Today is the big day Minnesota!

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
Milkweed

Today, July 1st 2017,  is a historic occasion. It is the first Sunday ever in the history of the state that liquor stores can be open and we can buy alcoholic beverages Sunday. People are quick to remind me that not all liquor stores will be open and not everyone is happy with the new law.

Banning the sale of liquor in Sunday was a “blue law”. Blue laws date back to colonial times and were made for religious reasons. It has always been legal to drink on Sunday in Minnesota and alcoholic beverages are sold in bars and restaurants.

Some liquor stores will stay closed and I respect that. As a self employed person I have choices about when I work. I don’t work every weekend. I take the major holidays off completely.

Many people work on weekends. Some people work two jobs. Some people have religious beliefs that include celebrations on Saturday not on Sunday.

I plan to mark this historic occasion by stopping at the neighborhood liquor store and buying a bottle of wine. It will be the first time in my life that I have ever made a purchase in a liquor store on a Sunday. Up to now I have always planned ahead or managed without.

There are still 11 states that do not allow liquor sales on Sundays. Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Memories of fireworks

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

it is Friday and Fridays are for fun. I miss the amazing fireworks displays we used to have in St. Paul. Fireworks were shot up over the river valley and could be seen for miles. We could see them from the bridges or the public parks. The all changed when the ball park was built in lower town. Since the park opened it is the new place for 4th of July Fireworks even if there isn’t a game.

Fireworks can not be launched high into the sky from the park because of the nearby airport.

It makes no sense to me to launch low level fireworks from the lowest part of the city, where view of the fireworks is blocked by the buildings when they can be launched over the river and viewed from bridges, parks, boats and the bluffs.

Maybe one day our fireworks will be set free again where they can be enjoyed by everyone, but for now all I have are these blasts from the past.

fireworks
Fireworks over the Mississippi River
July 4th fireworks
Fireworks over the Mississippi river

Throw back Thursday

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
landmark center
Landmark center

There used to be a water feature at St. Peter Street and E. 6th Street, across the street from the Landmark Center. It is still there but there isn’t any water in it. I don’t recall seeing water in it last year either. Where did the water go?

Old on the outside, newer on the inside

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
brick turret
Historic brick and stone

I know my St. Paul condo buildings because I have seen the inside of many of them. What is historic on the outside may look like it was built in the 1980’s on the inside.

The original woodwork was replaced with blond oak and the floors are carpeted. The “old world” charm can not be found on the inside. In fact sometimes there isn’t anything charming about the interior.

There are several buildings in downtown St. Paul that were factories or warehouses that were converted into condos. The kitchens are all new but the buildings still have exposed brick and timber.

They don’t look like they did when they were factories but they look historic and authentic. The developers restored unique historic features rather than just gutting the building and starting over.

There are a few great old buildings that are disappointing on the inside because they were chopped up and made into small apartments that don’t make sense. Who wants a north facing condo with one window?

Historic preservation districts have rules about how the outside of a building has to look but no rules about the inside.

Nice house poor photography

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

Why do home sellers go to the trouble of patching and painting, staging and fixing everything up and then have it all photographed by someone who doesn’t know how to photograph a house and who isn’t using a DSLR camera with a wide angle lens?

It is hard to look at some of the beautiful historic St. Paul homes on the MLS and find dark rooms with antique light fixtures turned off.  The camera lens used to take the photos isn’t wide enough to capture the whole room. I can’t even tell which room is which.

The details in a historic home really need to show up in the photographs and they need to be taken with an eye for what is important. I remember several years ago following a photographer through a historic home and taking pictures of what he missed.

You would think it would be hard to make a beautiful home look average but it isn’t. Making an average looking home look outstanding is a bit more of a challenge but always the goal.

Back before the internet photography didn’t matter nearly as much. Even in today’s seller’s market photography matters. Professionally photographed homes sell for more. Thousands of dollars more.

Laurel Avenue
Victorian houses

Also see:

Staging AND Photography

Snow is rare in June