THURSDAY – Today’s agenda includes a visit to the IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art) and ComedySportz (ranked #1 by all three members of the Vacation Planning Team).
We started the day by picking up Alex, Ben’s girlfriend. Once everyone was loaded and ready to go, we drove to the IMA at the corner of Michigan and 38th street.
Ben and I had packed a picnic lunch and the four of us enjoyed fried chicken, 3-year Gouda and Oreo Cakesters under the shade of a tree in the Orchard on the grounds of the museum.
It was a wonderful day. The sun was shining and the art was wonderful. Unfortunately, there is very little I can show you on my blog concerning our time at the Museum. They have enacted a new Photography Policy that prevents me from taking pictures for of the art or grounds for anything other than personal use. There is even a ban on utilizing these photographs on websites. However, I did not see anything concerning photography of their bathrooms and so I snapped this wonderful picture which I believe is reminiscent of the 1987 New York Urinal Movement located in up-state New York. You will note the clean lines and disinfecting cakes surrounded by earth tone tile, Formica dividers (privy privacy partitions developed by Joe the Plumber in 1948). While many believe bathrooms are utilitarian in nature, the IMA has recognized the artistic value of their facilities, which is much more than a system of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of potable water and the removal of waterborne wastes. The history of the bathroom is fascinating: Plumbing is usually distinguished from water and sewage systems, which serve a group of buildings or a city. Improvement in plumbing systems was very slow, with virtually no progress made from the time of the Roman system of aqueducts and lead pipes until the 19th century. Eventually the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches. Present-day water pipes are usually made of steel, copper, brass, plastic, or other nontoxic material. A building’s waste-disposal system has two parts: the drainage system and the venting system. The drainage portion comprises pipes leading from various fixture drains to the central main, which is connected to the sewage system. The venting system consists of pipes leading from an air inlet (usually on the roof) to various points within the drainage system; by providing the circulation of air within the system, it protects the trap seals of fixtures from siphonage and back pressure.*
But, as I mentioned earlier, all other art and grounds are restricted from photographic presentation. So I guess you will just have to go and see it for yourself.
We enjoyed a FANTASTIC dinner was at Bazbeaux’s Pizza and after a leisurely stroll down Mass Ave, we found ourselves at the FLYING CUPCAKE. Alex bought a box of cupcakes for her family and Ben inhaled one as his dessert. Anita and I split an orange cupcake and then we sat in the evening shade of a park until ComedySportz opened their doors. Once inside, we laughed, sang and cheered our favorite teams until the night ended and they made us leave.
It was a perfect evening for a walk back to our car and we talked about our day as we strolled back downtown.
The drive home was uneventful but the conversation was stimulating as we made our way back to Noblesville and to drop off Alex and find our way home.
