Hometown Minneapolis:Luminary Loppet – an evening of fire and ice

The Luminary Loppet is quickly becoming the highlight of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Loppet cross-country skiing festival. Hundreds of ice lanterns light a path around the Lake of the Isles, bringing you to stations of ice sculptures, pyramids, camp fires, hot chocolate and crowd favorite fire dancers. The whole event is a true celebration of winter in Minnesota.

 

Minnesota nICE video

Video of what happens when you you throw hot boiling water in the freezing Minnesota winter air! Check out the results of our at home (Edina, Minnesota) experiment. * warning: don’t let the water hit you on the way down…it’s HOT!

Centennial Lakes – Edina

We heard a funny statistic…in Minnesota you’ve got less of a window to enjoy outdoor ice skating than you do swimming. Can that be right? Either way, get out there and enjoy a bit of ice skating. One of the most unique outdoor skating rinks is in Edina, at Centennial Lakes. The warming house has a couple of fireplaces, a concession stand for a hot cup of cocoa and skate rentals for those without. [click on photos to enlarge]

Beards Plaisance – Minneapolis Sledding

Beards Plaisance is not only one of the oldest parks in Minneapolis, it’s also the location of one of Minneapolis’ top sledding hills. The Lake Harriet park’s long run can get icy at times, and the close proximity to a few towering trees might preclude inexperienced sledders from going all out, but for the rest of you, get out there and enjoy one of the Minneapolis’ top natural winter thrill rides.

photo of minneapolis sledding hill beards plaisancephoto of minneapolis sledding hill beards plaisance

Minnehaha Falls

This year’s Minneapolis rainfall has made the Minnehaha Creek and Falls about a full as they’ve been in a long time. In addition to the splendor of the falls, the scenic trail to the mighty Mississippi makes Minnehaha Park one of the best in all of Minneapolis.  Watch this VIDEO of our latest adventure at the Minnehaha Falls.

Fort Snelling National Cemetery

We celebrated Memorial Day by visiting the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.  Even though we’ve all seen the cemetery hundreds of times driving past it on Hwy 494, this was our family’s first visit to the cemetery grounds. Walking amongst the over 170,000 interments was a moving and solemn experience.  We thank all who have served.  We are in your debt.

Valentine’s Day…a reason to check out Bibelot in Linden Hills

Saint Valentine’s Day, a one day “holiday” originating from the  celebration of the martyr (s) Saint Valentine by the Roman Catholic Church beginning in 496 AD, and celebrating romantic love since the middle ages and Chaucer.  Today it is a much needed beacon for retailers and winter dwellers alike to find something to celebrate and a reason to spend money.  Oh, the pressure to find the perfect gift of love. And if you don’t have a Valentine…it is  a very long day (and night) to endure alone.  The funny thing is, most of us have someone we cherish and an excuse to send a little heart in the mail.  For the true romantic out there, answers to the Valentine dilemma can be found at our very own Bibelot in Linden Hills. Many, many, many valentine options…just click and done.  From cards, to cooking, to home decor, to jewelry, to clothing…you’ll find your Valentine something special (or useful or romantic or beautiful) here!

Wild Rumpus…more than a A Linden Hills Bookstore

If you have young children (or the spirit of a young child’s heart) you must visit Wild Rumpus in Linden Hills, a true neighborhood treasure.  From its tiny door made just for little ones, to the live animals roaming freely among the shelves, this is a fairy tale bookstore come to life. Actually this store was built upon ideas in the book, The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer. (And here I thought it was inspired by Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and the line “Let the Wild Rumpus begin.”)  Either way, this place is magical.  Walk through its tiny purple door and be transplanted and transformed…a perfect spot on a winter afternoon.

Our Edina Schools…something to be proud of!

Our Edina schools are worth raving about.  They are the reason so many move to, return to, or stay within its boundaries.  You can’t beat the rankings, the achievement tests, the curriculum, and the over-all feeling here that education is everything! This past November, Edina residents voted YES on both education levies, renewing the operating levy per student and renewing and increasing the capitol levy to be used for technology. The increase in  technology funding should help to bring Edina back on par with other great Twin Cities School Districts.  Just in case you need a little more data to convince you, please check out the website Defining Excellence in the Edina Public Schools. I have excerpted some bits from the Annual Report to the Community of 2010 to illustrate what everyone is talking about.

“Student Achievement: In 2010, Edina students placed first among Minnesota public school districts when reading and math scores on MCA-II Comprehensive Assessments are combined. Edina High
School was the top Minnesota high school in both reading and mathematics. When reading and
math scores are separated, Edina students across all grades were first in mathematics, and
second (by 0.3%) in reading.
Our Mission: The mission of Edina Public Schools, working in partnership with the family and the community,
is to educate all individuals to be responsible, lifelong learners who possess the skills, knowledge, creativity, sense of self-worth, and ethical values necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, global society The reputation of Edina Public Schools has grown nationally in the past decade. We are the only district in the country to
be recognized by all five of the following publications.

Forbes.com named Edina among “America’s 25 Best Schools for Your Housing Buck” (April 2010). US News and World Report named Edina High School a Silver Medalist School for high performance on state assessment tests and college readiness scores. EHS had the highest college readiness index of any of the 11 Minnesota schools recognized (2009 and 2008). Family Circle Magazine identified Edina as one of its top 10 towns in the nation for families. Edina Public Schools stood out as the only district in the survey to earn a perfect 10 of 10 school ranking (August 2009).
Newsweek included Edina High School in its list of “America’s Best High Schools,” basing the ranking on the number of AP tests taken per student. Only 6% of US high schools make the list (2008, 2007, 2003). Sports Illustrated Magazine ranked Edina’s athletic program the eighth “Best High School Athletic Program in the Nation” (2005).”

Linden Hills Development…It takes a village

The best neighborhood newspaper around, the Southwest Journal” chronicles the news and stories that make our corner of the Twin Cities so special.   Of note in Linden Hills of late are the  ”It takes a village to save a village”  signs that have been lining the streets of Linden Hills for months.  The slogan is the hallmark of the neighborhood council (Linden Hills Residents for Responsible Development) opposed to the proposed development at the corner of Upton Avenue South and 43rd Street.  A five story condominium/retail development planned for this corner is two stories higher than current zoning allows, and there are some environmental concerns from residents as well.  The Minneapolis Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss the development at its January 23rd meeting.  The dissent, and a petition signed by over 2000 residents opposed to the project, holds no legal weight, but the neighborhood council is hoping that the city really listens to the  ”lack of community support.”   We’ll keep you posted on the fate of the Famous Dave’s corner in Linden Hills…