Meanwhile ...

 ... Back at the Zoo, the beautiful birds in the aviary 

perched and fed among the branches 

as members of the smooshy, pink

two-legged species wandered and gawked 

along the paths of their enclosure.

Bleh.

This photo was taken in the Hilbert Conservatory of White River State Park. 

Butterflies of various kinds were fluttering hither and yon, 

perched on plants or dishes of a special

concoction that included beer as an ingredient.

It was nice inside the Garden, with water misted into

the building every few minutes to maintain the humidity.

I wish I were there today; the weather has been leaden gray

 and breezy with temps in the fifties.

Budgies!

Of course, there are all kinds of birds at the Indianapolis Zoo,

 including this aviary full of budgeriars.

Visitors enter the little birds' home via an anteroom,

where they are greeted by the exhibit's attendant.

On this day, she was carrying a 3-foot length of dowel rod

as she emerged from the aviary through a curtain made from

floor-length pieces of five-eighths inch diameter

braided rope. The rod was used to herd any escapees

back through the rope curtain.

The trees and branches inside were covered with the multi-colored 

chattering budgies, who darted back and forth between 

the perches stationed throughout the airy house.

They often flew very close to the visitors; I could feel

the beating of their wings as they flew overhead.

Visitors could obtain sticks with dabs of bird food 

on the end to feed to their hungry hosts. A little girl 

about four years old was holding one of the sticks 

for the dining pleasure of a little blue budgie.

Oh, Grr-Grr-Grr

All day the bear paces her enclosure. 

A path has been worn around its perimeter. 

She starts from the entrance to her home,

tracing her own tracks from the day before,

from years before.

People stand and admire her, trying to imagine

her power, wondering what it would

be like to be the unfortunate "slow human"

who was brought down by her giant paw.

It was the same at every exhibit I visited;

the only islands of peace were contained within

the animals' enclosures while outside, a teeming mass 

of humans strolled from one display to the next.

But every animal wanted out, every animal was looking

toward some horizon, even if it was just an internal

longing expressed by generations of genetic instinct.

They wanted past the humans, to get back to their wildness,

to the places without the cages.

A Downtown Saturday

 This morning I went downtown to meet some folks at the Indianapolis Zoo, 

which I will tell you about later in the week 

I stopped at Cafe Patachou for an omelet because I hadn't had breakfast

then walked towards the Zoo, about a mile farther west.

There are people in this town who will tell you there is nothing

interesting to do in our city. During the walk I took Saturday,

I saw a lot of interesting activities, all of them with

hundreds of participants, the first of whom were folks 
preparing for the dedication of the Cultural Trail.

 As I passed the Eiteljorg Museum, the water at the deers' feet 

had been turned on, adding the illusion of a creek to

the sculpted herd's dash across the museum's lawn.

The grounds of the Indiana State Museum was alive 

with people who were setting up the venue for

the annual Asian Festival.

I walked across the Lawn at White River State Park where the grounds 

were being used as the finishing site for participants 

in the annual March for Healthy Babies events.

I spent about three hours at the Zoo, exploring a lot of the exhibits, 

and only saw about half of the grounds. Obviously, additional visits are

in order. After leaving the grounds, I returned via the River Promenade

and Central Canal Walk. On the Old Washington Street Bridge,

I encountered a couple tour groups, all of them on Segways.

All of the vehicles have rev limiters(?) on them 

to prevent riders from using them in an unsafe manner.

At the Canal basin, a group of people came down the staircase from 

street level for a photography session at the water feature 

near the Indiana State Library. Among the people accompanying

the young woman above were about a half dozen young men,

all wearing tuxes of the same shade of blue as her dress.

They appeared to be celebrating her Quinceanera,

her fifteenth birthday, a rite of passage marking her entrance

into young womanhood, leaving dolls behind.

On Monument Circle, another celebration was in progress, 

the 500 Festival Kids' Day, a free event for families

with vendors, activities, musicians and performers that

began late morning and ended late afternoon.

The Circle was crowded with throngs of happy children

and their parents. Clearly, anyone who says

there is nothing to do in Indianapolis has their head up their ass.

Winter Blooms

After a week or so of warmish temperatures, we're back to winter's

gray hues with the floral ghosts of a summer past.

These pictures were taken on the grounds of the Eiteljorg Museum

in downtown Indianapolis. The museum, which houses a collection of

Native American art and artifacts, is a beautiful building.

It stands on the Central Canal along with the Indiana State Museum

and the Indianapolis Zoo. The canal itself forms the basis of 

the White River State Park and is a pleasant place to walk

or enjoy one's lunch hour during the work week.

Although the main entrances to both museums are on Washington Street, 

there's no doubt the more beautiful entries are located on the Canal.

The picture below was taken looking from  canal entrance of the 

Indiana State Museum towards downtown. The Eiteljorg

entrance is the darker tan stone on the right of the picture. 

Another Textured Tuesday: On Limestone & Vine

I started early enough there was still dew on the plants and flowers.
Even the humble kale looked to be dressed in sequins. Unfortunately,
it just didn't show in the pictures.

This morning, I took my little camera for another long walk, this time along the western section of the Canal Walk from the State Office Building to the  NCAA Headquarters building and into White River State Park along the Riverwalk behind the Indianapolis Zoo.

Yep, here I am at the corner of Limestone & Vine, where the canal turns south
to run along between the Indiana State Museum and the  NCAA Headquarters.

 I made another right turn where the Canal turned towards an expanse of lawn, then fed back into the White River. Beginning with the old Washington Street Bridge, which is now a sculpture park, Riverwalk follows the river behind the Indianapolis Zoo. Walled in with massive blocks of rough-hewn limestone, it reveals numerous small beauties and surprises and is a popular place for joggers and casual walkers.

A self-portrait in shadows and granite.

Looking south beneath the Old Washington Street Bridge at other bridges
which also span the White River on the west side of downtown Indianapolis.

And now we enter the shade and beauty of the River Walk which stretches behind the Indianapolis Zoo. Office workers, athletes and firefighters assigned to a near-by station are among the many people who enjoy the trail.

Yes, there are many "pretty weemin," but
I prefer the sight and scent of the species above. Oooh.

A limestone "rose" hidden among its massive brethren.

The crooked little tree and giant limestone blocks
play off and accent each other, adding to the beauty of each.

The path doesn't end at the Zoo's boundary at White River Drive, but continues along that drive and, depending on the direction you choose, will take you north -- to the Indianapolis Museum of Art and northward beyond the county lines -- or back downtown. Here, I turned around to walk the other side of the Canal, where there are additional treats to be seen, which I will show another time as they deserve their own little show.

Jogger passing under the Promenade
outside the ISM Administrative Offices

And I will end with a picture of a couple of the many turtles I saw in the driftwood caught under the piers of the bridge. They were happily swimming, drifting and basking on logs in the river. Just as the turtles extended their necks to look around them, my little camera strove mightily to help me with these pictures, exhausting itself soon after. 

Venice by the Cornfield

Looking southwest, the Indiana State Office Building is shown in the background,
while a glimpse of the J.W. Mariott Hotel can be seen behind the tree.

Not really, but eh, what the hell, it might catch some attention. 


Until the development of the steamboat in 1807, people had never traveled by any means other than on foot, horse power, or by boats and ships pushed by the wind. Roads were hopelessly tedious and uncomfortable, making the country's rivers the preferred mode of travel. 


When the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, connecting the east coast at Albany, New York with Erie, Pennsylvania its success launched decades of "canal fever" by states eager to provide their landlocked citizens with a way to get themselves and their produce to markets on the east coast and New Orleans. 


Indiana was not alone in this craze, but only one of its planned canals was completed, the Wabash and Erie Canal. Connecting Lake Erie at Toledo with the Ohio River, the canal route roughly paralleled the Maumee, Wabash and White Rivers over 468 miles, making it the longest canal in the country. Only two sections of Indiana's other planned canals were completed: the Whitewater Canal in southeastern Indiana, and the Central Canal in Marion County.

Construction of the Indiana Central Canal began in 1836 and was meant to connect Peru with Evansville over 296 miles, generally following the path of the White River. Portions of the canal still supply water to the city, while other sections serve as recreational areas. Stretching through the west side of downtown Indy, it connects the Indianapolis Zoo, the NCAA Headquarters and Hall of Champions, the Indiana State Museum, and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. 

"Big Blue," the new J. W. Mariott Hotel,
opened at Indianapolis in February, 2011.

Restored in the 1980s and extended in 1995, this portion of the canal is part of the White River State Park, extending from Eleventh Street on the north at Boggs Temple, to the White River just above West Washington Street. Other sections of the canal can be seen on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Butler University, and running through the Broad Ripple neighborhood