Last weekend, Bailie had a day with Mom and they ended up at the Mill Ruins Park in downtown Minneapolis. Bailie has never really been in the city, so it was new for her. This is an historical area with lots of fun things to see and great places to take photos.
The Stone Arch Bridge is a pretty famous landmark. It was built across the Mississippi River at St. Anthony Falls back in 1883. It is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire Mississippi River!
Railroad tycoon James J. Hill built the bridge for the Great Northern Railroad. Now it is used for bike and foot traffic only. The bridge is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Bailie is up on a six foot pillar for this shot. She wasn’t even scared!
Flour mills were a huge part of what made Minneapolis a successful city. Situated on the Mississippi river, transporting flour was easy, and the St. Anthony Falls provided power. Several abandoned mills still stand on the river banks. The blue walkway in the background is the Bridge to Nowhere at the famous Guthrie Theater.
The Mill City Museum, built in the Washburn A Mill is a popular spot in the Mill Ruins Park area. The original mill built in 1874 was leveled by an explosion and new one was erected on the same spot. The “new” mill closed in 1965, and in 1991, was almost completely destroyed by fire. The remains (seen behind Bailie) are still standing outside the museum. Mom actually lived in a condo downtown at the time of the 1991 fire and remembers seeing it burning!
A couple years ago, Mom, Katie, and I came down to this area with a photographer to get some family photos. Since Bailie wasn’t born at the time, Mom wanted to get some shots of her in the same area to add to the ones we have of us. This shot is on one of the same rocks used by Katie and I.
Mom got some “urban” dog shots too. She and Bailie had a nice walk, but Mom also enjoyed playing with her camera, and Bailie got a mental workout being a model.
Next to the Guthrie Theater is Gold Medal Park, named for the flour mill located there. Bailie had to balance herself on the roughly 6 inch wide beam and stay put for this shot. She did well! In case you don’t notice her, she’s sitting right before the “P” in Park.
Here is another shot of the Stone Arch Bridge. The steam coming up in the background is from the St. Anthony Falls, and on the left side in the back is the lock and dam which will be closing for good this month.
Bailie had a good time in the city, but she prefers the suburbs. Katie and I have been in cities a lot, so it was time Bailie got a taste of it. Mom also has the photo bug and wants to go back with us and do some more photos as there are so many cool things to see in the area.
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What a great adventure. Looks like you had a great time Bailie. Such beautiful photos you took.
They did have a fun time and Mom was glad to get some good pics she could add to the ones we had taken of Katie and I.
That park looks so awesome! I’m glad your mom and Bailie had a fun time!
It’s not real big, but there are a lot of things to see and a lot of obstacles for dogs do pose on and deal with like wobbly sidewalks, cobblestone walks, etc.
Great pictures! Looks like an interestin place to explore.
It’s a real neat area and they have a market there on the weekends too.
Wow! I didn’t know where Gold Medal flour came from! That is really cool. Your photos are beautiful.
Thank you. Now you know…if you need flour, give us a call, LOL! General Mills is here too, big baking place we live in.
Bravo Bailie, you deserved a gold medal too for being such a brave girl. To sit on such a giant 6 foot pillar is not easy…. It was great to wander around with you and to read about this old mill, many thanks for inviting me to your tour :o) I never was really IN a city, but my breeder said it would be good for me to visit more public places with peeps and traffic and all that stuff… and so my mom invited me to a shopping trip to a real city… my dad said this trip cost more of his nerves than moneeh… think that’s a compliment, right?
I would love to see your mom lift you up onto the pillar! I guess the lifting part was the scariest according to Bailie, but she did it. It is a super cool area to visit with a lot of history.
Greats tires. What a fun day and you had Mom all to yourself.
Her Mom and me day was a nice birthday present since she has so many new toys lately.
City adventures sure make for great photo ops!! Looks & sounds as if you guys had a fun time at Mill Ruins Park!
Mom and Bailie had a great time and I enjoyed quiet napping time at home with Katie.
Looks like a cool place Bailie! You are so photogenic, just like a movie star! Thanks for sharing with us!
Pibbles & Me
Mom says Bailie is following in my paw prints on the modeling thing. We both enjoy posing for photos.
Emma, thank you for sharing your blog and your mom with little sister Bailie. Bailie, you looked so composed and relaxed in your pictures – so often in group shots you have wild child eyes, and you let your mom wander really far away from you in some of the beautiful scenery shots. Thank you for sharing Minneapolis with us, and it’s great you live in a house with a yard instead of a condo! XOXO Sparkle the PBGV
The one on one time with Mom really lets us be ourselves and we all enjoy it. All three of us are good about letting Mom leave or go far away without it bothering us. None of us would be happy as city dogs. Mom lived in the city in college and it was fun at the time, but she couldn’t wait to get back out in the suburbs.
Even though I have my CGC the mom does not trust me at the distance she left Bailie! She forgets how great I am on the “Sparkle, come!” command. I would love to do more stuff in obedience. Hopefully when her back gets well. Sparkle
As long as no squirrels or wabbits happen by, she will stay there. We are both pretty good about that. Hope your mom’s back gets better.
Looks like a nice city park with some cool features. Bailie is getting to be a great little model – not as good as you of course Emma, but acceptable 😉
She does pretty well if she focuses on the task at hand. Her young mind is usually so busy she has a hard time focusing, but with just her and Mom it was easier as she got all the attention. She is learning everything she knows about modeling from me, so I know she will be good 😉
thanks for that totally pawesome tour! Mom loved the bridge! Barks and licks and love, Dakota
Bailie and Mom had a nice time. Mom doesn’t go down there much either, so it was fun for her too.
Fun trip with a great model. Love the one of Bailie with the big smile. Some really great backdrops.
I have to say we are both great models, just like Eko and Penny, but Bailie has the best smile and she smiles a lot.
This looks like such fun. Glad Bailie and mum liked it.
sumskersandearlskers13.blogspot.com
They had a great time together.
Tons of cool things to see…and pose with 😉
It’s awesome for photos!
Interesting, and great pictures! =D
Thank you.
Beautiful pictures. I loved the history and would love to visit your beautiful city someday.
Minneapolis is a nice city, the next year or so it will be heavily under construction with new stadiums and stuff, but after that it should be good again.
Those are great pictures! Looks like you have some really cool places to spend the day as city dogs 🙂
Down by the river in the city and many river towns there are lots of cool places, we just never think to go there.
Did you find any treasures in that cool place
Lily & Edward
They were selling food at the market, but Mom didn’t think dogs were allowed, so they didn’t to in there.
That stone bridge is cool and it looks like a neat park. Lucky Bailie to get Mom all to herself. 🙂
It is good to get alone time in a multi pet family.
That looks like a good place for a bark in da city park!
She didn’t say a word on their outing. She needs to see a wabbit, then it gets real loud!
OOOOOOOh! I live on the north side of the river! Isn’t this part of the city pretty? Ironically, when Mommy lived south of the river she lived near the Guthrie. Now she can claim she still does! But she liked the old theater lobby more.
Mom has been going downtown her entire life. She used to have family who lived in a place called the Curtis Hotel, which was blown up years ago. In college she lived on Seven Corners in Riverview Tower with a view of the also blown up Metrodome. Do you see a pattern here…I think places she hangs out in get blown up??? Uh oh! Nevertheless, it is a super cool area and she used to hang out a lot in St. Anthony on Main before it kind of went out of business and tried to regroup.
What a cool place, and great for taking photos. Bailie did wonderful at her modeling, you have trained her well, Emma!
We think the cities are interesting places to visit too, but would never want to live there.
Exactly. A few hours is plenty, but fun as well.
What a fun visit to the city! Mom really wants to visit Minneapolis some day it looks very interesting. Love Dolly
It’s a super nice city, lots of fun stuff to see and do. My mom loves Chicago, but she hasn’t been for many years.
Did you enjoy your urban adventure, Bailie? Mr. N is an urban dog to the core.
She sure did. I think smaller dogs have more luck in the city since it is more crowded. Going with only one dog is best for Mom, so I may be next.
What a fun time! We wish we could visit a part sometime…but we’re inside cats.
My cats don’t get out either unless they are going to the vet.
Looks like a great city to visit — and live in during college years — but I’m a suburban girl myself. I spent most of my 20s and 30s commuting to New York City from Long Island, so by the time I moved to South Carolina I was happy to live in “the sticks”. But our road has gone from being a little busy at commuting time to being like an interstate highway all the time. Maybe one day I’ll get to visit Minneapolis and you, Bailie, and your Mom can show me around.
My Mom loved the city in college too, but likes the suburbs.
I rode across that bridge Emma. It was about four years ago. I didn’t’ know you, or else I would have come over to your house to meet you and your sisters.
Were you biking through MN? Well, if you are in the area again, let us know!
Those are some great pics and loved learning about some of the history! Have a great weekend!
Thank you!
haha! I totally did not see her sitting there by the P! Definitely looks like an interesting place!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
She was far away in order to get all the letters in the photo.
The pictures look so great! And that was furry interesting to learn about this place, thanks for sharing, Emma!
Thanks for stopping by!
Love the urban photography, and Bailie was such a good model!
She has been learning from a good doggie model, meaning myself. They both had a lot of fun.
We here wait with baited breath each day to read of you girls adventures. Chablis & Elbe
Yay! That means I’m doing a good job. Thank you, boys!