Uptown Sunset

from flickr user MSPdude
The Uptown Theater at sunset.

The Tunnel

from flickr user Steve__N
Tunnel under Minnesota Drive - sun not yet up.

World Record of Most Mustaches in One Place

from flickr user Bo Darville
At the XCel Energy Center today, they invited everyone with a mustache on the ice to set a new world record of most mustaches in one place. The old record was 150, this crowd easily destroyed it. No official numbers yet, but the early estimate was about 1,500

Old McDonald's sign

from flickr user agilitynut
A classic McDonald's sign captured in Austin, MN. Don't expect to see this sign if you were to drive down the one-way known as Oakland Ave. West today. This particular McDonald's was sold last year and torn down and replaced a new, more modern store complete with a new, single pole sign leaving the small city devoid of one of its last historical landmarks.

Cold Tracks

from flickr user jbdenham
The photographer says: One of the beauties of The Twin Cities is how easy and quick it is to go from the concrete jungle to rural Minnesota. Some people think this is a bit of pain in that there isn't another big city within 4 hours of town, but I believe that's a blessing, mainly because rural Minnesota looks very much like rural Tennessee, which I call home. Winter time being a major exception to this rule.

Being from a rural area, settings like the one in today's image are very much appreciated behind my eyes, with the old depot and mill sitting right next to the train tracks that run right through the back side of town. This particular town, Lake Elmo, MN, is only 15 minutes from downtown St. Paul, but is small enough not to warrant a traffic light.

There's an electrical company just to the left of the frame and many of the guys were loading up the trucks for the day's work while I was setting up to take this and a few other shots. I can only imagine their thoughts of the silly man out by the tracks taking pictures with it being 10 degrees F outside, but I must tell you, there's a certain warmth to taking pictures in the cold weather. Don't get me wrong, it's still cold, but I really don't notice it until I pack up and head back to the car. The wonders of photography.

Minneapolis lock and dam

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Fire Chilly! (Proof that signs work)

from flickr user elviskennedy
Fans let Zygi Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings, know how they feel about head coach Brad Childress. Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 21, 2010. The Packers won 31-3. Today head coach Brad Childress was fired and replaced by Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier.

Skies of November

from flickr user djsme
Taken at Myre Big Island State Park in Albert Lea, MN, this photo captures the waning gold colors of autumn and the moody and almost angry grayish skies of November perfectly.

Blowin' In The Wind

from flickr user -ChadJohnson
This is one of two wind turbines at the new Cascade Meadow Wetlands and Environmental Science Center. They are the first wind turbines erected in Rocheser.

The first snow

from flickr user minnetonkafelix
Taken Saturday on Lake Minnetonka, the season's first snowfall (which I'm surprised is still on the ground) seems to have caught many off guard.

Snowberries

from flickr user matt_industries
Bright red berries hang partially encased in ice from Saturday's somewhat early snowfall in Minneapolis. Many west metro communities reported 10-11 inches of snow.

MN Cyclocross Championships

from flickr user ibikempls
A biker catches some wicked air during Saturday's wicked snowfall. Alright, the snowfall wasn't exactly wicked but it was unexpected as we experienced a record high temperature of 68 degrees just three days earlier.

The Doors Of Heaven

from flickr user LoneStarNorth
It seems that for mere seconds that the sun shone through the thick cloud cover as shot from the cattail lined shore of a Minnesota lake giving the photo its title.

A Streetcar Named Desire!

from flickr user CreativeImagesbyGary
To ride a historical and classical old streetcar along the 5 lakes area in Minneapolis on a beautiful Fall day is a treat and then some. The tree lined streets, the scent of Autumn air, and the blanket of fallen leaves make for a most inspiring memory.

Split Rock Lighthouse - Celebrating 100 Years

from flickr user pmarkham
The photographer says: This year marks the 100th year of the first lighting of Split Rock Lighthouse. As part of the celebration, the Minnesota Historical Society has been lighting it for an hour or two on the first Friday of each month. I was fortunate enough to be able to be there for the November lighting. I have to say, seeing the lighthouse lit up is absolutely spectacular and worth it if you ever get the chance.

These photos were taken from Ellington Island, which you can sometimes get to from the Pebble Beach on the state park side of Split Rock if the wind and waves have left enough rock laying around to walk across.

For this photo, I had to wait until the lens was pointed straight at me in order to get the starburst effect from the light. The lens makes a complete revolution every 24 seconds. It has two flash panels, so the beam would sweep across me every 12 seconds.

St. Paul sunrise

from flickr user ajbbents
Taken last Monday, this sunrise was one of the best in recent memory. This photo nicely captures some barely noticeable urban details such as a cell phone tower on the left side and a stationary crane on the right.

Thirty point buck?

from flickr user dtredinnick13
This huge buck, looks to be a 12 pointer, stands this morning at the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, MN -- a relative safe haven during Minnesota's deer hunting season which opened Saturday.

Squiggly

from flickr user waiting line (Ren)
A cyclist rode by, creating some whimsical squiggles.

Gooseberry Falls sunrise

from flickr user squarelogo
North shore sunrise taken from Gooseberry Falls State Park on July 22nd 2010

28th Avenue Transit Stop, Bloomington, MN

from flickr user Mike D. Ross
A very artistic photo of the 28th Avenue light rail stop in Bloomington, MN. The shallow focus nicely sets the mood making for a very urban feeling photo.

The photographer says: I was sitting down for an hour trying to get this shot and the passengers were looking at me like I was crazy.

Big Beach Dude With Truck

from flickr user gamelaner
I stopped in to see the big beach dude just outside of Hampton, MN. It's supposed to be a kid on the beach pulling his toy truck, but of course it's a real dump truck. He's 26 feet tall. There's also a weeny little (11 feet) viking statue there, but I didn't bother with it.

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn

from flickr user oneworldmj
An invitation to sit a while and admire the changing of the seasons. There is noticeable Fall color change each day now and if you don't stop to admire it, it will be gone before you know it. Hope you're all enjoying it wherever you are (and for my friends in the southern hemisphere, hope you're enjoying your Spring)!!

Abandoned in Stillwater

from flickr user boscbo
An old and apparently abandoned grain elevator seen in Stillwater, MN. I'm curious what company name was painted on the building. I can see ghosts of two, one of which appears to say Stillwater but the other is too obliterated to discern.

Kinetic bowling balls

from flickr user mhartford
Leonardo's Basement, Minneapolis