Sunrise over lake Phalen. The lake was named after Edward Phelan.(name has three spellings) It is one of the largest lakes in St. Paul and was the cities water supply for a time. It was probably cleaner than the river. The lake and park are a beautiful natural resource we have to enjoy and admission is free.
Places
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A Holiday tradition

It is part of my holiday tradition going to Como Conservatory early on a Sunday morning with a bunch of other photographers just so I can take this picture. The conservatory is open to the public and it looks wonderful this time of year. If you want to take this same shot without any people in it you can probably do it at about 10:00 AM on a weekday.
Summer isn’t over

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago in Duluth Minnesota. I just want to say that summer isn’t over and people should just stop acting like it is. The weather is warm and the leaves on the trees just barely have a tinge of yellow here and there. There is still a lot of time to go out and play before that other season gets here. It is also of course a good time to list your home with me .
Wild Flowers
One of the many things I love about St. Paul is that there are wild areas right in the city or close to it. Yesterday I went to Battle Creek Regional park where I knew I could find some of my favorite spring wildflowers blooming in the woods.
I could hear the pileated woodpeckers but none of them would pose for me. The sights and sounds and smells are so therapeutic to an urban dweller.
The bloodroot is in full bloom right now. You can find them in clumps growing in the wooded areas of the park.

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The other downtown
On Friday my daughter got married right in downtown St. Paul.
The short ceremony was held at the Union Depot and then we had a lovely dinner and some wine at Christo’s also in the Union Depot, and then went across the street to Bedlam for drinks and dancing. The bride and groom spent their wedding night at the Saint Paul Hotel. Our downtown has several gorgeous places to have a weddings. The Union depot is well lit and immaculately clean. In my humble opinion it doesn’t need any decorations, but we could have included them.

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At least 144 parks
From Alden Square to Xinia Triangle there are at least 144 parks in St. Paul. Some of the parks are on acres and acres of land and others are little patches of land along busy streets. Some parks have a sculpture or a bench while others have Picnic tables, grills, water features and swimming. One city park even has a zoo. We hold events in the parks and concerts and weddings. We love our parks.
No matter where you live in St. Paul there is a park nearby. Oh and dog parks too.
