The Old Ones Illuminated, Grand Marais, MN

from flickr user Stephan Hoglund
The photographer says: I stayed up late waiting for the Sky to clear but it did not but woke early and thought I saw a slight glow in the North even in Grand Marais so I literally jumped into the truck and got this at the Pines up the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais Minnesota and one quick one on Elbow Lake. There is a secret to shooting these vague Northern Lights...ask me! `~)

Street St, Anoka, MN

from flickr user Matt Peterson!
The photographer says: In my youth, I walked past this sign every day on my way to school, from kindergarten all the way through 9th grade. So from age 5 to age 15, 10 years, this sign was a passive fixture in my life.

In school, there were walkers, and bussers. In my early school years I was officially deemed a walker by the zones established by the school. A few years later they changed the zones, and I was then eligible to ride a bus to school.

But I didn't want to ride the bus. I wanted to walk, so I never rode the bus.

I've never really thought about any of this much in recent years until I took this photo a few weeks ago. I took the photo because I've always thought it was funny that a street would be named "Street St.", but my reaction when looking at the photo isn't, "hey, that's funny."

No, oddly my reaction was reminiscence. It reminded me of the huge amounts of time I spent walking. Walking and thinking. When you walk you think. You look at stuff and sometimes you think about that. Sometimes you think about stuff that happened in school. You think about friends, you think about family.

The thinking done while walking is maybe a bit different than the thinking you do while sitting or driving. When you walk your heart rate increases. You have all sorts of sensory input from smells to sights and sounds. In winter you have to be careful so you don't slip on ice. In spring you need to watch out for puddles after a rain. In autumn you get the lovely crunching sound from stepping on fallen leaves. All of this feeds your thoughts, and heightens the enjoyment of thinking. Walking and thinking.

Now I'm an adult and just like my parents did, I drive to work. Driving to work doesn't bring me the same kind of fulfillment that walking to school did. The smells and sounds and sights whiz by so fast you barely notice. No, driving isn't the same at all.

Yep, the sign is kinda funny. But what it really does for me is remind me that I love to be alive. I love to be in nature. And I love to walk.

Oh, and I'd love to be a carefree 5-15 year old again as well, but I'll settle for going on a nice walk from time to time.

Winter surfing on Lake Superior

from flickr user lcarlson
It takes a brave soul to venture into the icy waters of Lake Superior but taking to those waters in early January as this intrepid surfer did takes true guts. Dressed in a full-on dry suit and with his exposed skin likely covered in petroleum jelly to avoid frostbite, this photo definitely captures the adventuresome nature that many on Minnesota's north shore have.

Bullet train - Northfield, MN

from flickr user orangedot777
So this photo isn't actually one of a bullet train because we don't have bullet trains here in the United States but this rial-side photo is the product of a long exposure of a train apparently speeding along the tracks in Northfield, MN.

AT&T Tower - Minneapolis, MN

from flickr user myfotoguy
With a fresh dusting of snow coming down, this nighttime photo of the AT&T Tower in Minneapolis seems very personal due to the up-close nature of the photo. Seeing the buildings of Minneapolis at night gives me a new appreciation for them.

Bald Eagle in flight - Minnesota River

from flickr user jmontague2
This was taken in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge over the Minnesota River.

Red Bull Crashed Ice in St. Paul at night

from flickr user zbyron
The photographer of this Red Bull Crashed Ice photo states that it's his first attempt at shooting anything sports-related. He captured the intense action of Red Bull Crashed Ice amazingly well and managed to do so at night which, for a first-time, is no small feat. Great work on bringing out the action of the St. Paul, MN event. I hope it comes back to Minnesota again so I can check it out for myself and photograph it!

Red Bull Crashed Ice - St. Paul Cathedral at night

from flickr user kaslingsby
Yesterday marked the beginning of the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition in front of the St. Paul Cathedral. While there is no extreme skating action shown in this nighttime photo, the image of the Red Bull Crashed Ice skating ramp bathed in red light and the St. Paul Cathedral bathed in cool blue light seems to be custom tailored for nighttime photography. I can't wait to see photos of the action from this weekend!

Belly Dancers - Minneapolis, MN

from flickr user Turn to Clear Vision
Maybe it's the elaborate, brightly colored costumes. Maybe it's because I am a sucker for women who know how to move their bodies or maybe it's because there is such an amazing talent involved in the art of belly dancing that it's just impressive to me because I'm about as far from graceful as a human being can get.

New Rome, Minnesota - Powerlines

from flickr user A. Johnson
A very nice nighttime self-portrait on a warm January evening in colorful rural Minnesota.