I took this photo on the longest night of the year.   Winter does have it's own kind of beauty.  It is the kind of beauty that is best enjoyed through a window.  Did you know that they don't shovel the walk up on the bluff where I took this photo? 

Now on this Christmas eve as snow-storm-amageddon, or snow-pocalypse, rages around us we are kind of in our own world.  Snow storms can be wonderful with a little preparation.   The important thing is that we have everything we need and don't have to leave the house.  There is plenty of food and more importantly there is wine, beer, whiskey and brandy. If things get tense we have books both paper and electronic, internet access, DVD's and the TV with all the channels and nothing on. Our survival of both Christmas and  snow-pocalypse 2009 is just about guaranteed.  Sadly when it stops snowing we will have to remove a few tons of it from the walks but it sounds like it will be a few days before we have to worry about it.

We all know Santa can handle snow, he drives a flying sleigh. As long as he doesn't need to land at our airport he will do just fine, and besides everyone knows that Christmas is supposed to be white.

Stay warm, stay inside and enjoy the day.

This just in, the snow storm as it looked at 5:00 AM CST

by G. Sax (@gsax)

Uh, oh. Time to grow up. They're tearing down my childhood.

The City of Saint Paul is closing Front Recreation Center. They're also closing Prosperity and Sylvan, two rec centers I didn't spend much time at so I can't express the same sweetness sorrow. But Sylvan was the Packers to our Vikings, the A's to our Twins, the bad guys. It's fitting that we die together.

The day of reckoning is December 31; demolition will occur in 2010. In place of the outmoded buildings, plans call for updated restrooms and improved sports fields, which isn't a terrible thing.

The official line is that Saint Paul Parks and Recreation are going to focus efforts on quality over quantity. Which means North Dale Rec Center is going to get even richier rich (a comment that will make sense to those from Front and Sylvan if not the kids from North Oaks and Edina).

The stewards of these facilities haven't kept up with what kids want in their neigborhood rec center. I still see tons of kids going to Front. Whenever it's somewhat dry, hot or cold, there are dozens working the skateboard ramps. More of that might've helped Front. Maybe grassier soccer fields. How about a playground that doesn't promise the surprise of shredding old driftwood by the handrails to the slide.

It's been a number of years since I set foot inside Front, but it was my home away from home for several key years. It's where I played Little League baseball and Pee Wee football. Floor hockey in the gym, movie night in the back room, tag without touching the sand in the playground, Winter Carnival Junior Royalty, and a place to find girls that were willing to kiss me.

Or more fun to read about: Taking a broken swingset chain to the face, taking a few solid punches to the face from various bootcut street toughs, and taking a miniature dodgeball to the face from John Strecker, who would go on to become a starting pitcher for the high school several years later.

Saint Paul has closed nearly 20 centers in the last five years because of budget cuts and will now get by with just 25 rec centers remaining. The city's website still falsely boasts 33 city-operated recreation centers which "provide our residents with a place in their neighborhood to learn and recreate."

Mine did.

 Go to the restaurant or coffee shop down the street. Eat, drink and be merry while at the same time supporting local businesses. They make our neighborhoods and our city strong. There are so many options.  It has been a hard year for our local businesses.  Just drive along University avenue in St. Paul and see the vacant store fronts. We don't want any more vacant store fronts. The slowest days for most restaurants are Tuesday and Wednesday.

This is the most photogenic restaurant in St. Paul, Mickey's Diner on 7th and St. Peter Street, downtown.

Brewberrys on Fairview and Randolph even says "neighborhood coffee shop" right above the front door.  It is also one of the warmer coffee shops around.  I have had their ice cream and it is wonderful but never a blue ice cream like the one on the building.I don't like to eat things that are blue unless they are round and served on top of a waffle.

Happy solstice, yes winter 2009 has officially arrived but the weather is pretty much the same as it was before it was official.  Today is the shortest day of the year, followed by the longest night.  It always works that way, when the days get shorter the nights get longer.  Nice to have that happen on a Monday.  The days will start getting longer again but it will be by such a small amount that we won't notice it but the seed catalogs will start coming and that we will notice.

I think this year I have learned how to find the positive news.  There is always good news sometimes we just have to dig for it.  Enjoy the Winter! 

I am not sure what a person would do with this frosty the snow man but it would make a unique gift.  I kind of like seeing it out on the sidewalk in front of Wescott Station and I predict it will stay there through the remainder of the holiday season. 

In the Twin Cities when someone says downtown they usually mean downtown Minneapolis.  When I say downtown I mean St. Paul so when I write about the other downtown I am writing about Minneapolis.  Confusing I know.  I love downtown Minneapolis.  I like to go there especially during the holiday season and take photos.  It is the combination of holiday decorations and people watching.  I should go to the holidazzle parade but I don't like sub arctic cold, or rush hour traffic so much so I mostly stay away. Maybe if the temperature climbs above painfully cold with wind-chills of minus ouch I will go watch it.

Here are some photos that I took downtown.

The Christmas tree in the Crystal Court at the IDS center. It gets a lot of traffic as people line up to take photos of themselves sitting near it for holiday greeting cards.

Here is one of gaviidae commons.  My apologies to the man on the cell phone. 

It's Friday and Fridays are for fun. I wrote this in 2006.  A friend asked me if I would be sending fruitcake again this year. It looks like I am.

When it comes to holiday humor there isn't anything funnier than a fruitcake, or is it nuttier than a fruitcake?  Does it matter?  In some circles it is a tradition to send fruitcakes to relatives and maybe co-workers that that we don't like.

I happen to like fruitcake, and I am not making that up.  I am going to leave this fruitcake on my blog for anyone who needs to send a last minute virtual Christmas gift.  Just email this post to someone who you think really deserves this beautiful fruitcake.  It is the thought that counts and this way no food will be wasted.    Go ahead try it.  It has been said that there is only one fruit cake and that it has navigated the globe being gifted and re-gifted.  It makes me wonder where this one will end up.

Have a wonderful weekend, I hope Santa is good to you this year!