Entertainment

Got lunch at a local Mexican restaurant

/ Roadtirementvintage / 6 Comments

Lunch time today led us to a local Mexican restaurant in one of Shelbyville Indiana’s strip malls. This one has has been open for a few years and goes by the name Cholula and bills itself as having authentic Mexican food.

The decor is the first thing you notice when you enter the restaurant. The tables are all decorated in Old Mexico theme artwork. The highbacked chairs are also adorned with brightly colored rustic scenes from south of the border. In addition, there are a couple of vintage black and white  scenes from old Mexico.

Our tabletop art

Chairback art

Awesome old photos

The lunch crowd had pretty well finished when we got there, so immediate seating was no problem. Like most all restaurants of this genre a bowl of fresh chips and a couple of bowls of salsa were soon on our table. We then ordered margaritas.

The margarita!

The typical appetizer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our food was ordered, and in a short period of time it was brought to our table. The food was hot and delivered on hot plates too. Sher ordered a good vegetarian plate with a bean burrito, cheese enchilada and rice. I had the beef chimichanga with all the trimmings and rice.

Sher’s vegetarian plate

Maj’s beef chimichanga

 

 

 

 

 

All in all the food was ok, really about the same as most midscale Mexican restaurants.

 

Unique RV paint job

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Back in the fall of 2015 we were busy setting up  at festivals and flea markets. At a tractor show and swap meet in western Ohio we were surprised to see a wildly painted RV pull up and set  up across from us. We met the owner, who was from Canada and said he travels all over. Yes, he was the artist, he said.

The whole rig is covered in paintings. The more you look, the more you see!

We saw him at several shows during the rest of the fall festival season, and occasionally over the next few years as well. We saw his RV as late as January 2019 at a flea market in McAllen, Texas. The fellow from Canada was nowhere to be seen.

Hard Truth Distilling Co. cinnamon vodka

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Here I am tasting the Cinnamon Vodka

Nashville is in Brown County, one of Indiana’s most popular tourist destinations. Last year we found the Hard Truth Distilling Co. on the outskirts of this quaint little town.

Hard Truth began in Nashville above a pizza parlor, and has developed into a full tasting facility and a separate restaurant, all set on beautifully landscaped grounds just outside of town. We went to the tasting room, where we each had samples of many of the distillery’s products.

We liked many of the offerings, however our absolute favorite was the Cinnamon Vodka. This spirit is made with their original, wheat-based vodka and premium, natural ingredients to produce an awesome true cinnamon flavor drinking experience. This has 30% alcohol by volume, in other words 60 Proof.

Photo courtesy Hard Truth Distillery

We enjoy it mixed with lime soda, as a chilled straight shot and even in coffee and tea. There are several recipes utilizing this great spirit on the Hard Truth website. Well worth your time to visit the site.

The Indianapolis AES 500 Festival Parade

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The month of May in the Indianapolis area is one reminder after another that the famed Indy 500 Mile Race is coming. Local companies use checkered flags, references to racing, and any other connection to the race that they can think of. Media covers the events of the month including not only activities at the track, but also beauty pageants, balls, concerts, half marathons and of course the parade. All celebrates the 2023 version of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

The 500 Festival Parade again is sponsored by Indy’s electric service company, AES. This parade is one of the original festival events and is one of the highlights of the month of May in Indianapolis. The parade courses through downtown Indianapolis with over 200,000 spectators lining the streets. The parade is filled with floats, giant helium balloons, award-winning bands, celebrities and dignitaries,  and all 33 of the drivers in this year’s Indy 500. One of the premier parades in the country, it stands with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The 2023 AES 500 Festival Parade will take place on Saturday, May 27, in downtown Indianapolis. The Parade will be broadcast locally on WTHR(NBC), and nationally on Peacock.

 

Mt Baker Theatre both historic and haunted

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Ghost light on center stage at Mt.Baker Theatre

The historic Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Washington is reported to be  haunted, similar to most old theater’s claims. We took a theater tour and saw the ghost light which burns on center stage at all times there is no production going on. Ghost lights are a tradition among theaters and actors. The lights provide a means to placate ghosts who either want to perform or who want to watch.

The best well known spirit at Mt Baker Theatre is Judy, an amorous young lady. It seems Judy lost her house (or boarding house room, as some say) when the theater was built in 1926-1927. She is reported to be interested in young male projectionists, actors, or ushers. One theater staff member told me Judy is a flirt! Others ghosts who haunt the theater include a well dressed fellow named Geoffrey who appears in either a fancy pin-striped suit or a tuxedo. Another theater staffer said there is a ghost feral cat that haunts and hunts the basement.

1927 photo shared by the Theatre archives

This really is a magnificent old structure, built in 1926 by the 20th Century Fox group. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The interior was restored in the 1980’s back to its original ornate beauty. Here is a link to the history of the theater. The theater is still very active, hosting shows on stage, live music concerts and other events supporting the arts in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Are they lying to you?

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Ever wonder if someone you are talking to is being less than truthful? Have a bad feeling about someone but can’t quite put your finger on it? You ought to take a look at the YouTube videos presented by four fascinating men known as The Behavior Panel.  A quote from their YouTube page is the best introduction: “Scott Rouse, Mark Bowden, Chase Hughes, and Greg Hartley are the world’s top body language and behavior experts. Together as The Behavior Panel they analyze body language and human behavior in videos of public interest. They are a non-partisan team, looking to educate and entertain you with their interest and expertise in communication, body language, deception detection, interrogation, and resistance to interrogation.”

The video format as they describe their observations

These fun reviews of recordings of court proceedings, interviews with politicians and entertainment figures give the Panel the opportunity to analyze behavior patterns and the body language those on tapes. The format is simple: a short clip of, for example, an interview of a politician is shown. Then each of the men take turns giving their interpretation of what they just observed. This is continued until the interview or segment is finished. You will soon start to pick up the clues to body language. These guys grow on you  and are quite entertaining and very, very knowledgeable about human behavior.

The Behavior Panel YouTube channel has over 280 videos covering everything from the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp trial to the Oprah interviews with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. There is something for everyone. It is worth your time to check these guys out.

Seattle’s Space Needle

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From the official website of the 605 feet tall Seattle Space Needle comes a to the point introduction to this world famous attraction: The Space Needle is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world and is a treasured Seattle icon. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair … whose theme was “The Age of Space”. 

See views of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, and the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges from the tower

On our first trip to Seattle we went up in the Space Needle. At that time there was a restaurant that rotated a full 360 degrees in an hour. In 2017 a large reconstruction project revamped the entire top of the tower. Now the restaurant is gone, but a lounge, cafe and a wine bar with glass floors lets you look straight down to the ground over 500 feet below you! The rotation still gives you a chance to sit and view the total 360 view of Seattle.

An 1890 hardware store turned restaurant

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The three story brick building was built in 1890 and housed a hardware store for decades. The locally owned J.G. DePrez Co. was a prominent feature in downtown Shelbyville, Indiana. The building now houses a unique restaurant on the first floor .

Pudder’s storefront

Looking out on the town square

 

 

 

 

 

Pudder’s opened in 2019 and was able to survive the pandemic. It has maintained its local patron base, and is beginning to gain a reputation in surrounding areas. The restaurant is spacious, has two bars and interesting interior decor.

Full service bar

Interesting rustic decor

 

 

 

 

 

Sher and I went to Pudder’s for a late lunch. We were seated immediately,  there were a couple of other tables occupied. The service staff is very attentive and meets your needs without delay. Sher started with one of the signature cocktails and really enjoyed it.

“Fancy” cocktail menu

Sher’s Pink Drink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their menu offers an assortment of burgers, wraps, salads, wings and tons of appetizers. Sher ordered the veggie wrap, which was absolutely filled to overflowing with good stuff. I wanted to go with the Fish and Chips. The two pieces of cod were served piping hot, and each piece was very thick and filling!

We had a great lunch

Pudder’s has live music each weekend and a regular schedule of trivia nights. The drinks, food and service is good. Hard to beat that combination, plus for us Pudder’s is close by.

A visit to a new Mexican eatery

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The location used to house a craft beer brewery/restaurant, but that business fell victim to the pandemic. After sitting empty for a few years we noticed a new name on the storefront, and shortly after an “OPEN” sign and cars in the lot. That was our cue to go try it out.

The tables have two distinct areas, one for families and one just for 21 plus patrons. There is a large bar with two very big TV’s for sports broadcasts. We went at about 2:30 in the afternoon, and there were only about seven to ten other tables occupied.

Menu book

The bar

 

 

 

 

 

Sher and I both ordered strawberry margaritas to start. We decided to go for the medium size. The medium size was what most places have for large! What delicious margaritas they were.

Table full of great food and drink

A great margarita

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The menu was quite extensive, and was presented in a spiral bound book. I ordered the steak fajitas, and Sher ordered two bean burritos with fixings. The food was very good, derived quickly and served hot. Just about any kind of Mexican cuisine is available, and if our orders are any indication, you’ll probably be pleased with anything at the Blue Agave.

A nice view of a river and an old bridge

This is a very nice facility, and as it is relatively close to our home, we will be patronizing this bar and grill again. There is a very nice outdoor deck that the previous bar used for outside seating. Maybe Blue Agave will offer outside seating soon as well.