OUR WANDERINGS IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA

Of course we planned too much to do in one day, but we did have a nice relaxing day.  Our goal was to leave here by nine o'clock, and we were pretty close to our goad.  We left twenty five minutes late. Our goal was to shop for rare coins for John and another circular sock machine for me.  

Originally, we wanted to go to an auction, but none looked promising so we took our second choice and thought we would try antique shops.  Having a limited interest today made the shopping easy.  We went in, looked carefully for our "prey", double checked with the shop owner and were on the road again.  



Our first stop was Shelbyville, Indiana.  Back in the seventies, there were two great antique shops in Shelbyville and we purchased a brass bed from one and a china cabinet from another, but Saturday, both shops were gone.  

We did find two shops just outside Shelbyville though.  They were at an interstate 74 exit just east of the Shelbyville exits.  One shop was located in a building just off the westbound exit ramp and the other, Jim's Antiques,  was on a road just after the ramp.  

Each time, after looking around we would ask about the circular sock machines, (CSM).  Each time we would receive a bland look on the dealer's face and they would say "a what?" Then I would get my DroidX out and bring up a photo to show them.  "Nope," the have never seen a CSM.  

Our next stop was St. Paul, Indiana which is a bit further east, again right off Interstate 74.  We had gone to an auction there back in the seventies.  I bought John a mantle clock that he fell in love with for his birthday.  The auction was after sunset and we did not see the town.  This time, we had a treat!  We cruised through the town, up and down streets.  What a neat old town with lots of history.   

We were not traveling on the interstate, but on US 421 that parallels the interstate for some time.  And on down the road, we came to Greensburg.  Now this city is the county seat therefore the courthouse is located there.  Greensburg is noted for having a tree growing from the tower of the courthouse. 

I believe that the courthouse tower grows new trees constantly, and steeplejacks have to cut them out and trim the main tree. When the current tree gets too old or a disease, they will allow one of the others to grow and take the current one down. Never has one been planted. They are believed to be seeds from bird droppings.  

 

In Greensburg, the highway leaves Interstate 74 behind and proceeds through the countryside. We visited Napoleon and Osgood.  We stopped and had our picnic lunch in Osgood and were greeted by General Osgood, a metal sculpture. 

 

Next to the "general" there is a spider web complete with spiders.

I wonder what message the artist was trying to convey.

I love finding these sculptures as we travel.  They pop up in the most unexpected places.  

 

After our picnic, we were off again.  We were in and out of interesting shops.  Some had the horrible musty odor typical of some primitive antique shops.

 

Our next stop was Versailles.  One of Indiana's state parks is located there.  It is a nice quiet place to visit.  We didn't stay as long as we had planned since the shops that had been located there were also out of business.  

 

Then we decided we would just "tour".  We wanted to drive back roads to explore a portion of the state we had not often visited. 

Even as we wandered Indiana county roads, we found ourselves in the midst of an unusual  setting.  But as we approached, we could hear very loud gunshots!  What in the world were we heading into?

This is what we found.....were were in Friendship, Indiana.  

 

Friendship is the home of the National Muzzle loaders Association.  People come from all over the world to compete in their annual competition in June of each year.  

They have a full hook-up campground there.  From what we were told the area is filled with thousands of visitors for competitions and reenactments throughout the spring, summer and fall.  

We found some old, old campers mixed in with new rigs there.  I don't know how old some were, but I took a couple of pictures to share with everyone.  

  People of all ages and families are enthusiasts of shooting muzzle loaders. And those a huge guns.  They are longer than I am tall.  I think I'll stick with my fiber art.  

 

After our tour of the area we were off on more of our adventure.  The drive was quite nice, but hot.  Oliver was with us because the prediction was for cooler weather, but the temperatures were in the low nineties (too hot for Oliver).  He drank a lot of water!  

As we traveled through the countryside, John spotted a beautiful stone work bridge. This is the

best shot I could get with my

not so hot camera.  I have no idea of the age of this bridge, but am assuming that it is from the late 1800's to early 1900's.  It is one lane and shows none of it's beauty from the other direction.  If possible, I would like to try to find it this fall for more pictures.  This would make a beautiful fiber painting.  One of my interests is taking fiber, dyeing it and laying it out to create a painting, just as I would do with oils if I were so incline.  I just prefer fiber.  

So we turned around and continued our scenic tour.  Going in the opposite direction.  I hope you can see how narrow this road is.  Even with the Miata, as we passed each of the two cars we encountered on this quiet country road, it was a bit crowded.

The majority of the rest of the trip was as beautiful as this scene until we came into Madison, Indiana.  

And in Madison, we were greeted with rain, lightning and thunder.  So up went the top and we continued our way, now inching toward home by the way of more county roads and state highways.  

All in all, it was a fun day.  A nice ending to our Anniversary celebration.  And now, it's back to work.  John is working on the columns in the between the kitchen, dining and front rooms and I'm about to head to the studio to prepare for the class I am teaching in Wisconsin.  

Have a great day and of course, God Bless!