Ghost Bridge

One more shot from Friday’s morning snowstorm in Duluth, MN.

Snowblind by the Sundew

Yeah, things got a little crazy in Duluth yesterday.

Going rogue

Can't find your pants? I might know where they are.

Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum

A bunker. An ice house. An illegal casino during Prohibition. These are just a few of the legends. It’s actually the foundation of an unloading dock built by Harvey Whitney, a local businessman, in 1919. Didn’t quite work out the way Harvey planned.

Taconite Harbor power plant, Schroeder, MN.

Idle since 2016, in an effort to help Minnesota Power reduce its coal-generating capacity.

Bill Bally, won't you come home?

Grand Marais, MN.

Sunset, Crosby Lake Farm

End of the day at Crosby Lake Farm in Saint Paul, MN.

Pump

After my maternal grandfather died, the brothers had this pump installed in the side yard so that my grandmother wouldn’t have to walk all the way to the spring for fresh water. Alverta could be tough as nails–I remember many a cold winter’s day when she’d walk the dirt lane to our house, about a quarter of a mile away and all uphill, steepest at the very end. My dad would beg her to call ahead so that he drive her in the car and save her some steps. She rarely called, and I never heard her complain. The house, as noted in an earlier post, had electricity, but the kitchen stove was a big wood-fired beast; in the winter, heat was provided by a combination of that stove and a coal stove in the living room. Upstairs, where the bedrooms and the scary stuffed animals were–no heat.
Grandma thought that water pump was about the best thing in the world.

Ask For It By Name!

More wandering around my grandparents’ farm. No idea how long this barrel has been sitting there, but at least I couldn’t detect any toxic leakage. Castrol Molub-Alloy gear oils and greases, according to the internets, “offer heavy duty protection for equipment used for heavy and shock load applications.”

Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station

President Lincoln's arrival point in Gettysburg on November 18, 1863. The station was in operation from 1858 to 1942.

Farmhouse

This is the house my maternal grandparents built, sometime around the 1930-1940 era. One of the novelties for me as a kid was hauling water from the spring--indoor plumbing was a luxury item the grandparents couldn’t afford. A late-night walk to the outhouse, about 30-40 yards away, was a major adventure. Bonus points for no electricity to the outhouse, so hope that you remembered to grab a flashlight before heading out.

To my knowledge no one has set foot in the house for years. My mom was one of five siblings--currently the property is maintained by the two surviving brothers. But everyone is getting on in years now; not sure how much longer the land will stay in the hands of the family.

I've been traveling to Gettysburg frequently this past year, helping my parents transition from their house to a retirement community. Occurred to me this most recent trip that I'd better make a priority of visiting the farm, which is just down the hill from my folks' place, so I have some sort of photographic record to pass on.