We saw a small group of llamas over the weekend. Some ignored us, however the large black male did not lower his head while we were stopped watching these animals.
Author: Roadtirementvintage
Young immature robin
This young robin was hopping around the yard, constantly looking at the ground on the earth worm hunt. The young bird’s plumage still has its early “speckled” feathers. It won’t be long until this robin will sport that famous solid color red-breast.
More ripe strawberries
More strawberries are growing on our plants. It is fun watching them grow, and even more fun when we benefit from eating them.
A classic 1877 covered bridge still in service
Rush County, Indiana is in the east central part of the state. On CR 150 North an 1877 historic covered bridge crosses over Flat Rock River.
Looking west on CR 150 North
The bridge was constructed by the A.M. Kennedy and Sons company, one of three large bridge construction companies building bridges in Indiana. This bridge is 121 feet long, 15.4 feet wide with a clear height of 13.5 feet above the wood deck. The design of this bridge is a Covered Burr arch-truss style.
Family name proudly displayed
Fancy filigree adds a touch of class
Structural details
Standing center span, looking upstream
This beautiful bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 1983. There is mention that the bridge did suffer some damage a while back when a fire broke out. Repairs included adding several reinforcing steel plates to some structural members. Standing on the wood bridge deck it is easy to imagine hearing the clip clop of horses crossing this bridge long before cars were invented.
I’ve never seen a tree like this before
At first from a distance I thought it might be a very large monument in the Arlington East Hill Cemetery. As we walked through the grounds and got closer it looked somehow like a huge tree.
Looks like a very tall monument
Getting closer it looks more like a dead tree
Close up you can for sure see it is a huge dead tree. The outside surface is very smooth in parts, and it certainly looks like layers twisted tightly around the trunk of the tree. Never seen anything like this. One side has a rather swirled layered look as well.
Looks like twisted layers. Looks rather weird.
The open trunk lower down is very interesting.
Not a common look on a tree trunk
Another view, also uncommon in a tree
This is one of the strangest trees I have ever seen. It started out looking like a large monument in the cemetery. And the closer you got the more you saw the tree. And the details were even more not tree like it seems. Wish I knew what species of tree this is/was. It is located in the Arlington East Hill Cemetery near Arlington, Indiana.
Wet squirrel
This squirrel got caught in our heavy rain storm and got drenched. He hopped on the tree about 3 feet up, grabbed the trunk and held on for dear life. Note his water logged tail.
We were under a severe storm warning that soon turned onto a full fledged tornado warning complete with the phones going off and our local sirens blaring.. We avoided any damage from the very high wind gusts, and fortunately there was no hail. Some parts of town suffered from wind damage.
Haunted Baby Doll Bridge or Hays Bridge
This historic metal bridge is very close to the driveway leading to the Hays Cemetery in Hancock County, Indiana in the east central part of the state.
Looking North on CR 675 E
Looking south, entrance road to Hays Cemetery is on the horizon
ID plaque with details of the history of the bridge
Sugar Creek, looking East from bridge
This bridge is 92 feet in length and is described as a “Fixed, Metal 6 Panel Pin-Connected Pratt Through Truss”. The bridge was designed by Winfield Fries, an engineering firm in Greenfield, the Hancock County Seat. The Columbia Bridge Works of Dayton, Ohio constructed the bridge in 1887. It spans Sugar Creek.
Cut stone abutment and wingwall
Original wood decking has been replaced with open grating
Almost as a mate to the rumors of haunts at nearby Hays Cemetery, the legends of paranormal activity also are attached, at least locally, to this, the Hays Bridge. Reported have been sightings (after dark of course) of forlorn cries of a baby and the vision of a ghostly woman pushing an old fashioned baby carriage across the north end of the bridge. Locals still refer to this as the Baby Doll Bridge.
Haunted Hays Cemetery
East of Indianapolis in central Indiana is the small town of Wilkinson. In early days you could leave the town on Main Street and follow it to a cemetery that is basically out in the middle of nowhere. The Main Street Cemetery, also known as the Hays Cemetery, has over the years developed the reputation of being haunted. It is at the end of a rather rough gravel road and the road climbs a small rise and cuts across the center of the cemetery. Put Hays Cemetery in Google maps and you’ll get directions to the beginning of the gravel road.
The video shows that the Hays Cemetery is a neatly kept and open cemetery. There is plenty of room between the headstones. Several of the headstones list the names of Hays family members. Unfortunately lots of the stones have suffered from decades of weathering, making them very hard to read.
One of the Hays family who died in 1872
Sad marker for a sweet young girl
Now to the haunting stuff. Several sources on the internet refer to the “fact” that this is a very haunted cemetery. One of the paranormal things has been the discussion of a ‘devil child’. There is supposed to be a pitch-fork shaped tree growing from the child’s grave. There are reports that local kids used to go out at night and try to call ghosts. We also saw one reference to some man hanging his wife from a tree and shooting her as well, thus spawning another ghostly presence.
Based on location, this might be the “Devil Child”
Ghostly wise, we didn’t see anything. We didn’t hear anything. We didn’t sense anything. We thought that this was a beautiful, peaceful and quiet resting place for many centuries gone Indiana early pioneers.
Wet bunny and other critters
Wet bunny sitting in a heavy rain shower
Baltimore oriole enjoying the nectar feeder
Red-winged blackbird This is the first season we have seen this species in our yard
This squirrel loves a crunchy kernel of corn
We really enjoy the menagerie that shows up in our backyard. At one point yesterday we counted at least nine (9) squirrels romping around. They were having fun chasing each other up and down and around the tree, and it looked like total pandemonium. We are very fortunate to have a nice yard that gives us our own little slice of nature.
Some plants around our yard
Here’s a little photo tour of some of the foliage in our yard.
The trees are now fully in leaf. The roses are beginning to bloom, herbs are growing very nicely and the honeysuckle is in full bloom and hopefully will help the hummingbirds. Seems like the grass needs mowed every third day. Spring is here, summer is on the way.
Roadtirement 