Chionodoxa luciliae

Chionodoxa (ki-on-o-dock'sa) from Greek meaning Glory of the Snow. Native to Crete and Asia Minor. One of the earliest bulbs to bloom. We've been planting these and Siberian Squills in the lawn every year. They multiply and reseed fairly rapidly and are always a joy to see in the spring.

Mr. Sausage

Mr. Sausage, originally uploaded by johnpaul98_99.

Here's another older photo that's still one of my favorites!

This building used to have a water tank on top that was shaped and painted like a big sausage!

Here's the sign currently on the side of the building.

St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church

NE Minneapolis is a neighborhood known for its numerous churches and bars (We'll get to the bars later). Many of the churches were built to serve the large Eastern European immigrant communities that settled here. One of the most elaborate is St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church at 1701 Fifth St. NE. Their website has some interesting historical material. Scroll to the bottom of their page for links to old photographs in the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society.

I was intrigued by the crosses that are featured prominently on the exterior. I found this Wikipedia entry on crosses used by the Byzantine and Orthodox churches. In the section on "Variations" they discuss the slanted lower beam of the cross.

19:18, 15RickP August 2006 (UTC)

I'm hoping to do a series of posts about other interesting churches in NE Minneapolis ( and the bars too!).

"W"

"W", originally uploaded by johnpaul98_99.

Here's another addition to my letter series. I'm still not sure why this is so appealing to me. I know that having worked in printing and the graphic arts for thirty years, I'm very conscious of letters and words and typography. Certain things just jump out at me and make me take notice.

This "W" is a metal cut-out that is welded to a wrought iron gate. I has been spray painted a metallic gold and then weathered over the years. I love the surface texture and patina!

Here's a photo of the whole gate.

I would love to know more about this gate: who made it, when it was put up, was this originally the main entrance to the train yards, etc. If anyone out there has more info on this, I would love to hear from you!

Snow

Yesterday we got snow all day. I keep hoping that this one is the last one for the season, but they just keep on coming.

Anyway, the sun came out this morning and it really was beautiful. The proverbial Winter Wonderland. So, couldn't resist a couple of photos.

Buddha with his snow hat.

The Witch Hazel

"A"

"A", originally uploaded by johnpaul98_99.

I've started collecting images of single letters. Not totally sure what I'll end up doing with them, but I'm sure I'll think of something. This "A" is what got me started.

Found this large metal "A" on a trailer the other day. Blew me away. The size, the color, the setting. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I have no idea who made it or what its purpose is, but it's great!

World Court

World Court, originally uploaded by johnpaul98_99.

I've been scanning old 35mm slides that I took in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the 1970's and posting them on Flickr. Here's one of an old motel.