Making marvelous MacPhail music

Our two younger daughters study Suzuki violin at the nearby MacPhail Center for Music. On Saturday mornings, they have group practices and here you see the older group.

No tats on Sundays

They're closed on Sundays and Mondays but ink flows the rest of the week. What do you think about tattoos?

Perfectly pressed

Meet Jolyne who greets everyone with a friendly smile and helps them get their shirts and other garments dry cleaned at Mary Savage's "Perfect Cleaners," a longtime business in Eagan. See other weekend portraits here.

Eagan Rotarian series #19

Gary Huusko, a patent attorney legally married to another attorney, is one of the nicest guys in our Eagan Rotary club. Gary and his wife, Laurie, were having a grand time at the Eagan Rotary Art Gala. Based on their smiles, I wonder what they were up to?

www.seversonsheldon.com

Listen to your heart...

Mary Gruber, registered nurse, helped create the Women's Heart Advantage screening program through Health East Care System 6 years ago. She and 8 other nurses and a nutritionist offered free heart health screenings at Byerly's grocery store on Saturday, one of 8 Twin Cities locations this month. February is "Go Red for Women" heart month!

www.healtheast.org/womensheart

We got snowed!

Eagan received over 15 inches (38 cm) of snow in the last few days! Finally, the snow stopped, the sun came out and we saw blue skies! I snapped these photos from my 2nd floor office balcony and windows on Tuesday morning.

Beer & beverage barn

The Cherokee Restaurant looks like a regular barn but you won't find any cows, sheep or chickens inside at their bar! To see other charming barns, click here to get to Tricia's "Barn Charm" meme.

Snow moving monster

This snow pushing guy must have been on a lunch break because he was gone when I drove past again on my way back to my office after my lunch last week.

*** We're getting a severe snow BLIZZARD right now with 20 inches of new snow in 2 days / 50 cm of snow!

4144, 4146, 4148 & 4150

These are some "run of the mill" townhouses. Four houses built together makes for close neighbors. Eagan offers a mix of apartments, condos, townhouses and single family houses.

Reflecting on real estate

If you're looking to rent or buy commercial real estate, then you'll find plenty of options. This strip mall office space is available on busy Cliff Road.

Growing education

Primrose School already held their groundbreaking on January 26. Their school will focus on early childhood education for children from 6 weeks of age through preschool along with before and after school-age programs. They hope to open in mid-July!

Primrose School of Eagan

4249 Johnny Cake Ridge Road

Eagan MN 55122

www.primroseschool.com/eagan

The crime scene...

A city parks employee recently discovered bold graffiti damage to the pavilion shelter at Thresher Fields Park in northeast Eagan. The spray paint clean-up is estimated to cost $3,000.

Eagan Police are asking for help to identify the responsible person(s). The Eagan Citizen's Crime Prevention Association (ECCPA) is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandal(s). Call the police department at (651) 675-5700.

Fading Christmas

In mid-February, this fellow's Christmas garage decorations were looking a little tired. "That's an observation, not a judgement."

Be gone winter dirt!

After putting gas in my Hagen wagon on Saturday afternoon at the Holiday gas station, I waited in their car wash line behind 5 other cars while 7 cars idled behind me.

The grandest social event of the year

Julie Annette, a local Eagan artist, posed among her oil paintings featured at the 23rd annual Eagan Rotary Art Gala fundraiser. Over 325 guests gathered at the Eagan Community Center for the black-tie optional event with live music, hors d'oeuvres, silent auction bidding on over 200 items, dinner, musical entertainment performed by the "Grace Notes Trio" and lastly a live auction of seven large items. This charitable event funds the Eagan Rotary Club's local, national and international projects and grants!

Happy Valentine's Eve!

Maybe like many husbands, I picked up my wife's Valentine's Day card just two days in advance. A special card for each of our three daughters also landed in the Hallmark bag from Ravey's Hallmark Shop at Cliff Lake Center. I'm sooo glad they still had some good cards left!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Better late than never

Snow has covered the ground in Eagan since November so to see this sign in February seems a tad bit funny.

"Do you see what I feel?"

Annie Young paints with acrylic colors, runs triathlons, works full-time and laughs with humor and grace from behind the dark glasses of a blind person. She invited me to her art filled home to pick up her two art donations for Eagan Rotary Club's art gala fundraiser. Annie posed with two other works, "Sleeping Beauty" which hangs over her fireplace and "The Occupation," an emotionally inspired American Flag, done after saying goodbye to her second son on his second deployment back to Afghanistan.

annieyoungarts.blogspot.com

"The Ride" - a documentary film

A fan posed with Phil Keoghan, the Hollywood celebrity host of TV's reality show, "The Amazing Race." Phil promoted his film about his heroic bike journey from Los Angeles to New York City on Tuesday night at the Regal Eagan 16 movie theater on his 10 city America tour world premier. Phil's dad from New Zealand, his best friend, a retired cop and others helped him complete the 3,900 mile bike adventure which raised over $500,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He pedaled 100 miles daily for 40 days. It's an inspirational, must-see movie!

Filling an important need

The Eagan Valley Dental Center provided free dental care on Friday, February 4 which was the annual, national "Give Kids a Smile Day" in the USA. Dentist Glenn Perkins and 10 of their other clinic staff donated their time and talents to help 30 low-income kids on that community service day.

Urban cartoon art w/ a graffiti twist

Tami Phillipi's Fast Frame shop welcomed artist Shane Anderson for a commemorative poster signing. He held his featured St. Paul Winter Carnival acrylic painting commemorating the 125th anniversary of St. Paul's big, fun tradition.

www.shaneandersonillustrations.com

The Eaganmobile

Brent Cory, the executive director of the Eagan convention & visitors bureau, and his fun office staff (Mike, Debbie, Denise & Roberta) posed with their office promotional car in front of the Eagan Community Center. Bright blue shirt clad Brent is also an Eagan Rotarian and Secretary or our club.

Wanna worship?

Christ Lutheran Church on Difley Road offers several styles of worship. Anuak worship is meant for people from Sudan and Ethiopia. Which worship style do you prefer?

Snowy & lonely

Kids love to play on the playset at Walden Heights Park but with the frigid temperatures in January, kids were likely staying inside to read Harry Potter books or play computer games.

In the bleak mid-winter....

My boots almost sank below the fresh snow line as I hiked up the hill on Sunday afternoon. The small St. John's Cemetery founded in 1888 overlooking Difley Avenue stood quietly and peacefully.

A healthy bit of glass

As a Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota independent agent, I was able to get into one of several secured corporate offices for this photo, namely the River Park I building at 3400 Yankee Doodle Road. BC/BS is a major employer in Eagan and a health insurance giant in Minnesota.

A victim of Netflix?

First, they rented and sold videos. Then, they rented and sold DVDs. And now this Blockbuster Video store near Byerly's is going out of business.....

Rocky water fountain

The Best Western Dakota Ridge Hotel at 3450 Washington Drive has an usual water fountain in their lobby, a comfortable place to sit and relax. February 1 is the City Daily Photo blog community's theme day.

Theme = "water fountain"


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