I was raised on a small family farm in central North Dakota but have been a resident of Minnesota since I married in 1991. Since then I’ve lived in cities and towns varying in population, and I have never been able to understand one thing many Minnesotans seem to have in common. This one thing … Read more
“In the Altogether” by Colin Covert [cover story, February] contained an unfortunate claim that Covert had once “picked up a wretched case of psoriasis from the slimy sauna in the Detroit YMCA.” In fact, psoriasis is not contagious. Researchers posit that a combination of genetic and environmental factors cause psoriasis to occur in an individual. … Read more
We were expecting a bag-full of complaints for our slightly racy cover last month, but none arrived. Several readers, like Dave and Dave, did ask which of our staff members posed for the nudey photos, and we’re not telling. Thanks, too, to Dan, Joan and a couple others (see letters above) for pointing out that … Read more
Melanie and Patrick of NE Minneapolis write: This picture is from our fantastic honeymoon through Scotland & England. Here we were enjoying the history & views of Rosslyn Chapel, which everyone knows by now is featured in The DaVinci Code. The chapel is ornate and entirely made of stone; and it’s location on the hillside … Read more
Nate Maddux and Mary Schwarz (Minneapolis) introduced the locals of Ronda, one of Spain’s southern “pueblos blancos”, to The Rake over a glass of sherry and some tapas…seen here perched above the town’s old arabic bridge spanning the 300 foot-deep Tajo Gorge. The Andalusian town, about an hour north of the Mediterranean, was one of … Read more
Paula and George Lopuch, of downtown Minneapolis, take Red-Handed to a whole new level with three different trips and three different issues of The Rake. Africa: Our trip included a one-week safari in Kenya, where we held The Rake up exactly over the equator, much to the amusement of the locals. Mexico: San Miguel de … Read more
Jennifer Vogel’s piece on Eric Enstrom’s Grace photograph [“That Old-Time Religion,” December] provides thoughtful analysis of times when religion was “rooted in humility.” However, it neglects to note this image which captures Bovey, Minnesota’s “Christian background” is the official photograph for the state of Minnesota. I learned this a few years back when I (at … Read more
The January 2006 article “Seven Weeks on the Lean Streets” struck a chord when it pointed out the difference in availability of public facilities during one young man’s trek through the Twin Cities. I often hike through different neighborhoods; I, too, have long noticed the lack of public niceties in poor neighborhoods and the wealth … Read more
In the description of the Grace photo, The Rake refers to one of the items in the simple photo as a “book” without further explanation. I assume most of your readers assumed that this book is a Bible. But as I was told by a longtime Bovey resident and neighbor of the photographer that the … Read more
The cover of the January 2006 issue of The Rake asks, “ ‘The Sanctity of Marriage’ What are you doing to corrupt it?” In our opinion, the religious right has already corrupted marriage by discriminating against homosexuals, even for civil marriage (a violation of separation of church and state). Though we have been together for … Read more