September 08, 2007
Biofuels on Parade
Did you make it to The Eco Experience at the MN State Fair? If so, you probably saw "The Path to Cleaner Air" exhibit from the American Lung Association of Minnesota. Here, I talk with ALAMN's Bob Moffit about the clean air benefits of biofuels, namely E85 (ethanol) and biodeisel. I also talk to a soybean farmer and a race car driver who runs on E85.
There's a lot of distorted information about ethanol out there. This MNspeak thread hits most of the big ones. Ethanol has its problems, but it is a less polluting fuel, made from renewable resources by American farmers.
Minnesota has more E85 stations than anywhere in the country, which means we've got an alternative energy distribution system in place for when even better solutions (switchgrass, etc.) come along.
RELATED LINKS:
Clean Air Choice
U.S. Dept of Energy - Ethanol: Separating Fact from Fiction (PDF)
Disclosure: This is part of a series of videos produced for the American Lung Association of Minnesota.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 09:01 PM | Comments (2)
August 20, 2007
Winona Flood
Youtube user Phil Haney documents some of the destruction from the floods in Southern Minnesota that have claimed 6 lives. Here's another video about the flood (with music).
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:24 AM | Comments (1)
August 13, 2007
Slow Motion Storm
Check out last Friday's storm at 59 frames per second. Slow motion lightning sure looks cool. This was filmed by Bretton Jones of Minneapolitics.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:48 PM | Comments (1)
July 27, 2007
Lake Francis
Aww yeah... get ready for some frogs and hummingbords and crap! Every year we spend a long weekend at Lake Frances, about 1.5 hrs west of the Twin Cities. It's the perfect lake.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:40 AM | Comments (1)
July 17, 2007
Butterfly Pee
WARNING -- ADULT CONTENT
Not really. Just a lovely black swallowtail finding sweet freedom, and leaving a little present before takeoff. Watch for black swallowtails to start showing up in Minnesota soon - they love parsley and dill plants.
HAPPY 2 YEAR VLOGIVERSARY, MINNESOTA STORIES!
The first video posted to MN Stories was "Hot enough to fry an egg?" on July 6, 2005. The site went public when WIRED News published an article about videoblogs on July 13, 2005.
Since then, we've posted 471 videos from all kinds of lovely contributors: YouTubers, filmmakers, bloggers, and camera-toting people with Minnesota connections.
Thanks to all of you for making this a great site.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 05:08 AM | Comments (5)
July 09, 2007
Loon
Why Minnesota? This is why. A lovely meditative video from Kevin of Video Haiku. Shot near Cloquet, MN in late June.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:00 AM | Comments (3)
July 05, 2007
Cedar Lake music video
Fireworks are cool and all, but few things are more rewarding than a holiday afternoon on Cedar Lake beach. This one is worth watching big size.
Music by The Chemical Brothers.
RELATED VIDEOS:
Chillaxin' @ Cedar Lake (Memorial Day 2006)
Pouringdown.tv - How it started
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 06:50 AM | Comments (9)
June 21, 2007
Time Lapse Sky
Happy summer solstice. Did you get hit with any severe weather? Storms just flirted with Northeast Minneapolis. Here's a cool time lapse of thunderhead clouds around sunset, with bonus secret messages.
Music by Boards of Canada
Previous Time Lapse: Caterpillar-Chrysalis Rave
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:12 AM | Comments (7)
June 14, 2007
Caterpillar-Chrysalis Rave
Last night our monarch caterpillar decided it was time for a miraculous transformation. Here it is caught on "film," forward and backward. Dance, chrysalis, dance!
MUSIC: IceSun, "Out of Time"
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 07:23 AM | Comments (5)
June 13, 2007
Dog Rescued from Pipe!
Mark Pierce from LeRoy, MN brings us a scary story with a happy ending:
This is what our dog had to endure for over 24 hours after she went chasing after a bunny. Her head was stuck in an old stove pipe. After figuring out how to get her out, and what tools to use, it took us over 30 minutes to cut her out. The other German Shepherd in the picture (Tommy, her mate) is the one who actually found her and alerted us after we searched for over 24 hours. I took Tommy to her last known spot and he located her and alerted us to where she was within a couple of minutes.
She seems to be fine, except for an abrasion to one of her ears and a superficial cut to her chest. It was a after thought to put music by the Traveling Wilburys song: End of the Line, this pup was at the end of her line. She's one lucky dog.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:53 AM | Comments (2)
June 01, 2007
The Day the Fish Wouldn't Stop Biting
Karina created one of my favorite Minnesota Stories of last year: Midwest Holiday, of course about fishing. And stuff. She's back with more fishy tales - plus "the egg thing"!
RELATED VIDEO:
Aaron's Fishing Adventure
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 04:03 AM | Comments (1)
May 30, 2007
Boring backyard video time
Here's what happens on Minnesota Stories after a summery holiday weekend. You are subjected to my boring backyard home video. Let this be a warning to you people - if you don't send in your own backyard home videos, we'll have to setup a webcam on paint drying. Mwahahaha!
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:43 AM | Comments (4)
May 17, 2007
Bike to Work Week
These is way better than "Don't Buy Gas Day." This actually shifts your energy usage from oil to your body. Brian Barber submitted this pumpin' video of him taking his bike to work. Brian says, "If we can bike to work here in Duluth, it can be done anywhere."
This Friday, both Minneapolis and St. Paul are celebrating people walking or biking to work. More info here.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:44 AM | Comments (6)
May 16, 2007
The Corpse Flower Blooms
Time lapse video of the Gustavus Adolphus College corpse flower (titan arum) named Perry as it bloomed on May 12th, 2007. Apparently, the rarely-blooming flower smells like rotting meat. Mmm-mmm!
Related Link:
KARE-11 story on the corpse flower
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 03:07 PM | Comments (3)
May 08, 2007
Finding Morel Mushrooms
From YouTube user spaceman455:
I went into the woods close to our home here in S.E. Minnesota and found a few of them today 05/07/07. Its going to be a fantastic season for Morels here in Minnesota this year! In the past 4 days out looking I have brought home 388 tasty morel mushrooms ! Yummy !
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:33 AM | Comments (6)
May 04, 2007
E-ride Industries
The Rake magazine... now with video. Pimp My E-Ride profiles electric car entrepreneur John Herou of e-ride Industries, located in Princeton, MN.
Produced by Cristina Cordova of Chasing Windmills fame.
. . .
Minnesota Stories is powered by you. If you've been whipping out your camera this spring, drop a line to story@mnstories.com.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:13 AM | Comments (2)
April 17, 2007
Our last exhale
A video poem from David Howell Studios. Watch for the loons.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:31 AM | Comments (1)
April 13, 2007
Will Spring Ever Come?
Snow storms in the middle of April: WTF?
Hopefully we're in the clear, barring any Friday the 13th curses.
Will Spring Ever Come? was made by Duane Kuss of DigElog ROCORI, who writes: During a time when you'd like to be thinking of tulips and birds nesting, Old Man Winter keeps whacking us with his beastly surprises As traumatc as this can be for you and me, have you ever thought about what it must be like for the first robins who come back to Minnesota ready to build a nest and raise a new family. This story will help you relate to the plight of our feather bearing friends in a Winter-like snow storm.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:08 AM | Comments (5)
February 26, 2007
Best of the MN Snow Storm
We'd almost forgotten: Shovelling loads of wet, heavy snow is the mark of a true Minnesotan. Parts of the metro reached 15 or even 20 inches. Here's a sampling of YouTube videos from folks who managed to mix in a little fun with their misery.
FEATURED VIDEOS:
Perma-Frost by Burt Post
Calvin in the Snow by Stephatto
Shovelling out by spcjr0
Minnesota Sledding Adventure by Terry & Michelle
MN, SNow Storm FeB 2007 by inktailor
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:58 AM | Comments (4)
February 21, 2007
Exit Glacier
This beautifully-shot short doc comes to us from filmmaker Jesse Roessler, who writes:
Shot in Seward, Alaska, we take you on a daylong trek up to Exit Glacier. Glacier guide and sometimes Minneapolis resident, Brendan Ryan shares his insight as the beautful images unfold. Visit Delicious Filmworks for more short films by Jesse Roesler, or visit Exit Glacier Guides to book your own hike up the glacier!
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:39 AM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2007
Superior Skating
Our man on the North Shore, Starfire, says "Lake Superior is frozen real good. Grab your skates and get out there. Music by Califone.
MORE LAKE SUPERIOR ICE VIDEOS:
Ice cracking
Creeping ice
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:10 PM | Comments (3)
January 09, 2007
DeRusha on Ice
WCCO's Jason DeRusha goes ice fishing with WCCO-TV personalities on Lake Mille Lacs. Hey Jason, how about sending some of that "too rowdy for 'CCO" footage this way?
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:04 AM | Comments (1)
October 25, 2006
Twin Cities' First Snowfall
Postcard from the Frozen North says: The first snowstorm of the season is a big deal, especially if you're in second grade. It rarely amounts to much, except for the promise of winter fun to come.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:50 PM | Comments (4)
October 19, 2006
The Green Greaser
Nate runs his RV on vegetable oil procured from Chinese and Japanese restaurants, including Midori's Floating World Cafe in South Minneapolis. From Amanda Across America.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 09:03 AM | Comments (3)
October 02, 2006
Twin Cities Marathon Course
From YouTube user implaxis: This is most of the course for the Twin Cities Marathon. I wasn't able to get all of it this first time through because my cam battery died right about Mile 19.
Here are a few seconds of the marathon winner near the finish line.
COMPLETELY UNRELATED VIDEO:
Smackem Yackem, brilliant and entertaining bubble gum from Jennifer Proctor and Aaron Valdez down in Iowa City. I'll be heading down there in a couple week to talk vlog and screen Blogumengtary.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2006
Lake Francis
We're lucky. Every year, we hang out with our friends in a cabin on Lake Francis. It's the perfect lake: Fairly secluded, great for swimming, and lots of wildlife including bald eagles and loons. I managed to leave the video camera packed away for this year's trip, at least until our friends departed and we had one final day to get our nature groove on. Enjoy.
MUSIC: Joy Wants Eternity, "For We Had No Road"
SITE NOTE: If you've tried sending a video or email to story@mnstories.com in the last week or so, the mailbox was full and I didn't receive it. Sorry! We're back in business and looking for your summer videos. Drop a line to story@mnstories.com. You can even send a video file using YouSendIt.
EVENT: Node101 Vlogger Meetup, Saturday Aug. 12 in Watertown, MN at Cafn8ed
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 06:17 AM | Comments (8)
July 10, 2006
Midwest Holiday
3 words: College students fishing. Now, watch this hilarious video. It will defy whatever images those 3 words conjure. Maybe it's because they're Carleton students. Or just a brilliant slice of reality and personality.
CONTRIBUTOR: Karina Hill, who is in fact a college graduate and environmental action person.
PLEASE NOTE: The guy who posts these here videos is currently on a plane to Korea. So updating will be a bit sporadic this week. Also, totally check out the new Rocketboom today!
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 04:12 AM | Comments (9)
July 05, 2006
Sky Blue Waters
How did you spend the 4th of July? We canoed on Lake Calhoun, with a special visit from the Hamm's beer bear.
ATTENTION MINNESOTA MEDIAMAKERS AND BEYOND: Your intrepid vlogumentarian will be in Korea for a citizen's journalism conference next week. Here's where you come in -- take over this site with your Minnesota summer videos! You can send video files up to 1 GB using YouSendit. Email your Quicktime videos (or questions) to story@mnstories.com before or on Saturday, July 8.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:37 AM | Comments (6)
June 20, 2006
All Hail Summer
After seeing An Inconvenient Truth, I can't help but view our backyard as a microcosm for global warming. Everything sprouted and blossomed earlier than ever, only to be decimated by the biggest hail we've ever seen in our lives. Now, if we can only get the squirrels to stop driving those little gas-guzzling Hummers...
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:17 AM | Comments (9)
June 05, 2006
1972 Nature Rendez-Vous
Take a nostalgic trip back to Minnesota lakes of yesteryear. Aleshia writes:
My mom, Sue Mueller, tried her hand at iMovie and cut together some digitized Super 8 footage shot while fishing with some friends in central Minnesota around 1972. This clip is in narrow-screen format.
This version is edited down to 4.5 minutes. Here's the full original version.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:05 AM | Comments (5)
June 01, 2006
The Hungry Cyclist (R)
SORRY, TODAY'S VIDEO IS A REPEAT FROM JULY 2005. BUT IT'S A GOOD ONE! SEND IN YOUR VIDEOS TO FILL IN THIS SPACE: story@mnstories.com
"Don't be afraid to open up your world to someone else's world." Those are Starfire's parting words in this story, but they work just as well as an introduction. Starfire opened up his world - and his living room - to The Hungry Cyclist, an Englishman biking from NYC to Rio de Janeiro for Macmillan Cancer Relief. How could he resist two days of R&R in Duluth?
CONTRIBUTOR: Starfire, Starfire.tv
MUSIC: Low
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:40 AM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2006
Chillaxin' @ Cedar Lake
Happy Memorial Day.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:56 PM | Comments (4)
May 26, 2006
Africa at the Zoo
This weekend's video comes to us from Dan and Jen's Animal Friends:
Last night, since we are members of the MN Zoo, we got to go to see a sneak peek of the new exhibit, Africa: Summer on the Savanna. It was really cool. The new animals were really great to see, and the workers, trainers, and volunteers were full of great information. Check out the pages linked here; they have commercials for the exhibit and a feed for a podcast about it.
Like we said, this was just a sneak peak, and there is going to be a big celebration this Saturday (5-27) for the official opening.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 11:08 AM | Comments (1)
May 16, 2006
Double Rainbow
A double-delicious rainbow swooped over Minneapolis last night.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 04:23 AM | Comments (7)
May 11, 2006
Lemon Sunrise
Please enjoy this journey to the center of a flower called "Lemon Sunrise."
MUSIC: Smattering, when blue turns to pink (remix) courtesy Adonis Music
RELATED VIDEO: The Green Darner
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:40 AM | Comments (6)
April 19, 2006
Global Warming
Earth Day is this weekend. Are you doing anything to prolong our life on this planet? If so - or if you have any thoughts on that - turn on your camera and email me. We'll have an Earth Day video or two in the next week, hopefully not involving scary children.
Check out Twin Cities-based GreenGuardian for info on how to reduce, reuse, recycle or properly dispose of household waste. Sometimes they have inexpensive compost bins available, too.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:19 AM | Comments (2)
April 11, 2006
Lori's Garden Corner
Hey! Sorry, there is no new video for today. A guy's gotta work and sleep, you know. Have you watched us try to fry an egg on the sidewalk?
Okay you green thumbs, let's hear what you have going on in your basements and gardens. Maybe you can help Lorika figure out why most of her tomatoes don't seem to be sprouting. You'll hear all about our fledgling tomato empire in this video, enhanced with delicious backyard beer.
Be sure to keep up with the Strib's Green Girl if you're digging in the dirt. Lorika's Secret Farm blog and Flickr photos document our own backyard shenanigans (ahem) .
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 03:39 AM | Comments (7)
April 10, 2006
When Winter Lets Go
Good riddance, I say! This is called When Winter Lets Go in Minnesota by Michael Bischoff and Jenny Larson. Starring Isaiah Larson Bischoff, with music by Brothers Frantzich. Michael's previous video is Winter in This Town.
Here's a heads-up, mediamakers. Earth Day is on April 22, and Minnesota Stories wants to know what your doing to "Get Green" or simply celebrate the wonder of life on Spaceship Earth and right here in Minnesota. Send your ideas and submissions to story@mnstories.com.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 11:19 AM | Comments (3)
March 29, 2006
Twins Spring Training
Are you getting spring fever yet? It's getting warmer, tulips are popping up, and the Twins are at spring training for only a few more days.
This video comes to us from frequent Minnesota Stories visitor ATM, who cut this together from photos of the March 10 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His original soundtrack was Thin Lizzy's "Boys Are Back in Town" - which rocks, and goes great with this video. But It's best to stay away from copyrighted music without permission, especially an entire recorded song. Just something to note for all you contributors out there.
MUSIC: Critical Mass, "Here Comes the Summer" via Podsafe Music Network
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:55 AM | Comments (2)
March 22, 2006
Winter in This Town
Hey, it's spring! So why is this woman bundling up? And where did she get her magic powers? Perhaps the filmmaker, Michael Bischoff, knows the answer. Or perhaps some things are best left a mystery.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:58 AM | Comments (4)
March 17, 2006
Snow Kittens
"Hello friends!" I like to start my videos that way. But in my absence, Lorika picked up a video camera and stole my whole schtick. So here's a tour of our yard and street after the snow storm earlier this week, with some funny footage of our kitten Mook's first encounter with snow. Watch for the extended version of that next week on MookiTV.
Have a great weekend. If you have any videos, or ideas for another collaborative video, email chuck@mnstories.com.
** SORRY THE SITE WAS DOWN YESTERDAY - WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS! **
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:21 AM | Comments (9)
March 16, 2006
Timber
This video comes to us from St. Cloud mediamaker Aaron Cheeley:
Fall of 2005 brought some harsh weather to Minnesota. The entire country, as we all know, suffered greatly from Mother Nature's angry annihilations. The aftermath of a savage windstorm, in northern Minnesota, caused many established trees to perish. During this storm, a 200-year-old tree came crashing down, near Backus, MN, to block the only entrance to a discrete lake residence. This event (and the clean-up to follow) was the inspiration for "TIMBER".
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:20 AM | Comments (2)
March 14, 2006
Snow Days
Ahh, spring. Just a quickie video with some archival footage and pictures from Flickr taken by my friends. And, a song you might recognize.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 10:25 AM | Comments (5)
February 27, 2006
Trails and Shadows
Today's video comes to us from Deborah Vajda, shot while riding her recumbent bicycle on the Gateway Trail in St. Paul. She says it's "kind of a slice of life on the trails. Many of the shots I used were the ones most sensible people would toss in the trim bin . . . just to give the viewer a taste of how fun it is to zip along on a crazy bicycle--steering with one hand while shooting video with the other."
MUSIC: "Plastique" by Keston & Westdal
COMING THIS WEEK ON MINNESOTA STORIES
Rex's party, Lit6 @ Creative Electric, Kubb on Ice, and Mondo JuggleFest.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:57 AM | Comments (15)
February 23, 2006
Climbing
From Barrett Chase:
A man, against all odds and wearing loose shoes, rises to a new perspective. See that man. See him now, right here.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:02 AM | Comments (4)
February 13, 2006
Walk Like An Egyptian
Is it a bat? Is it a bald monkey-rodent? No, these strange fledgling creatures comprise a fresh litter of Sphynx kittens. Tao of David has been posting some entertaining videos of them, but this one takes the cake. David's wife Lea breeds these exceptional felines at Sacred Sphynx. (Dare I admit? I want one.) Be sure to check out the other Sphynx videos on David's video page.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:48 AM | Comments (8)
February 07, 2006
Toff the Carleton Cat
"Toff has two seasons. Students and no students." Apparently there is a long tradition of college campus kitties, an idea which agrees with me very much. The Carleton College campus is owned by one Mr. Toff, and this is his story.
This video comes to us from Karina Hill and Andrew Bartels, two sparks in the percolating mediasphere that is Carleton's Cinema & Media Studies program. Watch for more goodies from these folks in the future. I wouldn't be surprised if they're plotting to takover Minnesota Stories.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:17 AM | Comments (10)
January 19, 2006
Broomball Tourney
Duane Kuss says: This past weekend the 25th Annual Broomball Tournament was held at Pioneer Park in Cold Spring. This may be the longest running outdoor broomball tournament in the world.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:23 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2006
City Whitetails
Jeremy Wilker says: Relax from your stressful life with some calming images of nature... I grabbed these photos and short video in our backyard this past Saturday morning. The deer hung around for over three hours and it was mildly exciting to get the video footage (I was shaking a bit). And this is in the city, too! (well, 4.5 miles from downtown Minneapolis).
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:44 AM | Comments (4)
January 04, 2006
Grim Racer 2005
Jeremy Wilker writes: The premise was a Halloween bike race (The Grim Racer) with costumes and silliness but either these people were too hard-core in racing or the wind drag of most costumes was simply too great and only a handful of racers dressed up. The weather and location were great, however, and while this doesn't have much of a story to it, I hope you'll enjoy the fall biking scenery.
CONTRIBUTOR: Jeremy Wilker, moonpost productions
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 03:08 AM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2005
Boats
Here's a sweet little video shot on the North Shore this fall. "How do you pass the time when you're camping with 2 little kids? Hiking, craft projects and throwing stuff in the water."
CONTRIBUTOR: Brian Barber
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 11:52 AM | Comments (2)
November 25, 2005
Snowboarding
Today the Twin Cities are blanketed in snow. Probably not a big deal to you folks up north. Starfire caught a little snowboarding action in his neighborhood earlier this week. Dig the Christmas City song!
CONTRIBUTOR:Starfire, Starfire.tv
UNRELATED LINK: Shop with a conscience this holiday season
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 10:08 AM | Comments (2)
November 16, 2005
Winter. Blech.
So it begins. Here's me venturing outside into the windy crappity cold of winter, all for you my lovelies.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 04:51 AM | Comments (8)
November 14, 2005
Gardening at Night
The days are shorter and the nights are colder, so Lori plants her tulip bulbs in the dark after work. Notice how I keep a safe documentary distance from any physical exertion.
MUSIC: Smattering, "Covered in Ivy" from rajah pink and wading pool blue, courtesy Adonis Music
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 04:21 AM | Comments (4)
October 31, 2005
Rockin' Pumpkins
Happy Halloween, O Vlog Addicts. I was going to post this spooky video for you today, even though it's not from Minnesota. But my man Duane in Cold Spring saves the day with this trippy pumpkin odyssey. More Halloween/Dia de los Muertos videos coming this week. (Do you have any halloween footage? Email me.)
CONTRIBUTOR: Duane Kuss, DigElogROCORI
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 07:20 AM | Comments (2)
October 28, 2005
Day at the Deeps
So you guys want something scary for halloween? This is the scariest thing I've seen lately... jumping off the rocks into the deep of Duluth's Amity Creek.
CONTRIBUTOR: Mark Ryan, Amity Creek
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 09:43 AM | Comments (5)
October 26, 2005
Nonchalant Jaunt
A Duluth autumn tradition. 3 years makes a tradition, right? Let's say it does.
The first year we took the low road, last year we took the high road.
This year we took the random road. No plan, no maps and no goals.
Just walking on a beautiful sunny October day.
RELATED LINKS:: 2004 jaunt and 2003 jaunt
CONTRIBUTOR: Starfire
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:57 PM | Comments (4)
October 17, 2005
Hawk Ridge
Get your raptor on! Autumn is hawk-watching season. Get up close and personal with a noisy goshawk at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth.
CONTRIBUTOR: Starfire
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:53 AM | Comments (2)
October 12, 2005
Raking Leaves
Starfire says: "I went back to Austin, MN. my hometown last weekend and did some raking with my Mom and Nephews. It brings back so many memories. Once my brother hit me over the head with a shovel while I was buried in a pile of leaves. It hurt."
CONTRIBUTOR: Starfire
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:09 AM | Comments (8)
October 11, 2005
The Cattery
Good things come in small packages, and mew a lot! After losing our sweet grandma kitty Sabby, Lori and I were ready for some new tiny paws skittering around our house. We became quite obsessed with Bengal cats, which are bred from Asian Leopard cats to look wild but are actually playful, curious and sweet. And usually expensive.
Join us on a trip to Pine City, home of Spotogold Cattery and no-kill animal shelter. They're probably the best Bengal breeders in the Upper Midwest. We just went to look, but we fell in love with the sweetest marbled Bengal boy who still needs a name. Any idea'rs? (We've called him Sprinky, Squeakers, Squinky, and now Miso.)
Watch for an all-kitty videoblog soon!
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 09:45 AM | Comments (8)
October 06, 2005
Farewell, MN Summer
We don't want to turn this into Minnesota's Funniest Home Videos or anything, but I'm left with no choice. Until you folks out there send in your own video, your short film, your ephemeral moment, I must subject you to my own previously private antics.
Come now, and endure this wacky look back at a weekend spent on Lake Francis with too much beer and just the right amount of friends. Because baby, it's cold outside.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 08:36 AM | Comments (9)
September 28, 2005
When Frogs Attack
Sometimes mysterious videos of unknown origin show up in my mailbox. This isn't one of those times. My man Tom Elko emails me with this: "I've got a vhs tape that a friends uncle shot. Its of these frogs that started hanging out in his back yard, and he eventually started feeding them worms by hand. He would come out and they would swim across his pond and hop up to the porch and eat worms off of his finger."
Frogs are so cool.
MUSIC: Chub Creek Music, Ballad to the Frogs
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 04:33 AM | Comments (10)
September 21, 2005
Nightcrawlin'
Go outside at night and listen closely. You'll notice it especially in the fall... tiny sounds, crickly-cracks, secret life bristling in the ground. That be the sound of earthworms coming alive, otherwise known as nightcrawlers if you're a fishin' grandpa. And it drives our cat Jasmine nuts. The very ground is teasing her... over here! No, over here! Our entire yard becomes a Confuse-a-Cat.
MUSIC: Under Feather, Runaway Train (Presumably no relation to the Soul Asylum song.)
Under Feather is a Minnesota band (or guy) with a killer bio: "Sometimes alternately Lennonesque and Floydian, but always intimate and imaginative, Under Feather creates an alternate universe of sound textured with swirling rhythms and a unique vocal style that draws the listener into the artist's vision and holds them prisoner. "
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 05:31 AM | Comments (4)
September 19, 2005
Honey's Squirrel Problem
Everyone knows squirrels are totally evil, right? In our last apartment, a crazy squirrel made a nest in our deck and tried to jump on Lori whenever she tended to the plants. Now we live in a house, and squirrels have holed up in our attic, chewing the very foundation of our home and sanity. But if there's one thing Lori won't tolerate, it's squirrel-munched tomatoes. This is our varmint-trapping adventure.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 08:04 AM | Comments (16)
September 15, 2005
Como Park Waterfall
New videobloggers are popping up in Minnesota, showing us our state through new eyes. Isn't that exciting? This video is from Jim Nihart, who documented his visit to Hamm Memorial Waterfalls in Como Park. I don't even think I knew these falls existed. You'll feel soothed and relaxed after watching this.
CONTRIBUTOR: Jim Nihart, Shortpantz Picture Company
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:12 AM | Comments (2)
August 23, 2005
The Green Darner
Last week's nature buzz was hummingbirds. This week Lorika captures an extraordinarily beautiful dragonfly. Apparently it's the Common Green Darner, but calling this creature "common" is a putdown in my book. It's quite obviously from the future and/or outer space.
Here's another cool picture. Dragonfly in the Sky is a book about the Green Darner's life cycle, which tragically ends in death.
MUSIC: Smattering, Weightless. Courtesy Adonis Music
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 03:17 AM | Comments (10)
August 17, 2005
First Lake
Splash splash splash! That's pretty much all I want to do these days. Here's a little vloggy video of an 18-month old boy's first time in a lake. Calhoun, to be exact. I also recommend Two Baseballs by the same artist.
CONTRIBUTOR: Chris Ereneta, Matchbook Films
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 01:22 AM | Comments (3)
August 16, 2005
Hummingbirds
Lorika and I spent a few days at her family's cabin on scenic Lake Francis. The neighbors had a couple hummingbird feeders which attract an amazing amount of ruby-throated hummingbirds competing for attention and affection. It was quite thrilling to be so close to these zippy little beauties, which apparently can dive at speeds near 60 mph.
One technical note: Some of this video looks like it's in slow motion, but actually it's not. I slowed sped up my camera's frame rate to capture the hummingbird's wing movement, but they're still moving in real-time. The drawback of this technique is darker video, but it still looks pretty cool.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 04:07 AM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2005
Aaron's Fishing Adventures
If you're born in Minnesota, your first license is your fishing license. State law, I'm pretty sure. I used to fish all the time when I was a kid. But watching it on TV? Umm, no. How bored would you have to be to watch fishing on TV? 12-year old Aaron from Cold Spring, MN changes everything. This kid is a natural in front of the camera, and he wants to share his sweet fishing mojo with you. Right here, right now.
This is an edited version of a two-part series. For the whole experience: Part 1 | Part 2
CONTRIBUTOR: Duane Kuss, My Stories of Life
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
August 10, 2005
Granite Pit
It was supposed to be a granite pit. Now it's a giant sandbox.
Contributor: Juliah Rueckert
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 02:08 AM | Comments (5)
August 09, 2005
Loring Park = Music + Movies
Aye, she's a summer tradition 'round these parts. We gather our blankies, bug juice and smuggled hooch in Loring Park for Summer Music & Movies. This summer features the films of Nicholas Ray, with commentary here by Rob Nelson from City Pages. It's so nice to hear and see Rob talking about film - makes me yearn for his appearances on NewsNight Minnesota Here's a clip from the TPT archives.
Thunder in the Valley gets the party started, fresh off two Minnesota Music Award nominations. Keep your ears peeled for their new album.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 10:48 AM | Comments (6)
July 26, 2005
Rainy Day Saints
I'd never been to a St. Paul Saints baseball game. And now... I still haven't, thanks to some nasty storms. But I saw the spirit of St. Paul Saints fans, and it won't be dampened by mere rain. Among them, local blogger Dave Polaschek and KFAI staffers Pam Hill and Jo Ann Vano.
MUSIC: Jonathan Casey, "James Slo-Burn"
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 05:13 AM | Comments (4)
July 25, 2005
The Hungry Cyclist
"Don't be afraid to open up your world to someone else's world." Those are Starfire's parting words in this story, but they work just as well as an introduction. Starfire opened up his world - and his living room - to The Hungry Cyclist, an Englishman biking from NYC to Rio de Janeiro for Macmillan Cancer Relief. How could he resist two days of R&R in Duluth?
CONTRIBUTOR: Starfire, Le Garage
MUSIC: Low
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 05:50 AM | Comments (3)
July 06, 2005
Hot Enough to Fry an Egg?
Hot 'nuff for ya? Why yes, yes it is. My girlfriend Lorika had a good idea: Let's see if we can fry an egg on the pavement! Here is our highly scientific exploration. Let us know if you've ever tried it.
Posted by Minnesota Stories at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)