Automatic Ice Machine

Can you say iconic? If you've been to downtown St Paul, you've likely seen Mickey's Diner.... and surely you wanted to grab a meal there! Mickey's just grabs your eye; sitting there all red and yellow and shiny and cute. A building and style that conjures delicious images of scratch-made meals.... yum.

Built in 1937 and now on the National Register of Historic places, Mickey's was designed to look like a railroad dining car, a more common experience in those days. Of course, it never was an actual train dining car but coincidentally it was transported from the factory in New Jersey to St Paul by train. I would've liked have seen that; a train car on a train car.

Let me know if you've been to Mickey's recently. I'd like to know how it was. It's on my list.

Not long ago I did a very enjoyable commission for a childhood friend. He wanted to gift his mother a pair of home portraits: the Minnesota home that he grew up in and the Washington state home his parents moved to as empty-nesters. The two houses are so different in architecture it made for a very fun exercise. One a traditional arts and crafts home and the other a more modern coastal design. Thanks for the commish', CJ!

Coming soon ....

More dreams of Japan, this from a street in the Ryugoku neighborhood just west of the Sumida River, mostly famous for being home to the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena. In fact, I happened to be walking back to my hotel after catching the amateur sumo championships there when I came across this colorfully mundane building. My favorite kind, I had to draw it.

The Zumbrota covered bridge, dating back to 1869, is Minnesota's sole surviving "covered timber truss" bridge. Its interior showcases a complex and robust lattice construction technique that greatly enhanced its durability, initially making the middle support pier unnecessary. Notably, despite being covered to protect the wood from the elements, these bridges were often snow-filled in winter to facilitate horse-drawn sleigh crossings. The bridge possesses a time machine-like quality, transporting you to another era while you're inside.