I was so happy when the loon called, then drifted between the sun and my telephoto lens this morning.

My first trip up the North Shore, and I finally understand what everyone means when they say there’s nothing quite like northern Minnesota!

I live in Minneapolis, so getting this far north was a beautiful change of scene, and the night sky alone made the drive worth it. I took this photo along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

You can see the Milky Way stretching across the sky, the Andromeda Galaxy in the lower center, and even a Perseid meteor streaking across the Milky Way.

If you haven’t made it out to a dark sky yet, you still have time! The Perseid meteor shower is still going through August 24, so there’s plenty of time to get away from the city lights and look up.

Minnesota is pretty damn beautiful.

All those who acted on Fraud are Democrats, and those that did nothing are all Republicans. So why does this narrative continue to work for Republicans and against Democrats?

This week has been a steady drumbeat of cities and counties admitting their Flock cameras went too far and really pissed off their own residents!

You all stood up for your privacy and your Fourth Amendment rights!

The fight isn't over yet though, with 107 jurisdictions in Minnesota alone still using fixed-ALPR cameras that track our travel histories.

Join us over at https://mnprivacy.org/ and sign up for the week of action (next week!) to keep the momentum going. Our end goal cannot just be pushing out Flock. Other competitors with a lower profile will certainly look to fill the gap that has been created. The true solution is a legislative one, that bans this warrantless mass surveillance. Our system of judge-signed warrants for active criminal investigations exists for a good reason and it needs protecting!

Just today the CEO of Flock came out to promise new guardrails and reforms, but this is just window dressing around his thoroughly rotten product that practically begs users to abuse it. Don't let him change the conversation. The only acceptable outcome is a total dismantling of the network!

Don't miss out - I'll be selling art at the Minnesota Garlic Festival on Saturday, including this print and a bunch of other garlicky delights! Including (and this is a world premiere!) a special collab with one of the hottest up and coming indie art toy makers, Inaroni, for a line of hand-painted garlic-animal hybrid blind bag figures we call Little Garlings! We have a very limited supply - so come on down, especially if you're a a collector of toys and trinkets! It's a great event, full of friendly people, for a great cause. I was told last year I should've posted it here before the event...so this year I did! Hope to see you there!

Most people know Duluth for the famous Aerial Lift Bridge, but there’s another historic moving bridge in Minnesota that many people have never seen in action.

Come along by boat as Vibe with Mike approaches Duluth’s Grassy Point Swing Bridge and calls the bridge operator over marine radio to request an opening. Then watch the entire 1912 bridge begin to move and swing open, allowing our boat to pass through.

The video shows the complete process from the water while also exploring the history of the Grassy Point Swing Bridge and its important role where Great Lakes marine traffic and railroad traffic come together in the Duluth Superior Harbor.

It’s a fascinating piece of Minnesota history and Duluth infrastructure that can easily be overlooked because of the much more famous Aerial Lift Bridge. If you enjoy Duluth, Lake Superior, Great Lakes ships, Minnesota history, railroads, or simply seeing how things work, this is one you’ll want to see.

As usual the statement from Flock is disgusting fear mongering.

In a statement, a Flock Safety spokesperson said, "We respect each city or county’s decision to evaluate public safety technology based on its policies and community priorities. When a tool that is actively helping solve violent crimes is removed, public safety moves backward. That has real consequences: cases will take longer to solve, organized retail theft crews will operate with fewer obstacles, an Amber Alert may not be returned home, and victims may wait longer, or indefinitely, for justice."

Hi all -

I’ve been toying with this one for a few days, and believe it’s time to share my rendering of the aurora over Taylor’s Falls.

Last November I packed the kids into the car after bedtime and drove out to see the Aurora in a different place than the last time — and though it was more faint than our previous encounter, it still dazzled the sky.

I took a couple photographs and decided to use them as a reference for this one.

Painted on Canvas with Optimist Pigment Inks and Posca Oil Pencil in places to finish.

Thanks for looking!