It was a water photo that drew me in, of course. A snow-covered rock up on Minnesota’s North Shore, sun peeking through icicles, wave movement, sea smoke, the gorgeous clouds of sunrise…Minneapolis photographer Scott Youmans captured magic in that moment, and shared it with us all. 

I met my friend from Minneapolis over a decade ago and we’ve been friends ever since. She was one of the first to show me the joys of Midwest life, explain the intricacies of a lock and dam, share the roadside attraction of the Jolly Green Giant, and take me to the mecca that is the Mall of America. She was with me when I set foot in Lake Superior, crossed the border into Wisconsin, ogled at the Spoon and Cherry in the country’s largest urban sculpture garden, and even took the picture as I posed with Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat in the air.

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The St. Cloud area of Minnesota is a regional center for commerce, county government (being the county seat of Stearns county), as well as the home of St. Cloud State University. Near St. Cloud are Waite Park, Sartell, Sauk Rapids as well as St. Joseph, which is the home of the College of St. Benedict, a Catholic liberal arts college for women and Collegeville, which is home to St. John's University, a Catholic liberal arts college for men.