retirement activity

German beer and peach wine at 450 North Brewing Co

/ Roadtirementvintage / 35 Comments

We traveled to the 450 North Brewing Co. outside of Columbus, Indiana yesterday afternoon.  It was our first time to this brewery and we weren’t sure what to order.  In fact, we were too “coronavirus scared” to go into the establishment.  So, our dear son went in and brought out a beer list for us.  We got a growler of the Dunkel,  which is advertised as a German style lager, dark, smooth and malty.  At 5% ABV we loved it and will for sure be getting more.  We  are wanting to try some of their other brews as they have a large selection to choose from.

We are anxiously waiting to get our coronavirus vaccines so we can start visiting places again.  450 North Brewing is going to be one of our first go to places, as the food menu looks very good.

They are part of Simmons Winery, so we guessed at a bottle of wine we wanted to try.  We tried the Fuzzy Peach table wine and we were a little disappointed with our pick, as it wasn’t as sweet as we like.  But, our fault as we didn’t go inside to do a wine tasting.  Next time we will go in and try some of the sweeter wines.

Looking forward to going back to this winery and brewery.  I’m getting hungry just thinking of their menu!

A thrilling sighting of our nation’s symbol

/ Roadtirementvintage / 11 Comments

On my walk  a very nice fellow on a bicycle pointed out a bald eagle on a dead snag several hundred feet away.  What a thrill it was to see a bald eagle, which is not at all a common sight in our area. This magnificent bird was in a tree overlooking a river with farm fields on the other side. Best photo I could get on the iPhone.

Get outside, you never know what you might see! Just do it safely!

The new cigarette butt

/ Roadtirementvintage / 21 Comments

There are reports from all over that face masks are littering the ground everywhere. We’ve seen them in parking lots, I personally saw 5 discarded on sidewalks yesterday during my daily walk. Face masks have become the new cigarette butt in these coronavirus pandemic times.

I am glad people are wearing face masks as recommended. But c’mon, folks! Don’t throw ’em on the ground when you’re done with it!

A goose on the lake

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

If you have been following Roadtirement, you know we have been getting out of the house and going to some RV parks to get away from our COVID-19 “isolation”. We went back to the Thousand Trails Indian Lakes campground in Batesville.

Calm lake view

This park has great paved roads for bicycle riding, and there are no large hills that are hard to climb. The pretty scenery also is nice for walks. It is nice to get away in our motorhome and to know that we are in a safe environment. Having our own self contained “house on wheels” means we do not have to use public facilities at all.

It has been reported that RV sales are booming as many have discovered the having your own facilities is safest during the coronavirus pandemic. We talked (at a safe distance of course) to a fellow who had just bought an new motorhome so he and his wife could travel safely. They were on their first time out with their new rig.

Stay safe as you start to get back out, friends, stay safe!

Wild looking critter

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

I had just got back from my morning walk and was sitting outside at the table enjoying a cup of coffee when I noticed something on Sher’s bike.


I have never seen a caterpillar quite like this one before. Not sure why it liked the soft plastic handlebar grips on the bike.

We are back on the road again enjoying a few days at this very nice park that is part of the Thousand Trails system. The weather is just delightful today. It was cool this morning and the temps now at mid day are in the low 70s. It is so nice that the heat has finally broken and there is a hint of fall in the air.

When craftsmen signed their work

/ Roadtirementvintage / 8 Comments


 

 

 

Back in the WPA days of the Depression, lots of streets and sidewalks were installed. The above images show imprints of a concrete company’s mark. These imprints used to be a very common sight around our town, however the years have taken their toll. Very few sections of original 1930’s sidewalks still exist, and fewer examples of the craftsman’s “signature”. I saw these on a walk today.

This somehow seemed to be a fitting post for Labor Day.  Sher and I wish you and yours a safe and healthy holiday, and remember to stay cautious.

Two hawks on today’s walk

/ Roadtirementvintage / 9 Comments


I had just started on my morning walk today when some movement in the sky caught my attention.

I expected to see turkey vultures but much to my delight there were two hawks enjoying flying together, circling and enjoying each other’s company. The photo is not the best, but I guess reasonable for an iPhone shot of hawks at least 100 yards up. Spotting birds of prey always make my day!