Wishing You All the Best Lights of the Holidays

Dancing in the corner of my eye, 

the lights on the Christmas tree in the IPALCO

headquarters always delights.

There is an installation of etched and cut

glass that catches the brilliant colors,

breaking breaking the dots into even more bits,

holding them in abstract shapes that makes

me think Pointillism has met Futurism.

Since the day after Thanksgiving

holiday lights have illuminated the Circle.

The downtown area has been crowded with people,

all of then caught up in the twinkling charm

of the lights, suspended like bubbles of

champagne in the night air.

Splash 'n' Go-Go-Go

For over a month, production crews worked

at the IU Natatorium to prepare the pool for telecast of

the 2015 Mutual of Omaha "Duel in the Pool."

People who come to swim at the Nat on a regular

basis were impressed by the "makeover."

Used to the somewhat stark functionality of the pool and

it's fluorescent and LED lighting, it was wonderful

to see it transformed by blue and sparkly lights.

The main competition pool, actually 50 meters

in length, is transformed during the winter

months by bulkheads to create two 25-meter pools. 

What I found intriguing was that crew members

had constructed stadium seating on/over 

the north end pool using portable dock elements

for the base. I wondered how the water displacement 

had been calculated: the section shown in the top picture

from the first railing on back is essentially an island

with seats for, I believe, 560 spectators.

The place was sold out. 

The pictures above and below were taken of 

the first event of the Thursday evening session, 

the Women's 400M Individual Medley.

Each young woman swam 100 meters each 

of four different strokes, opening with butterfly,

then backstroke and breaststroke, ending with freestyle. 

Points were awarded based on each competitor's 

result, with the winning team determined 

by which had the most points.

Swimming meets are loud, boisterous events.

Encouraged and abetted by booming, energetic music,

this one was no exception. People cheered 

on their favorites and were even more heartened

by close competition, such as that in the

Women's 400 Meter Medley Relay.

I always leave meets excited and determined

to improve my own swimming. I'm certain 

that the many children who attended

with their parents and coaches felt the same way.

They watched and hoped, knowing that with hard work

they may one day be able to swim in similar

water, to bring home medals of their own.

I'm affected, too, wanting to take

my own swimming to a better level.

However, no matter how hard I may work,

my own best efforts will always take about twice

the time these athletes achieve.

It must be the purple suits. I want one.

A Seasonal Kaleidescope

On my way to Saturday morning swim practice,

I had time to talka walk around Monument Circle to see

the Christmas decorations. My favorite lights

are on the Christmas "tree" in the Indianapolis Power & Light

lobby. The lights are multiple sizes, creating a visual

treat that does not become boring to look at.

There is a cut glass window installation that comes

alive only during this holiday season, reflecting the colored

lights in its star-like shapes.

First Frost

Well, at least the first morning frost for which

 I was up before sunrise.

The icy edging decorated these leaves

lying in the gutter just outside 

my workplace.

December Theme Day: Shop Windows - Why Stop at One?

When this particular Theme day appeared, 

the first shop I thought of was The Flying Cupcake.

I headed there to buy a couple of their treats

and then realized I was standing in the midst of

an entire block of shops, bars, and

restaurants that deserve attention.

From the inside of TFC, one can look outside

to see other sources for gifts and goodies

right across the street.

One of the most popular is Three Dog Bakery, 

that makes treats for the fur people

with whom we share our homes and lives.

Today's special was tempting,

even to me. Snickerdoodles are my

favorite cookie treat.

Back across the street, there is the Small Mall,

a narrow storefront that offers holiday and seasonal decor

in its entry way, tempting shoppers to explore what

turns out to be three floors of vintage furniture,

contemporary crafts and artwork. 

There are also offerings of mid-century

pieces for the home, as well as numerous items

to entertain the diverse tastes of one's 

families and friends.

(I found hand-knitted caps and mittens

that are both unique and cozy.)

Last but not least, I stopped in at

Mass Avenue Toys. They have stuff for the

smaller folks in our lives, more unique

and less commercial than the usual items purveyed

by the bigger stores. One can find gifts

that aren't too expensive, on up to what

seems to me to be rather pricey.

I like it there because they have toys to

encourage a child's intellect and creativity.

It's where I'll go to find some little 

things for my grandnieces and nephews

this Christmas.

To see how other members of 

the City Daily Photo community

have interpreted the theme, just click on 

the above link, or on the CDP badge 

to the right of this post.

(The Making of ) the Annual Holiday Photo

After setting up the camera, Dad (my nephew Joseph)

runs to take his place in the crowd shot.

This year, it numbered about twenty-eight people

who had gathered for a Thanksgiving meal

at a sister-in-law's barn.

This began as a casual idea by my

sis-in-law Fran for a photo Christmas card, 

so long ago I don't remember the first one. 

Everyone, from adults, to children, 

to various fur persons,

puts on a silly Christmas hat, chosen 

from a large collection of chapeaus 

and headbands. The picture above shows

some of my grandnieces

(Audrey, Maggie, and Savannah) choosing

their headgear while, below,

the wife of another nephew washes frosting

and crumbs from her daughter's face.

Another grandniece, Tallulah, at age four

shows a creative fashion sense, selecting two

pieces of headgear for her photo,

a Santa hat topped by glittery garland

pom-poms. It made her resemble

a sort of Yuletide version of a Skye Terrier,

one of which recently won Best-In-Show

at the National Dog Show.

Dessert

I've been wanting a bit of dessert for days.

Did I want the coconut cake from Cafe Patachou

or did I want to go up to The Flying Cupcake for, 

well, cupcakes? Instead, I went to the 

Frona Mae Dessert Cafe

on East Washington Street, right between a bar 

and an art gallery. A group of people sat at the front

table, bathed in the late afternoon sunlight

pouring through the window.

The building, gutted and restored

to create this space, reminded me of all the 

stories I've read about artists sitting 

in Parisian cafes discussing the latest 

in avant-garde art or sharing their 

poetry over tiny cups of espresso.

I had a bowl of Graeter's black cherry 

chocolate chip ice cream. 

Gawd, I'm a sucker for that stuff.

Even among all the pies and cakes, the ice

cream sang a siren's song.

Teaspoon by teaspoon, I luxuriated

in my little fantasy of being

in a French cafe, wiling away a bit 

of the afternoon as poets

and writers argued some philosophical

point, and imagined great art

hung in the gallery next door. *Sigh.*

I Just Liked It ...

Ready, Not Ready

We returned to the Natatorium competition pool

for practice last week. I was happy to be

back in "good water" that was cool and calm,

meant for swimmers.

"Meant for swimmers" is the operative term

here, because the Nat is a world class facility.

I walked in last night to see not only kids from a couple

of high schools practicing, but black-clad

members of a production crew hanging

steel framework for lighting and camera equipment.

This equipment will be used in about

a month's time, when the meet between teams

from the USA and Europe will be telecast by the

NBC Sports Network, December 11 and 12.

Called the Mutual of Omaha "Duel in the Pool," 

the meet will bring together top swimmers 

from both the USA and Europe in the eighth renewal 

of an event that has always provided 

top-flight competition.

(Buy tickets and attend; it is an exciting,

invigorating occasion.)

Meanwhile, following the behest of our coaches,

the masters swimmers, most of whom are old enough

to be the parents of the likes of Ryan Lochte,

Missy Franklin, and Michael Phelps,

swam their workouts beneath the rigging,

as slim and fast in our minds, if not in fact,

as our elite chlorinated comrades

Kale Forest, *Aerial* View

In a small garden just outside Eskenazi Health,

there's a small stand of kale.

I suppose it is used by the little deli 

next door to make salads for their customers.

Try as I might, I just can't bring myself

to tolerate any but the most occasional serving

of the stuff; chopped up and combined

with cabbage, kale provides color and fibre

for what otherwise would be slaw.

Yuch, bleh, and good riddance.

Hard Edge and Fuzzy

The primary colors are represented here, as well as

hard edge and fuzzy styles of painting.

I paused for a bit to enjoy the beautiful weather

during my walk to swim practice,

looking back to see the way Nature had

composed the yellow and red leaves of the trees

against the man-made (woman-designed)

contemporary stripes of the Eskenazi exterior.

One of my favorite things to see is the way sunlight

can reflect off the sides of trees, causing the light to bounce

and define the lines of the trunks and limbs.

No matter how I've tried, I don't seem to be able

to show that luminescence in my pictures.

So it has to remain a secret treasure, one enjoyed 

by my eyes alone and cherished in my mind.

Flying Off the Shelves

The problem in our country is not with books being banned,

but with people no longer reading.

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.

Just get people to stop reading them.

The above quote is on the website of a blog-pal,

Dive of Small Glass Planet. The words were spoken by

the author of one of my favorite books, whose name

I won't reveal, out of deference to Dive's quiz.

  The installation in the main entry of the IMA,

Richard Wentworth's False Ceiling,

seems to pair perfectly with two bookcases

from The Public Collection.

While the installation is in place, the IMA

is requesting that visitors submit a guess estimating

the number of books used to create the display.

Each month, an entry will be selected 

to receive either a Dual/Family Membership 

or a $75 Museum gift card.

Just past Wentworth's installation, 

there are two additional bookcases from 

The Public Collection series. 

The one in the middle picture, called PlayStation,

is by LaShawnda Crowe Storm, and

 provides children with an irresistible invitation 

to read and play. The area in the IMA

has been made into a comfortable gathering 

place for children and other living things,

with couches, chairs and carpets where visitors 

may relax and enjoy the books and passers-by.

Adults will be fascinated by the wooden

"refrigerator" provided by Tom Torluemke.

Of course, its called Cool Books - Food for Thought.

Big and Little

Hosta grow in the shade of fir trees 

on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

As the hosta turn yellow and translucent 

in the autumn light, they support a fallen sprig, 

one that had earlier given them shade

from the summer heat.

Layers

Workers are painstakingly restoring/renovating/repairing 

the exteriors of the pillars of the old 

Indiana National Bank building. I think the

current bank tenant is Planters, but the names have

changed so much over the years, I lose track.

Anyway ... the pillars used to be sheathed in white

marble, sheets of which have, over the years,

 loosened and fallen off. There are sheets that have

been strapped into place and, boy, are they ugly:

not only are the straps unsightly, but the grain

of the sheets are at right angles to the vertical pattern

of the other sheets of marble. I wince

every time I look at them.

So now, the entire surface is being redone.

The many layers of waterproofing and added

structure for hanging the new "marble"

sheathing can be seen in the photos.

I hope the changes stick.

The Trees Know

So far this fall, our weather has been milder

 than in recent years. That is such a blessing. 

Last winter was prolonged and miserable,

with temperatures plummeting in early autumn 

and not rising until late spring.

Even so, the trees know it's time for 

their torpor; leaves are falling like rain. 

These ginkos have created a golden carpet 

at the entrance to the Massachusetts Avenue 

shopping area, just off downtown Indy.

Missed It. Dammit.

All month, I'd been stalking my neighbors' front yard, 

eager to see what they might install as 

their Halloween yard decor.

All month I was disappointed because no magic

transformations had appeared. 

Well, a new deck had been added to the back 

of the house, so I figured their attentions

had been applied there instead.

Wrong!

This morning I left to walk to the store to find 

that this scene had been created.

I wish I could have seen it last night, 

lit in all its macabre glory.

In addition to the skeleton driving the old car,

there is a skeleton cat on the window, 

a giant-ass spider perched on the corner of the porch, 

and, just possibly, a yucky effigy of our

state's narrow-minded governor being squished 

under the car. Bwa-ha-ha-hah!

On the other side of the front yard, they had parked 

one of their cars. Since it is just the right

shade of "Exorcist" green, it fit the theme.

I wondered what role it played Halloween night

and was sorry I missed whatever

drama it had been assigned. 

Theme Day: Ephemeral

My entry into this month's theme day

is just about as fleeting as the diamonds

that appeared on the fall leaves.

The colors on the trees this autumn

have been more bright and beautiful than

in the recent past, making them

another treasure to be hoarded in the mind

for future enjoyment, as color

to be remembered through the coming

gray of winter.

Almost Ready

Since March, the Natatorium at IUPUI has been undergoing 

the first phase of its renovation.

For a long while, water was kept in the pool to prevent

possible damage from falling tools.

The lane lines were loosened, floating on the water 

all summer. Recently they were removed,

the pool was emptied, repaired as needed, then

cleaned and polished. The diving platforms

were shrouded in plastic like a Cristo installation,

then they, too, were resurfaced, making ready

for the next practice of aspiring divers.

For months, I've stood like a child in front

of a candy store window, watching the tile setters

at their trade. Now the workmen are cleaning 

up the dust of their work, the pool has been refilled 

and will, once again, be cleaned for swimmers,

who will return for their practice sessions

in about two weeks. I can hardly wait.