Indianapolis visit

On the last day of their visit, we took our guests to Indianapolis. Derek took the day off of work, so he chauffeured us all over town. We had lunch at Bazbeaux pizza. The line was out the door, but it was worth it. Especially for the creamy cucumber salad dressing. Do they sell bottles of that stuff?

Then we visited the Indiana State Museum. I love this museum because it combines everything about Indiana: geology, fossils, native peoples, history, current artists. It's like five museums in one place. They had an exhibit on Subversive Knitting. It was small, but intriguing. I never saw anything like this at my grandmother's house!

I was also awed by the tiny knitted sweaters of Althea Crome. They are amazing--not only tiny, but beautiful, witty, and clever. (Completely gratuitous link from her website, to a page of tiny dachshund figurines in tiny sweaters--this is insane! I think it is in Dutch, but teckel means dachshund, as it does in German. No, they aren't called dachshunds in German.) Here I am, peering at the minute and wishing for a magnifying glass:


I first read about her work in Bloom Magazine. Yes, Bloomington has its own magazine (not to be confused with the queer magazine from New York, which happens to have the same name.) Even cooler, it is available free at local shops and restaurants. You can also subscribe, in case you live in a less cool place and can't get it in your local stores. They have been in print for a year and just keep putting out longer issues with more interesting people and topics. The photos alone are enough reason to look for it. One photo series followed the Farmer's Market throughout the seasons. I think I ought to frame these pictures and put them in my kitchen! Talk about food porn!

After admiring the museum exhibits, we refreshed ourselves with snacks in the Riverside Cafe, right there in the museum. The view was almost as nice as the exhibits:


We went to see a movie about dolphins and whales at the IMAX theater. It was lovely, but just a little too soothing for tired tourists. Yawn!

We briefly toured Circle Center mall, amazingly failing to buy anything. Perhaps because our arms and luggage were full and our wallets were empty? We had an early dinner at the Spaghetti Factory, since the food available in bus stations is apparently even more limited than that found in airports. Yes, it is hard to imagine, but bus travel was reported to be EVEN LESS efficient, convenient, and comfortable than air travel. So it was with some trepidation that we delivered our guests to their waiting motor coach.


But all was well, and they made it home safely some 18 hours later (without starving, but only because they brought food with them.) We miss them already! Who will be the next to stay in our guest room? Derek's mom was planning to visit, but her husband broke his foot. This injury may delay their visit. Maybe Emilie's parents will be next? Stay tuned . . .