Inspiration: State College

Mural. Inspiration: State College, by Michael Pilato and Yuri Karabash, 102 Heister St., 2000 - ongoing, acrylic on MDO board.

I was a bus rider again on this day, and I decided that any girl who rides the bus two days in a row earns a special treat: a hot breakfast downtown! I also had a secret agenda, something that has been on my list for a while. (Yes, I keep a short list of things and places I'd like to photograph.) I wanted to take pictures of the colorful mural on Heister St., across from The Deli restaurant.

I had a delicious, hot, cheap breakfast at the Waffle Shop on College Ave., and then I put my big coat back on (for once again, it was VERY cold, in the teens F) and strolled down the street a block or two to visit the mural. There was a bit of snow in front of it, but the morning light shining directly on the mural was absolutely perfect.

I used the vivid setting on my camera to boost the color a bit for most of my shots, including these two. The main picture above is a detail of the mural; a somewhat larger (but still incomplete) view is provided in the extras.

The mural depicts notable people in the State College area. I think there used to be an index somewhere that matches names with faces, a who's who of sorts. (Among them is Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who is not depicted in either of my images.)

But I wasn't able to find that index. If I stumble across it, I'll add a link to this post. By the way, you may note that people who have passed have small golden halos added above their heads.

I have at least two favorite parts of this mural. One is Joe Humphreys, an internationally known fly fisherman, depicted riding a huge trout, visible in the shot above, to the left. If you want to pick up a few tips, you can find some of his how-to videos on Youtube. I also hear they are making a movie about him, and you may view a short teaser video here.

Joe was my ice dance instructor at Penn State back in the 1980s. He taught me how to do some snappy maneuvers on ice. But more importantly, he somewhat regularly took President Jimmy Carter out on Spruce Creek, a famous Pennsylvania limestone creek known for its awesome fly fishing.

Another is the depiction of the statue from Boalsburg, Honor to the Fallen, that I think of as the three graces. It shows three old-fashioned ladies celebrating the first Memorial Day. They are included in the image in the extras.

The soundtrack to go along with this image of a local mural that I love is Chicago, with You're the Inspiration.

P.S. There are several lovely murals in downtown State College, including one called Dreams Take Flight. While I have taken pictures of it, those photos have never made it to these pages. Perhaps I will plan to feature another mural someday soon, for the mural lovers.