December 31: Among my resolutions for 2017 is to do more bird watching and to learn more about these wonderful creatures. This one stopped at our feeder today. Not absolutely certain about its species. Bob Seabloom, what am I looking at here?
December 27: Dorette and I enjoyed a great afternoon at the Minneapolis Institute of Art with Patricia Herbel, Scott Dusterhoft and his daughter, Avery. The main event for Dorette Kerian and I was to show them the fabulous Martin Luther exhibit. (If you haven’t seen it, there still is time). But we also did some gallery walking. A highlight for Avery (pictured here) was Picasso’s famous “Baboon and Young,” not cast until after his death in 1973. The MIA’s copy is one of only a few in existence. I remember when my daughter, Kristi, was a toddler and first saw it, then located on the floor rather than a table and not much taller than she was. I’ll never forget her delight.
December 26: A female cardinal at one of our feeders this morning in Bloomington, Minn. Next to the osprey and snow goose, my favorite bird.
December 16: Guess whose song greeted us in our front yard shortly after we returned to Bloomington after a quick trip to Grand Forks, N.D.? A Northern Cardinal, many of which remain in Minnesota for the winter rather than fleeing south.
December 15: Pixie has had some difficulties in below-zero temperatures. Walks on three legs and such. We’re in Grand Forks for a quick pre-Christmas celebration with my daughter, Kristi, and Dorette’s son, Scott. Bought a set of foot coverings for Pix. They seem to help in the snow and ice. Late development: due to popular demand, Dorette is buying Pixie a nicer-looking set of booties.
December 14: Full moon this morning, just before it slipped below the western horizon, as seen from Bloomington, Minn. On some devices, you can click the image to see a larger view.
December 12: “Walking the Mall.” Dorette and I live near an excellent shopping mall in Bloomington, Minn. It has a great Lunds & Byerlys grocery store, hardware store, world-class liquor store, bank branch, and even a physical fitness center to name just a few of the businesses we use regularly. During the hot days of summer and the cold days of winter (it did not rise above zero until past noon here today) I typically walk in the long corridors, as do many others. Thus I have lots of “nodding relationships.” This morning, I snapped an iPhone pic of a gang of really old codgers who gather for morning coffee and conversation. Oh wait, no, most of them may be younger than I am. Perhaps I should weasel my way into the group? (On most devices, clicking the image will provide a larger view).
December 11: During our visit yesterday to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, we stopped again at its current photography exhibit, “Resistance, Protest, Resilience.” It’s not to be missed if you’re interested in international photojournalism. This is a print by Gordon Parks, “Malcom X, Harlem 1963,” photographed two years before the civil rights leader was assassinated.
December 11: A winter wonderland appeared outside our window in Bloomington, Minn., last night. Time to get over my denial — winter doesn’t officially begin for 10 more days, but IT’S ALREADY HERE.
December 10: My favorite view of the Twin Cities, photographed this morning from the Minneapolis Institute of Art before the snow began to fall. (Clicking the image on most devices will reveal the full image.) Earlier, Dorette and I were among a group bussed from the MIA to the Purcell-Cutts house near Lake of the Iles. It is regarded as one of the most significant examples in the country of Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced “Prairie School” architecture. Afterward, we returned to the MIA for lunch and to revisit the museum’s Wright collection.
December 10: Moonlight over Oxborough Road, photographed at dusk yesterday through the leafless trees in Bloomington, Minn.
December 9: One of the reasons Dorette and I retired to the Twin Cities rather than, say, Florida, was the quantity and quality of the music to be heard here. Last night, it was five of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos performed by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in the Temple Israel Synagogue in Minneapolis. Splendid! Snapshot taken with my Canon SX710 HS pocket camera — something you can’t always get away with at musical events here.
December 8: Guess who went to the groomer today? Pixie did!
Here are some of the images caught the eye of Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland in the last month of 2016.
