I just returned from a very relaxing vacation in Bloomington, Indiana of all places. My friend Lauren from UCI and studying abroad at St. Andrews just moved there with her partner and I decided it was time to visit the heartland of the United States. I had low expectations although I was excited to visit the setting of one my favorite movies, Breaking Away. But just the drive from Indianapolis to Bloomington revealed Indiana's picturesque rural character, made even more appealing with the leaves turning bright shades of yellow, orange and red.
The Indiana University campus was even more impressive. The buildings were made of cut limestone and built in the style of schools back east. There was a prettyish sort of wilderness in the middle of campus and everywhere the trees were shedding bright and crisp leaves. We visited the Kinsey Institute, where we saw lots of artwork of nude people, and learned about their current research into human sexual behavior...it was a field of research I thought some school like Berkeley would have pioneered but no it was here at Indiana University. We also visited their Art Museum, which was hosting an exhibition on the Art of the Grand Tour. Their permanent collection included pieces by Goya, Picasso, Monet and others...quite impressive and nothing like what we had at UC Irvine! We also visited the Lilly Library which has a copy of the Gutenberg Bible and the smallest books in the world, which are almost microsopic!
Another day we visited Nashville. That is Nashville, Indiana whose claim to fame is being the largest art colony in the Midwest. It was a cute town with lots of stores selling shit I don't need. But they had good pumpkin ice cream. Nearby we also visited Brown County Park, which reminded me a little of Irvine Regional Park with its playgrounds, campgrounds and rolling green lawns. The scenery is very tame compared to the Sierra and I longed for a vista or view but it was still really pretty.
During my stay, I also enjoyed the view from Lauren's house...she and Patrick are renting a house with 3 bedrooms and two baths for $900 a month and here I am in South Lake Tahoe renting a room and sharing a bathroom with three other people for $500 a month! So jealous! I read a lot of books too...it was so nice to be able to actually focus on a book and enjoy it without thinking about work. I finished Inkdeath, the final book in the Inkworld trilogy and also got totally hooked by the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire novels that HBO recently turned into a series called TrueBlood. Not the most complicated or cerebral books but entertaining nonetheless.
Back in Tahoe now and the aspens are about lose all their pale golden leaves. The nights are longer and colder (no more riding my bike to work when it is 32 degrees!). Every night I come home to a crackling fire, which makes me happy for some inexplicable reason. Work is hectic as usual but soon I will have my own AmeriCorps member to help me and it will hopefully make things a bit more manageable.
I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful fall. I will leave you with some photos from my most recent stop on the road to find out.
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Lauren and Patrick's cozy living room. They rent the house from an woodworker who built that hutch in the background.
What a cute cottage!
Lauren in front of the much photographed arches at IU.
Cute town of Nashville, Indiana. Apparently its a destination for girlfriends to "go shopping and giggle" according to the brochures.
Yellowwood forest.
Indiana barn and fall colors.
Lauren and I at Brown County Park.
The happy couple. I am going to be a bridesmaid in their wedding next May.
