Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Finding spring in Minnesota in the midst of winter March 9, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:49 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

WINTER GETTING TOO long for you?

Uh, huh. I hear you. I’m feeling winter weary, too, my spirits quelled by the recent 10-inch snowfall in Faribault.

I long for warmth and sunshine, for bursts of color and blooming flowers. Just give me spring, will you?

Well, readers, I quite unexpectedly walked into spring, in Red Wing, Minnesota, of all places. Who would have thought? Certainly not me.

But look, spring…

Tulips, among the first flowers of spring.

Tulips, among the first flowers of spring.

More tulips in bloom.

More tulips in bloom.

This scene just makes me happy.

This colorful scene simply makes me happy, just like spring.

So many flowers in bloom.

So many flowers in bloom.

The pretty pastels of Easter and of spring.

The pretty pastels of Easter and of spring.

Pretty, pretty floral plates.

Pretty, pretty florals.

Exactly what I needed to see on a winter day: jolts of color.

Exactly what I needed to see on a winter day: jolts of color and flowers in bloom.

Pottery Place in Red Wing

Pottery Place Historic Center in Red Wing, site of antique and specialty shops, eateries and the Red Wing Pottery Museum.

…inside two antique shops at Pottery Place Historic Center, 2000 West Main Street, Red Wing.

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

The Poetry Barn March 3, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 12:18 PM
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

OFFICIALLY, IT’S CALLED Stoney End Music Barn.

But I call it The Poetry Barn.

Stoney End Music Barn, 920 State Highway 19, Red Wing, Minnesota

Stoney End Music Barn, 920 State Highway 19, Red Wing, Minnesota

Tucked into a wooded hillside just west of Red Wing, an aged sprawling barn draws the attention of travelers on Minnesota Highway 19. If not for the words, this barn might go unnoticed, blending into the rural landscape.

But there the barn stands, block print letters painted upon peeling paint.

Perhaps passersby ponder the poetry posted. Perhaps not.

I have photographed the barn on a sunny Saturday in March, just another person passing by en route to and from the Mississippi River town of Red Wing. Like so many others, I am in a hurry with no time to pause and explore this roadside attraction.

I have missed so much. Stoney End Music Barn, I later learn, houses a team of musicians who craft primarily harps—having made more than 7,000 since 1984.

The renovated barn is also home to the Hobgoblin Music Store and a third floor music loft/concert hall.

So you see, Stoney End Music Barn truly is a poetry barn, for music is poetry.

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling