Twin Cities and the Conservatory

Nephew, Mark,  and his wife Mary live in St Paul.  I stayed with them the remainder of the visit and they were unbelievably great hosts.  They started me out with a tour of the city that included the Conservatory and ended with a play at the Guthrie Theatre....

  

 

St. Paul and Minneapolis are truly beautiful old cities...



With lots of grand old mansions.

 

  This one belongs to Garrison Keillor.

Remember the collapse of the W35 bridge in Minneapolis 5 years ago?  The following is the memorial to the 13 dead and the more than 100 injured in the accident.

 

It is a fountain with water running down the face of it.  The inscription reads:

"Our lives are not only defined by what happens, But how we act in the face of it, Not only by what life brings us, but by what we bring to life.  Selfless actions and compassion create enduring community out of tragic events. "

 

 The new 35W bridge is actually beyond that very old arch bridge but this was the best view I could get...

And this is that same view at night after watching "The Sunshine Boys" at the Guthrie with Mark and Mary.  If it were winter I could claim they 'turned blue with the cold'.  (sorry, folks)  But I really liked the way this picture came out.



There is no doubt as to what these midwestern cities were founded upon--corn and wheat!
Besides Gold Medal there are many smaller granaries and directly across the river from this spot is the equally as imposing, Pillsbury Flour granary and mill.

From the cantilevered deck of the Guthrie Theatre.


 

The McNeely's were philanthropists from St. Paul and they funded one of the loveliest conservatories I've seen on my journey...

 

I don't know how green everything is here in the winter but I guarantee you I would come here daily when the snow got to be too much...

 

  

 

 

 

 For my aunts--there are more flowers to follow.