Antique toys in a store in Spirit Lake, Iowa. I recall playing with Crazy Ikes and Pick Up Sticks and Cooties at my great aunt Blanche's house when I was a small child. I loved those toys. They were old then, I knew, so I was always very careful and I always had fun.

Random contents of an antique store in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

He's a cool dog, even if he has this horrible only-in-a-full-car anal leakage thing that could clear out an entire gymnasium with its odor.

Is the giant Happy Chef a baker? Because he looks kind of baked...

Making Pad Thai is great and easy and fun. While it tastes really good, it still somehow doesn't quite taste like that in the restaurants. Still seeking the secret...

Did you get to witness the amazingly huge moon over the skyline tonight? My heart was pounding, trying to drive quickly without getting a speeding ticket, searching for a good vantage point from which to snap off a few photos before it got too high in the sky and appeared merely normal.

I kept stopping the car and taking different shots of the giant moon. The sun was still visible in the west and this humungous moon was creeping up in the east. Amazing.

When the moon rose above the horizon tonight, it appeared gigantic, like out of a sci-fi movie where the planet has multiple suns/moons and one of them is big and close and looms in your view no matter where you look. It got me all excited.

One of the downtown St. Paul skyways. Quite un-active during the night.

The cathedral near downtown St. Paul on a cold February night.

Inky shadows upon the midnight snow, full moon illuminates maple tree.

Midnight. Moonlight. Maple.

Blue lights in a darkened room, some trip-hop playing on the hi-fi, unspoken fantasies flitting through my thoughts...

and a desktop version for irish-girl.

Personally, I don't much understand the average person's attraction to an establishment such as this (the giant phallic neon?), but then again I've been told I'm a musical snob. Still, the neon looks cool at night.

The Autumn Leaves play a school book/reading benefit concert at The Entry.

The view of First Ave. from the Target Center/Block E skyway on a chilly February night. First Ave (the music club) is behind the gigantic check-me-out-I'm-oh-so-cool neon guitar.

"Motorcycle Parking Only." It would be nice if this sign held true. I mean, it does for several months of the year, but the rest of the time, it serves as a high-snow marker.

As if dipped in marshmallow goo, the bushes in back of my house are completely coated from the last snow fall.

The February snow clings to the maple nuts still left on the tree in my backyard.

A happy result from a random shot. Taken in my backyard at about 10:30pm at night. Much wet snow falling throughout the afternoon and evening. Warm and beautiful appearance but dangerous for driving.

Snow clumping on the evergreens.

Just a small experiment with viewing the kitchen in the window overlooking the wet snowy night. Just a mild amusement (to me).

The old rain barrel finally gets a coating of snow here in February.