What about President Maduro and the Venezuelan crisis?

I'm sure many readers might like to hear my opinions on the Venezuelan crisis. My opinions are very strong on this subject, but I still think it best that I don't share my opinions at all. I did spend 3 years in Venezuela and struggled with the economic crisis on a personal and professional level, but my frustrations and difficulties are nothing compared to what the people are going through now. As long as there is a chance that I can visit Venezuela in the future, I will refrain from sharing my views publicly on this topic.

Those of you who know me personally have asked me about it, and this is the best way to share about it (in person). I know many of you will never meet me, in which case I encourage you to check out the blogs of native Venezuelans (unfortunately I do not have one to recommend at the moment, but I'm sure there are hundreds!).

I also read the local newspapers from Venezuela (in Spanish) to get a more clear idea of what information is most current and accurate in the situation. El Carabobeno is excellent if you are a Spanish speaker, and Reuters is a great place to start if you are an English-speaker.

Que vive Venezuela! (Long live Venezuela!)

A little editing perhaps?

I was just looking over my posts during the past few months and realized I have mistakenly put a few posts here which would have better fit under an entirely new blog entitled "Minnesota"! Thank you to those of you who overlooked this fact and kept reading ;-) I'm still much more busy than I'd like to be, so it's hard to find time to reflect on blogging and really make the best of it at every attempt. Thank you for being a dedicated reader and for checking out my other blogs, too!

* Foshay Tower, Minneapolis *

* Spring Lake Park, Minnesota *

Spring Lake Park Reserve is in the city of Spring Lake Park, Minnesota. My family and I visited the Schaar's Bluff entrance to the reserve (in case there's another entrance I'm unaware of). Down the trail just a ways to the left is an excellent view of the Mississippi River!

I clicked several photos of the sunset over the river, not knowing exactly which ones would turn out the best. This view gives a good view of a large swath of the river. You can see logs and little islands sticking out of it, as well as a glimpse of the other bank.

 After we watched the sunset over the lake, we walked away from the river to get some exercise. This is a far away view of the visitor center and again, the river.

I forgot to mention, there is a very large playground at this park. I have fond memories of chasing around with my brothers in the playground, and rollerblading on the well-paved trails. In fact, this park has a section of the Mississippi River bike trail.

 As we drove back towards our home, we passed the oil refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota. It looks beautiful at night, like a city skyline with 10 times the amount of light. Hopefully I'll get a chance to take some still photos of it in the future, but I enjoyed even these motion photos for their painterly appeal.

* Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota *

(I have yet to finish writing about these photos, but here's a sneak peak!)

I went to the Minnesota teacher conference a couple of weeks ago, which happened to be within walking distance from the Cathedral of St. Paul, so I walked over to see it after the conference. They have done some renovation on the building over the past few years, so it looks wonderful!

    I was lucky enough to pop in just as a tour was about to begin. However, I would recommend jumping in late on a tour (it's only $2) because the first 30 minutes of the 1 hour tour is a lecture on the history of the cathedral construction. If you are a history or acheology buff you may enjoy the lecture, but I admit that I found it tedious. Once the tour guide starts moving, jump in and learn about the artwork and statues. There is no fee to enter the cathedral, but $2 is required for the tour (it is well worth the $2). Also, be sure to go downstairs to the cathedra museum. There are photos of the original building and founders, as well as artifacts and historical documents.

   The cathedral was first opened in 1841, although at that time it was only a humble log cabin (see official history of the cathedral here: http://www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/history). As I learned from the tour guide, a cathedral may be called a cathedral simply because of the presence of a "cathedra," a throne seat for a bishop. The log cabin had a cathedra, therefore it could be called a cathedral. Many construction efforts took place over the following years in order to build the beautiful cathedral we see today. Construction was not completed until 1958. As I mentioned earlier, renovations have taken place since then to ensure the building's strength and continued beauty.

Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to climb these ladders to walk on the roof or view the city from the cathedral, but walking outside and inside the ground level of the cathedral is a treat. 

This is the original cathedra, which can be seen in the museum.

Archbishop Ireland (first man in photo below) was the man who organized and spearheaded the construction of the lovely cathedral structure. Emmanuel Masquery (second man in photo below) was the designer. Both men died before the completion of the project (it took many years for the design and construction of the building to be completed), but their skills and determination are still honored.

Below are some of the photos of the original structures of the cathedral. The humble log cabin of the first cathedral is shown, and the first steps toward a more elegant and long-lasting cathedral.

Emmanuel Louis Masquery