Duluth
Patrick and I drove to Duluth on Saturday. When we left the Cities the temperature was rising toward the mid 80s; and the humidity was so high that officials of the Twin Cities Marathon (which was run on Sunday) warned runners that they would be at risk. Apparently you can't sweat properly when the air is extremely humid.
October in Minnesota is supposed to be cool and crisp.
We stopped at a Starbucks north of the Cities and bought coffee and two CDs, Songs of Mass Destruction by Annie Lennox and Magic by Bruce Springsteen, and played the CDs as we continued north.
Both are dark, written very much under the influence of the war against Iraq, it seems to me; though there are not a lot of direct references to the war, except he title of the Lennox album.
I like both, especially the Springsteen. The E Street Band is amazing.
When we reached Duluth the temp was 50. Fog hid the tops of the hills. There were whitecaps on the lake, and a gusty wind blew through Canal Park. We did the usual things: watched a ship leave Duluth Harbor (photos to follow) and checked out various shops. Patrick bought me a book on David Salmela, a wonderful Finnish American architect based in Duluth. Much of his work had a Scandinavian cleanness and brightness; and he uses wood like a Finn, which means he uses a lot of wood, and he uses it with respect.
On the way back, we played the Springsteen album again, then went on to Neil Young's Living With War and Steve Earle's The Revolution Starts Now. We both like Earle a lot; and the Young album is growing on us. "Let's Impeach the President" is a great sing-along song.
Back in the 1960s, my friends and I spent a lot of time trying to decode music and movies. What did they tell us about America and the American people? What did "I believe the time is right for violent revolution" actually mean? (I know the Stones were English, but they were popular in the States.)
I don't know what Americans are thinking now. They seem oddly quiet, given the awfulness of the situation we find ourselves in.
On the other hand, the temp went down on Monday; and it is seasonally cold now.
October in Minnesota is supposed to be cool and crisp.
We stopped at a Starbucks north of the Cities and bought coffee and two CDs, Songs of Mass Destruction by Annie Lennox and Magic by Bruce Springsteen, and played the CDs as we continued north.
Both are dark, written very much under the influence of the war against Iraq, it seems to me; though there are not a lot of direct references to the war, except he title of the Lennox album.
I like both, especially the Springsteen. The E Street Band is amazing.
When we reached Duluth the temp was 50. Fog hid the tops of the hills. There were whitecaps on the lake, and a gusty wind blew through Canal Park. We did the usual things: watched a ship leave Duluth Harbor (photos to follow) and checked out various shops. Patrick bought me a book on David Salmela, a wonderful Finnish American architect based in Duluth. Much of his work had a Scandinavian cleanness and brightness; and he uses wood like a Finn, which means he uses a lot of wood, and he uses it with respect.
On the way back, we played the Springsteen album again, then went on to Neil Young's Living With War and Steve Earle's The Revolution Starts Now. We both like Earle a lot; and the Young album is growing on us. "Let's Impeach the President" is a great sing-along song.
Back in the 1960s, my friends and I spent a lot of time trying to decode music and movies. What did they tell us about America and the American people? What did "I believe the time is right for violent revolution" actually mean? (I know the Stones were English, but they were popular in the States.)
I don't know what Americans are thinking now. They seem oddly quiet, given the awfulness of the situation we find ourselves in.
On the other hand, the temp went down on Monday; and it is seasonally cold now.
posted by Eleanor at 9:24 AM
2 Comments:
Things are always better in Duluth!
Steve Earle's new album is also good -- I've been listening to it lately.
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