Rain, flooding ... and a toy fire engine stuck in the raging creek waters

I'm sure it will seem like I'm on a multi-day theme here with this post, but ... you've all seen the weather in the Midwest. Rain. And more rain. And some flooding.

I saw it, too, puddles on the walkways in Garfield Park today, and a noisy rush of water in Pleasant Run and Bean Creek, which intersect the park and converge at the north end.

The nice thing about having my camera with me when I came across it all was that I noticed some neat reflections in the puddles on the walkway, and I was able record them and share with you here.

In Bean Creek near the confluence with Pleasant Run, I came across a toy vehicle labeled "fire rescue" stuck in the rocks of the newly landscaped creek bed. A perspective shot of the "vehicle" appears in the photo leading off the post. A closeup is inset at right.

Somewhat ironic is the fact that a real Indianapolis Fire Department station, No. 29, at 602 E. Pleasant Run Parkway, North Drive, is in the park, not far from this location.

Actually, there was another reason I decided to make this run for photos today. Yesterday, I dusted off my Canon G12 and used it to shoots pictures of a fun night visiting family when my daughter and her two small children came to town from Chicago for the weekend. I had been disappointed with photos I took using my iPhone 6s Plus a week earlier at my grandson's birthday gathering. I'd been looking for an option that wouldn't involve my bulky (and conspicuous) Canon 6D, 580 EXII flash and some kind of diffuser -- even though those combinations gave me pretty nice pictures.

I was disappointed again -- and quickly reminded why I put aside the G12 for so long -- when I saw the kinds of pictures I was getting. The G12 really isn't made for the combination of inside ambient light and moving objects. Much of what I tried to shoot last night at the family get-together was small kids moving around quickly (and dancing). I wished I'd have had my 6D and 580 flash. I did get some good videos with it, though.

But I took the G12 with me on my outing today, and got these nice photos. This camera is much more suitable for outdoor lighting scenes. I'll have to remember that.

Water from Pleasant Run passes under the Pagoda Drive bridge (above), a short ways from the creek's confluence with Bean Creek (above). If you look in the background on Bean Creek (right), you can see the toy fire rescue vehicle. 

Above: The railroad bridge over Pleasant Run, just east of Manual High School.  

A bog between the pedestrian path and the old tree outside MacAllister Amphitheater in Garfield Park (above). Nearby is a puddle (below) reflecting another tree.

Water collecting on the pedestrian path leading to Conservatory Drive (above) in Garfield Park, and a different park puddle on the path leading to the relatively new bridge over Bean Creek (below). 

Above: Bean Creek, looking north from the new bridge between the amphitheater and the Sunken Garden.

A modest puddle just off the Bean Creek bridge (above), and a more formidable one (below) further down the path, just outside the gated Sunken Garden. 

Above and next five below: Puddles and their reflections along the path behind the Sunken Garden.

Autumn at night

En route to and from Wednesday's meeting of the Indiana Photographic Society at the Garfield Park Arts Center, I grabbed some more autumn shots in Garfield Park in Indianapolis, using my Canon PowerShot G12.

The pre-meeting shots were taken just before the sun went down for good -- about 10 minutes before 7 p.m.; the post meeting shots not only were taken after dark, but also during a light rain. In both instances, I composed all the shots to exploit the available lampost lighting along the pathways or roadway.

Robin, rain & raindrops

I've been angling to get a nice, close bird photograph or two in recent weeks while on outdoor outings and had no real luck until this weekend. During one of the downpours Sunday, I caught a glimpse of a robin perched on a fence between my home and a neighbor's, so I grabbed my camera, stepped outside as quietly as I could, and managed to get off three shots before the robin flew away. All three shots were very similar; the one above is a slight crop of the first one, and the one below is a tight crop of the same frame.

I also grabbed some raindrop shots, which are included below the robin.

Rain wouldn't go away, so ... we simply dealt with it

At first, it didn't seem to make sense to drive to Bloomington from Indianapolis for an outdoor photo shoot on a day that forecasters were promising yet more rain, extending what has seemed to be an unending string of extraordinarily wet spring weather. But that's just what I did Saturday, even though I don't own any serious weather-protection gear for my equipment, nor do I have rain-repelling outerwear.

My plan at the 100-acre private property, opened to members of the Indy Meetup Photo Club by a relative of one our members, was to bring along my umbrella for protection during any drizzle or light rain, limit my gear options to just the lens on the camera (I picked my mid-range Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8) and head for the house for cover if any rain reached downpour proportions, even though there could very likely be an extensive haul to that house if I happened to be anywhere near the outer perimeter of those 100 acres.

There was rain during the several hours we were out and about, but except for some very short spurts, it never got too heavy to warrant getting out of it. I used some of the opportunity to pursue photographs of leaves and flowers -- and even an umbrella -- adorned with raindrops. There were also mushrooms, rock formations, critter paw and footprints, trees and logs (including heinous-looking thorns on one tree), mud holes, interesting vistas, and a puddle large enough to surrender a nice reflection shot. We saw no critters except for Joey and Friday, the host family's two dogs.

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