For the past several years, I have taken IN-32 to visit my family in Lebanon. It’s not always the quickest option and sometimes I get stuck behind really slow people. But I love it because for the most part, it’s country and rows upon rows of corn. There’s even a spot that I used to pull off to the side and just look at the stars.
Perhaps my favorite part of driving this road is the artwork I see on the drive home near S 1100 E and IN-32. This family has created so many works of art and it just stands out among the fields, I love it!
On the way home one day I decided to take some pictures of it, I hope you enjoy!
Today was a good day. I had been wanting to visit Trader’s Point Creamery for a couple years and finally realized that most of the summer has already flown by without me going there. So I hopped in the car and drove on over.
While I enjoyed myself, there are a few things you should know. First, the restaurant is too expensive for what you get. I appreciate the fact that everything is locally grown and organic, but I’m still a little suspicious that you’re not getting your money’s worth.
Second, take the self-guided tour. For $2, you can walk around the farm and check out the animals, and have a nice little stroll. Finally, try the dairy bar after your little tour. I had a banana-mango smoothie, but really wished I would’ve tried some ice cream. Oh well, maybe next time!
I’ll leave you with a handful of pictures I took, I hope you enjoy!
There’s something magical about miniatures… well, at least for me anyway. I love looking in and just examining every detail. It’s amazing how someone can put so much work into something and then imagining that it has a life of its own.
Last year I came across one of my favorite displays, "The Howard Bros. Circus" at the Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota, FL. It was build by Howard C. Tibbals and according to an article in Worthpoint Magazine, "The entire Howard Bros. Circus—complete with eight main tents, 152 wagons, 1,500 circus performers and workers, more than 700 animals and a 55-car train—has a permanent home at the Ringling Circus Museum." Supposedly it took this man over 50 years to complete!
If you’re ever in the Sarasota area, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is a great place to visit. It has an art museum, gardens, and a circus museum. Here are just a handful of pictures I took of the miniatures, I’ll also include a video I found on YouTube which allows you to see the whole miniature circus. I hope you enjoy!
So I may have a slight obsession with animals. I grew up with animals for as long as I can remember: dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, birds, hamsters, turtles… yep, it’s been good times. Most kids need high-tech toys to keep them entertained, but my brothers and I had our animals for entertainment. I remember Micah and his friend Nathaniel giving Hyden (dog) and Doodles (cat) voices, they even took the camcorder and made some funny videos with the animals.
One of my favorite pets would be our bird, Isaac. Isaac is an African-Grey Parrot and is hilarious (he now lives with my mom in Florida). That bird would say so many funny things:
Isaac: Kiel! Kiel (from upstairs): What?! Isaac: Time to get up!
There’d be other times when our cat, Doodles, would walk by and Isaac would look at Doodles and go, "Hey doods" and give him the appropriate cat call. I was just down in Florida last summer and my mom would lift her wine glass up, Isaac would take a couple sips and then burp… it’s hilarious!
So now when I see animals, I see a personality and it makes me smile. But I’m also fascinated by how intelligent they can be. For example, at work we have geese on our property each year. The cool thing is that these birds migrate away for the winter and somehow always find their way back, even Stumpy, the one-footed goose. So having said all that, I just wanted to share with you some cool pictures I’ve taken over the years. I hope you enjoy!
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!
For the past several years, I have taken IN-32 to visit my family in Lebanon. It’s not always the quickest option and sometimes I get stuck behind really slow people. But I love it because for the most part, it’s country and rows upon rows of corn. There’s even a spot that I used to pull off to the side and just look at the stars.
