up short. Thanks!
Does anyone know why the pond at Bagley is being drained?
We walk the dog in the Bagley Nature Area at UMD daily, and since Saturday we’ve noticed the water level in the pond has been quickly dropping. It looks to be two-to-three feet lower than it was last week. There is a drain at the far end of the pond that sounds like it is open. If this is intentional, it seems like an odd time of year to be draining a pond that is home to so much wildlife.
The Keep Aways at Tom’s Burned Down Café
.. and then the woman with the green hair appears.
Over the Edge for the Duluth Y
Have 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
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
The 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. (more…)
Selective Focus: Idyll/Idle
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. (more…)
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?
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. (more…)
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. (more…)
Canadian wildfire haze over Duluth
Forest fires burning across Saskatchewan are making for a rather psychedelic afternoon.