Secret Cellars in the Near Wilderness Settlement
I found myself standing in front of this little hobbit house just north of Lake Katrina in Medina today. I’m guessing this was somebody’s root cellar many years ago, but I can’t explain the vaulted brick ceilings and the old water heater in the corner. You can check it out for yourself if you [...]
Guerrilla Garden Ornaments
I can’t remember why I started pouring concrete into plastic skulls a couple months ago. I was in the garage, sorting screws, rearranging bicycles, lawn chairs and canoes. The bag of Portland Cement was shoved under a metal shelving unit I brought over from my last garage, but never put back together. My eyes went [...]
The Lake Street Bridge Then and Now
The current Lake Street-Marshall Bridge replaced the previous bridge, a wrought-iron span built in 1889. The previous bridge was the second-oldest bridge in use over the Mississippi when it was demolished at the end of the last century. In 1874 the the Minneapolis Tribune said the bridge was a “foolish extravagance,” since there [...]
The River-Lake Gospel Tabernacle Then and Now
The controversy over a small 12” x 12 plaque that reads “the River-Lake Gospel Tabernacle stood on this site from 1928 until 2002” is the only reminder of a building that some folks want to forget. The River Lake Gospel Tabernacle, opened under the leadership of Paul Rader’s brother. It was closely affiliated with [...]
The Swamp Angel
The Swamp Angel By Herman Melville There is a coal-black Angel With a thick Afric lip, And he dwells (like the hunted and harried) In a swamp where the green frogs dip. But his face is against a City Which is over a bay of the sea, And he breathes with a breath that is [...]
