A Curtain of Gold on a Gloomy Day

A neighbor asked me last week what my blog is about. That question gave me pause because I hadn't thought it was about anything other than the little things that catch my eye as I'm out on my walks. Or maybe it's my insistence on (most) things being attractive, even beautiful. 

The world is often too damn sordid much more frequently than it should be (witness the disgusting revelations emanating from Happy effing Valley this past week). It would be easy to bitch and moan. I don't care to. Neither do I care to have my comments box filled with the same sort of poisonous, narrow-minded vitriol I read in my newspaper every damn day of the week.

I do not ignore the evil, nor do I want anyone else to do so. I want people to speak up when they see or know of evil. I want them to protect children from disgusting bastards who would harm them, who pervert the world with their insidious behavior as they hide behind positions of power and/or respectability.

I want children to be able to grow up to see beauty in small things, to enjoy lives filled with color, instead of the darkness of greed and evil.      

I wanted my little blog to show a curtain of gold lit by the sun, a feathery wand of leaves left on the sidewalk by Mother Nature, and the undulating leaves of hosta as they succumb to winter. 

However, the bastards who would destroy all that live among us, like "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and if we fall asleep they take over and we become them. The Devil smiles, he often wears a nice clothes. We need to be vigilant or the beauty of life is lost.

Have a nice day.

Mr. Pollock* Lives Here

Late this afternoon I walked over to the store and saw these 

pollocked pollarded trees. Their bold black limbs pressed 

against the sky, contrasting with the few wisps of 

remaining daylight and clouds.

On the soccer field a young boy, his father 

and big sister, were using the time they had left

to fly their kites, proud to be able to get them airborne

and to keep them dancing on the evening breeze.

The bare limbs and branches of the pollocked pollarded trees 

in the top picture remind me somewhat of the thick 

and thin lines in some of Jackson Pollock's paintings.


* The correct word is "pollard," dammit, which
 I learned earlier this summer. I just guess my 
mind wants it to be "pollock."  

The "artiste" below reminds me to never become 

so confident that I lose sight of my true abilities.

Welcome to the Broke Elastic Storage Company

When I wondered why so many garages look like this, 

a friend told me that what passes for an attic in most contemporary 

homes is very difficult to get into, involving a flimsy collapsible ladder 

leading to what is not much more than a hole in the ceiling.
So ... a house having over 1,600 square feet of living space has inadequate storage space? My grandma didn't have enough room for her clothes
so she bought wardrobes for the overflow. Don't they make 
those anymore? But the kickboxing practice dummy? I dunno.

Around the Neighborhood

After voting on Tuesday, I walked into the neighborhood to explore an area different to me, one where I don't recall having visited in the past. Technically, I don't think this street is a part of the Town of Speedway, 

being on the north side of  30th Street.

It was a pleasant day and a lot of people were out, 

mowing or raking their lawns, repairing their fences, 

using the leaf-blower to encourage the now brown detritus 

from the trees to navigate into paper bags. ... 

 Lots of large paper bags.

Mr. McCauley, seen here and in the top photo, was trying 

to repair the zipper on his lawn mower's leaf bag. When I'd first seen him I'd thought he was sitting in the sun, working on a needlepoint project.

I dunno, I guess it was the large piece of canvas in his lap

that made me think that.

About a half mile further along (and back in Speedway) 

I saw this home for sale. The information says that it has three bedrooms, two baths, a fenced in back yard with a hot tub. You get 1,623 square feet

of space with large front and back yards for just under $125,000.
An informal check of the prices in the area (obtained from sales flyers)
seems to indicate homes in this neighborhood sell for 
anywhere in the high $90's to $150,000.

The houses above are located about half a block from where I live. 
They were all built in the late 50's to early 60's. When the development was laid out, prospective buyers would meet with the builder to determine
the layout of their home; such things as what side of the house they wanted their main entrance and living room to be on, what the outside surface 
of the house would be - red brick, tan brick, limestone 
or a combination of the two. Some homes are split level, some have attached garages while others do not. 

Over the years, it's been interesting to see how the homes 
have evolved according to the personalities and changing needs of the homeowners. A lot of the homes have the same owners 
as when they were constructed  

The above home has also retained a lot of its initial look, 

with the possible addition of a two-car garage

The houses above and below reflect what seems to have been 
the basic footprint of most in the area, without the additions and personal touches shown by the other homes. The owner of the above home only 
uses the house during the race season, which gives it its lonely air.

Canal Blooms

Rose Hips. I know this now thanks to Dive of Small Glass Planet.
I'd never seen them before last Monday. There were no flowers on the plants,
but they were colorful - red, green and yellow

This time of year, I hadn't expected the flowers and plants 

along the Downtown Canal to be so vibrant, colorful and beautiful. 

Like so much else around town, I'd thought everything would 

be dormant or planted with cabbages - 

or things that look like cabbages.

Yellow rose blooming in its garden at University Hospital,
about a half mile from the Canal. This has hips, too, but looks quite
different than its cousin at the Canal. 

Whoever is planning this landscape should be congratulated 

because the place is a treat for the eyes. There are blooms and plants of contrasting colors and textures throughout.

The yellow, green and red of the rose hips provide excellent contrast
for the stalks of blue flowers twining around them. 

While providing differences in their textures, the colors here are also
delicate contrasts, more gently hued than the others.

Rambles

While walking toward the center of town, I happened to see a purple golf cart parked on the sidewalk. Purple? I looked around and saw a couple window washers just above, hanging from bosuns' chairs, moving themselves along the sides of the Old National Bank building using handles with suction cups on the bottom - visions of jewel thieves on a caper danced through my head, along with the tune "Slip Slidin' Away," as they rappelled down the side. 

After I left the Herron Gallery, I headed for the Canal, where I walked to the Zoo and returned, taking pictures along the way. I don't know who plans the landscaping for the Canal but the flowers and plants are beautiful. The above picture was taken looking west towards the Indiana State Museum with the Canal in the foreground.

It's so beautiful! But what is it?

Textured Tuesday: Twists and Turns

Twisted Ambiance (Detail), newspapers, sticks and twine. Dimensions variable. 2009

As I ambled around town today to take a few pictures, 

I stopped in the Gallery of the Herron School of Art and Design
where I saw a small exhibit of work by Nigerian-born 
artist, Nnenna Okore.Her work is made from discarded objects, 
materials we take for granted, such as newspapers, 
plastic shopping bags and pages from telephone books. 

Topography, newspaper. 2009

Ms. Okore uses techniques learned watching native Nigerians 

as they went about their daily tasks, rolling, twisting, weaving, sewing

and dyeing discarded materials into useful items. The skills

she learned are used to create intricate sculpture and installations.

Twisted Ambience, (Detail), 2009

I found I was almost as intrigued by the shadows 

her pieces cast on the walls as I was by the work.