A bagel and coffee for sustenance; I sat and watched the other patrons gather at the counter and order. They shook their coats and pulled out paper money and coins in exchange for a cup of warm/hot dark liquid. A group of old ladies, some students, and a peculiar anorexic looking girl stood about. They all seemed to be wobbling around the room aimlessly. This was their church, their idol was the thought of consuming a perfect cup of coffee, something made by artisan hands right in this very location. Wow. Getting out of the house is a blast.
I thought of the walk earlier, and outside, the photos, the spots, and what people would take from them-if anything at all…
Getting here I dropped Jess at the bus stop, paid the fare, and plugged in my headphones-Bowie, Ziggy Stardust; I was on the moon, or I was on mars, or I was on whatever-something frozen from the looks of it. I was fucking cold at this moment.
After sitting down my feet had gathered what seemed to be frost, my clothes hung tight from dual long underwear utilization. Layered like an onion-dress code, life at the moment. I finished my coffee, or tried to, and left.
Outside I knew I would see things that I always see, but I would not see them in this sort of temperature, or light, for another year or so.
Living in the Midwest you get stretches of very cold and very warm weather. Those extremes last from 2 weeks to 2 months. Winter is the worst, sometimes, just as much as it is unpredictable. It is bad if you don’t get outside. You will inevitably start going crazy. The best thing to do is to not look at the forecast, or listen to anyone talking about the weather at all. Stop listening to me. I am getting off track… No more talk of the weather, well sort of.
The amazing thought of documenting some of my favorite sites at different times throughout the year. Oh, the beauty.
The bridges of Minneapolis are the most splendid-35 W bridge aside. The Stone Arch Bridge is most magnificent. As a structure it spans the Mississippi River, and my mind. Its historical stone presence is a testament to ingenuity in the Twin Cities.
Ice on the ground does not pad my walk, or soften the blows to the soles of my feet. The ice does not make it any easier. I am alert. I am alive. I walk with caution, precariously. I walk forward.
Ahead is a frozen wall lined sidewalk. A city bus slides by. Cars make steam-exhaust which floats above. White and gloss black reflect the sun into my eyes, and all other directions. This is negative twelve-probably. I was sweating here in ninety-degree heat a few months back. I think of Into The Wild, or Into Thin Air. This walk isn’t so bad. I could be on the Titanic, or off of it in the water screaming for a lifeboat. That would be a bit colder than right here in Marcy Holmes.
Looking at the coffee house floor I notice my boots have lost their patina. My heels have formed dull crystals. A salty chemical fashion statement-Über modisch! Thin work boots worn through, no traction. Walking careful is the action. I think now I must go.
Lines form and disappear at the counter again. I am at Dunn Bros SE. I sit and think about the walk I’m about to undertake. Thoughts of a sofa life; big TV, bag of chips, soda, beer-no movement, sedentary living, and I think I want to die if that were the case. I never want to live like that. Movement is joy.
Thousand-yard stare from being cooped up in stale air, time for me to exit, and this is what I found…
(8 of the last 13 photos are from various locations: Downtown La Crosse, WI, La Crescent, MN, and Minneapolis.)
