Walking in a Winter Wonderland…
Tonight was a great night filled with inspiration, mixed with snow. I don’t know quite how to describe it, but I’ll try my best.
I was leaving Lynn and Carl’s last night when I decided to take the scenic route. When I worked at The Children’s Museum and Ivy Tech, I was extremely intentional about not taking the most direct route home, which was Meridian Street. Once I would get past 38th and Meridian, I would start traveling through the neighborhoods: Pennsylvania Street, Washington Boulevard, Central Avenue, College Avenue. Driving down these streets you begin to notice the character of the houses, beautiful houses and beautiful neighborhoods.
And so, as I left Lynn and Carl’s house, I cranked up the heat in my car and put on some jazz music… Art Tatum and John Coltrane to be exact. I cannot begin to tell you how at-peace I felt. With virtually no other cars around, I felt like the city was mine and time was of no importance. So I drove, admiring the houses while Tatum played on the stereo and the sound of snow crunched underneath my tires.
Then it happened, I passed a pretty decked-out house around 54th and New Jersey…
I have to tell you that it was a pretty rainy Christmas this year and for some reason, Christmas just didn’t feel like Christmas. But when I passed this house, I was immediately amazed, like a little child riding around looking at Christmas lights with his parents. The soft glow of the lights against the white snow, the cardboard Santa Claus in the upstairs window, the leg lamp in the downstairs window… WOW!
Nothing could really top my experience at that point… I was so excited to find this house. I have a fond place in my heart for old houses and when they’re decked out in Christmas awesome-ness, it makes me love them that much more.
As I neared the end of my scenic car ride, I decided to do something I don’t normally do… I grabbed my tripod from inside the apartment and drove around Carmel and took a few pictures. It was such a great night to be out, just me and the snow plows. It was cold, but I thoroughly enjoyed taking some photographs. Here’s a few I’d love to share with you…
1) My Statue Neighbor Gets in the Spirit
If you’ve ever been in my neighborhood (the Arts & Design District of Carmel), you’ve probably seen these statues. Every day I drive past them and every night, I see the streetlamps cast their light on the statues. Some find these statues weird, creepy, and a waste of money. I, however, like to think of them as friendly faces that greet me on my way home. Over the month of December, the city put Santa hats on the statues, here is one of them…
2) The Gazebo at City Hall
I had been perusing through the local paper when I noticed that the City of Carmel had their Christmas tree lighting around Thanksgiving. Having missed this spectacle, I was thrilled when I drove by and saw that the tree and all the decorations were still up!
Well friends, I hope you enjoyed the blog post. It was a great night and I just felt so inspired… but alas, it is now 1:40 a.m. and I must be getting to bed. I hope all of you had a safe, happy, and blessed Christmas!