2005 final

2005 final
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

December meltdown 05

December meltdown 05
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

A Cool Gray year End At Thorpe Park

A Cool Gray year End At Thorpe Park
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Bridge by St. Albans Bay

St. Albans Bay
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Drab and gray, the sun is missing and the narrows at St. Albans Bay still had open water.

A house on the lake

People ask me if I have a house on Lake Minnetonka. No, I live about a block away. Most houses 'on the lake' are actually houses next to the lake. Lakefront property. These houses are usually quite expensive. Contrast this with the winter boom of fishing houses. These fishing houses are really "on the lake" and generally not very expensive... they're fishing shacks. intriguing none the less.
I plan on taking some photos of the eclectic mix of houses on the lake, but the temperature is hovering in the low 40's fahrenheit and there has been a disctinct lake of housing and traffic on the lake.

Merry Christmas from Minnetonkafelix

Merry Christmas from Minnetonkafelix
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Reindeer At the General Store

Reindeer At the General Store
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

The Reindeer Memoirs

Behind the Scenes Interviews with the often misunderstood “Gang of nine”
Speaking about working with Santa:

Dasher
“ The Clauseman, He’s driven. He wears this red coat and has a warm, fuzzy white beard, but he’s type A man, alway pushing. On Dasher, On Dancer! ...It gets old.... but it beats being like a lawn figurine.”

Dancer & Prancer
- “Santa had a tough time accepting our alternate lifestyle, but in the end it is performance that counts to old SC, and Dancing and Prancing are seperate issues. For Santa flat out speed and dedication are tantamount. In our free time we just hang out at different salt licks.

Glitzen
- “It’s all about the ka ching and bling, lots of bling. Look’n cool, & getting your props from the sled” They pay cash, and I fly.”

Comet
- “Santa hired me because of my name in the industry. I’m the Reindeer’s afterburner. High gear, mach 2.”

Cupid
- “Oh , don’t you think old cubby cheeks and his wife make the just the cutist couple!? She gives me pink bubble gum and Santa gets those 'Northern lights' back rubs. Sparks fly I tell you! She uses oil, but not whale oil, no way!”

Donner
- “Famous my tail. I admit, I’m bitter. Ive got a crumby name & low billing. The only ones named ‘Donner’ besides me is that party in California - a real lucky group. Well I’m putting in my time. The difference between me and Glitzen is that he "flies" and I pull, and I know the difference. But Santa has alway been good to me. Nice reins, loose bit and good food.”

Blitzen
- “Mr. Claus has me second seed. He was the one who gave me the name Blitzen, for speed. It’s a German thing that has nothing to do with drinking. Just to remind Mr. Claus, I call him Kringle once in a while, and that is Kris with a K, by the way.”

Rudolf TRNR:
- Unavailable for comment at this time.

Popular "Toys" by the Decade

1900 -9 Crayola Crayons
1910-19 The Ragetty Ann Doll
1920-29 Madam Alexandra Collectables
1930-39 Viewmaster 3-D Viewer
1940-49 Candyland Board Game
1950-59 Mister Potatohead
1960-69 G.I. Joe
1970-79 Rubic's Cube
1980-89 The Cabbage Patch Dolls
1990-99 Beanie Babies
2000- pres. Razor Scooters

Icicles flourish on my back porch roof

Icycles build on my back porch roof
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Shopping In Wayzata

It is 6:46 am. Today, among a myriad of other tasks, I will shop in Wayzata. Shopping in Wayzata is the exact opposite of shopping in the Mall of America. Small shops with small staffs. Walking along main steet, and yes, some contemporary strip malls. Trains pass along the adjoining lakefront at regular intervals. Snow on the sidewalk at times. My favorite thing is the people, and the small scale (prices not small). Excellent quirky choice of merchandise that you cannot find easily anwhere else.
Coffeshops and good restaurants abound.

And Now, A Special Holiday feature:

Cha Cha Cha Chia- A great gift for everyone! Joseph Industries- This company also produces "The Clapper'. If nothing else we thank them for years of humor.



FAQ:
What types of Chia animals are available? 

Currently, Chia Pets are available in Chia Bunny, Chia Frog, Chia Hippo, Chia Kitten, Chia Pig, Chia Puppy, Chia Bear, Chia Turtle, and Chia Tree.

In 1996 Joseph Industries also introduced four Chia Heads: Chia Guy, Chia Clown, Chia Professor, and Chia Kid.
Why are Chia items only sold during the holiday season?

Chia Pets and Chia Heads are handmade pottery items. It takes an entire year to produce enough Pets and Heads for one holiday season.

Holiday Doggie 2005

Christsmas 2005
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

A 10 year old (plus) Bichon Frise, Maxi is very proud to be the only dog of our 3 to wear his own coat.

Christsmas 2005

Christsmas 2005
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Claus-traphobia

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.

~ Shirley Temple

At The Movies in Excelsior

The Excelsior Movie Theater, located I/2 block from the lake front, is called “the Dock”. Not too bad of a name for a town with “Water Street” as its main street, Lake Street another, and “Frog Island” located in the middle of the main bay. This week’s docked movies are your standard fare; the downwardly spiraling “Harry Potter and the Gob of Fire”, and the upwardly rising messianic “Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch, and an Armoire”. Mystical special effects spectaculars.....at least they are not remakes. I propose these topical remakes of Christmas classics:

1. Rudolf RNR: The Frosty Connection.
Good Santa, Bad Santa interrogate Rudolf to discover that he is a member of the Shining Path. Numerous unsceduled stops to La Paz were the tip off. Second in line in seniority, Blitzen, is of little comfort as a back up. Bad S. engages in a spectacular chase scene with Frosty through the Andes.

2. It's A Wonderful Life - Hit Me!
A savings-and-loan manager struggles against a greedy banker and his own self-doubting nature in a small town. Eventually manager George Bailey recognizes his life as wonderful and truly rich, after the endearing trainee-angel Clarence convinces George to open an Indian Gaming Casino. Magically George qualifies with proof of his Algonquin Heritage.

3. A Christmas Karl
Union Boss “Tiny Tim” threatens Ebeneezer’s struggling Leg-Prosthesis Manufacturing Plant with a “Sick Out’ unless his Union’s contract demands are met. At night 3 acountants visit Scrooge.

Nightfall At Donkeypark

Nightfall At Donkeypark
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Horse Shaped Dinner Bell

Horse Shaped Dinner Bell
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

The bell rings clearly in the sub zero air (-5 degrees fahrenheit, -20 celsius)... our first really cold blast of the winter.

Crosstown Health Club - Encounters of a 2nd Kind

The hours before a Minnesota Vikings Football Game can be quiet at the normally frenetic Crosstown Health Club in Eden Prairie, MN. This proved to be the case on Sunday, with some notable exceptions.
Working through my normal weight routine ( large to small muscles) I found myself moving toward the end of my weight workout where I work with dumbells (joke omitted) in front of one of a 100 yard long mirror. Aside from vanity, mirrors are there so you can check your lifting form.
As I began my curls, a very provocatively dressed young woman began to lift on a bench to my left. As a normal male, her presence was duly noted. to my right two very muscular young men were also working out.. apparently they did not know each other.
The young woman provocatively strolled by them like a fly fisherman waving a fly above the stream. I watched. She then passed by them a second time, bumping into one of the two - with no visible effect. The woman had given it a journeyman's effort.
Then I overheard the two men's conversations. "Would you like me to spot you?" , "You've got great form". It seems that the young men were engrossed in flirting with each other.

Winter window view

Winter window view
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.

Do not walk on this ice!

Do not walk on this ice!
Originally uploaded by minnetonkafelix.