Duluth Eye Candy: An Aerial Voyage

Why we live here.

Discover all-new views of our home in this series of my favorite drone footage shot in 2020.

Smellscape/Hellscape: The Life of the Nose in Urban Close Quarters During a Pandemic

“The concept of smellscapes suggests that, like visual impressions, smells may be spatially ordered or place-related. It is clear, however, that any conceptualization of smellscape must recognize that the perceived smellscape will be non-continuous, fragmentary in space and episodic in time, and limited by the height of our noses from the ground, where smells tend to linger.”
—Douglas Porteous, “Smellscape,”
The Smell Culture Reader, edited by Jim Drobnick

 

My neighbor’s yard is a source of olfactory joy for a short time each summer, and a source of olfactory misery for most of the rest of the year.

In early summer, when lilacs explode in this Lake Superior latitude, for a few weeks the bush just across the property boundary serves as the star of the local smellscape. I sit on the small patio I built and bathe in the glory of the perfumery. Then, all too soon, the flowers give way to small, hard green seeds, and the smell goes where all smells go, into memory.

Three Minnesota women who paved way for women suffrage

To mark a century of women voting, Minnesota Public Radio took a look back at the work of three Minnesota women who helped break down barriers and paved the way for women’s suffrage. The trio includes Duluthian Sarah Burger Stearns.

So Good to Be Home

I miss Duluth!!! After spending 10 years here, my job relocated me to Knoxville, Tenn. This week I was in town for a business trip when a colleague invited me to go wakesurfing on “The Big Lake.” I steeled myself for the inevitable shock of getting into the lake, but I jumped into the real shock of 70-degree water in the bay!

Lake Superior, clear sky, 80 degrees, and a boat full of fantastic friends had me feeling the loss of moving away from Duluth. The end of the evening rolled in and it was time to go home, except I knew I needed that one picture to capture the moment. It was a Perfect Duluth Day! Can’t wait to be back.

Ingeborg von Agassiz – “Slow Motion Lullaby”

Another new music composition and video by Duluth’s Ingeborg von Agassiz.

Lake Superior Aquaman: Drone Footage of Placing Fish Cam

I enlisted drone pilot videographer Riley Goss for help on this one. I knew the water was crystal clear and he would be able to see me underwater from above. I place the fish cam in 15 feet of water or so, in a trench between two outcrops, and then make a couple short dives to adjust it. Best part: the amazing tracking shot @1:10, where you can see what a beautiful underwater playground there is here at the Ledges. (No audio.)

Dave Mehling – “Garden”

Duluth native Dave Mehling has released another video for a track from his upcoming album — Beach Boy.

Postcard from the Duluth Civic Center

This early 1970s postcard shows Duluth’s Civic Center, which includes the St. Louis County Courthouse, Duluth City Hall, Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building, St. Louis County Jail and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

Upset Duluth: Postal Plight Edition

Here’s the latest addition to PDD’s ongoing “Upset Duluth” series, in which we feature Duluth News Tribune photos of people who are upset.

Story link: Plight of Postal Service concerns Duluth customers

And don’t forget to check out the ever-expanding Upset Duluth Gallery.

Fish Cam: In the Trench

 

15 feet deep, 75 feet off shore. I’ve seen loons hunting here so I’ve staked it out…

Guide to Duluth-related Blogs in 2020

While social media platforms with single-sentence content and auto-deleting videos get all the hype, old-school blogging remains as popular as ever. A cataloging of Duluth-related web logs reveals there might be more of them than ever. So if you’re interested in following the musings of those who do more than tweet, snap, tik and tok, read on.

Ingeborg von Agassiz – “Lone Bird Waltz”

Duluth’s Ingeborg von Agassiz composed this “waltz for a little lone bird.”

Mystery Photo: Another from Cook Ely

This image from the Ely Studio of Duluth comes to Perfect Duluth Day via Neal Eisenberg, a native Duluthian.

Duluth You & Me: Skyline Drive

Use the link below for a printable PDF for your drawing and coloring pleasure.
Duluth You & Me: Skyline Drive

Follow the Duluth You & Me subject tag to see additional pages. For background on the book see the original post on the topic.

Vansplaining, Episode 5: Chelsea Wolfe

In the fifth episode of Vansplaining, Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk drinks peppermint tea and listens to Roy Orbison with gothic rock musician Chelsea Wolfe.