I Love These Guys

I can't walk across the old Washington Street Bridge

without craning my neck to see what may 

be lingering on the driftwood caught on one 

of the bridge's piers. Friday found these turtles basking

in the noontime sun. All heads pointed in the same direction,

these soft-shelled guys shared space with

red-eared turtles. About forty-five minutes later,

I came back to find the sun party had

gotten larger ...

... and even more were trying to find 

their own place in the crowd.

I love these guys and could have watched tham

all day. There don't seem to be "antics"

as such, just a bunch of reptiles enjoying

the seasonal warmth on any handy tree snag,

laboriously climbing up to join the rest

of the river gang, dozing, then maybe falling off

to begin the process over again.

After all, falling off the log is easy,

finding one's place on it is not.

The Flower in the Rock

Near the entrance to the River Walk, 

someone had placed a sunflower in a hole in one 

of the limestone blocks lining the way.

The idea of a "flower in the rock"

reminded me of a song title, gospel I think,

and certainly not the one that a search

of You Tube gave me.

But I liked "Flower through the Rock"

despite the fact I couldn't understand a word

of the Korean lyrics. The song was written

for a Korean television drama, I think,

called The Joseon Gunman. 

For me, the melody just seemed to suit 
the notion of a romantic story behind 

someone placing a flower in the rock.

Stolen Moment

At the west entrance to the River Walk, 

I saw this young woman 

taking pictures and texting a friend.

It was a stolen moment of quiet and privacy

for her, which I felt I'd "stolen" myself.

Awk! Wildlife Encounter!

Yeh. Well, whatever.

I was looking for herons and enough turtles to 

populate the logs as if they were a city.

No such luck.

I got a fluttery little butterfly

and one big-ass turtle.

The shell reminded me of the back end

of a Duesenberg automobile

wearing a school girl's pleated skirt.

The above photo, from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg

Automobile Museum, is licensed through

the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

A Little Carping

My walk Monday ended where the Central Canal 

empties into the White River. I stood for a long time,

watching a school of carp as they idled in a pool 

of sunlight at the river's bank. The fishes' slender, 

blue-gray bodies stood out against the yellow clay. 

The surface water sank to the bottom, carrying with it 

particles of soil, decomposed leaves, and other 

matter, pushing the clearer water to the top.

It's a good thing I took the opportunity to

get outside when I did because another front

bringing a heavy snowfall is working its way 

across the mid-western and eastern states.

Much of the population is suffering from an 

epidemic of seasonal affective disorder;

barely one month into the season, people are already 

thoroughly sick of the cold. You could charter

a fleet of Boeing C-130's to airlift everyone 

who wanted to go South for warmer weather.
It would be a mercy flight.

A Walk in the Winter Sun

The break in the weather gave me the opportunity 

to walk along the Central Canal, both to enjoy the sun 

and to take some pictures. At the end of the

canal, where the water enters the White River, I found

these grasses caught in a splendidly simple

arrangement on the wall, a russet leaf trapped

just so to balance the composition.

And below, at the edge of the river, a school

of carp swam in the current, fighting against it

to reach a quiet pool of water where

a meal could be had.

I could have watched those fish for hours,

their blue-gray bodies accented perfectly against 

the yellow clay mud beneath them.

More from the Canal

The water feature at the end of the Central Canal, 

where the water drains into the White River, is a beautiful place 

on its own. I think I want to go down one day, 

just to sit and watch it change color and character 

as the sun passes over it.

A Walk in the Park

The White River State Park spans the west side of downtown Indy, 

encompassing the Eiteljorg and Indiana State Museums, 

as well as the Indianapolis Zoo. The Central Canal connects

all with the downtown area where sidewalks allow people 

to use the park for a walk, to ride their bicycles, 

or go for their daily run.

Visitors may rent any number of different vehicles to tour the park:

among them are Segways, bicycles, paddle boats, and kayaks.

There is even a Venetian gondola available for rent.

Broad expanses of lawn allow people to play a game

of Frisbee with other people or with their dogs,

while the sculptures dotted around the grounds often

can become a place for visitors to pause for a rest 

during their bicycle rides.

October Theme Day: Details

I followed the Central Canal to the end of its journey at the White River.

There, landscape architects had constructed a water feature/

waterfall that allowed the water to be aerated as it fell towards the river.

I like to stand on the walkway to watch the water sparkle and

foam as it tumbles over the walls. Where it falls towards the river,

sediment, moss and lichen have formed, creating a beautiful

pallet of colors,  green and golden, muted and bright. 

On the first day of each month, the photographers 

who form the City Daily Photo portal, have a theme day.

The theme for October is Details. To see how others

have interpreted the theme, just click on the above link 

or on the badge at the upper right column of this post.

Meet & Greet: Talking ... Er, Heads

The sun was just beginning to show itself Sunday morning 

as I crossed the Washington Street bridge.

I was there as a volunteer for the Tri Indy Triathlon, 

where people were working to get the site ready 

for the competitors.

A new sculpture, called "Meet & Greet" had been 

installed since my last visit. I noticed the colored

lights changing as I approached, 

its colors  especially appealing against 

the early morning sky.

However, I couldn't help but notice that

the profiles resembled chattering penises.

Try, Try, Try

Sunday morning, White River State Park was 

the setting for the 6th Annual Tri Indy Triathlon, 

three separate competitions, with the main one 

the Olympic distance race consisting 

of a 1500 meter swim, 40K bike and 10K run.

The sun had not yet risen on the city but

officials, volunteers and entrants were busily 

preparing for the races to begin.

The top photo shows an entrant's equipment

laid out for his transition from the swimming event,

to cycling, then to running.

All competitors have made their own preparations 

before they go to the starting line for the swim,

about a mile away. Here, the area doesn't look too

busy, but filled up and was quite hectic not much later,

as the swimmers came out of the water to make

their way to their cycles.

There were about 1,500 entrants altogether 

from cities all over the Midwest. They covered the gamut

for age, as well as for body type; people from young teens 

through their 70s came with the slender builds

you would expect of runners, to the more bulky structure

of football players, or voluptuous "goddesses."

Most everyone appeared to have smooth, 

silken skin tautly stretched over their frames,

a feature I especially enjoy to see on men.

Out of the group, I did see one person I knew, 

a co-worker I barely recognized as he 

emerged from the canal in his wetsuit, 

on his way to his bicycle. I later saw him finish the

foot race, then stop to check his watch.

He'd told me he wanted to improve his own best time.

I think he did it. 

Bleh.

This photo was taken in the Hilbert Conservatory of White River State Park. 

Butterflies of various kinds were fluttering hither and yon, 

perched on plants or dishes of a special

concoction that included beer as an ingredient.

It was nice inside the Garden, with water misted into

the building every few minutes to maintain the humidity.

I wish I were there today; the weather has been leaden gray

 and breezy with temps in the fifties.

Finding the Front Door

For a long while I've been wondering what this building is used for. 

It is an addition to the NCAA headquarters just to the east, 

but why? Does administrating the national collegiate sports programs

really require so much additional space? As it turned out,

the building is a conference center, a place for the

organization to host its meetings with the member schools.

 I'd always seen it from this side which is, essentially, the back door.

I found this out when I followed the path to the north side

of the building, where I saw a large sweeping 

drive with a canopy over the entrance.

The side of the building is glass-enclosed, but striped horizontally, 

allowing some daylight to enter but providing privacy 

for the people inside. The alternating widths of the stripes

echoed the horizontal at the back of the building, which seem 

to break up the huge expanses of glass that look out

on the White River State Park just beyond.

What I found to be amazing is that I took these pictures 
with my little digital camera, yet the images of the buildings 
came out looking like architectural renderings. Huh.

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.

Red Curve: Linear V

One of the sculptures in the White River State Park, Linear V

 was made by Jarrett K. Hawkins of Deer Park, Ohio.

Not only do I enjoy it because it's red, but because of 

the way its ridges and texture add a bit of syncopation to

the dance my eyes take as they follow the sculpture's curve

from its base to the sky.

And did I say it's red?

A Quiet Walk

I was downtown early on Saturday to volunteer for a triathlon. 

I went to the zoo to find the volunteer tent. 

Nuthin'. No one. People were jogging along the Canal and the 

White River Promenade, but not a one wearing

a number. It was gray and humid, which matched my

mood when a zoo security guy told me I'd come on the 

WRONG DAY! Argh! @*&$# and (sh)ucks!

Well, at least I wasn't late.

I'd planned to take pictures, so took them of the buildings and Canal, 

rather than guys in Spandex pants with numbers drawn 

on their upper arms.

All of the photos are of the NCAA Headquarters, located along the canal 

in White River State Park. The size of the building alone 

is proof positive that college athletics is very big business. The top

photo is of an entrance to one of the sections, while the public entrance,

to the Hall of Champions, is shown in the second photo.

That first section was designed by renowned architect, Michael Graves.

The second section, just recently opened, was designed by 

a local firm, Ratio Architects. They also designed a neighboring

building, the Indiana State Museum, which is just on the 

other side of the Canal.

The image below is of the Indiana State Museum, taken at about 

7:30 in the morning, long before people show up en masse

to report for work, visit or, as in my case, 

to volunteer for an event.

About 24 hours early.

"The Tent"

I'll be the first to admit that I do not care for this sculpture.

It does not soar. It does not sing. It does not shimmer.

It reminds me of paint samples, left in the sun

by research chemists to have their color fastness tested.

Called The Tent, it was created by Donald Lipski

and installed in White River State Park in 2008.

This morning, I found something to like about it: seen from this angle, 

one panel reflected the other, breaking up the grid.

The result, for me, was interesting in that it added pattern and

 rhythm that on previous occasions did not exist.

"Rock the bag." You know who you are... 

Winter Blooms

After a week or so of warmish temperatures, we're back to winter's

gray hues with the floral ghosts of a summer past.

These pictures were taken on the grounds of the Eiteljorg Museum

in downtown Indianapolis. The museum, which houses a collection of

Native American art and artifacts, is a beautiful building.

It stands on the Central Canal along with the Indiana State Museum

and the Indianapolis Zoo. The canal itself forms the basis of 

the White River State Park and is a pleasant place to walk

or enjoy one's lunch hour during the work week.

Although the main entrances to both museums are on Washington Street, 

there's no doubt the more beautiful entries are located on the Canal.

The picture below was taken looking from  canal entrance of the 

Indiana State Museum towards downtown. The Eiteljorg

entrance is the darker tan stone on the right of the picture.