20-Jun-2005 -- I was excitied to re-visit this confluence for a couple of reasons. First, as I mentioned before, it’s less than 7 miles away from Pat’s house, so it’s an easy visit. Second, it was one of the very first confluences that Alex visited, so it has an important history in terms of the Confluence Project. But mostly, because it so perfectly captures that concept of change over time at confluence points. Early visits to this confluence showed that it was a field near a highway, far away from any development. As the suburbs of Noblesville and Fishers grow (and as Indianapolis grows outwards encompassing its suburbs) more and more farmland is being developed and turned into commercial or residential property.

The first time I visited this confluence (July 2003) there was a sign saying that it was slated to become a Marsh Supermarket. More recently, I watched the grading and bulldozing of some of the green areas. The latest Keyhole satellite photos of it were taken during the grading, and show the prepared land shortly before building. And now you can see the completed commercial shopping plaza. The construction didn’t extend all the way to the confluence point, through. I expected that the point itself would be in a parking lot by June 2005. Instead, it’s still trees and grass. The low spot that is sometimes swamp and sometimes lake-like was much more of a lake this summer. There were ducks swimming on it, and a huge grey stork of some type that flew away as I approached. From the confluence itself, you can look west and see the back of a newly-built furniture store. The supermarket is behind the furniture store, so it’s not visible from the confluence point.

The parking area described by previous visitors (Jim and Cheryl) is still there – a small spot big enough for a car, just next to some electrical power boxes. From that spot, you can walk in the newly razed gravel walkway behind the furniture store, which makes getting to the point much easier. However, when I took this path, I found that I was on the opposite side of the lake from the point itself. Still, within 60 meters and slightly pressed for time, so I took my photos from that spot, looking east at the actual point. If you wanted to stand exactly on the confluence, you’d want to walk into the grass towards the eastern bank of the lake. I estimate that the spot itself is between or just past the trees shown in photo #1.

I plan to stop back every summer or every other summer, whenever I’m in town visiting.