On to Illinois

Retirement feels pretty good on Monday morning. As others rushed to work for 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. in downtown Indianapolis, we strolled along Meridan Street. Set off with pink begonias and red and white impatiens, the city came to life. Sun filtered through the trees around the Veterans Memorial, built in 1888, as the spire shot upward to a sky of puffy fair-weather clouds. Meticulously maintained, the monument, closed on Mondays, includes carvings of men and women from all branches of the service. Andy said he had read that Indiana lost more people in the wars than any other single state. Surrounded by flowers and trees, the impressive circular roundabout in the center of the downtown area reminds visitors, as well as residents, of that sacrifice. A couple blocks away the War Memorial, also immaculately maintained, glistened in the morning sun. Workers pretty much ignored our presence, only raising eyebrows at Andy's "Price Is Right" tee-shirt.
Our final stop on the way to Illinois was the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) on 38th Street and Michigan Avenue. Leisurely we walked through the gardens and around the Lilly House and the 100-acre woods, not anxious to leave... appreciating the plants, as well as the art. "They need a statue of Winnie the Pooh," I joked with Andy. But the unusual outdoor statuary offered some interesting and beautiful perspectives. A group of 50 nursery school children and parent chaperons climbed on the basketball statue, and a college student asked if we had seen her class.
Then it was on to Mount Prospect.