April 14, 2006
Family Excursions
A couple weeks ago, Mike and Amanda drove up from North Carolina to visit. Apparently they had an eventful trip up here, driving through Kentucky, but they will have to start their own blog to tell about that. My concern is with our eventful trips during the time in Indiana. So, I've just spent an hour and half printing off articles and researching, so I think I've earned a little blog updating break.
The first day, I showed them around Purdue, West-Lafayette, and Lafayette ("two great cities, one great university"). The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny, warmy, and breezy. I introduced them to the circles outside of the English building where if you stand in the center and clap, it comes out sounding like a squeek rather than a peal. While I spoke with my professor about my upcoming final paper, they went around to each circle and experimented. Apparently, they also polled passing students to see if they knew about the squeeky clap. Most of them did. I played the tour guide and showed them all the hot campus spots. Unfortunately, none of the fountains have been turned on yet, but that meant we could stand right in the middle of them.
Then we went downtown for lunch at this corner cafe I have been wanting to check out called McCord's. Apparently, it's more of a place for ice cream and chocolates than lunch. But at least it was quaint (and cheap). We wandered downtown, but I've already posted lots of pictures about what that looks like. Here are a couple new ones, though.
Amanda at the courthouse:
And a detail of the Digby Fountain:
We spent the evening hanging out and playing at Life. Amanda and I created a fun new game called Flife. It's a faster version of Life. It goes in our repertoire of faster games, along with Fahtzee.
Friday we left early (well, after I had to work) for adventures at Turkey Run State Park. We had to drive through Wingate - Home of the State Basketball Champs 1913 and 1914 - to get there.
We hiked a bit (I didn't have the best shoes on) and had a picnic lunch. Here's what we saw:
On our way from Turkey Run to Bloomington, we stopped in Rockville for gas. It was kind of a cute little town, once you got away from the gas station.
As you leave town, you come across a little covered bridge with a fake town next to it. I bet it's a tourist trap in the summer, so of course, I want to go back.
We also stopped by a waterfall.
Indiana University has a beautiful campus with buildings made from limestone. I felt the normal regretful feelings while I was there. I mean, they actually have an arts program, a cemetery, and a little chapel. Anyway, you'll see why I liked it so much after these pictures:
We finished up our triangulated tour of Indiana in the capital city, Indianapolis. The town was all a flurry with the Final Four competition. Monument Circle was being transformed in preparation for the Big Dance, which I subsequently found out does not mean a real dance (disappointing, I know).
It started raining, so we walked along skyways from the mall to the convention center in search of Hoop City. A little boy on the news said that it was "really cool," so we wanted to check it out. Apparently, it's really cool for little boys, but not so much for us, esp. since you had to pay to get in. Whatever. Here's something else we saw that was cool (and free).
We went to Chicago, too, but I'm gonna draw out your anticipation for those pictures a little longer. It's time for me to get home and have some dinner. Bis morgen. Tschuess!
Posted by kea at April 14, 2006 03:45 PM