Monthly Archives: August 2023

One Great Block In Shirley, Indiana

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One of the most unusual streets I have been on in my small town adventuring is in the village of Shirley, Indiana. This former railroad town was founded in 1890. According to the U.S. Census, the town’s population peaked in 1910 with over 1,500 residents.

At just over 800 residents today, there’s not a lot left of the town. However, I had seen a picture on Pinterest of the Burger Man Statue which can be found atop a pole outside an old carry out on Railroad Street. He resembles a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon and is a sight to behold in person.

If you want to know more about Burger Man, I discovered that blogger and Indiana history extraordinaire Ted Shideler wrote about it. Read his story here. It’s pretty awesome.

But before I saw the Burger Man, I saw this mural. Isn’t it gorgeous?

And then there was this train car.

AND this old depot turned museum!

But wait! There’s more! Next door to the depot is this Octagon House!

The Jane Ross Reeves Octagon House is just one of a few octagon homes remaining in Indiana and it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s open for private tours and I would like to arrange something next year. I have never been inside an octagon house before! Learn more about it at their website.

You can also learn more thanks to this newspaper account.

So! I went for a vintage advertising statue and got the statue, a train, a depot, a mural and a cool house! All in one block. What more could a gal want?

Small towns really are the best.

Old Buildings

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We are the only country in the world that trashes its old buildings. Too late we realize how very much we need them. Jackie Kennedy

Bookshops

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I just want to sit in a bookshop and breathe. That’s all. Just flip through used books and study the titles in a section I don’t normally frequent. Maybe find a good western or a coffee table book about a painter I don’t yet know.

Bookstores are special places. They’re portals into new worlds, rocket ships to places only our imaginations can construct.

Oh, to just stand amidst the books and breathe!

The picture above comes from a bookshop in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. Read about that surprisingly amazing experience here!

Black And White At The Anchorage

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Last summer, I spent a day exploring the Anchorage in Marietta, Ohio. I wrote about that trip here in case you want to know more about this amazing place.

That trip resulted in a ton of pictures that didn’t make the cut here but that I thought you might enjoy today.

The random furniture was a little creepy.

This room was gorgeous. Check out those doors!

Here’s one more. Isn’t the light mesmerizing?

Good Timing

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Spotting vintage cars in the wild is one of my all time favorite pastimes. When it’s a classic Corvette exiting a double barreled covered bridge, it is a breathtaking experience.

This is what we call excellent timing.

I made this picture in Philippi, West Virginia while adventuring with friends last September. That bridge played an important role in the Civil War and is significant for its design as well. Click those links for the stories!

46 Trips Around The Sun

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Today is August 14 and that means it’s my birthday. I’m 46 and I know this for sure because I took the time to do the math. Yes, I’m at that age when I don’t even know how old I am.

Unlike little kids who always whip out the half (like nine and a half ) and the old folks who tell you what they almost are (almost 96), I don’t bother knowing my age at all.

Normally, I like to write something introspective for my birthday. What did I learn this year? What mattered to me?

This time though, I am struggling to care about any of that. Am I in a slump? Maybe. Will I come back to life with my upcoming travels? Maybe. I suspect I’m just worn down from fighting my own fledgling health and from changes that have made a big part of my life more stressful.

So, instead of looking backward, today I will look to the future and what I hope to work on in the coming year. Think of it as a sort of to do list.

1. Health – My health has got to be a priority. I know what needs to be done in terms of diet, fresh air, exercise and mental health. I just. Need. To. Do. It.

2. Adventure – Weekend adventures have been rare this summer. It’s time to dust off the maps and spend more time adventuring. It’s good for the mind and the soul.

3. One Small Thing – Continue using this method to accomplish stuff around the house. These last two weeks have been too distracting to care about that list but I’m ready to get back at it. Click here to learn about that.

4. Read – Reading is important to me but my attention span has been waning this year. Time to hit the books again!

5. Work – My work life once was intentional and somewhat well juggled but I have lost control. While I don’t know that I can mend the situation, I should at least try to find better ways to manage the new normal.

6. Just Say No – I forget this sometimes but No is a complete sentence. I need to stop allowing myself to be guilted into stuff I shouldn’t do and I need to say no to things that interfere with my priorities.

7. Just Say Yes – While saying no to things that don’t matter, it’s equally important to say Yes to the things that do matter. Yes is also a complete sentence.

So there you go. These are the priorities for this next trip around the sun! I once read that the first step to getting somewhere is to decide not to stay where you are. This resonated with me and maybe it will with you too.

In case you are wondering, the above picture is from Rock House in the Hocking Hills State Park. It’s a break in the cave that allows you to see light from the darkness.