Category: events

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Kitefest Blue Kite

I really liked this big blue parachute-sized kite. It had these big windsocks that trailed it. When they launched it, the tails snaked around behind it in a wonderfully hypnotic way. Kitefest is held in January on frozen Lake Harriet. This is truly making lemonade out of lemons; this whole city is either lakes or forested parks, it's really hard to find a place to fly a kite in the summer, but in the winter, it's all treeless, perfectly level parks. Windy, windy parks.

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Kitefest on Lake Harriet

Are you my Mummy? The wind was almost non-existent and the kites would occasionally float down to the ground. A bad day for kite fliers, but a good day for kids and clever photographers.

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Twin Cities Marathon

Beautiful day for a marathon! I went for a walk around Lake Calhoun with my neighbor this morning and we were able to see the runners as they finished off Calhoun and headed for Lake Harriet.

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Waiting for the Holidazzle Parade

Back to the streets again for the Parade. Friday night is definitely busier than Thursday. The streets filled up pretty quickly, you can tell that this photo is from before the parade because the lights are still on. Just before the parade begins, they cut the street lights and the bus shelter lights, but the Christmas lights on the trees stay on. It's very different with the lights on, the lights on the big buildings light up the low clouds so it almost feels like you are indoors on Nicollet, 'cept of course for the bitter cold.

Sarah Palin at the MOA

Sarah's book signing was scheduled for from noon to four, but she arrived twenty minutes early, got right up on stage and started signing books. My gang of photographers (Dusty, Dan, Mickey) and I camped out a good location and then security booted us just before she got there. This was shot with a 300mmVR from the third floor between the escalators on the far side of the atrium: f5 and 1/15th of a second ISO 1600. The line wound all around Nickelodeon Universe, we stopped and talked to a few people, everyone was pleasant and surprised by the turnout and all the media. TLC's show Mall Cops was filming all the skuffles with the mall cops. They really didn't like us taking pictures of them, so, um, we didn't.

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Eagle Eye

The closest I've ever gotten to  eagle. It's ok, he was on a leash, at the Minnesota Raptor Center release event. By using a long lens and large aperture, I was able to focus on the eye and throw the beak out of focus.

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Lake Harriet Kite Festival

Hundreds of kites filled the crisp winter air as little kids and big kids alike enjoyed this winter kite festival held on Lake Harriet in South Minneapolis.  Winter in Minnesota is an interesting thing. While many would elect to stay inside where it's warm; true Minnesotans have so many things to choose from: kite festivals on  frozen lakes, winter carnivals, ice carving contests, cross-country ski races and pond hockey tournaments! Check back for more kite and snow photos this week.

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Northstar Roller Girls

Endless entertainment abounds in the big city. Saturday night I went to see the Northstar Girls Roller Derby. This is Pippi Van Whalen, Number 84. Lots of photo opportunities, they skate at the Convention Center in Minneapolis and you can stand right up against the track to take pics. It's a fun atmosphere, it's got that Rocky Horror Picture Show / local bowling alley feel. Fun for the whole family. I'm definitely going back with a brighter lens and a flash. The low light was hard to work with.

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35W Bridge is Open!

Alas, all is back to normal here in river city. It's been tough on this great city to be essentially cut in half for just over a year. What was so shocking for all of us who didn't lose anyone in the collapse is that everyone either crossed the bridge regularly or knew someone who did — 140,000 vehicles a day passed over the old bridge. This first photo was taken from the Washington entrance ramp going North, ten minutes before the bridge opened. You can see the blue glow of the LED lights on the bridge.= A parade of vehicles began a slow procession across the bridge, a row of troopers, a row of construction trucks and then the crowd that had assembled behind them, honking and hooting!