1.18.12 Outside, Looking In

I wasn't sure if I'd ever posted a picture of the Grain Belt Beer sign from the front, so here it is. Right behind the sign is De La Salle High School, and behind the school, on the far side of its football field, is the house where I live. My lovely companion has been suggesting that I begin sharing perspectives of the island, as seen from its surrounding vantage points: from the downtown side of the river, from the Northeast side, from the bridges, etc. I've told her that I will certainly be getting around to doing that, and I guess that with this post I am beginning to wade gently into that endeavor. These shots were taken while standing on the Hennepin Bridge.

Here is another shot that shows the cute little red houseboat that sits anchored at the foot of the sign through all four seasons. Who owns the boat? When are they aboard? I have no idea. These are mysteries yet to be unraveled. The picture also shows a good glimpse upriver, where you can see the railroad bridge which I have often mentioned, and the other houseboat, which sits at the shore year round, and upon which I have yet to observe any sign of life. Behind the high school, you can also make out the Grove Street Flats, which are the green-roofed buildings that were featured in a previous post, in which I detailed my criminal ascent to the rooves.

I will undoubtedly share many more non-island-based perspectives of the island in the weeks and months to come. For it is true that it is really impossible to know a thing completely while looking at it only from the inside. A good analogy, I suppose, for how we can never really appreciate how others see us unless we stand in their shoes and observe us from the outside--which is an admittedly tricky thing to do. It's also like when we are so thoroughly engrossed in a project that we start failing to see the forest for the trees, and have to step back and have a good long look from a more removed perspective. Nicollet Island is a beautiful place to be, and to see while on it, but it is quite lovely to see from a distance too, while not on it. I look forward to considering these many perspectives in the future--from the north, south, east and west.

Life flows on, in and around us--and looks different, feels different, and contains differing aspects of beauty depending on where you stand--which is why it's important to move around from time to time.

D.E.S.