I Made You Say Underwear
I still own all the underwear I’ve ever bought, probably. Like, 85 percent of it. But why? you might legitimately ask yourself. The answer is simple. Underwear is inexplicably expensive. And it takes a long time to wear out, since I don’t do very many things that would cause excessive wear-and-tear, like, say, a lot of butt-scooting on the carpet or skivvy-only horseback riding. I know I’m not alone in this, because over the years I’ve shared this fact and discovered that pretty much everyone is stockpiling ancient underwear.
As a result, I own underwear that is so old that it’s vintage — essentially archaeological artifacts. I’ve got garden-variety skivvies, of course, but I also have floppy and faded high-cut bikinis from 9th grade, lady boxers whose elastic waistbands announce their brand affiliation, and transparent lacy stretch briefs that make my ass look like a low-rent bank-robber. What I don’t have is g-strings. Not anymore.
Ahhh, the g-string. The g-string came to popularity in the late 1990s, first on strippers, then on twenty-somethings, and then, finally, on Donna, the 60-year-old cashier at ShopKo who is suprisingly racy and not interested in what you think about her undergarment selection, thank you very much and have yourself a lovely day minding your own fucking business. (more…)
Looking ahead to winter: Snow-Fort City
Looking ahead to winter
It was a good summer. The lake was warm enough to swim for a span of several weeks. I took full advantage of the aqua-recreational opportunities, which I chronicled here. I have no natural love of fall, but this year I am looking at it as what it is: the long, slow, beginning of winter. And since I feel fortified against the coming colder weather, snowfall, and ice conditions, I am making plans. (more…)
Beyondbliss – “Rhyme Alaskan”
Duluth’s David Kittelson, aka Beyondbliss, raps while kayaking in Alaska.
Lester River Fish Hatchery circa 1900
The state fish hatchery at 6008 London Road, near the mouth of Lester River in Duluth, was constructed in 1888 and operated until 1946. The photo above, from Detroit Publishing Company, is dated by the Library of Congress as “between 1900 and 1910.” (more…)
Postcards from the Sunrise Motel
The undated postcard above, published by Elton H. Gujer Company of Duluth, depicts the Sunrise Motel in Hermantown. (more…)
The Slice: Creative Crosswalks in Duluth
In this edition of The Slice, Mackenzie and friends discover the intention behind Creative Crosswalks in Duluth. Artist Moira Villiard coordinates the neighborhood project through Zeitgeist Community, painting murals at intersections to attract attention and promote pedestrian and bicycle safety by slowing traffic.
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.
Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #19
Here’s another card from the Duluth Trivia game. (more…)
Adas Israel Congregation synagogue destroyed by fire
The Duluth Fire Department responded at 2:23 a.m. to a report of a structure fire at Adas Israel Congregation, a Jewish synagogue at 302 E. Third St. (more…)
Peter, Paul & Mary – “Love City (Postcards to Duluth)”
The famed folk trio of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Noel Paul Stookey and contralto Mary Travers parenthetically referenced Duluth with the 1968 single “Love City.” (more…)
Mystery Photos: Howorth Photography
These two cabinet cards presumably feature two different women, although they look a touch similar. The mystery isn’t just who they are, but also what the deal was with Howorth. (more…)
Selective Focus: Duluth Then & Now
Even if you’re not a history nerd, you’ve got to admire the effort put into finding and recreating these photos and the point of view. The images are from John McLoughlin’s @duluth_then_and_now account on Instagram. (more…)
Video: Pinkbike in Duluth and Lebanon Hills
The cycling website Pinkbike recently visited Duluth (first half of the video) and Lebanon Falls (about 170 miles south of Duluth; second half of video).
There is no Poop Fairy PSA
You may have seen signs and literature around town encouraging pet owners to pick up after their pooches. Here’s a PSA for the campaign. Sponsored by Duluth Park and Recreation Department, along with the Regional Stormwater Protection Team.
With Jenna Kelly and Jody Kujawa, video by Danger Bird Productions
Seven historic Duluth photos, digitally restored
View of Duluth on the Shore of Lake Superior (1870)
The Minnesota Reflections database contains a large number of high-quality historic photographs of Duluth. Most of these are scans of old prints in excellent condition. Some of the photos in the collection, however, come from torn, faded, scratched, taped or otherwise damaged prints. Many of these damaged prints belong to the collection of photographs taken by Paul B. Gaylord, a photographer from Ohio who moved to Duluth in 1869 and published some of the earliest images of the area. (more…)
Summer Surf on Stoney Point
This video by Erik Wilkie documents a Sept. 3 surf outing at Stoney Point on Lake Superior, just south of Knife River.
Monthly Grovel: September 2019 Edition
In the past year — from September 2018 through August 2019 — the PDD Calendar published 7,917 Duluth-area events. Each one was edited by a human being before the “publish” button was pushed.
It’s a tremendous amount of work to keep up with all the submissions from the more than 1,000 organizations that have sent us info about their concerts, plays, bake sales and bunco tournaments. That’s why once a month we set our dignity aside and remind readers how much we appreciate their financial support. (more…)
Postcards from Duluth’s West End … not West Duluth
A recent post on Perfect Duluth Day featured a “Postcard from the West End of Duluth” that was properly captioned by the postcard company. The postcard shown above, however, shows a similar scene and is captioned as “West Duluth, Minn.” (more…)
Missing Person: Jacob Lavoie
The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating 21-year-old Jacob Michael Lavoie. He was last seen at Grandma’s Sports Garden in Canal Park on Saturday, Aug. 31, at around midnight, and early on the morning of Sept. 1.
Lavoie is a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 150 pounds, with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. He might be wearing a black Nike baseball hat, red/salmon long-sleeve shirt and jeans. Anyone who has information about Lavoie’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Duluth Police Department Juvenile Services Unit at 218-730-5560, or call 911. (more…)
Duluth Seaway Portorama
The Duluth Public Library’s Vintage Duluth blog recently published a retrospective on the Duluth Seaway Portarama, an annual summer festival sponsored by the Duluth Jaycees from 1959 to 1969. The modern day relevancy, as the post notes, is that in February the Minnesota House of Representatives repealed sections 333.50, 333.51 and 333.52 of Statute 19-1642, “eliminating crime of unauthorized use of the name and mark “portorama.” (more…)
Iwen wins prize
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports that UW-Superior professor Jayson Iwen has won a $5,000 poetry prize. (more…)