Sharyn Shoots

The Ancient Oak
Last winter seemed to be never-ending. There were far too many of those soul-sucking Polar Arctic Vortex days with dangerous windchills. So severe that classes were canceled on multiple occasions. A rare thing for Minnesotan schools! This winter has been far gentler (knock on wood). Mild enough that I was able to shoot some family photos outdoors recently. I’ve been a lifelong resident of the Twin Cities, and on and off again Minneapolitan – it’s been a tug of war between St. Paul and Minneapolis all of my adult life. Yet somehow I never knew the story of the oldest tree in Minneapolis. It was an ancient burr oak. Sadly it died a few years back but what remains is still impressive, and commemorated with a plaque. And it made a beautiful backdrop for this adorable family of four.

Salt and Light
Last weekend we attended the annual Winter Kite Festival on Lake Harriet. The weather has been remarkably mild, which makes the winter more bearable. But it’s been awfully overcast. And the mild temps might not hold so I’m adding to my previous list of activities to get us through until Spring:

• Each Wednesday St. Paul’s Union Depot hosts a free game night featuring oversized chess sets, Jenga, dominoes and more.
• At the end of this month my friend Luke is putting on the second annual Drone Not Drones 28-hour drone fest, a benefit for Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The 2015 line-up looks amazing. Last year’s event was thoroughly enjoyable.
• I’ve been hearing about The Salt Cave in Minneapolis. While there are no proven health benefits, the anecdotal evidence is that the experience is quite relaxing. Especially for Minnesotans looking for a respite from winter.
• Our household has a Walker Art Center membership, so we can get in for free to the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards Screenings. But it’s also open to the public! Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for several weeks.
• Not exactly an activity, except it takes a lot of effort to eat…my favorite fruit is in season. Pomelo! For me, it’s one of the highlights of winter. I’ve been nerding out for them for over a decade now (according to flickr).
• For the lovers (or good platonic friends perhaps), there’s a Valentine’s Day Picnic at the Bell Museum. My partner and I enjoyed it a couple of years ago. This year’s theme is “Across the Universe” and it looks like fun. We’ve already got other plans that night. Some serious 90s riot grrrl era nostalgia, with Sleater-Kinney.
• Speaking of music, warm things up with some surf rock! Local favorites The Blind Shake teamed up with Rocket From The Crypt’s Swami John Reis, Listen here.
• For fans of Bob’s Burgers and H. Jon Benjamin, the cast will be touring with a live show.

Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere
Today we observed the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Listening to the radio this morning I was reminded that many Americans – myself included – were born after his assassination in 1968. But I’ve told my son that when I was in high school, MN schools were still in session on MLK Day. My friends and I received permission from our parents to skip school. We would take the bus from the suburbs to St. Paul, where we’d join an annual march from the State Capitol to a nearby church to listen to some rousing speeches. I always found the event equal parts disheartening (hearing about so much injustice) and inspiring. Fifty plus years after King’s march on Washington, gaps between white Americans and black have only widened. In terms of income and wealth. But in so many other ways as well. Several decades have passed since I became involved in the social justice movement and black lives are still being deprived of basic human rights and dignity. It’s overwhelming. But I try to do what I can. I am aware. I am present. I have conversations. Particularly with my son, about socioeconomic status and his privilege as a white presenting male. And he walked by my side at the Black Lives Matter / Reclaim MLK march.

Random items of note:

• King’s Last March by American RadioWorks. Documenting the last year of King’s life.
• There are still 26 members of Congress who voted on making MLK Day a holiday in 1983. Six opposed it.
• How Stevie Wonder helped create Martin Luther King Day
• BrainPop made a decent video for younger kids about Martin Luther King Jr., covering topics like the civil rights movement and Jim Crow laws.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
The shortest day of the year is behind us now, in the Northern Hemisphere. As are the holidays and the distractions they bring. Now what’s a Minnesotan to do? Sadly it looks like the Art Shanty Projects are taking this winter off. But the St. Paul Winter Carnival is right around the corner. And the 8th Annual Art Sled Rally is happening at Powderhorn Park Saturday, January 31st.

If you are more inclined to stay indoors, there are plenty of other options.

• It’s possible to enjoy indoor activities even at the Winter Carnival. One of my favorites is the Saintly City Cat Show, held inside the RiverCentre. This year it’s Saturday, January 24th and Sunday the 25th (disregard their site’s typos).
• Minnesota is under another Wind Chill Warning. That sends me burrowing under the covers. Though I have other friends who enjoy winter camping during the deep freeze. They must be part-Sasquatch. If I were to venture out it would be for a visit to the humid Como Conservatory. Being around all the lush plant life allows me to forget the harsh elements outside, for just a little while.
• My pal Theresa brought her signature series, Trash Film Debauchery, back to the Turf Club last night with a showing of Masters of the Universe featuring Dolph Lundgren (A LOT of Dolph – ooof, that outfit). Looks like this will be a regular event every first Monday of the month at the Turf. Along with the other screenings at the Trylon.
• Another more physical option is SkyZone – the chain of indoor trampoline parks. A great way for the kids to burn off excess energy but also good for grown-ups. Possibly in smaller doses. And I’m seriously tempted to try their trampoline aerobics class, despite the injury/embarrassment risks.

It’s far too tempting to just stay inside all of the time. Especially since Netflix made the Fireplace For Your Home series available. What are your winter coping strategies?

September Swan Songs
We’re on borrowed time people. This is for real. Summer is OVER. There were a few more bursts and blasts of summer-like weather but nope. It is Fall. Today the region is being drenched in a cold rain that may morph into a rain-snow mixture all too soon. Frankie Teardrop’s song End of Summertime Blues is appropriate. Don’t get me wrong, I adore autumn. But last Winter was beyond brutal and I have no desire to endure that again (fingers crossed for a milder one). It feels like Spring and Summer 2014 flew by in the blink of an eye. But I know it was action-packed. Our household moved from St. Paul to Minneapolis. We traveled quite a lot together, and a bit individually. We attended area arts and music events. There was some camping. Just one Pizza Farm visit. My son started HIGH SCHOOL. We ran out of time and missed out on the Renaissance Festival, but I see that as a once every five years thing. And now it’s a race to the finish line, trying to pack in some other activities before the snow flies. I’d still like to get to the Fawn Doe Rosa wildlife park. On the way there is Franconia Sculpture Park. And there’s a corn pit and pumpkin patch at Country Sun Farm. We had season passes for ValleyFair but barely used them. The Halloween themed Valley Scare is running for several weeks yet though. A return to the Landscape Arboretum would be lovely, particularly for the apple tastings. But time is limited. Winter is coming.

Thankfully there are plenty of happy memories from the warmer, lusher times.

Seattle, with my son
We rented a lovely AirBnB house in the Ballard neighborhood, hung out with my friend Kim and her family, and my son’s Aunt and newborn daughter.

Square Lake Film & Music Festival, Stillwater, MN
http://www.squarelakefestival.com/

Missoula, Montana
Total Fest 2014

Random Out and About in MN

Go ahead, jump.
Making the commitment to get married is no small thing. But many friends have made the leap this year. It’s already been a fun summer of wedding celebrations, with more to come. One lovely couple eloped over the winter (smack dab in the middle of the polar arctic vortex) and saved the celebration for the most perfect summer day ever, at our favorite lake. Another couple picked what should have been a lovely June day but turned out to have the craziest weather ever. Torrential downpours, wall clouds, high winds. But we had just enough of a break to shoot some fun portraits on the front steps of a mansion before the chaos kicked in again.

Other friends wanted to keep it casual. A beach party with their nearest and dearest. And the bride shotgunning Hamm’s beer in the lake. No big deal. It was an all around beautiful day and a good time.

Another Breed of Cat
As demonstrated by the extreme popularity of the Walker Art Center’s Internet Cat Video Festival, cats rule the internet. And my own household. I am a cat person. It comes as no surprise to those who know me that I attend the Saintly City Cat Show every year, in conjunction with the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. But next year I’m thinking we should attend both days of the event instead of just the one. Part of the appeal is in the judging and not just the cats. There are some colorful characters in charge of this thing! And I just noticed that the judges listed on the schedule for the Saturday were different than the Sunday.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside
I feel extra out of sorts this holiday season. Thanksgiving came late. Hanukkah came early. And my car got smashed up. Saturday morning, as my son and I were leaving for the Santopticlaus holiday sale. A neighbor intervened when she barreled out of an icy alley and collided with the front of my car, on the driver’s side. Thankfully no one was hurt.

That was a bummer, of course, but it’s not all doom and gloom around here. We’ve got our holiday decorations up – including a real tree. Our household watched Elf together and we’re baking cookies this week. We might even have time to check out some Christmas tours at historic mansions in the area. I’ve done all my shopping already and mostly online (I try to purchase useful gifts for friends and family, if I buy anything at all) and I’m ready to start wrapping! We’ve also attended one lovely holiday party so far and a few more are penciled in. And we’ve been invited to a Winter Solstice event at our neighborhood masonic temple. I’ve always wondered what it’s like on the inside. Hopefully they’ll allow me to take a few photos.

Here’s to Safe and Happy Holidays for all!

Trick or treat, trick or treat, the bitter and the sweet
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. This Fall has been so very busy, and so very warm, that it sort of snuck up on me. Initially in the form of unexpected doppelganger strangeness. I was out last Saturday night, wrapping up a wedding shoot, when some friends dropped by the venue…dressed as my boyfriend and I. The fake me was spot on! Down to my tattoos. Well, not all of my tattoos, but close enough.

Last year my son declared he is too old for trick or treating, but he still enjoys Halloween. So Sunday we hosted our annual pumpkin carving party and the weather was gorgeous! We were able to hang out on and contain our messes to the front porch.

Tuesday night we drove out to Skateville in the suburbs to be part of a music video shoot for our friends’ band, Kitten Forever. We were asked to either wear Halloween costumes or brightly colored clothing. Somehow I managed to skate around the rink as a giant squid without injuring myself, though my tentacles were dangling dangerously close to my wheels. The one and only time I wiped out? It was on CARPET. On my way to the drinking fountain. I’d forgotten just how heavy those old-school roller skates are but I’ve still got it! Sort of.

And lastly, Halloween itself. Once again my co-workers at Clockwork went with a couple of main themes for Halloween costumes. I joined the Orange is the New Black group while ten others opted to dress up as…one of our other co-workers. We also had some clever standalone costumes in the mix.

Last Day of Summer, First Day of Fall
I grew up in a weird in-between place. Not really a city kid, though I had strong ties to the city. We lived in an outer ring suburb that is remote and nearly rural but not quite. I’ve spent my adult life living in more urban areas. Not any major metropolis, just Minneapolis or St. Paul. But I find myself needing breaks from city life now and again. That’s why I find farms and orchards so charming. And I’ve always enjoyed pizza. So of course I adore pizza farms! A to Z Produce has a pizza night/picnic on the farm in Stockholm, WI that has been our go-to for years now. But it is a long drive and only open on Tuesday nights. We tried another elsewhere in Wisconsin that we didn’t much care for. But the latest? MUCH closer to home. Maybe a half hour drive out to Long Lake, MN. Apparently pizza night at Two Pony Gardens has been cranking away the last few years in relative obscurity. Then they received some media coverage and the quiet pizza nights are a thing of the past. The crowd jumped from 20-30 patrons on a Saturday night to 150-180. We had a lovely time but I wish we could have experienced the smaller scale version. In an attempt to control the chaos Two Pony’s Pizza Night is RSVP only and the size is limited. Since the press exposed them they’ve been full up each week. Thankfully I RSVPd for our group of five two months ago. And I’m glad I did. The transition from freeway to highway to tree lined dirt road was soothing. We parked in a field and walked up to the pizza tent to place our orders. We’d arrived early but there is only one brick oven and were told the wait for our food would be an hour and a half. Carriage rides are offered to pass the time and I’d packed some snacks to tide us over. And there is a gorgeous dahlia garden. Sadly I didn’t make it over to until dusk, hence the darker photos. Two Pony only has just one more pizza night this season but I look forward to returning next summer.

Yesterday was the first day of Fall, and a gorgeous one at. And it was also the first wedding anniversary for a lovely couple I know. They asked to meet up at Como Park for a photo shoot with them and their adorable three month old son. Once we got away from the crowds (it was busier than I’d seen it in ages) we had fun with that. I hope to post a few of those photos soon.