INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Photo from IMS website

Where in the world could you find an oval area large enough to place, combined, Vatican City, the Roman Coliseum, Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium and the Rose Bowl?  

Right here in Indianapolis, Indiana on 253 acres that serves as the home of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.  It is the largest racing venue and the largest sports facility in the world.

Growing up in Indianapolis, the Indy 500 has been a part of my entire life.  As a small child, I remember my dad along with my uncle donning his yellow shirt and pith helmet and leaving to work at "the track."

When the race was about ready to start, my mother would sit along side the radio with the newspaper  opened to the spread sheet with race car numbers and drivers.  At the conclusion of a set amount of laps, she would record the place of each driver.  

Then came television, first in black and white and later in color.  The times were changing!  

And change they did.  The first Brickyard was run in 1994 with Indiana's own Jeff Gordon winning.  Jeff was a twenty three year old rookie at that time. 

Photo taken from IMS website

August brings an even younger event, the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.  So if you are a motorcycle racing fan, this one is for you.

Here is the link to camping for not only the GP, but all events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  

http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/redbullindianapolisgp/eventinfo/35214-Camping/#RV

Sunday, May 10, 2014 brings the newest racing event to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.  

If you are a racing fan, you just might want to put Indianapolis on your itinerary.  There is something happening at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway most of the summer months. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I love comments!

OH, by the way, just for your delight....when I reluctantly got out of bed this morning, it was fourteen cold, miserable, bone chilling degrees outside!  We have now reached a whopping twenty! Only two weeks to go until we are out of here!

God Bless you as we start our week of Thanksgiving.  

MORE TO-DO IN INDIANAPOLIS

Additional memorials honoring veterans are the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War Memorials.  

The World War II Memorial is much larger than both the Korean and Vietnam War memorials.  The size of the memorials was dependant on the size and length of the war.

Names of soldiers killed in action are inscribed on each memorial.  

The Arts Garden gives the visitor a bird's eye view of much of Indianapolis.  The Art's Garden is linked to hotels on three corners and Circle City Mall on the southeast quadrant.  

This Union Station building was built in 1888.  In the Romanesque Revival style of architecture.  It was one of the busiest train stations in its heyday touting around two hundred stops a day.  

The Indiana State Museum is located on the Canal Walk.  The museum is a great place to learn the history of Indiana. 

Canal walk is a three mile loop in the downtown area.  You can take a gondola ride, paddle your kayak or rent a paddle boat and take your honey on a relaxing ride. When the ride is finished you can walk the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, an eight mile trail that encircles the city. 

You will be able to experience large scale art valued at a total over two million dollars.   

White River State Park is another destination within walking, running or biking distance.  The park is also home to the Indianapolis Zoo.

Here you have trails, green space, trees and waterways as all of Indiana's state parks, but it is set right in the middle of Indianapolis.

The next time your itinerary takes you past Indianapolis, consider staying a while and visiting our old home town that used to be called Nap Town.  

Indianapolis is no longer a Nap Town!

HISTORICAL BUILDINGS, THEATERS, SPORTS VENUES AND A PARK IN INDIANAPOLIS

A nice place to rest as you walk around Indianapolis is a National Historic Landmark, University Park with the Indiana War Memorial in the background.  

Located just north of Monument Circle, the history of this park can be traced to 1827 when the State designated this area as a future university.  As many plans that are made, a university was never developed.  Thus, we have the name of University Park.  

A seminary was built on the land and existed for only eight years from 1852 to 1860.  Then, the land was cleared to prepare the Union Soldiers for an upcoming confrontation with Morgan's Raiders during the Civil War. Once the war ended the land was transformed into the above park with the fountain as the center of attraction.  

Gracing the park are statues and sculptures.  A statue of Abraham Lincoln on the southeast corner has fascinated me from early childhood.

Statues of Schulyer Colfax an Indiana resident and Vice President under Ulysses E. Grant, Indiana's only President, Benjamin Harrison can be observed as you walk through the park.  

Growing up, our family attended a church at the corner to the left of the War Memorial.  Another church was on the right corner.  Both churches were purchased in order to complete the building in the background. 

Located on Monument Circle, the oldest church still in use in Indianapolis, Christ Church Cathedral, is dwarfed by modern construction.  The early Gothic Revival construction stands out amidst the glass and steel buildings of modern times.  

When you enter the cathedral, you are greeted by Tiffany stained glass windows and beautiful architectural sights.

As you continue around Monument Circle, you will come to the old Circle Theater, now home to our Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.  

As a youngster, this was one of three movie theaters to visit in downtown Indianapolis. Every Thanksgiving evening would find me and my many cousins being driven to a movie.  That was my highlight of every Thanksgiving, not the turkey dinner.  

The Circle Theater's next door neighbor is the Circle Tower built in the Art Deco style.  

Note the Egyptology style panels on the columns.  It is said that the discovery of King Tutankhamen's Tomb in 1921, eight years prior to the construction of Circle Tower had a huge effect on the the sculpture's work.  

After experiencing success, the developers of the Circle Theater, launched a new, better, bigger and more extravagant theater called the Indiana Theater. 

The building with a facade of Terra Cotta becoming the most ordinate building in Indianapolis.   
The Indiana theater building  with a possible capacity of 3,200 people contained a barber shop, a lunch counter and a bowling alley in addition to the movie theater.  Now that is a forward thinking place.  You could have lunch at the counter, get a haircut and bowl a few frames before going to your favorite movie.  





If a movie sounds dull, you can continue south two blocks to
 the Banker's Life Fieldhouse and watch an Indiana Pacers or Fever basketball game.  

If basket ball is not your interest, how about the Indianapolis Colts?  If you go to a Colts game you will enter the Lucas Oil statement, better known as the "house that Peyton Manning built."  But Peyton is no longer here and now we have good Luck.  

Two or three blocks north of Lucas Oil Stadium is Victory Field, home of baseball farm team the Indianapolis Indians.  

With all the sights
previously mentioned
in today's blog, you can
end your day at Victory Field, relax with some peanuts, popcorn or Cracker Jacks.  

Thank you for joining me on today's tour of the center of Indianapolis.  Feel free to ask questions about Indianapolis and central Indiana.  I will try to answer each one.  

God bless y'all

  

NEWS FLASH..... ! ! ! ! ! !..... WE FOUND THE WARP!  

DOUBLE NEWS FLASH ....! ! ! ! ! !......WE ARE NOW UNDER A TORNADO WARNING..... 

        

THINGS TO DO IN INDIANAPOLIS

Sitting at Camping World awaiting for the refrigerator part and doctor appointments has made us venture out and about Indianapolis.  Over the next two weeks I will share a few of our favorite places with you.  


The Indianapolis Museum of Art, Just under four miles from the center of Indianapolis, was founded in 1883. The museum is located on one hundred acres and is one of the ten largest and oldest art museum in the nation containing gardens, art galleries and the museum itself.  

The museum has over fifty-four thousand works spanning five thousand years.  The IMA displays, African, American, Asian, European and contemporary art, textiles and fashion art as well as a growing  collection of design arts.  

If you visit Indianapolis in the first Saturday in September, Penrod Art Fair at the Museum grounds is a premier outdoor art show and sale.  

The grounds offer trails to follow the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park taking you through one hundred acres of woodlands, wetlands and meadows.  You will have the opportunity to visit the greenhouses and gardens as well as Oldfields-Lilly House and Gardens as you walk through the Nature Park.  

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a five story adventure containing 120,000 artifacts in just under 500,000 square feet of space.  

Lucy and Ross wear us out when we take them there.  






The mastodon skull exhibit.....The museum encourages 

children to touch many of their exhibits, such as this one.  

  

You might think the Children's Museum, located to downtown Indy, is only for children, but adults enjoy it as much as the kiddos.  

The center of Indianapolis is Monument Circle located in one of the first Round-a-bouts in the United states.  If you take the north route, you can go to the Children's Museum.  If you go south, you enter the major shopping area including Circle Center Mall, the Art's Garden and the Wholesale District.

A couple of blocks south and one block west is Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.  






Taking the west route, you will arrive at the Indiana State House and Capitol Building.

Traveling west of the Capitol building for two or three blocks, you are going to find the NCAA headquarters and the Hall of Champions for all of you college basketball fans.  

John and I have not been there, so I cannot give you a first-person report, but I read that it has a tremendous display.

The Eiteljorg Museum of Native American and Western History is a place you do not want to miss and again is in walking distance of the center of Indianapolis.                                                       

 A June visit will provide the opportunity to attend and shop at the Indian Market and Festival.

When, not if you are ready to eat, here is a link to all the restaurants.  We have frequented many of these places. Harry and Izzy's is one of our favorites and highly recommended.  Just follow the link to see more of the places to satisfy your appetite and pocketbook.  

Till next time and another tour of Indianapolis....God bless you and your walk in life.  

NASTY NOVEMBER DAYS

Before going to bed last night, I looked out the door and was this is what I saw.  
SNOW.....ug

Today, I look out the window and I see snow on the grass at the nearby golf course. There is something wrong about this picture, don't you think?  

Annual checks ups or not, we will not be in Indiana in November again.  We really need to find a better time for doctor appointments.  

I read the blogs of friends who have arrived in the southwest and am envious as my toes tingle, not with excitement, but with cold.  

I remember the days of "old" when we were still living in our in sticks and bricks.  Beginning around the fifteenth of November until about May first, my feet were always cold.  

Lesson learned.  

So what did I do on such a miserable day?  I sat and my spinning wheel and spun some yarn.  Today, I will set the twist by wetting the yarn and hanging it to dry.  

 Now I need to decide what to knit with this yarn.  

And how is Noah handling this cold, winter like weather?  

This is how!  

Thanks for stopping by today.  And a big thank you for the navigating to Amazon.com to make your purchases. 

God Bless!

SAD SATURDAY

Yesterday was a frustratingly sad day. After breakfast, we decided to look for some of John's weaving materials. 

We had Christ Gustin of Homestead Weaving Studio in Nashville, Indiana (think Brown County) prepare warp for two scarves.  John was going to put the warp on his loom and weave away.  

Then John got sick, the warp was packed to go into the vast basement of our Tiffin Allegro Bus.  Now, we cannot find the warp.  What a huge, expensive bummer!  

We started to empty the basement compartments, one at a time.  As we were emptying the compartment, we inspected the bags of llama and alpaca fiber that I had stored there.  Oh, oh, wool moths larvae!  In all, I had to throw twelve huge bags of larvae, moths infested fiber into a dumpster.  That sure reduced my stash!  

We looked at the hats, handbags and scarves I had in storage bins.  These were items that I was preparing to sell on the Internet.  Every item in the tote that did not have an air-tight seal had damage.  Thank goodness, some items designed for children were in a sealed bin.  

We are still searching nooks and crannies for John's warp. Hopefully, it will be a successful, satisfactory Sunday.  

We did come across much of John's mom's unfinished quilts.  At least one top needs to be stitched and there are three or four groupings of quilt squares that need to be sewed together.  Then, there is fabric!  And more fabric. Can you say weight added to the bus?  At least, we reduced considerable weight when the fiber went to the dumpster.  

Our thanks to those who used our blog to enter into Amazon's store to make their purchases.  No matter how small or large, every order helps.  

I'm off to find that warp!  Wish me luck.    

God bless!  

TWO RECOMMENDATIONS

Owning a recreational vehicle, be it a motorhome, fifth- wheel or trailer calls periodic maintenance.  

While in Idaho, John and Jim Dixson repaired an arm of the awning on our motorhome.  Jim worked from the top and John the bottom.  While on top, Jim noticed and called to John's attention that caulking was missing in an rear area.  




John went shopping for caulk.  First he came home with a tube, but mentioned that he saw a spray sealant. 

 After considering both, he returned the tube caulk and returned home with Rust-Oleum's LeakSeal a flexible rubber coating that seals leaks and cracks.  It is instantly water-tight, and has a paintable finish, if desired.  But, in our opinion, painting is unnecessary as the rubber coating comes in black, brown, white, clear and aluminum colors.  


A second coat is recommended after fifteen to thirty minutes.   


On another subject, campers often find that they have fibromyalgia, sore muscles resulting from new or strenuous activities and from the discomfort of osteo arthritis.   

John and I have a friend in an anti-inflammatory pain relief and healing cream, Topricin!  The label touts effectiveness to treat pains associated with not only arthritis, but also carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back pain, repetitive motion, trauma / sports injuries.

Our introduction to Topricin came one cold morning when John awoke with a horrible stiff neck. 

 His neck was locked in a sideways and downward position.  
The pain on his face told the entire story.  

We were camping with Bob and Deb, our Michigan friends. Deb produced her bottle of Topricin, rubbed it on John's neck and within thirty minutes, his stiff neck was gone! Totally! With one-hundred twenty two reviews, eighty four gave five stars.  

I have established a partnership with Amazon.com to generate additional income for our travels.  There is an Amazon link near the top of the blog page.  If you enter Amazon through our blog, we earn a small percentage of the sale.  Needless to say, we appreciate every click. 

What products have you found that would be helpful?  

The weather prediction is cold weather coming.  I'd better start knitting faster!  

Till next time, God bless y'all!

CANNOT RAIN ON MY PARADE! NO, SIR!

Although the last few days have been wet and miserable, yesterday brought three rays of sunshine to my life.  In a word, family.  Family is the main reason for our return to Indianapolis for a few weeks, especially the grands and great grands!  But, to add icing to the cake, I was able to visit with my, big, "older," sister.  

Medical check ups and procedures are another reason to return to our "native land" but family takes the cake.  Family remains the center of my attention, regardless of our location.  I even save my grand kids voice mails in order to listed to them when I become homesick.  

Yesterday, the day started with a visit with Barb, my sister. What a good time we had trying to catch up on a year's lost time.  She has wanted to follow my blog, but has not understood the process.  I set her up so that she could follow me easily.  Now, I will see if she comments.    

Later in the afternoon John and I headed out, driving through pre rush hour traffic and the rain to the Dana Minnix Gymnastics Center to watch Lucy and Ross in their classes.                                                                      I could not get a good photo of five year old Ross learning to perform a hand stand during his hour long class, but he was sweet enough to give his Nana a huge, wide-eyed smile.  If you cannot tell, this young man is quite a ham.  

With her team, Lucy competes at gymnastic matches, therefore she was in action from 4:30 to 7:30.  This eight year old eats, sleeps and dreams everything gymnastics. Focused is the word to describe Lucy. 

Most of last night was strength training.  Oh my,  what that girl can do!  She must have strong core muscles to perform her magic at competitions.  In addition to lying on a bench with her torso hanging over and then raising and lower herself parallel to the bench over and over and over.  Heck, I don't think I could raise myself even one time!  

Then she climbs a twenty-five to thirty feet high net, not for fun (even though it is), but to build arm and leg strength.  This girls has muscle definition already!  I won't tell  you about mine.                                                                                              Just maybe I could climb say, ten to fifteen feet?  I did have to pull myself up a few mountains last winter, didn't I? Here is one story about my skills as a climber.

 Lucy loves pink!  When she had the opportunity to choose the accent color in her leotard for competition, she chose pink.  

I would love to make her pink leg warmers on my antique circular sock machine, but am not sure if I can get them that small for those cute little bird legs.  She is the most petite competitor on her team.  

After gymnastics, we made our rainy forty-five minute minute drive back to the motorhome.  

Another positive comment about yesterday is that night driving, since my cataract surgery is a breeze!  Woooo hooo! 

That's it for yesterday.  A medical appointment for John today and who knows what afterward.  Tomorrow, I will tell.  

God Bless you as we approach the season of thankfulness.  It is not to early to count your blessings and give thanks.  

WE CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

Cataract surgery and the daily checkups are finished.  Our eyes are adjusting and the next checkup is a week from today. 

Each day, a driver from the Eye Center of Indiana would come to the motorhome to drive us to and from our procedures.  That was a good thing.  We did not need to fight the rush-hour traffic in and out of Indianapolis. 

We are both pleased with the brighter, clearer, sharper colors.  At the end of the day,I keep thinking I need to remove my contact lens.  Of course, no need for that. 

When I had my colonoscopy, the nurses told me, after the test, I should not make no decisions or sign any important papers.  A few hours later, I needed to sign the surgery consent form prior to my cataract surgery.  No problem, I replied.

Prior to going to surgery, and having had the same anesthetic administered, they asked which eye I used for reading.  Being a bit foggy and dyslexic, I reversed the job of each eye. Now, I am trying to adjust to the change.  This is not easy.    

While waiting for a part here at Camping World, we noticed a diesel pusher with smoke covering the rear of the rig.  It sat there for about two weeks until a salvage truck came for it.  It took a while for them to prepare the motorhome for travel. Air conditioners had to be removed prior to slow, deliberate loading.   

A highlight of the week was a visit to see our great-granddaughter, Harper.  She is such a ham a two and a half.  To get a serious photo is impossible.  Note the barbecue sauce on her face.  She had just finished eating buffalo wings.                                                                             Harper, her mom and dad are expecting our third great.  Emerson will arrive around January 3rd.   

Well, we continue to wait for the refrigerator part.  I guess the waiting is not all that bad.  It means free camping in the Camping World lot here in Greenwood, Indiana.  

Until next time.  God bless.... 

A VERY MOVING EXPERIENCE FOLLOWED BY A BIG DAY TOMORROW

Being in Indianapolis for a short time for John's and my doctor appointments are keeping us on the move. 










Wednesday, our Tiffin Allegro Bus had oil and filters changed.  The Bus is not tilted, I was.  
 
We were very pleased with the service at Speedco.  Everything was professionally completed and they were "neat and tidy. 









Thursday, we both had fasting blood draws at the vampire's office. 

As soon as we each gave them a gallon of our blood, we were off to another office where John had an appointment with his CPAP doctor. 



Friday found us at the eye doctor's office only to find that we both need cataract surgery.



The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 12:15 after my colonoscopy for Wednesday (tomorrow again) at 8:30 a.m. What a day tomorrow is going to be.   

Today, I am doing the purge and cleanse.  You need to read Donna's blog.  What I want to know, is how did she guess that tomorrow is my big day?    

How can four tiny pills create so much havoc?  

In the meantime, John is making a few repairs.  One is to our antenna.  You know that little warning sign that the driver puts on his sun visor to warn that the antenna is up? Someone forgot to read it while we were in Michigan.

Also, that troublesome water pump that acted up while we were in California finally gave up the ghost.  He is installing a new Shurflo pump today.  

On a delish note,  I made some fantastic, no sugar, vegan oatmeal cookies.  The recipe follows:

No Sugar Oat Drops

1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats (use whatever type of oats you like)
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup of almond meal (or nut meal of your choice)
( If you want to make it nut free you could use a flour, just adjust the wet ingredients to get the right consistency)
1/2 cup mixed nuts, finely chopped
1 cup dried fruit (of your choice or chocolate chips or berries)

3 ripe bananas, mashed ( or substitute applesauce, or 2 eggs)
1/4 cup canola oil (or oil of your choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 175C. (350*) Line baking sheet with parchment 

paper.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, almond meal, mixed nuts and 

coconut flakes. Stir in allspice and cinnamon. Add dried fruit and stir

until well and evenly mixed. Make sure the dried fruit do not stick

together in big batches.  In another bowl, combine canola oil, mashed 

banana and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and 

stir until well combined. 

Take a large cookie cutter and press spoonfuls of the batter into it. 

Remove cookie cutter.  Or simply form balls with your hands and 

flatten slightly. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden 

brown.

*These are not gluten free, due to the use of oats. Please adapt to 

your personal preference.

Yep, we have been onb the move!  Till next time.......

God bless