Friday, October 30, 2009

St. Paul Cathedral

I braved gale force winds today in an attempt to get some nice photos. This was quite a challenge, considering I needed a steady tripod to get nice crisp shots and the wind was threatening to blow me over along with the tripod!

I fought a losing battle in the "crisp shots" department, but I still like this image of the St. Paul Cathedral.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Extreme Makeover

The crew for Extreme Makeover Home Edition have been working all week on a home in West St. Paul. I figured I'd better get over there today since this was the last day. The house was done when I got there around 12:30pm. They were just doing a little bit of clean up inside the house. I and my fellow spectators were crammed in behind barricades along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. This was the best picture I got of the spunky host, Ty Pennington (second from the right.)

The style of the new house fits in so well, that I wouldn't have known it was a new house if I had just been driving through the neighborhood.

Here people are practicing for "Move that bus!" Everything had to be practiced several times. We had to practice cheering and chanting. The bus had to take off and back up several times. The limo for the family had to practice driving up and out several times. Then we had to wait for it to go pick up the family. Ty and the builders had to come out of the house several times. Even the family had to walk up to the door and back down to the street several times before they could go in the house. It all happens so quickly on television, but there is nothing quick about it in person.

Even Santa was there! He works for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Dept in the off season.

I'll end with a shot of the family going up to the door of their new home. The first time, anyway. I stayed long enough to actually see them enter their new home. What an exciting day for the Morris family!