On Patrol

Lake Superior Aquaman on patrol.

Bob Dylan on Hibbing from 1966 Playboy interview

Dude reads highlights from the 1966 Playboy interview. Dylan on Hibbing: @6:40-8:53.

Red Flag Warning

It’s almost suspicious how often I happen to be nearby when bodies are pulled out of the water. Am I a jinx or a murderer? No, I just like being by water. And it’s pretty well documented that water is a serial killer.

I’ve already written the essay “Lake Superior Wants to Kill You,” outlining just about everything I want to share on the subject of drowning. There’s one more warning worth putting forward, however, regarding the various ways you can lose your life in the water. So please keep this in mind:

I won’t try to stop you from putting yourself in danger, and it’s unlikely anyone else will, other than maybe your mommy.

Of course, you’ll probably get some general, impersonal warnings. This essay and my other essay, for starters. There are warnings in the media constantly. And then on Minnesota Point in Duluth we have those red flags and warning signs on the beach. But that’s all you get. And it’s not enough, obviously.

Telling someone about the dangers of rip currents is like warning about the potential for pregnancy. The risk vs. reward balance is quickly weighed and then it’s time to get wet.

Limited tickets available to Alan Sparhawk at Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart Music Center has just released a small amount of free tickets for a studio audience at its Live from the Heart songwriters/storytellers livestream featuring Alan Sparhawk.

West Duluth’s Allyndale Motel circa 1971

Allyndale Motel

The Allyndale Motel has been in operation at 510 N. 66th Ave. W. since 1952. The backside of the postcard image above boasts the motel’s features circa the 1970s: “Overlooking Duluth – Free TV – Room Phones – Tubs and Showers – Large Units – Individually controlled Hot Water Heat.”

Lake Superior Aquaman graffiti in Iowa City

Thanks to citizen @wiscontron for bringing this to my attention. It reads “Lake Superior Aquaman” with a picture of a trident, then someone has followed that with “<- The Admiral Nelson of Great Lakes.”

A Beaver Dam: Fall to Winter

Here it is, the sequel to “A Beaver Dam: Summer to Fall.” It features more footage from a trail camera on a beaver dam at Kabetogama Peninsula in Voyageurs National Park.

Low – “Disappearing”

Duluth band Low‘s new video is directed, produced and edited by Los Angeles-based artist Dorian Wood, who also stars in the video. Low’s new album, Hey What, is schedule for release on Sept. 10.

The Slice: Jonathan Thunder

Ojibwe artist Jonathan Thunder talks about his practice of mixing modern sensibilities with traditional imagery.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Superior Waffles opens July 27 on Tower Avenue

A sweet and savory waffle bar opens in Superior next week. Superior Waffles, located in the New York Building at 1412 Tower Ave., is holding a soft opening on Sunday and a grand opening on Tuesday.

An Elaborate Contrivance for Suicide

One hundred years ago a delusional Superior man hung himself in his home in front of a wall painted with a crucifix. The June 19, 1921 suicide was reported in the Duluth Herald on June 20.

Chicken Alley Backyard Hangout #1

Leon Rohrbaugh’s backyard adventures in Duluth’s Chester Park neighborhood are making their way to YouTube. In episode one, Leon’s son Miles returns from eight days leading 10 teenagers on a 64-mile hike on the Superior Hiking Trail, and it’s no surprise they want burgers.

LineCheck: Mary Bue

The Current‘s video series “LineCheck” presents virtual conversations with Minnesota’s music community. The sessions open and close with a song. In episode 2, occasional Duluthian Mary Bue performs.

Ditchbird – “Think She Was Right” (Lyric Video)

Cloquet native Tony Petersen, now based in Minneapolis, has a new music project called Ditchbird. The track “Think She Was Right” is on the forthcoming five-track EP, Some Dreams, out Aug. 13 on DoublePug Records.

Petersen is best known for his work with the band Social Animals. He released his first Ditchbird record, Real Enough for You Now, in April.

The Slice: Superior Porchfest

Local music brings Superior neighborhoods together this summer during Porchfest. Daryl Yankee, a volunteer from Siggy’s Musical Garden, explains the series of events in this video.