First, after nearly a month of no posts, I have to apologize for neglecting my blog.  But I am back on it now with this post about what Michael and I have been up to recently.  As I type, I’m enjoying a cup of decaf Chai tea, and the Stones are playing in the background.  It feels good to be blogging again!

Several weeks ago, we embarked on a two and a half hour drive to Indianapolis.  Our house is about thirty minutes from the Indiana border, and we figured it was time to head a little bit west and explore another one of our neighboring states.  The day we made the trip ended up boasting record-breaking winds across much of the Midwest, and Indianapolis was no exception.  Walking around downtown was an effort because it was the kind of wind in which you feel yourself forcefully having to brace against it and walk at a slant.  Because of this, and the fact that I was not at all dressed for the cool weather, our only outdoor activity was a quick visit to the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial downtown.  Interestingly, Indiana is home to the second largest collection of war memorials in the U.S., right behind Washington, D.C.  Honestly, I barely even looked at this spectacular monument because the wind was whipping violently across my face, and I was freezing cold.

Michael posed by the bears in honor of Baylor.

When planning the trip, I had great expectations of a leisurely stroll along the city’s Canal Walk, a downtown sidewalk system that follows the White River canal through the city.  Needless to say, there was no way a “canal walk” would have been feasible for me in that wind.  Instead, Michael decided we should check out the NASCAR Hall of Fame at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  I was happy to visit this indoor attraction!  By the early afternoon, not only had the wind picked up, but the clear skies were replaced with ominous gray clouds and a light but cold mist.

To get to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, you drive under the race track and onto the infield.  It is located right in the middle of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  We were both impressed with how large the race track was.  The grandstands stretched along the track for over a mile.  The museum had a fantastic collection of race cars dating all the way back to the first running of the Indy 500 in 1911.

 

We had fun posing in the race car below.

After stopping by the NASCAR Hall of Fame, we headed over to a Cajun Creole restaurant called Yats that Michael picked out in the Butler University neighborhood.  It was delicious, and it felt really good to eat some warm, cozy food indoors.  We headed home after eating, and we were greeted by a light sprinkling of snow on our patio that evening.  The temperature had dropped steadily all afternoon, so there it was, snow in April.

That was not our last encounter with the snowy white stuff for this season.  We experienced another light snow on April 9.  Kaiser did not seem to mind that our spring had been interrupted.

Aside from those two cold weekends, we’ve been enjoying beautiful spring weather up here.  There have been some rainy days, but for the past two weeks, the highs have been in the upper 60’s to low 80’s with abundant sunshine.  Kaiser and I have been taking long walks together at Rentschler Park down the road.  On the cooler days, I’m still happy to have the awesome workout gear from my thoughtful sister in law!

There’s always something interesting to see on our walks.  Below is a picture of some ruins from a farm inside the park.  The tree is growing out of the plow!

The trees and plants up here are finally starting to leave their dormant state, and blooms abound.

The park connects to a longer hike and bike trail, and I love how quickly it takes you into the countryside.

Geese are everywhere up here, and I spotted the one below sitting on a nest!

On our most recent walk, I discovered a new trail called the Wetlands Walk that takes you alongside the Great Miami River.  There’s a dam in the background, and when you’re on this trail, you can hear the waterfalls.  It’s a very peaceful place to walk.

In addition to the warmer weather and spring blooms, Michael recently discovered that we have a little bunny or bunny family living under our back patio.  This bunny is very intelligent; as soon as it hears the back door open, it is back under our patio.  I have no pictures of this furry friend yet.  We are also experiencing a “dandelion bloom” in our front and back yards.  Michael has been tirelessly laboring in the lawn trying to combat the pesky weeds.

While Michael was keeping up our lawn, I managed to complete a quick and easy painting project in all three of our bathrooms.  I painted the black fixtures white, and I think it looks a lot better with the light color.  It’s neat how one simple change can make a big difference in the atmosphere of a room.

That is our early spring in a nutshell!