July Theme Day: Look Down

The street maintenance department of Indianapolis

may not be so great at making sweet, 

tidy repairs, but they somehow manage 

to be sublime street artists 

in the Abstract Expressionist manner. 

Compositions such as these exist all over the city; 

I've taken enough of these sorts of photos 

to be able to mount a large exhibition. 

Consequently, today's theme, Look Down 

was right up my alley, so to speak.

City Daily Photo is a portal whose members 

post images every day, allowing

viewers to see the world through the eyes

of the people who live in cities

all over the world. To see their contributions,

just click on the above link or

the CDP badge to the right of this post.

Awww ... Urban Wildlife Watching

A couple years ago, construction workers converted 

a ditch near work into a marshy retention pond.

It's meant to hold overflow rainwater from surrounding

neighborhoods, preventing homes from flooding.

Last summer it seemed to be a wasted effort

because we had so little rain, but this year 

the reeds and cattails are happily standing in water, 

providing shelter for redwing blackbirds,

mallard ducks, and Canada geese.

A couple weeks ago, I noticed this goose roosting 

on a spot not ten feet from the road.

Last week I took another look and saw that

she had little bits of yellow fluff peeping from

beneath her own gray feathers.

Babies! She'd hatched her little goslings!

I could only see four.

A few days later, I saw she had gone.

I figured she's taken her babies to another, safer spot,

away from the dangers and distractions of human

intervention and annoyances.

Another coworker went closer to the nest 

and saw there were eggs.

Would she have just abandoned her eggs

or had she realized they weren't going to hatch

and taken her little family to a new home?

Dunno ... I Just Dunno

It rained all day Saturday.

When I first saw a group of these

guys walking down Pennsylvania Street

towards Monument Circle to ... who knows where?

I at first thought they had wrapped themselves in towels 

because they lost their clothes as participants

in some sort of mud fest

There were hundreds of them clad in various

styles of frocks from faded chiffon concoctions and

sequined mini dresses to "little" black dresses.

I laughed and shook my head; after all,

there is something disconcerting about a frilly tulle

skirt wafting around above a pair of stocky,

hairy calves. Every one of them needed instruction

in the niceties of wearing a gown. They reminded

 me of Vincent D'Onofrio as Edgar the bug

from Men In Black, who tries to master the actions

and mien of the human whose body

he had just taken over. 

Theme Day: Smell

The Theme for the first day of May is "Smell."

I posted another image of this same tree some weeks

ago showing its tiny buds against a background

of brown stucco. Since then, the flowers have come

and gone, too soon. All around, bunches of pansies

 have been planted in beds, against a background

of black mulch. Tulips have opened their

crowns to the sun and fallen away.

Today, hidden among the branches of its bush,

I saw the first rose opening, its aroma 

a promise still hidden amid the folds

of its petals. 

But I have smelled the rain,

those "April Showers" that bring

all the delicate colors I love so much.

And the scent of just-mowed grass

has wafted through the neighborhoods

in recent days as homeowners

wage a battle to keep their lawns from

turning into little jungles.

Pink

At the Car Wash

I pass through a nondescript car wash

on my way into work each morning.

Although it functions, it's rather dilapidated

and faded. There's no accounting for

some of the things I've seen in the half dozen bays - 

one time I saw a full-sized set of

mattress and box springs. One morning,

an engine block from a small car lay

on the floor of another.

Most mornings, I find myself

fascinated by the way sunlight illuminates

the yellow walls. A few days ago,

the floor caught my eye; the seams in

the concrete angled away from 

the wood-covered pit and tiny gouges,

made by the water from the pressurized hose, 

seemed to dance in space.

Stapled, Stabbed, Skewered, and Tagged

Where would we, the collective citizens of 

Earth's neighborhoods, be if all 

the utilities ever do go underground?

No longer would we be able to post news

of neighborhood yard sales, "wanted" posters

for lost pets and/or humans, directions to 

baby showers and weddings (often in that order),

cars for sale, and parties of all sorts --

Yahoo! Ain't it nifty! The big day's come!

Big John is FIFTY!

These poles have served us well; not only

have they carried news via their 'phone

and electric lines, they've served as

neighborhood news kiosks, posted with vital

messages made up from paper and pens

from a bygone era - the 20th Century.