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Plants, flowers, and people – all together under one roof at the Como Conservatory. It was a balmy 75 degrees inside. A great get away from the freezing cold. Conservatory dome entrance:
Things turned sunny as I was leaving:
Palm row:
Bright pink and purple:
Orchids:
I want a ceiling like this:
Interesting silk floss tree:
Ferns everywhere:
Afternoon light
Reds and yellows:
Layers of flowers and pond in the poinsettia room:
South Second Street
South Second Street details
Setting: St. Anthony Bridge, Guthrie and Mill City Museum; 20 degrees below zero on a sunny Saturday in January Band: Watson
Above: Brian, Jon, Brian and Adam
Against the red wall of the Guthrie
Staggered in the Mill City Museum
Black & white
2 and 2 – Mill City Museum window
Mill City Museum backdrop
Watson | stars
Walking along the St. Anthony bridge
Adam, Brian, Jon and Brian
Lean
The huge kitchen was great for cooking and hanging out. We made Specken-Dicken (pancakes with pieces of bacon and spicy sausage) and drank mimosas when we arrived on New Year’s Eve day and continued to cook and eat for the next few days.
The entire house was open, with huge windows that looked out onto the St. Croix river. It was completely frozen, so we walked across it a few times throughout the weekend. St. Croix sunset
Frozen Minnesotan tundra, with ice house
Winter sky
You can find Bar La Grassa on Washington Ave in the Warehouse District. Authentic, yet creative Italian is my best description. The space is separated into three dining areas and will accommodate a date for two or a a large party. A seat at the skinny bar (left) will give you the chance to have an intimate view of the kitchen. If you go, go hungry. Even though you can order small plates, the food is rich and you’ll want to eat it all. I was there with pretty large group, so I sampled quite a few things: APPLE and PROSCIUTTO with GORGONZOLA PARMESAN DRESSING – Shredded apple and cabbage, coated with dressing, wrapped together with the thinnest of thin prosciutto RICOTTA and ROASTED TOMATO BRUSCHETTA – Creamy ricotta cheese and tomato bits atop two toasted pieces of their homemade Italian bread MARINATED PORK SHOULDER BRUSCHETTA – Supper tender pork atop two toasted pieces of their homemade Italian bread FUSILLI COL BUCO with PORK SAUSAGE – Hard to tame fusilli pasta in a red sauce with pork sausage medalions CRAB RAVIOLI – Fresh, plump ravioli filled with crab and topped with a cream sauce
I didn’t miss winter one bit when I lived in Albania. It got cold there, too, but it usually didn’t dip below 40 degrees. I’ve told myself to embrace the chilly season this year, so here I am taking a few photos in effort to understand the joy behind the chill. I found this lone icicle on our back deck this morning. Our neighbors roof awnings are lined with them, and for some reason ours is not.
I caught my own tracks before they got shoveled away. This is the walk I make every morning out to the car. It’s definitely an upgrade this year with the garage. No more having to dig out or shovel off the car. Wine and candles – equally as important as a warm winter jacket.
If you’re on skinny skis, you’re golden. We came across a few trail heads that were for cross-country skiing only. It’s a quiet place. We arrived around 11AM this morning and came across just a handfull of people during our 2 hour stroll.
This was my second year exploring the Three Rivers Wine Trail. Last year, a group of friends and I went south toward Cannon Falls to visit a few wineries in that area. This year, we visited The Chateau St. Croix, along with the WineHave Winery and the Northern Vineyards Winery. Along with wine sampling, the vineyards provide cheese and other wine tasting snacks. We also tried a delicious mulled wine at WineHaven. Perfect for New Year’s Eve. Visit http://www.chateaustcroix.com/ for more information about the Chateau St. Croix. Visit http://www.threeriverswinetrail.com/ for more information about the Three Rivers Wine Trail.
Photos take on a new look and feel when transformed into Poladroids (http:/www.poladroid.net/). I took a collection of photos in my iPhoto library, put them through the Poladroid process and out pops the familiar colors and texture of a Polaroid. Some of my favorites:
Above: Brian, Andrew and Evan in Tepelene, Albania.
Above: Ben walking toward a record store in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Above: Mozartsteg in Salzburg, Austria A few more from the collection:
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Copyright © 2010 Katherine Silus - All Rights Reserved |
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It was just a 30 minute drive east out of Minneapolis to get to our New Year’s Eve location this year. If you don’t know about it already, check out 
Mimosas
Specken-Dicken
It’s been official for a while. Winter is here. Running from your car into the house, into work, into the store. Wearing puffy down coats down to your knees.
Looking to take a leisurely winter stroll on semi groomed trails? Lake Elmo Park Reserve offers about 2.5 miles of walking trails this time of year. You’ll wind along quiet roads, bike trails and Lake Elmo itself.
The Chateau St. Croix winery is just a 30 minute drive west of the Twin Cities. If you’re heading east toward Madison, or driving through Stillwater, tack on an extra hour to visit and sample some of the Cheateau’s wines.
