retirement activity

A classic 1877 covered bridge still in service

/ Roadtirementvintage / 15 Comments

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

/ Roadtirementvintage / 33 Comments

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.

 

Haunted Hays Cemetery

/ Roadtirementvintage / 23 Comments

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

/ Roadtirementvintage / 20 Comments

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

/ Roadtirementvintage / 22 Comments

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.

Thomas Family Winery

/ Roadtirementvintage / 17 Comments

The Thomas Family Winery in downtown Madison, Indiana is housed in, appropriately, a vintage 1850’s old stable and carriage house. The interior is most welcoming, with tables set amidst a rustic motif, and there are outside tables as well for your pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This winery takes a bit of a different philosophy concerning their wine creations than other establishments. From the Thomas Family Winery website: “We feel that wine is food, and fills its greatest role as a mealtime beverage. We craft our wines in the European tradition of finesse, balance, and structure which particularly enhances the variety of flavors in meals.” Steve Thomas told us that they do not have any sweet wines, rather wines for pairing with meals. He expanded on their European style of wine making.

Maj tasting Gale Hard Cider

Owner Steve Thomas with our purchase

 
Owner Steve was most gracious and took plenty of time to explain what their winery is all about. The tastings were complimentary, and we did purchase a bottle of Niagara 2020. We did not partake of the bread and cheese offerings. That will be on another trip. We will be returning to enjoy the weekend live music. The supply of Gale Hard Cider will be restocked then as well. I liked that Cider! The Thomas Family Winery should be on your list of places to visit in Historic Madison, Indiana.

Lanthier Gardens on the Winery grounds

/ Roadtirementvintage / 8 Comments

The Lanthier Winery and Distillery in Madison, Indiana is known not only for its award winning wines and distillery products but also for the magnificent gardens that surround the classic brick building . We visited this facility on Mother’s Day and walked the gardens. Our pervious visit was early in the season, and the weather was not conducive to an enjoyable stroll in the garden.

 

 

 

 

 


The gardens are known nation wide not only for the extraordinary variety of gorgeous flowers and vegetation, but also for a remarkable display of various art work in the form of paintings, sculpture and metalworks found throughout the grounds. There are so many unique creations in these gardens that you need to really keep your eyes open or you may miss something! The gardens are open seven days a week from sun up to sun down. There is never an admission charge.