We drove as far as the parking lot at Fort Snelling and waited for the light rail train to take us downtown. It was freezing and the heat lamp up high in the station was supposed to help us out. It did..... a little. I wanted to tuck it in my coat.

Just as I was beginning to have desperate thoughts of building a roaring fire (see To Build a Fire) and gulping down a flask of peppermint schnapps (which unfortunately I did not have), the train pulled in quietly to our rescue.

As the other passengers appeared frozen in their thoughts, I began to thaw out.

We had plenty of time, got adventurous, and stopped off at Minnehaha Falls. It looked like it could use a healthy dose of peppermint schnapps. But somewhere under all those icy stalactites enough water trickled through to maintain a steady stream coming up from under the ice.

Cedar Avenue and not a single cedar in sight!

A colorful mural depicting the nearby Cedar Riverside Plaza apartment complex.

It's too damn cold to be riding a bike!

Not even hot air balloons are safe from Jaws!

We warmed up with some hot cinnamon-cardamom tea and a quick meal in this East-African neighborhood restaurant. The hooded gentleman seemed to be quite interested in the young lady behind the counter. I think if he could have, he would have climbed right over the fence.

The Cedar Cultural Center—we made it before the crowds!

The Yann Tiersen Dust Lane (his latest CD) concert poster.

The stage was filled with an amazing array of instruments and electronic gear.

The crowd was building. This was the fist time for me in this type of venue. You stand and watch the concert. That way they can really pack 'em in and chairs don't have to be set up and taken down. Instead of a sore butt I got sore legs.

Standing room only!

Before the concert you always have to have a funny guy come out and make announcements.

The lead-in band was Breathe Owl Breathe. They were quite eclectic and entertaining.

The main vocalist/guitarist was accompanied by a lovely cellist.

The stage was prepared for Yann Tiersen and band.

One of my favorite instruments was set up—the mandolin—and I was eager for things to get started.

Yann laid down some mandolin loops to set the pace for the first number.

Yann waits for exactly the right moment to apply his bow.

Stage right—a man and his keyboard and another guitarist.

Stage left—more keyboards and a base.

A relaxed moment.

Yann shed his shirt before playing some hot riffs on the 12-string.

The mad fiddler.

Yann gazes tenderly down at his keyboard.

After the concert we were again stuck out in the cold waiting for the train. To keep from perishing I had to stay by the heat lamp and could not get away from this guy with a gaping gob of many teeth—another case of Jaws!