The Florists shop

Faces Mears Park

Faces is a Bistro and bar across the street from Mears Park in downtown St. Paul.  I have not been inside yet.  It is next on my list.

Landmark center reflected

I took this one a couple of years ago. I guess I am posting it today because it reminds me of an old friend that I used to share photos with and have been thinking about. This is the landmark center reflected in the Travelers Insurance building in downtown St. Paul.  The day I took this shot I managed to get a $110 dollar parking ticket. I should have taken a picture of that too.

Spring on Selby Avenue

A couple of years ago I decided that I was going to photograph all of Selby Avenue from the Cathedral, which you can see in the background up to Dale Street.  I have not gotten many shots but one day I will have them all.  I love the architecture and the street lamps and the store fronts.

fleur de lis

Did you ever see a store front that was so beautiful you had to stop and take a picture?  This is the window of Fleur de Lis on Selby Avenue in St. Paul, MN.  They always have an amazing display of flowers in front of the store. It is pretty nice inside too.

The Rossmor

I list units in this building on a regular basis. With each listing I attempt to get a decent photo of the outside of the building.  This is my best to date but it isn’t quite there yet.  The building is a big rectangle and it is on a hill.  There isn’t any place to stand that is far enough away from the building to get it all in so the camera is always at an angle which doesn’t work so well with a wide angle lens.  I know I don’t have to get the entire building in the photo but it looks better having it all in the photo or most of it than part of it.

The Rossmor is a block long.  It was a shoe factory until it was converted into artists lofts.  I like the lofts in the Rossmor, they are big, clean and simple.  The last shot I took of the exterior was my second most stolen photo. I even found it on a flier the back door advertising a loft for sale.  It will be interesting to see if this one gets lifted too.

Nina's Coffee Cafe

There are so many choices when it comes to what to take photos of and what angle to use and then how to process them.  I decided to straighten this one because it was crooked but in doing so part of the sign got cropped.  It is now Ina’s offee shop.  I think I made the right choice.

Ice Dragon

It was a strange weekend it rained.  I can’t recall ever having rain during the winter carnival.  It was hard to get photos of the ice carving contest held in Rice Park so I didn’t get many.  This was my favorite sculpture.  I watched them starting it on Friday and it still kind of looked like a block of ice.   Too bad we can’t keep it.

News Stands

I was sitting in a coffee shop writing. I had to bring my camera in with me because it was too cold out to leave it in the car.  I looked out the window and decided that I wanted to take a picture of the news stands.  While I was taking it the people sitting behind me decided that taking a shot like this out the window might be illegal.    The presence of my camera was causing them some discomfort so I just put it away.  If I had been taking photos of the coffee shop I would have asked for permission . . maybe.

Old Oak

There is a face up on the tower under the branches of the oak tree and this is my last post for 2009. Happy New Year.