10 things I never did in Indiana
As of August 2010, I've lived in Indiana for fourteen years. This was about ten years longer than I planned to live here - since, after all, my original reason for moving here was to attend graduate school. But life has a way of putting you in your place, so since 1996, I've called Indiana home. I never became an "official" Hoosier, but I came close many times. However, I have a feeling that Indiana would reject my application for permanent Hoosier status anyway if they saw this list.
I never . . .
1. Went to Indiana Beach. But to be honest, since I'm originally from a coastal state, I don't believe Indiana has a beach. And you will never convince me. So there.
2. Watched the Indy 500. Not on TV, and not at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
3. Went canoeing or kayaking at Turkey Run State Park. In fact, despite doing some heavy-duty camping for a couple of years, I never even made it to Turkey Run State Park. Which is too bad, because it's supposed to be really cool.
4. Visited Amish Country. I always intended to go up to Shipshewana and also to Amish Acres in Nappanee, but just never made it.
5. Went to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game. But Sandy did. (For the record, I did go to several Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, and Indiana Fever games. I even went to see the Indianapolis Ice. But not the Indiana Ice.)
6. Went to South Bend. So no, I've never seen the campus of Notre Dame University.
7. Attended a football or basketball game when I lived in Bloomington. I did, however, see Bob Knight a couple of times when I lived in Bloomington, before he, um, moved to Texas. Oh, and I also saw John Mellencamp twice when I lived in Bloomington: once at the Borders book store, and once at Subway, where he was eating lunch with his sons!
8. Made it to the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival, the Covered Bridge Festival, the Maple Syrup Fair, Cockadoodle Days, the Feast of the Hunters' Moon, the All-American Country Hoedown, the Columbus Scottish Festival, the Frankfort Hot Dog Festival, the Johnny Appleseed Festival, the Mansfield Mushroom Festival, the Owensville Watermelon Festival, the Sassafras Tea Festival, or the Elvis Fantasy Fest. And darn it, I really wanted to go.
9. Went into any of the old homes in Indianapolis like the President Benjamin Harrison home or the James Whitcomb Riley home or the Meridian-Kessler open house thingie.
10. Participated in any of the Indy 500 Festival events, with one exception: I successfully completed the 2001 Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini-Marathon as a walker. (And I haven't even walked to the mailbox since then. Ha ha.)
I could probably think of lots of other things if I put my mind to it. Clearly, there's a lot to do in Indiana that I never did. I suppose that means we'll have to come back sometime after we move. :-)
I never . . .
1. Went to Indiana Beach. But to be honest, since I'm originally from a coastal state, I don't believe Indiana has a beach. And you will never convince me. So there.
2. Watched the Indy 500. Not on TV, and not at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
3. Went canoeing or kayaking at Turkey Run State Park. In fact, despite doing some heavy-duty camping for a couple of years, I never even made it to Turkey Run State Park. Which is too bad, because it's supposed to be really cool.
4. Visited Amish Country. I always intended to go up to Shipshewana and also to Amish Acres in Nappanee, but just never made it.
5. Went to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game. But Sandy did. (For the record, I did go to several Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, and Indiana Fever games. I even went to see the Indianapolis Ice. But not the Indiana Ice.)
6. Went to South Bend. So no, I've never seen the campus of Notre Dame University.
7. Attended a football or basketball game when I lived in Bloomington. I did, however, see Bob Knight a couple of times when I lived in Bloomington, before he, um, moved to Texas. Oh, and I also saw John Mellencamp twice when I lived in Bloomington: once at the Borders book store, and once at Subway, where he was eating lunch with his sons!
8. Made it to the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival, the Covered Bridge Festival, the Maple Syrup Fair, Cockadoodle Days, the Feast of the Hunters' Moon, the All-American Country Hoedown, the Columbus Scottish Festival, the Frankfort Hot Dog Festival, the Johnny Appleseed Festival, the Mansfield Mushroom Festival, the Owensville Watermelon Festival, the Sassafras Tea Festival, or the Elvis Fantasy Fest. And darn it, I really wanted to go.
9. Went into any of the old homes in Indianapolis like the President Benjamin Harrison home or the James Whitcomb Riley home or the Meridian-Kessler open house thingie.
10. Participated in any of the Indy 500 Festival events, with one exception: I successfully completed the 2001 Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini-Marathon as a walker. (And I haven't even walked to the mailbox since then. Ha ha.)
I could probably think of lots of other things if I put my mind to it. Clearly, there's a lot to do in Indiana that I never did. I suppose that means we'll have to come back sometime after we move. :-)
