Captain’s Log – Star Dates 07212009 through 07232009Location – Prouty Residence, Indianapolis, Indiana
Trip Miles – 4167.4
Report from Engineering – Slant RV parking was necessary in Galaxy of Indiana; shutdown of dual-mode refrigerator was directed by Chief Engineer; some difficulty was encountered in restart on propane; Chief Engineer (me) left standing order to Operator (me) to leave refrigerator in continuous operation unless emergency shutdown is required. No big deal…everything is A-OK for transit to the Galaxy of Michigan!
Diesel Price -- $2.55 per gallon; 33.3 gallons was taken on board.
Weather – Sunshine followed by warm rain followed by sunshine…daytime temperature 78F. Sweet!
For us, Indianapolis previously had no face. She does now…and a very pleasing face it is! She has the face of a leisurely evening pontoon boat ride on the meandering White River. She has the face of a great blue heron’s slow flight at sunset. She has the face of enormous radiant-green lawns in front of lovely old homes. She has the face of a dramatic city center patterned after Washington, D.C.! We think Indianapolis has the face of urban life at its best. Our generous hosts for our visit to Indianapolis were Walt and Mary Prouty, friends we had met while on a Mediterranean cruise in 2000.
To say that Mary Prouty is an excellent tour guide is to utter a gross understatement! Of course, she does have several years of professional experience as an Indianapolis tour guide and possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the city. She led us though neighborhoods of stately homes into an impressive downtown region adorned by the Indiana State Capitol Building, majestic war memorials and the great American Legion mall. Walt, her accommodating husband, did all the driving. All we had to do was enjoy the ride.
The recent expansion of the Indianapolis City Library was a subject of rather intense local controversy. A stately 19th-century stone building was given an ultra-ultra-modern glass-and-steel extension. You might think this unnerving mixture of styles would be an architectural disaster – but --- NO!! The result is a sun-lit heaven where a person can lose himself or herself for days during the frigid winters here. Many Indianans do exactly that! The children’s section is especially appealing…Walt and I strode onto a brightly-lit stage here and watched ourselves performing on TV! Uh…I think I’ll keep my “day job”… which is retirement.
Back in the early 1800’s, when the city was founded, a canal was built here for commercial transportation, in the style of the Erie Canal in New York State. The canal was never used as railroads took over the freight-hauling business. Today, the downtown section of this canal has been transformed into a most attractive water park and walkway. We all enjoyed our afternoon walk along the canal after a spicy lunch at Zing’s, a trendy new downtown eatery.
Even if you HATE automobile racing, you MUST visit the Indianapolis Speedway and Museum! This piece of Americana is truly amazing! Our tour bus drove around the two-and-one-half-mile oval at 30 miles per hour. The Formula One machines at the Indy 500 reach speeds of 240 mph on this track! This equates to making a full lap in 38 seconds or covering the length of a football field in an eye-blink of 0.9 seconds! These small, light cars are driven by 600 to 800-horsepower engines. At the Indy 500, two hundred laps are required to complete the race. Walt and I mused that race drivers must really crave “living on the edge”!
A highlight of our visit to Indianapolis was a lush evening concert by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in Ellenberger Park. Good, enjoyable stuff was played that evening…melodic works by John Williams, Georges Bizet and Beethoven. The orchestra played with an exceptionally rich, warm sound and was energetically directed by 29-year-old conductor Sean Newhouse. Absolutely delicious…as was the hot, strong coffee and oatmeal cookies Mary passed over to us as we listened to the music!
Life is GOOD here in Indiana!
The Galaxy of Michigan awaits our arrival…so…we now set forth on the next leg of our journey!
With Warmest Regards to All,
Captain Baldy
Wait a minute ... seeing the sights in Indiana means going down to the old quarry for a dip and a six-pack don't it?
ReplyDeleteLearn all you need to know about Indiana and the Cutters by watching the movie "Breaking Away."
Say now, as Bob and Barbara get closer and closer to Michigan it occurs to me that some of her high-school pals will be reading this blog.
ReplyDeleteIf so then surely a few of you have stories to tell about Barbara that date back to her high-school days. If not you then surely you know somebody that can fill us in on Barbara's wilder days.
Come on now, spread some dirt about that gal when she was young and frisky. Do feel free to post a blog-comment that tells all.
Thanks for your cooperation. (Ooo, I can't wait.)