retirement activity

Lavender farm near Mooresville

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Lavender field in bloom

Rows of Lavender

 

 

 

 

 

Recently we had a delightful day trip suitable for not only seniors like us but people of any age.  The Willowfield Lavender Farm  is south of Mooresville, Indiana southwest of Indianapolis.

Enjoying the sweet Lavender Mint iced tea

Healthy Lavender plant we now have

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a glass of their fresh Lavender-Mint tea. It was so good that Sher had to have one too. The gift shop was fun to see, and the staff was very friendly and informative. We even bought a live Lavender plant and some lavender soap.

Comfortable seating under shade

Go to the Willowfield Lavender Farm website for hours, directions and special event calendars.

Honey farm in Martinsville

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Martinsville, Indiana is a quaint little town south of Indianapolis in the beginnings of southern Indiana’s hill country. West of town is a family owned, fourth generation of beekeeper’s honey farm producing a multitude of products from bees.

Store signage

Honey for sale!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunter’s Honey Farm has 65 beautiful acres providing homes for bees, timber and Christmas trees. The family has been producing honey and honey related products in Indiana for over 100 years.

More honey products

Round table is full of samples!

 

 

 

 

 

The store on site is filled with anything and everything honey! Available for sale is honey, honey comb, honey mustard, honey candy, honey products, raw honey, honey sticks, and a variety of honey based soaps and lotions.

Live bees at work in an award winning display

Of course we bought some honey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The farm also offers tours of the grounds, including trips out to the timber and Christmas Tree areas as well as bee hives and beekeeping demonstrations. Go to Hunter’s Honey Farm website for details concerning farm tours and upcoming special events. This is a great day trip destination.

Chewbacca and Zorro

/ Roadtirementvintage / 12 Comments

These are our grand dogs living with our Columbus Ohio family.

Zorro looks dapper with his bowtie

Chewy loves laying on your feet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chewy really looks like Chewbacca of Star Wars fame when his hair is grown out each winter. Zorro is a real sweetie and is convinced he’s a lapdog. “Hey, if Chewy can sit on your lap why can’t I?”

Brewdog started in Scotland, now in Ohio

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

We had a really fun time this past weekend when we visited our son’s family to celebrate our granddaughter’s High School graduation. Friday night we found our way to a large establishment called Brewdog. This place was a full sized brewery, restaurant-bar, games, merchandise and the Doghouse Columbus Hotel, rooms of which have beer taps in each room. The original home is in Aberdeen, Scotland. Now there are several in Ohio.

Sher heading into the Brewery

Looking towards the outdoor seating area

The beer barrel wall, restaurant beyond

Bar and indoor seating, outdoor seating patio beyond

This is a trailer, note the girl just released her axe…

The facility has a huge building that houses not only the restaurant/bar/game rooms but the actual brewery with its large vats. Once you pass the merchandise area and go through the beer barrel wall, you’re in the restaurant bar seating area. The menu was filled with great bar food.

Smothered wings & fries, nachos and corn dip

Custom made pizza

You have to try a flight!

With our son and daughter-in-law

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The firepits were nice, heck, the whole place was nice. We’ll go back on another trip to visit our Columbus Ohio family.

Roosters in Ohio

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

Main entrance, lots waiting for a table

No, we’re not talking about the Ohio National Poultry Show. We’re talking about one of a delightful chain of chain of restaurants that carry the self given label of “A Fun, Casual Joint”. On our way to family in Columbus, Ohio, we found a Rooster’s just off of I-71 south of the beltway. We were seated immediately, even though the place was very full. This place was full of life, covered with TV screens and interesting wall décor.

Yet another clever way to ID restroom occupants

A rather punny saying

A bit of editorial content here

 

 

 

 

 

The menu was very impressive and had appetizers for everyone’s tastes, plenty of wings and a full list of burgers and sandwiches. We decided on three items and they were very delicious and filling.

Dumpster Fries “It’s a hot mess!” Curly fries, topped with melted cheeses, bacon bits, tomatoes, green onions and jalapeños with Dumpster Dressing.

Quesadilla: Mozzarella, Provolone and cheddar. garnished with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and jalapeños.

Big Bob’s Burger: You had to grab this half-pounder with both hands!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This turned into a most enjoyable break on the way to our son’s family. The food was very good, reasonably priced and served in a comfortable establishment. There are several of these Rooster’s places all over Ohio and Kentucky. They get very busy, get there mid afternoon for immediate seating.

So where did the white lily come from?

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve been blessed with lovely Asiatic lilies blooming recently. Today a white bloom showed up. We’ve never seen one before on our plants, and can’t figure where it came from. A quick search found a reference to heat affecting coloration, however all of the blooms have been exposed to the same environment.

Any botanists or horticulturists  out there have an idea why we have this pure white bloom? This is the third year of blooms for these Asiatic lilies.

Impressive Civil War Memorial includes an anachronism

/ Roadtirementvintage / 13 Comments

Sitting on the north side of the Johnson County Courthouse in Franklin, Indiana is a striking memorial/fountain commemorating the valor of Union Soldiers from Johnson County during the Civil War. John Vawter was a businessman and banker from Franklin. He donated the memorial in 1905. It includes a bronze statue by artist Rudolph Schwarz.

This is a wonderful memorial to the men who served in the Civil War. The anachronism? As a history nerd who has been interested in, and studied military history, I need to point out that the arms and accoutrements on the cavalry trooper looking out over the battlefield are of a kind that did not even exist in 1861 to 1865.

Detail of the Model 1873 Trapdoor Springfield

The carbine is a Springfield “Trapdoor” that fired a 45/50 cartridge. This firearm was not invented until 1873, and was issued in both rifle and carbine lengths. The cartridge box on the trooper’s belt appears to also be from the 1870’s and designed for brass cartridges. The statue is a very good portrayal of a trooper from the mid 1870’s on.

This is an impressive memorial, complete with all branches of the services represented under the lion heads fountains. It is interesting that the statue artist picked the wrong model for his rendition of the trooper. It doesn’t take away from the honor given to the Civil War soldiers from Johnson County.

A relaxing Sunday luncheon date

/ Roadtirementvintage / 8 Comments

It’s been really hot and dry for the past week, high’s in the upper 80’s and low 90’s with pollen alerts and air quality warnings. Welcome to Indiana in June. Sher and I decided that a nice leisurely Sunday lunch date was in order for today. We enjoyed our last trip to the Blue Agave so off we went for a second visit.

We started with margaritas, chips and salsa!

The Burrito Boom is huge

Beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, onions, beans and rice! Whew!

Veggie Chimichanga filled with grilled onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and served soft or deep-fried. Topped with cheese sauce and red sauce. Includes rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole

Blue Agave Mexican Grill and Bar is on the north side of Shelbyville, Indiana. Good food, great drinks, lots of TV screens and great service make this a good place to grab a meal.

 

Highway 40 sale was hot but successful

/ Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

The US Highway 40 cross country yard sale concluded today after 5 days of very hot, sunny weather. Overall it was a successful sale, though crowds were slightly smaller than in past years.

Wide angle view of the interior of our booth.

The pictures show our booth and some of the other vendors who took advantage of this great site which used to house a church. There were close to 30 different vendors, restrooms and plenty of parking. The first time we set up here several years ago there were at most 7 or 8 vendors.