Moving ground blizzard

from flickr user Mr. Missabe
Eastbound out of Jackson, Minnesota through a cut that was filling fast with blowing snow. Wind gusts of over 30 mph were out of the south and not the normal northwest direction.

Lowry Hill Liquors

from flickr user tjdewey
I'm a sucker for great signage - especially retro signage and this photo of Lowry Hill Liquors' sign in Minneapolis definitely fits the bill.

Foggy Night in Minneapolis

from flickr user Doug Wallick
Taken from the photographer's fortunate workplace rooftop view during a foggy night last night.

Tavern on Grand, Saint Paul Minnesota

from flickr user rabidscottsman
Sauteed Sausage, Mushrooms and Onions tossed with Fettuccine, Blue cheese and topped with a roasted red pepper sauce

Windswept

from flickr user glness
What stikes me first about this photo featuring an irrigator atop the slightly rolling farm land in rural Minnesota is its clarity. Taken during a small winter storm where whiteout conditions enveloped much of western Minnesota, this is a great way to portray what winter in Minnesota looks like.

Frozen downspout

from flickr user T. Tauri
A remnant of the past weekend's somewhat rare January thaw, this frozen downspout could very well remain this way for many cold weeks. Or it could completely thaw out next week. That's winter in Minnesota.

St. Paul Winter Carnival Frozen 5K

from flickr user thomasbrandt
Saturday, even with the rain and temperatures warmer than usual in the thirties, brought the St. Paul Winter Carnival's Frozen 5K and Half Marathon. If you're here looking to see who won, I have no idea but the colorful running attire makes for a pleasant break from the start whites and grays of winter in Minnesota.

Crystals

from flickr user Jeana Marie Photography
A macro shot of ice crystals on a small tree branch makes this past week of near-constant fog look appealing.

Power lines

from flickr user Zach Boumeester
A frosty morning in St. Paul captures the repetition of main power transmission lines running through wetlands with the city's skyline in the background.

Splash of Color

from flickr user cwnauman
A vibrant Cardinal in Rochester, MN reminds us that even when things are various shades of gray and white and the sun appears but once each week that there is still color to be found in Minnesota.

Frosty creek

from flickr user theDancingLlama
Hoar frost covered trees line a river under Mayowood Rd. in Rochester, MN.

Nothing Fancy

from flickr user D.Paul Thomas
This seemingly abandoned Ford Bronco, decked out like it's ready for almost any offroad situation, sits collecting snow in Hamel, MN.

Winter castle

from flickr user minomap
This scene, from Albert Lea, MN, shows us a small castle-like structure. It appears to be at least partially underground so I'd guess it's something from a cemetary but it's anyone's guess. Any takers?

The ultimate Vikings tailgaters?

from flickr user The Orange Kid
Yesterday, culminating in a Minnesota Vikings win sending the team to New Orleans to play in the NFC Championship game, marked the final day of tailgating around the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis and big games like this one bring the die-hard tailgaters out even earlier.

It's Art Shanty time

from flickr user ericaaaaa
The 2010 Art Shanties are coming together nicely as evidenced by this photo taken from the inside of one of the artistic icehouses sitting on frozen Medicine Lake in Plymouth.

Smash

from flickr user Barrett
Taken in Duluth during a stand-up comedy show, melon-smashing comic Gallagher steps aside for some audience participation and lets a ticket-buyer take a swing with the sledge-o-matic at a vulnerable watermelon. More surprising than the awesomeness of this photo is the fact that Gallagher is still alive and people go to his shows.

Lights of Minneapolis

from flickr user Doug Wallick
Bathed in red, this skyline photo of Minneapolis is just different. I don't really know how to best describe my take on it but having a clearly visible foreground provides a nice contrast between neighbrhood and downtown skyline.

Gas Pumps

from flickr user zman z28
Gas for 17 cents?!? This photo harkens back to the days when America truly was in love with the automobile. Now they're a necessity draining out wallets at $2.67/gallon. Ah, progress.

Winter Wonderland

from flickr user cwnauman
Taken this morning near Rochester, MN, this photo shows our frosty morning leading towards a January thaw. The hoar frost is just a nice bonus.

Follow The Leader

from flickr user dtredinnick
I don't know how these trumpeter swans on the open waters of the Mississippi River near Monticello, MN can tolerate the frigid, wintry waters in Minnesota but they look happy so I'll assume they're having a good time but it's hard to tell as I've never seen an angry Trumpeter Swan.

Orange-ish

from flickr user heinz57sauce
Wow. This photo taken in Woodbury, MN is amazing. Capturing a bit of remaining orange glow after dark is quite the feat and the lit foreground makes the photo seem downright surreal.

A Prairie Dragon in Winter

from flickr user glness
The photographer says: Old, abandoned threshers and other large farm implements can often be found on various hilltops all over the Midwest. According to a colleague of mine, they are called "prairie dragons" by some. I presume this name came about because when threshers are in operation they belch smoke (grain dust). This one is on a farm near Staples, Minnesota.

I have no idea how many prairie dragons there are in Minnesota alone, but assume it has to number in the thousands.

Apparently, based on the direction of the tracks in the snow, even wild animals avoid contact with prairie dragons.

Gold Medal Reflections

from flickr user zman z28
Multiple reflections of the Gold Medal Flour sign in Minneapolis taken by the photographer moving his tripod to a precise spot and making a window do the work.

Fading Day

from flickr user Brennan Anderson
The photographer says: "The temperature was below zero, and I wasn't properly equipped with winter gear, so I only lasted about five minutes. The boots and gloves I was wearing were not very warm. I managed to capture this shot while outside, though."

Refinery smoke

from flickr user Zach Boumeester
Never before has smoke pouring from an oil refinery's stacks looked sexy. Until today when I caught this black and white photo of the smokestacks above the oil refinery in South (or West) St. Paul, Minnesota. Sure it's filthy but it makes for a great urban/industrial photo.

Hot water and -22 F

from flickr user Dave Berryman
The photographer says: This is what happens to a boiling hot cup of water when the actual temperature outside reaches -22f/-30c like it did this morning!

When I tell my friends from the south that 22f/-5.5c can feel warm they think I'm crazy, but think about it...that's 44 degrees Farenheit/ 25 degrees Celsius warmer! The lowest temperature for Minnesota, -60° Fahrenheit Tower, Minnesota February 2, 1996, Source: NOAA Website

I managed to talk my daughter out of a warm house so I could take this shot. Thank you Katie!

Keep warm my friends!

Nature's Art

from flickr user djsime
Art created by Minneopa Falls near Mankato, MN, ice encrusted oak leaves at -20 degrees.

Thank you

A heartfelt thank you goes from me to the thousands of visitors coming here on a regular basis. As much as you apparently appreciate the photos I sift through to arrive at the best of the best which I post here I appreciate your visits. To those unaware of this blog's beginnings, it's all relatively new. I launched MinnPics in July of 2008 and it's been truly fun. Do me a favor this year - tell a friend about MinnPics and spread the love of great photography in 2010. There's not a dime in it for me so the appreciation is my only motivation. That and my love of photography and Minnesota.

Thanks.