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.