travel

A neat feature at a park

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This afternoon Sher and our son and I went on a ‘hunt’ for a Geocache at a nearby park. We had looked it up last night on a map, and there it was! So off we went.

Explanation of how the swale works

This Geocache was not one of those hidden boxes or log books. This one was a feature at the park. We went in search of a Water Quality Bio-Swale. Yes, a feature that is designed to collect pollutants from rain fall runoff.

That’s the swale in the background

It actually looked like an ordinary swale for rain runoff. This one had a more complex design than you normally expect. There was a thick layer of sandy soil in the low part of the swale which filtered any pollutants. A layer of gravel at the bottom surrounded a  perforated drain pipe in which the storm water runs off to a nearby river.

The story of Indiana’s state tree

The swale banks were planted with trees native to Indiana. One of the park volunteers was mapping the location and species of each tree while we were on site. He informed us that there will be individual ID signs on each tree and a brochure with detailed info coming soon.

Even though it is one of a chain…

/ Roadtirementvintage / 20 Comments

…the Lincoln Square Pancake House in Greenfield, Indiana is more like a small town  independent diner. This group of 9 restaurants has a fascinating story. The restaurants are scattered around central Indiana, and unlike other chains no two buildings are alike in design nor size. They are the result of decades of hard work of George Katris ,  first generation Greek immigrant who came to North America at age 18, where he bussed tables in Toronto.

Hoosier tradition breaded tenderloin

Yummy waffles covered with goodies

 

 

 

 

 

Fast forward to today, and the Katris family still owns and operates the restaurants. A diner? Yes, in the typical definition of good food and lots of it! Sher and I were told of the Lincoln Square Pancake House by one of the shop proprietors.  We got there at 2:00 PM with an hour to spare. The restaurants, in true pancake/breakfast tradition, open at 7:00 AM and close at 3:00 PM.

Sher and I enjoyed very tasty and very filling meals. We’ll look for other Lincoln Square Pancakes Houses as we travel around Indiana.

James Whitcomb Riley, The Hoosier Poet

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“When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.” We know you’ve heard that saying before. Did you know that is a quote from James Whitcomb Riley, know as The Hoosier Poet? Riley was born in 1849 in Greenfield, Indiana.  His home is preserved and is open for tours.

Riley’s birthplace in Greenfield

Front door signage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riley was noted for his down home use of dialect that epitomized rural Indiana. He first wrote under a pen name (farmer Benj. F. Johnson, of Boone) for newspapers in Anderson and Indianapolis. As a boy Riley worked as an assistant to traveling patent-medicine hucksters.

Historic Marker outside the home

Riley is famous for his remarkable volume of poems. He wrote and published over 1000 verses. His most popular are “Little Orphant Annie”, “The Raggedy Man,” “Our Hired Girl,” “A Barefoot Boy,” “The Bumblebee,” “Granny,” and “When the Frost Is on the Punkin.” Many of his poems were aimed at children as well as adults.

Have a seat with Mr. Riley, he might share a poem with you!

Riley’s birthplace and the next door museum provide an most enjoyable attraction in Greenfield. Located on the historic National Road (US 40) the home is east of Indianapolis.

 

Mmm…..hand crafted chocolates

/ Roadtirementvintage / 34 Comments

Sometimes the window of a business will make your head turn. That happened to us when we passed the Greenfield Chocolates storefront in downtown Greenfield, Indiana.

Cases filled with delicacies

The business is owned and operated by Jayne Hoadley, an award winning Chocolatier, and a designated Indiana Artisan.  The shop creates hand crafted artisan chocolates, toffees, caramels and confections from the finest and freshest ingredients with no preservatives.

Shelf after shelf of deliciousness

“I’ll take one of each..”

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as you walk into the store you are treated with visions of delicacies everywhere you look! Prepackaged treats are displayed on shelves and racks. The cases are jam packed with beautifully decorated morsels of all types.

Where the magic creations occur

Everything is made on site in the historic building at 15 West Main Street. (It is right next to the statue of the bison we posted earlier.) Go ahead and stop in this delightful shop. You won’t walk out empty handed: we sure did not!

A nice visit to the Shale Creek Brewing

/ Roadtirementvintage / 28 Comments

Sher and I went on a mission today to see what was up in nearby Franklin, Indiana. We had looked up a couple of brew houses and decided to try out Shale Creek Brewing. It is located in one of Franklin’s oldest building, and offers brews and great food.

Main entrance, downtown Franklin

Main bar

Once we were seated, it was time to decide what brews to get in the flight…

What an inviting list

Catelynn helped us with our flight choices

Here came the flight, really about the best reason to go to a brewery!


The food we picked was very tasty with large portions. The lettuce wedges had lots of toppings, and the breaded fried hamburger was smothered is all kinds of great stuff.

Excellent salad fare

Yes, smothered fried breaded burger

This is the life!

All in all, what a fun time we had. The food was great, the brews were fun to sample and we have found a place we’ll enjoy coming back to. We also bought a growler of Red Headed Squealer, aka Irish Red. Here’s the Shale Creek Brewing website to check out.

Brandywine Creek Winery

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Sher and I visited the Brandywine Creek Winery on our way home from a day of adventure in Greenfield, which is east of Indianapolis. We had seen Brandywine listed, but had never stopped. We are glad we did.

At the tasting bar

Without the sign out front, you’d think that the winery was a private home in Pleasant View, just off of I-74. Walking in the front door reveals a beautiful tasting bar with wine related merchandise displayed. In addition, several hand made jewelry pieces and some kids craft projects are also available.

Out front signage

The wine bar

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the wine is what’s important. The tastings are done at the wine bar, only $5 for 6 tastes. A wide variety of types of wine are ready for you. We enjoyed the tasting. and since I was driving, our hostess let us share a tasting. (I take sips, but still get a good read of the sample.) We liked what we tried, and purchased three bottles of their sweet wines.

Enjoy wine at a table overlooking the vineyard

The facility has a beautifully constructed porch/veranda out back with tables that overlook the vineyard. Brandywine has over five acres of vineyards in two locations. The first vines were planted in 2014. Check their website for details about their Event Room rental and schedule of weekend live music and Trivia events. We really enjoyed our visit.

Where the buffalo roam

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This afternoon the weather was nearly perfect for outside activity. We headed for the town of Greenfield for some sightseeing and who knows what else.  At one point we were walking around the downtown area and we came upon an interesting sight.

There between two bushes was the statue of a bison, sometimes erroneously referred to as a buffalo. Well, the camera had to come out for that! Especially when I saw the body of the bison behind its mane was painted in a mural.

 

 

 

 

 

Turns out this animal was commissioned for the Indiana Bicentennial celebration  in 2016. This bison was named “Whitcomb” in honor of James Whitcomb Riley, Greenfield’s famous author. The paintings traces the history of Indiana natural history and agriculture from the Ice Age to modern times. The Bisontennial (get it?) statues were seen all over the state in different designs and colors.