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. 

Shadows of Spring

I took a long walk around Speedway Saturday afternoon, 

taking pictures as I went. The most abundant floral offerings

 I found were the metal lawn ornaments; 

here and there were the coiled wire tendrils of vines, 

the bright enamel colorings of painted daisies, 

and the embossed cut-outs of metallic angels 

and stars. If the scatterings of volunteer crocusses

are precursors, then the real flowers can't

be far behind. The biege earth canvas has been 

washed clean, waiting for the flowers.

Frosted Shadow

Even though it was fairly 

late in the morning,

the frost remained, 

following the blue shadow

across the ground, 

melting, sinking into

the dried grasses,

where the moisture would wait

for spring and, once again,

turn the world a vibrant green.

It's a Berry Gray Day

On Thursday, the day's colors were not much different 

at dawn than they were at dusk.

The overcast was the shade of the gray cardboard
that backs pads of notepaper.
I'd gone to McDonald's for a latte, hot and sweet,
where I watched the modest folk at nearby
tables, chatting with friends and spouses over
their McGriddles and orange juice.
Outside, I saw the red berries shining out
from the pale gold grasses that border the highway.
I left to take a few pictures, wending my
way between parked cars to get to the little
grove of trees. The scarlet dance of the berries 
was the brightest color I saw all day.

The Color Wheel

On a clear fall day, a wide expanse 

of blue sky provided the backdrop 

for this big maple tree, in the process 

illustrating the color wheel 

with a tapestry's swash of hues.

And, per Stefan's request,
the whole tree!

I'd thought it over and found I liked to see it
off-center just a bit, like myself.

String Art

I love the little tendrils of fiber as they 

spiral away from the fading leaves.

There must be a reason for it, other than

for the eye-pleasing curves and

twists of light against dark. 

Just across the street, other lines thread

their way across the surface 

of the sidewalk, little dried rivers 

of sediment on the concrete map.

Window on the World, Er, Neighborhood

I heard the alarm. 

I was walking down the opposite side 

of the street. I'd heard it often enough 

before, coming from a back yard -- 

a very large yellow dog and his equally large 

ebony coated cohort, barking their warnings 

to passers-by. This time, however,

the bark was a bit muted. I looked around

to see the huge dog standing

in the front window of his home,

the sort of space usually reserved for

smaller breeds of dogs, Shih Tsu 

and the usual little yappers.

This guy, though, made the small dog

space a big dog throne,

where he gazed upon the passing throngs 

of 'others', and kept guard 

over his particular humans' territory.

Evening Sun

Just a few days before this picture was taken, 

the sun was a fiery, glowing orb perched

in the center of the road, just above the trees.

On this day, however, the sun has already

dipped below the treeline and the only

glowing orb is that provided by

the tail and head lights of the cars.

From Out of the Doors They Streamed

I'd just missed the 7:30 bus to work and was walking 

a few blocks to catch one on a different route

when I was joined up with children, accompanied by their parents, 

all going more or less the same direction.

Monday was the first day of school and the children were 

on their way to an elementary school about a quarter mile away.

It was a reassuring scene; the parents showing their

kids the route, the "safe path" between home

and the school building. While this dad walked with his

two boys, one mom drove her SUV alongside

her son and daughter as they rode their bicycles

on the sidewalk. I know this because I'd heard the boy

calling out to me as he approached from behind,

with mom calling to him from the car,

"Say 'excuse me,' Jacob!"

"I did, Mom!" he said, and I nodded agreement.

Another year of learning, of learning one's

way from home to a new place.

Thankfully, in these cases, mom and dad

are there to help show the way,

a natural progression repeated over

the generations.

Dear Harley

I love Harley. I wish he was my dog.

For years, I have watched him as he trotted across

his human parents' lawn to greet me,

the spring in his stride and muscles rippling

under his gray ghost coat.

He's older now, and sometimes would rather 

bask in the sun than check out a squirrel invader

or come over to me to be adored and get

his chest scratched. But his profile

is beautiful, and he remains confident

that he is loved and admired by all,

including his neighbor.

All the Same

As I approached the Speedway Public Library 

on Saturday, I noticed that the Japanese maple 

at the curb was nearly the same shade of red 

as the car parked alongside. I really liked the way

the sunlight filters through the red leaves

and tried to get a picture of that effect against

the red car, with limited success.

For whatever reason, the way my eye 

registers the bright red created by the sun

is not duplicated by my camera.

However, I was surprised by what caught my eye next:

all five cars (four shown here; the one at the front of the line 

was a small Nissan) parked outside the library, 

each a different make and model, were all 

virtually the same shade of red. Huh. 

Here Be Dragons, er, Dragonflies

It's been a long while since I've seen a dragonfly.

They were always my tiny companions

when I was fishing off the side of the boat,

green ones, blue ones, and little fiery-red ones.

With their big heads, they reminded me 

of helmeted helicopter pilots.

This one, however, nearly smacked me in the head 

this morning as I walked to the store. 

I looked in my dragonfly book 

but couldn't find one like him in the pictures,

so I can't say what kind of dragonfly he be, 

but I bet he's not from "uncharted territory." 

Sunlit Edges

I saw these little sunlit flowers in one of the garden plots 

at Saint Christopher Catholic Church in Speedway.

 I was captivated by the way their little furry bits 

caught the sun, accentuating the delicacy 

of their shapes and stems.

The brightness of the sunlight off these little flowers 

made me think of the way crystal prisms 

were used to bounce candlelight around a room, 

making the room seem brighter.

Little Purple Thingys

I love the nubby tweed look of these flowers, 

Russian sage, I think. They add a spot of color 

to an otherwise drab part of town.

They are planted on the lane divider near

the Speedway/Clermont exit at I-74.

Kablooey! Spoosh! Splat!

A peony's time on this Earth is much too short.

Their buds are huge, each one about an inch

in diameter, a hard pink or white ball

atop a dark green stem. 

Once they bloom the flower is 

much too heavy for the stalk,

with all the flowers leaning down

to the ground. 

Someone or something walks by --

Kablooey! The flowers get jarred, 

the petals are shook loose,

flying Spoosh! into the air,

and end up Splat! in an untidy pile, 

looking like they had a brawl.

The delicate color fades into the hot 

light of the sun and its lovely scent,

like the remembering of a kiss, 

drifts away into the imagination.

June Theme Day: Zest? ... Well, It Depends

There's nothing like the zest, the pure enthusiasm 

shown by race fans before and after the start of the Indy 500. 

Last weekend, folks began to make their way through 

the Speedway gates when they opened at 5:30 a.m. 

They quickly (well, that's debatable) dragged their little 

wheeled coolers, collapsible chairs, and blankets 

to their seats and viewing areas. 

Just as quickly those items were arranged 

and folks settled in to await the race.

People played catch with baseballs, footballs, or Frizbees.

The kids played with toys in the warm morning sun

while their parents drank and prepared breakfast. 
Quite a few folks slept for a few hours, 

awakened only by the sound of Jim Nabors singing 

"Back Home Again in Indiana."

The process was then reversed. 

But the enthusiasm that was shown at dawn

was not in evidence. Blankets were rolled up,

 trash thrown in receptacles, chairs folded, 

and the coolers, now empty, made forlorn little 

hollow tickety-tickety sounds as their wheels 

rolled over the pavement. Tired from their exertions

spectators wound their way towards their vehicles,

many of which were parked on the lawns of Speedway

residents. There, they might find the shade of a tree 

where they would have a beer and talk about the race 

while waiting a couple hours for the traffic to thin.

This blog, Speedway Daily Photo, 
is a member of the City Daily Photo portal.

Made up of photographers from all over the world, 

CDP gives viewers the opportunity to see images 

of cities taken by the people who live there. 

From Speedway, Indiana one can go on to visit Paris, 

Hanoi, Dubai, or even St. Louis, Missouri. 

To see other interpretations of today's theme, Zest,

just click on the CDP link above, 
or on the badge to the right of today's post.

Dinner Near Home

I took myself to dinner tonight after work.

After a year of constantly watching and counting 

every calorie, I wanted something more "homey," 

so took myself to the Union Jack Pub in Speedway.

The place has been there for years now, taking over 

the building from a bankrupt pizza joint.

It has begun to acquire a patina, I think, on the 

wood paneling, pictures, and auto racing memorabilia.

My meal did involve "comfort food," hot and tasty. 

I am glad to say, however, that I left a bit of my food

because I was no longer hungry; I didn't eat all

the potatoes or chicken, and didn't drink

all my beer. I did, however, eat every last morsel

of my chocolate brownie sundae.

That says a bit about what my addictions may be.

I was really attracted to the blue reflections

cast by the TVs and computer screens

onto the rows of beer mugs. The color contrasted

nicely with the amber light and wood paneling.

It's a Race Track! It's a Golf Course! It's ...

... the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!

Indy got the month of May off to a fresh start 

on Saturday with the inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix, 

an eighty lap race for Indy cars utilizing 

the IMS 2.4-mile road course.

While there may initially have been some concern

about how this new addition to the IndyCar schedule

might be accepted by fans, doubters were left 

in the dust by the large turnout of people who came

to wander the grounds and to watch the IndyCar

race, as well as several other support races.

A young fan watches as eventual winner, Simon Pagenaud, 

leads the field through Turns 7 and 8.

He was joined by thousands of other spectators who, 

snacks and sunscreen in tow, brought their

friends and families to the track for a day of sunshine,

blue skies, and the heady aroma of braking tires.

With about ninety minutes to spare before the start 

of the day's feature race, I decided to explore 

a part of the track I'd not seen before. 

I walked north along a golf cart path, towards Turn 4 

of the Speedway's oval. The grandstands can be seen 

looming in the background. A lot of other folks

took advantage of the groves of trees,

retreating to their shade between races to rest

and cool off, many enjoying a picnic lunch.

Yarn from A Redbud's Sweater

In other years, I've seen this tree so covered 

in tiny flowers that it looked as though 

it was wearing a beautiful pink sweater 

to protect itself from the chilly spring mornings.

Maybe I just got there too late in the season.

I had to remind myself that I no longer had those

pictures and went by to check on the trees.

This was almost all that was left, looking as though

only a bit of yarn from the sweater remained

after the tree had taken it off.

Tapestry

I love backlit trees and flowers. 

The sunlight adds richness to the leaves and petals,

showing their delicacy and structure. 

In this case, these gleaming red leaves come to life 

against a backdrop of purple-y stones 

and pale yellow twigs. The little buds resemble

 the silken sheen of an Oriental carpet,

where a weaver may have sought 

to capture this brief moment of Spring 

in a lustrous tapestry.