Bright Spot

Last Saturday, the weather was gray, all day.

After leaving a workshop at the Indianapolis Zoo around noon, 

I wended my way along the Central Canal towards 

downtown, taking pictures. The plants have wilted into

the background, their colors subtle, to match the cold.

Except for the rose hips, so big they resemble little tomatoes.

Their color stood out in brilliant contrast to

the tweedy background, like ruby brooches

on a jacket lapel.

2015: A Year of Promise

At City Daily Photo, the first post of the New Year 

is given over to the bloggers' best or favorite 

photo of the previous year. None of mine stood out

in that regard, but a series of pictures I took

while walking along the White River Promenade

provided a series of pretty pictures of

the surrounding landscape.

As the weather becomes increasingly cold, 

they remind me of the smells of the river, 

and the warmth of the sun.

To see the pictures chosen by other members 

of the City Daily Photo community, 

just click on the above link to be taken

on a New Year's Day trip around the world.

More from the River Promenade

A few weeks ago, when the redbuds and magnolias had bloomed along 

the White River Promenade, I kept getting caught up in all the colors 

and textures that had chosen to exist shoulder to shoulder

among the limestone walls.

Above the magnolias show their delicate color against

the abrasive texture of the stone, while the moss thrives on

another bit of the wall.

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.

It's Such a Pretty Place

It's hard to believe the River Promenade has been open and in use 

for over twenty-five years. It's a popular place, heavily used by

runners and other people taking their lunch time walks.

I was so caught up in taking my pictures, of examining everything

that caught my eye, it took an hour for me to walk its

entire length - but very little time to make the return trip.

I know people think it's an attractive site, but they don't seem 

to notice it much, preferring instead to concentrate on their

routine or the music on their i-Pod.

Since I nearly always have my camera at hand, 

it's pretty safe to say that my routine is routinely interrupted 

by something pretty I want to take pictures of.

Textured Tuesday: Mossy Redbuds

The  morning began gray, with light showers, as I walked from 

the IUPUI campus to the Central Canal.

I was on my way to the River Promenade, which continued

the path where the canal walk ended, taking it over the 

White River to the limestone lined River Promenade.

I've walked the Promenade before and always found new beauty 

in the huge blocks of limestone stacked along the sides of

the shaded lane. Spring showed in the many redbud, magnolia and

dogwood trees blooming along the lane. Moss and lichen

gave the trees a new wardrobe of plush mottled green.

A Quiet Morning

The morning was gray and humid when I took these 

pictures of the west end of the Central Canal.

Looking west, the White River can be seen

beyond the street light. People were using the quiet time

to take a walk or go for their morning run.

The taped off ladder at the corner of the canal is the

site where swimmers would emerge the next morning,

completing the first leg of a triathlon.

Yep, they would use the Canal for the swimming 

portion of the competition, then transfer to their bicycles

to begin a route that would take them over the bridge to

the White River Promenade and beyond.

The bridge above, which is near the State Office

buildings and Indiana Historical Society,

must have been about the half-way mark of the

swimming competition.

Limestone Map

The landscape artists who designed the White River Central Canal Walk 

and River Promenade have created a feast of discovery for

the people who use it. Huge blocks of limestone border the walk behind the Indianapolis Zoo, some engraved and carved by man, in a hurry to leave his mark. Others bear traces of their origin where water and time, taking eons, 

have left their story. Below is a detail of one such block, where water has etched a map resembling the Mississippi River Delta.

It's a map that tells the Earth's origins, of where it's been, 

what it's made from and where it's going.  Touching the rough surface 
of the stone is like touching the journey of time.
Reminding us of our own impermanence, it will remain, 
telling Earth's story long after we have gone.