Chapter One of the Week that Was

Last week was a busy one and I think there will have to be more than one blog post to cover everything. Besides, Blogger and my photos are have issues tonight and I'm getting frustrated !

Maybe you saw on the news where our part of the country had some torrential rains and flash flooding. Luckily, we didn't have any floods, but we did have an early morning hail storm that decimated my flowers and made the deck look like we had a January snow storm. Some of our roads were covered with water but it didn't deter our guests arriving from Oklahoma.

It was great to have my sister and niece spend a few days with us. S had seen Lynn's Paradise Cafe on the Food Network so a trip there for dinner one night was on the itinerary. The funky decor including the ugly lamps and unique gift shop make having a meal here an event. The food was great, as always, but the requisite photo won't upload tonight so you'll just have to take my word for it that the macaroni and cheese was about four inches high!

B and N brought the little peanut along too. Don't you just love all those flowers? (Don't tell anyone, but they are fake!)

Thursday, on the itinerary was a trip to Shaker Village, KY. S, B (holding little D) and K stopped to pose for a photo next to one of the beautiful spiral staircases in the Trustees Dining Hall. Hopefully I'll be able to post more of our trip to Shaker Village tomorrow and then also our trip to Missouri for little J's 1st birthday.

Thanks for stopping by - come back again for Chapter Two!

A Little Spur of the Moment Exploration

One of our best spur of the moment motorcycle rides today! Come along and see where we ventured off to!

We've gone on short one day trips to the the north, south and west this summer. Today we headed to the east toward Vevay and Lawrenceburg, Indiana. We've traveled some of these roads before, but have never taken the time to stop and explore the little towns along the Ohio River.

First stop - Switzerland, county that is. Vevay is a pleasant little town not far from Belterra Casino. There are a few cute little shops downtown, including this charmingly decorated one called Bizarre Ladies Uppity Gifts. Don't you just love that name! They carry a combination of antiques, crafts and unique gifts.Danner's Hardware was a very interesting place. A young girl, the owner's granddaughter I think, was quite well versed in the history of the business and shared that this is the oldest continually operated business on its original site in Indiana. They have something for everyone there, from furniture and hardware, to paint, seeds, gifts and handmade crafts.

Do you need a washing machine? They had those there too. Not all were the newest models though. This Maytag was from the early 1930's.

After finding a tasty hamburger at a local restaurant, Mo's Steakhouse, we were back on the road winding along the Ohio River. The river appears to be running pretty high and full of a lot of trees and branches so there weren't a lot of boaters out today. As we looked out across the river to Kentucky, yes, there were some rain clouds chasing us. We stopped long enough to slip on our rain jackets so of course we never saw or felt another raindrop the rest of the afternoon.
Next stop, Rising Sun, Indiana. Pretty flowers line their main street and an interesting waterfront park highlights the downtown. Some art galleries, several restaurants, gift and antique shops line the pretty street here. Usually we only browse through the antique shops but today I found one that carries Roseville pottery and actually purchased a vase. I'm not sure if these quilts were in the same shop or not but I love the mustardy color of the front one. Does anyone know the name of this pattern?

On the same thought, this sewing table, machine, notions and patterns bring back some long ago memories.

One of the most unusual shops in Rising Sun is Harps on Main , home of Harpsicle Harps. They actually have a wood shop in the back where you can watch them making the harps. Out front they have several of the different sizes that they make on display and if you know how to play a harp, you could!

We continued our ride on up through Lawrenceburg, Indiana and then back towards home via a different route through hills, valleys and farmland and back to Madison. Earlier this year the historic Jefferson county courthouse caught fire. It was sad to drive by and see how much damage was really done. You can read news coverage about it here. This community will now have to celebrate their bicentennial without this building which is now being re-constructed.

We rode over 300 miles today and had a great day. Sometimes a spur of the moment ride with little planning is the most enjoyable, just as long as you've got your best friend and riding partner to share the day!

We've got an exciting week coming up! Tomorrow will be my first day of grand-babysitting the little peanut! His parents are taking their German Shepherd (their other baby!) to a canine ophthalmologist. He may have a serious inherited eye condition so we're hoping for good news. Then later this week, my sister and my niece are coming to visit for a few days. We'll be doing a little sight-seeing, shopping and of course, eating! And then, next weekend we're going to a first birthday party for little J. Hard to believe he's a year old already! Have a good week everyone!

*Note- this was written about our ride on Saturday, I just didn't get it finished up until today:)