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Another Six Weeks of Winter?

Posted on February 1st, 2010 by Richard. Categories: Holidays, Just for Fun

groundhog

At sunrise on Tuesday, the truth will be revealed. Yes, tomorrow is Groundhog Day. The way I figure it, Punxsutawney Phil can’t be any worse at predicting the weather than the crack meteorologists at the Weather Channel. Six weeks from now, everyone will have forgotten about the prediction anyway so Phil’s reputation will be intact no matter what happens. So let’s hope for a cloudy day on Tuesday. Who wants six more weeks of winter? Everyone is ready for an early Spring…except maybe the people that run the ski slopes and resorts.

It’s even more exciting if you are a big fan of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day as I am. It’s an American classic. Today or tomorrow gives us a great excuse to break out the DVD and watch it one more time. The one-liners get funnier with each passing year. There are dozens of them.

OK, I’m busted. This isn’t directly about Indy or real estate for that matter. And while we are at it, I didn’t take this photo either. Everyone guessed that probably anyway. I just couldn’t let it pass without paying homage to this special holiday. I promise to be back on target tomorrow.

UPDATE – Tuesday 02-02
Phil saw his shadow this morning. So…six more weeks of winter coming!

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Float Trip

Posted on January 31st, 2010 by Richard. Categories: Nature, Video Flash

geese _fall_creek
OK, it’s 10 degrees outside, what would you like to do? I’d imagine going for swim outside would not make the top five answers. But maybe if you were a goose in Indianapolis, it just might?

Saw these guys enjoying themselves in Fall Creek today. They would float along slowly with the current…and then all turn around at the same time and paddle back up stream and do it all over again. Lot’s of fun to them I guess. It was cool and I was having a hard enough time just trying to make my fingers work the camera buttons after a few minutes. Can’t imagine my legs and feet immersed in ice cold water for hours like they do?
geese _fall_creek2

 

     Take a float trip with the guys down Fall Creek
                              (Well…sort of )                              
                            
                              Video-YouTube

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Cycling Fever?

Posted on January 30th, 2010 by Richard. Categories: Community Feature

bike_lane1
Last Fall, bike lanes were added along side automobile traffic lanes of a few major streets in town, like where these shots were taken on Allisonville Road on the NE side. And who knows, maybe it’s too soon to tell what’s going to happen. To be fair, the weather has turned colder since they’ve been officially open. But I personally have never seen anyone use the new Bike Lanes yet for the purpose it was designed. Have any of you?

 The one time I saw anyone on the new Bike Lanes, a young man that was easily two times too big for the small, gas-powered Mini-Moped he was riding…was buzzing full-blast up the Bike Lane, but still at half the speed of cars going by him. The proportion of rider size to Moped size made it look ridiculous. I remember thinking that it might even be illegal for him to use the Bike lane for motorized traffic? It’s for bicyles. But at least the slower vehicle was out of traffic.

It’s going to be interesting to see if people actually use this or not. I guess I’ll keep an open mind on the outcome. Who knows…the oil barons might decide to go to $500/barrel for light sweet crude. If so, we’ll all be out there peddling everywhere.

bike_lane2

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Shoe Dat

Posted on January 29th, 2010 by Richard. Categories: Just for Fun, Sports & Recreation

shoe_dat

The Saints fans have their “Who Dat?” thing going in New Orleans. That’s cool I guess. Whatever gets them going. But I’ve asked around and Googled my fingers off trying to figure it out. Does anybody really understand what that means? I’d like to know. Regardless…the obvious answer to the question ”Who Dat?” from an Indy perspective is…Blue Shoe, Dats Who.

I took this photo in the grand lobby of Lucas Oil Stadium. A projector of some sort high above was beaming an image of the infamous Colts logo on the floor. I stood nearby and took about 25-30 shots of this while hundreds and hundreds of people milled around and walked through and over it. Finally the timing was such that for a second, it was almost unobscured…enough to take this.

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Winterscape

Posted on January 28th, 2010 by Richard. Categories: Photo Flash

new_york_bridge
There’s not much to add about this view of the New York Street bridge at White River. It tells the whole story. Chosen because I liked the contrasts between the dark sky and sunshine, the contoured edges of the ice flow and the reflection of the bridge on the water’s surface.

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528 Lockerbie Street

Posted on January 27th, 2010 by Richard. Categories: Historic Homes / Buildings

jw_riley_january'10

The James Whitcomb Riley Home and museum sits quietly, wintering just another January day like it’s done for the last 135+ years at 528 Lockerbie Street. The street itself now is kind of an updated version of the original cobblestone one. It has a unique and unmistakable sound and feel when driving on it. Gazing down the street, one can easily imagine horse-drawn carriages there instead of automobiles.

cobblestone_street

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Less is sometimes more

Posted on January 26th, 2010 by Richard. Categories: Nature

 lake_nature park

View of part of the lake in the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at IMA. Being there then for me was like viewing a painting. The grey sky and subdued lighting merged with the calm water, shading and dormant wooded background. Artwork sometimes has a lot to say and gives a lot of energy and input to the viewer. And then sometimes, like this, it’s reversed, and the artwork will help to pull the energy and thoughts out of the viewer.