Signs

My recent cupcake odyssey gave me a lot of opportunities for pictures 

of various kinds -- old brickwork, new construction, 

and street signage at its most prosaic.

Two versions of the little profile man are shown 

in the top and middle photos. The economy may be stagnant,

but construction projects are plentiful; the mobile shacks

reflected above and the work shown below are just a small bit

of the numerous projects in downtown Indy. 

The traffic downtown is inexcusable for a city our size. 

The numerous attempts to address the sorry state of

the local public transportation system have always sounded like 

lip service falling on unhearing ears; people have become 

so dependent on their autos that there doesn't seem 

to be a viable way to wean them from their gas-guzzling ways

and the city fathers are making too much money from car owners

via fuel, upkeep, taxes, insurance and parking fees.

But their self-serving negligence is beginning 

to bite them in the ass, as increasing demands for better 

and more buses, more bike routes and facilities

show how far behind we are compared to other cities. 

While Dad Washed the Car ...

After I left work late Thursday afternoon, I saw these 

two boys outside the car wash. They were sitting 

in their car seats, waiting for their father to 

finish washing the family van, 

watching the parade of passing traffic and 

people as they went about their business.

And yes, the little boy on the right

mugged continually while his brother was

the more reserved of the two.

Daily Routine

I love the morning light. I like the way it brings a golden edge to everything it touches, the way it infuses the day with hope. Anybody who rides the bus must carry a mote of that golden promise with them because it takes faith to believe that the underfunded, under-equipped, and under-scheduled public transportation system will get them to work on time. Most of the time it does, but those days it does not can easily result in awkward explanations to one's supervisor, even job loss.


One day while riding the bus to work, I took a look around and saw people, themselves on their way to work, trying to keep roofs over their heads, food in their kids' bellies and clothes on their backs. They were people who do the "grunt work"  -- customer service representatives, accountants, maids for the many hotels downtown, waitresses and cooks in the restaurants, practical nurses and orderlies for several hospitals, personnel who clean the offices, security guards, baristas, et cetera -- a work force that is generally treated as if they are invisible that would suddenly be missed if they could not get to their jobs.

The "city fathers" tend to treat the system as if it were their proverbial "red-headed stepchild," to be ignored, abused and neglected. Generally, the buses seem to be regarded as the transportation system of the poor, the elderly (poor), the blind (poor) and disabled (poor). Visitors to our city invariably turn to the buses to visit our numerous  attractions and are, again, invariably amused and dismayed at the system's scheduling and routes. 

There have been recent efforts to improve the system, the drivers are usually courteous and considerate in sometimes difficult circumstances and, while cuts have been made in some routes, efforts were made to improve connections between others. Plans are in progress to build a light rail system and to add service to outlying areas. So ... maybe? 


We'll see. With the economy in doldrums and governmental squabbling, the city fathers may suddenly find there's a knot in their pockets and not be able to raise the stepchild's allowance. 

One can only hope.

"And now for something completely different."

The picture above is of another Speedway landmark, the Mug'n'Bun Drive-In on West 10th Street, which has been in business since 1960. The place has a national reputation for its home-made root beer as well as a menu chock full of every standard American drive-in staple one could ever think to order. The store's appearance is unpretentious, but the treats inside keep people coming back for more. Yum.