Photos
This Tugboat Just Sank at the Slip
Picture from last winter skating at the Slip by the tugboat Lake Superior. Paul Scinocca broke the story with a photo of the wreck on his social media. The boat had been out of service for some time, and will be so yet, I reckon.
Winter of Discontent: Lake Superior Wild Ice Report 2021-22
The Wildest Wild Ice
This winter I operated as a lake observer from my hillside fortress of solitude. I dug my binoculars out and pegged them by the window to study the lake’s changes. Obsessed with the wildest wild ice — skating the big lake — I track everything to do with Lake Superior freezing. I track wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and preciptiation daily. In summer this helps me predict local water temps and clarity related to underwater video. In winter this relates to skateable ice on the biggest lake in the world.
The Institute for the Study of Light and Water
The Institute
I am the founder and only member of the Institute for the Study of Light and Water. In truth its membership includes all who live. Data-gathering continues from my top-floor hillside apartment, the observatory. Generous windows on every side provide views of the lake and the sky. I must complete the Institute’s studies.
PDD Headshot Backstory
When joining Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” roster, I was asked for a headshot and I submitted this which accompanies my essays. It is a video still from an old GoPro on a stick. The camera has broken through the water, and my face is about to break the surface. Water depth @ 20-30 feet, off the sand beaches of Park Point. It was late summer and I wanted one more batch of diving photos in my Aquaman colors. (more…)
Selective Focus: Presidents’ Day Blizzard of 2022
Instagram
17 likes, 4 comments - margaretharstad on February 22, 2022: "I love when the snow is half way up your windowsill.".
instagram.com
Somewhere in the range of 17 inches of snow fell on Duluth from Feb. 22 to 23, blowing into tall, fluffy snow dunes. Collected here are a few images from around the region, via Instagram. (more…)
Plutonium Loves
I loved her and now that I’ve left I am full of cancer. My genome breaks further each day in a cascading cellular demolition. She’s a physicist so we used to see each other around the University. Once the accident made her radioactive, we saw each other through the leaded glass of her containment chamber in St. Luke’s. (more…)
Selective Focus: Winter Recreation and Icy Silliness
Instagram
62 likes, 6 comments - mazie_thechessie on January 16, 2022: "Leave it to the Chesapeake to swim in 33 degree water 🥶
#chesapeakebayretriever #chesapeakebayretrieverofinstagram #chessiesofinstagram #chessie #chessielove #chessielove #chessieoftheday #chessielife #chessiepuppy #chessiesofig #chessietails #duckdog #duckdogsofinstagram #dogsthathike #retriever #retrievernation #retrieverlifemagazine #wildlifemag #retrieversgram #retrieverlife #retrieveroftheday #retrieverpuppy #retrieverlove #minnesotaretriever #gundoghunting #minnesotagirl #duluthmn".
instagram.com
Sledding, paddling, lollygagging … drifting off on an ice chunk. Collected here are a few images from Instagram of simple winter pleasures. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Drag Racing on Lake Superior
Allouez Bay in Superior was recently the scene of a stock-car racing event called NASCAR on Ice, which might have seemed like a newish idea, but … the undated photo above has a handwritten message on the back that reads: “Taken on Lake Superior. Duluth in distance. Thousands on ice at time of races. A new sport. 24 in. of ice at time.” (more…)
Selective Focus: Seeking River Stories
The St. Louis River Alliance typically organizes an annual Winter Walk event in February, but the rise in COVID-19 cases led the organization to cancel it for the second year in a row. Instead, stories, photos and videos are being collected throughout the month to to be shared on the alliance’s social media accounts to encourage people to get outside and enjoy winter.
Featured in this post as examples are photos by the alliance’s development director, Alyssa Johnson. (more…)
Selective Focus: Beargrease 2022
The 38th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is underway. Collected here are a few select photos via Instagram. The 300-mile race is expected to finish on Feb. 1 in the afternoon. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Carl Thiel Cabinet Card
The identity of the woman in this photo is almost certainly lost to history, but on Perfect Duluth Day it’s always worth trying. What we know about this photo is the photography studio it came from and roughly when it was shot. (more…)
Seletive Focus: Sea Smoke
Instagram
159 likes, 9 comments - drone_grown_photography on January 2, 2022: "Sea Smoke 💨 #destinationduluth #captureduluth #visitduluth #exploreminnesota #lakesuperior #greatlakesshipping #canalpark #duluth #minnesota #minnesota365 #aerialliftbridge #northshore #lakesuperiormagazine #dji #drone #dronephotography #dronestagram #picoftheday #picture #seasmoke #sunrise #instagood #instagram #travel #cold #winter".
instagram.com
Lake Superior sea smoke is all the rage on Instagram. (more…)
Duluth’s Emerson School
Emerson School, located at 1028 W. Third St. in the Observation Hill area of Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood, opened for classes 130 years ago today — Jan. 2, 1892. The school closed circa 1982 and became apartments. The building was purchased by the Emerson Tenants Cooperative in 1994. (more…)
Selective Focus: Snow Day 2021
Instagram
73 likes, 0 comments - bauer50km on December 27, 2021: "Checking conditions on Chester. Looks pretty good.
#perfectduluthday #befromduluth #authenticduluth #captureduluth #captureminnesota #northshoremn #exploremn #superiorhikingtrail #duluthmn #duluthparks #chesterpark".
instagram.com
A few select images from today’s blizzardry via Instagram. (more…)
Lake Superior Aquaman Fashion Week
(On the ‘gram @lakesuperioraquaman)
Postcard from the Famous Aerial Bridge
This undated postcard of Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge appears to be circa the 1960s, but perhaps there is a clue in there somewhere to narrow the date down. (more…)
Selective Focus: November Gales 2021
Instagram
209 likes, 3 comments - tonecoughlin on November 11, 2021: "One of the neat images from today.
Gales of November 11, 2021.
#galesofnovember #galeforce #lakesuperior #lakesuperiormagazine #destinationduluth #befromduluth #waves #lakesuperior #greatlakes #greatlakesmn #storm".
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Whether it’s Ten November, Eleven November or Any-day November, it’s no surprise when the gales roll in, yet it’s always eye opening. Waves crashed along the shores of Lake Superior today causing flooding in downtown Grand Marais. Collected here are select photos from Instagram showing the raw power of the big lake they call gitche gumee. (more…)
Mystery Photo: Children in Front of Depression-era Duluth Home
This old photo, titled “1940 DULUTH Children in Front of Home DEPRESSION ERA Photo (198-N)” popped up on eBay recently. (more…)
Selective Focus: The Funeral March for Rotten Ideas
Instagram
42 likes, 2 comments - blakeravemusic on November 6, 2021: "Once Upon a Parade...
#allsoulsnight
#skeleton #giant #lovedandlost #remember #dearlydeparted #mask #allsoulsday #parade".
instagram.com
Max Skeleton led “The Funeral March for Rotten Ideas” down Superior Street last night. Four marionettes were in the parade, all created by local artist Mary Plaster, who founded Duluth’s All Souls Night event. The 17-foot tall Max Skeleton, created along with artist Chris Lutter of Minneapolis, is operated by hand-pushed gantry and five puppeteers on the ground. It is largest marionette in Minnesota. (more…)
Selective Focus: More Aurora
Instagram
46 likes, 0 comments - northern.minnesota.creations on November 4, 2021: "#cloquet #northernlights #destinationduluth #authenticduluthattractions #onlyinmn #auroraborealis #midwaybarn #befromduluth #exploreminnesota #captureminnesota".
instagram.com
Instagram is aglow with northern lights photos from last night, thanks to a little solar storm activity. It was less than a month ago when Perfect Duluth Day previously featured auroras in “Selective Focus,” but the show last night brought out practically every sky photographer in the region. (more…)
The Cartoon History of Hunter S. Thompson
My complete 13-part comic strip originally published in Duluth’s Transistor circa 2008. Much information from E. Jean Carroll’s book, Hunter: The Strange and Savage Life of Hunter S. Thompson. In addition to ripping off Frank Miller, I copied several panels from X-Men comics, and some Hunter photos. (more…)