A somewhat frustrating day.  I had hoped to wrap things up in Indiana and get into Illinois.  But things just took for-ev-er.  Slow drivers and big trucks on two-lane country roads; construction; then Friday late afternoon getaway-traffic.  So I’m not far from where I started out this morning though I did do a big southward dip and a good northeast loop.  Even a naughty trek up to Michigan.  A Carpet Viking statue (see Flickr tonight) up there in Bangor that I promised myself I would go see if I had the time.  But since I didn’t have time, and I’ve fallen maybe two days behind schedule at this point, what the heck, I went to see him anyway.

The dogs got lots of swimming in. A big lake in Rochester and later “the beach” at Beverly Shores.  Nothing makes them happier than a good beach romp — and therefore, nothing makes me happier.  Itinerary be damned!  I’ll get to Missouri on another trip.

No food worth photoing — in fact, I’m not sure I had any sugar products today — horrors!  Considering I was looking at car bumpers, the backsides of trucks, stoplights, and cornfields 95% of the day, it’s a wonder that I have anything at all for you.  It kills me when the weather’s so nice and I have so little to show for it.

We started the day in South Bend.  Naturally, that’s where this one is from:

A swoopy bulb-encrusted arrow, also from South Bend:

Went to see both Bonnie Doon locations in Mishawaka — one that I needed to reshoot from a couple years ago and one that I have previously missed.  The building at this one appears to have originally been a bank:

Some other details — a sign in the parking lot:

And some fancy glass blocks above the order/pickup window:

Flickr member repowers has lots of nice examples of this type of block at his stream:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=glass%20block&w=27602148%40N00

I came across some buildings in Toto today that had these as well:

Also in Toto, this cute woodpecker guy advertised for the North Judson Lumber Yard:

I’ve pretty much concluded that these round Ritter’s Frozen Custard buildings are new.  This one in a new shopping center in Warsaw confirmed it for me.  I’m too tired to check if these were inspired by an older building style in the chain.

I stopped by the Bird’s Eye View Museum in Wakarusa.  This basement has hundreds of miniature dioramas showing streets and buildings in Elkhart County, all handmade over the span of about forty years.  Unfortunately, the museum is not really open anymore since the creator is in poor health.  But a relative was kind enough to let me in for a peek.  The lights weren’t working so this was not an ideal situation for “Dee”. 

In the late afternoon, I stopped by Beverly Shores to check on the status of the houses there (the House of Tomorrow, the streamline moderne house, etc.) and get the dogs a beach run.  I’ve always loved this little train station there.  I only wish Photoshop had a “remove chain link” button.