It took some doing to find this photo of Gina Temple-Rhodes. Thousands of unorganized photos exist, largely unappreciated, inside a cabinet to which I may someday turn my attention. I finally discovered it in the innermost sanctum: a cigar box containing the most precious images captured during my first stabs at adulthood. Gina took her … More Ripple effect
Running into this beaver yesterday, in the most unlikely of places, reminds me of Duluth’s answer to Donald Trump: The entrepreneur/property mogul/recording artist quietly goes about his work, lunch pail in hand as blue collar as they come, with humility, grace, and generosity. His persevering spirit, paired with an innate urge to create and share … More Duluth’s Duluthiest Entrepreneur Embodies Artistic Success
Continuing a theme of walking a mile in another man’s shoes, I walked six with a fascinating subject who challenged the heck out of me. We met at his home, perched high atop the hill on the edge of Lincoln Park. Blake is an explorer, wanderer, entrepreneur, musician, seeker, and a new dad. And man oh … More Glen’s Neighbor: unraveling the mystery
I continue to be amazed by the sheer quantity of great stories that are all around us. It seems that everybody has an incredible story to tell. You just need to ask the right questions. Unable to conceal a mid-life crisis, my queries tend to revolve around vocation and identity. This story originally appeared right here, and is … More Multiple Sclerosis as a catalyst from being a burnt out cubicle jockey to self-taught artist and entrepreneur.
Yesterday I paddled out to the largest island in the St. Louis River estuary, which some refer to as being the largest freshwater estuary in the world. It just might be. If you peer off into the distance of the aerial shot below, you can see the very head of the Great Lakes, Superior, the largest … More An Epic Voyage to Whiteside (Clough) Island
Gaelynn Lea possesses an indefinable spark that is impossible to capture in a short vignette. It’s like attempting to capture lightning in a bottle. A multifaceted diamond that I’ve only begun to fully appreciate, it’s difficult to settle on a place to begin. Perhaps I’ll start by sharing her entry, recorded live in her office just last … More Gaelynn Lea. Wow. Just, WOW!
Out on the world’s largest freshwater sandbar—the point of demarcation between the greatest lake in the world, Superior, and the enormous St. Louis River estuary—resides one of the most fascinating families you could ever meet. Two boys, one 16 and the other 12, operate tremendously ambitious and entrepreneurial businesses that are inextricably tied to this land … More One family, many businesses: Max Organics, Ben’s Blooms, Duluth Trading Company, and more!
The process of redrawing life during midlife is absolutely confounding. Marriage, children, and mortgage, are responsibilities that hinder one’s appetite for risk. Perhaps that’s one reason why Millennials seem to capture all of the media’s attention with respect to cultural indicators and trends. Recently I was offered a part-time job working as a baker for … More A young man pursues his passion of baking sourdough in lieu of a PhD
Not only is Emily Larson the first woman to be elected Mayor of Duluth in its 150-year history, she’s also the first to be llama-certified. The 39th individual to be elected to the post, she is almost certainly the most outdoorsy, most athletic, warmest, and may even prove to be the most engaging and approachable of … More Meet Emily Larson, Duluth’s Next Mayor
My wife, Shawna Gilmore, just painted the back of Charlie Parr’s guitar. It’s the one you see here, which he has been touring the country with all summer and fall. I think she did a darn fine job. Here’s the finished product: Charlie’s instruments are essentially irreplaceable, so it’s amazing that he trusted her with … More Painting Charlie Parr’s Guitar, and Who the heck is Dave Hundrieser?
