Rockport Indiana December 2020

 

Rockport (I've mentioned it here before), in Spencer County Indiana, has a lot going for it!  Lots of history, and its just a pleasant little town to go through.  AND, it has some interesting Abraham Lincoln connections!  I don't mention it in the above video because I hope to get to it again soon, but they also have the very cool and historic Lincoln Pioneer Village!

Check out the above video I recently posted to youtube!

Lincoln State Park Indiana December, 2020

We stopped by the Lincoln State Park in Lincoln City Indiana the other day.  I went there with my dad a few years ago, and this is just a great state park to go by....  especially if you are interested in Abraham Lincoln.  This is a very significant spot.  AND, the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is right by this park.  You can hit a couple of MAJOR Lincoln sites in one visit.

Also, this area is very underrated, and under visited.  Santa Claus Indiana (and Holiday World) are very close.... but this is not a thriving metropolis.  If you don't like crowds, this is the place!

Check out the video I recently posted to youtube!

Lincoln Boyhood Home National Memorial Indiana December, 2020

 

Here is a video I made from our recent visit to the Lincoln Boyhood Home National Memorial in Lincoln City Indiana!  We've been there before but check out the video from our recent trip!

Rockford Michigan November 2020

We drove through Rockford Michigan back in November.  Check out my video (above) from our trip!  One of my favorite shops in all of Michigan is there- Herman's Boy.  They roast their own coffee, and they sell a lot of cool stuff.  It has a great selection of teas too.

Driving around Grand Rapids Michigan Nov 2020

Grand Rapids Michigan is just a great town that we enjoy visiting any chance we can.  We have family in the area who enjoy a lot of the same things we do- museums, reading, coffee shops, etc.  Anytime we see them we know we are going to have a fun and relaxing time.

I don't mention it in the video, but check out my older entry on the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park from a previous visit.  That place is great too!

This time in town, we visited the wonderful and HUGE Christian book store, Baker Book House!  They had a nice coffee shop inside AND they had an amazing selection of books!

We also spent some time at Schuil Coffee!  Check out one of their stores if you are in the area!  I have honestly made two orders from them over the last month!  They have some great coffee, and they have some impressive online ordering deals.

I posted a video on youtube from our visit!

Driving around Portland MI Nov 2020

 

We have been through the great town of Portland Michigan before.....  and we thought it was a great area.  I mentioned the perfect (though, sadly defunct) coffee shop, Cheeky Monkeys.  That place was great.  Luckily, there are still some great coffee and food places in the area.

This is just a cute little town not too far from Grand Rapids.  Check out the video I recently posted on youtube!

Giants of Bernheim Forest in Clermont KY 10 2020

 Here is a short video of our hike around Bernheim Forest to see the Giants!

Utica Elementary School KY 12 11 2020

 I have mentioned "my old school" in Utica Kentucky before.  I spent some wonderful days in this area, specifically at Utica Elementary School.  This was a great place!  Check out my video!

This is a very special area to me....  I would love to hear from anyone else that went to Utica.  I remember all of my former teachers and classmates.  I remember the great playground, and playing dodgeball in the gym.

Niko's Bakery and Cafe in Owensboro Kentucky

HEY!  I wanted to take a moment to mention Niko's Bakery and Café in Owensboro!  I was able to swing by recently and I had a great latte.  Looks like they have an interesting lunch and pastry menu too though!

They are over in Wesleyan Park Plaza kinda behind the Long John Slivers (the building was once a Fantastic Sam's).  I like that location....  I know when K-Mart pulled out it took some of the life out of this area.......  There is still a hopppin McDonalds and a Kroger.....  So hopefully this part of town will stay lively.

They have a very cozy dining area, and they had some cool local art up.  I'm looking forward to coming back on a day when I can bring a book in and read, and absorb some of the vibe.

My latte was great though.  They nailed it and the staff was friendly.  I am excited to see such a nice newer place in Owensboro!

 

RMS Queen Mary Postcard

This postcard showing the RMS Queen Mary went through the mail in 1938 according to the postmark on the back!

The Age of the Ocean Liner - Kentucky Gateway Museum Center 12 19 2020

 AND here is a brief video from our visit to the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville!  I have put a couple of other videos up from our visit (here and here).......  There is a LOT to see at this great museum!

Liberty Indiana 11 2020

 We drove through Liberty Indiana.  Here is a short video!

Best Little Stories From The Civil War by C. Brian Kelly with Ingrid Smyer

I JUST finished the very fun to read book, "Best Little Stories from the Civil War" by C. Brian Kelly with Ingrid Smyer and I wanted to give it a quick thumbs up.

I have actually kept this book in my car for casual reading here and there.  Since it is a collection of all very short stories (some less than a page long), it is perfect for reading casually and at a slow pace.  This has been a great one to have handy while waiting at doctor's offices, or when I just want to go to a coffee shop and relax for an hour or two.

One of my favorite Nathan Bedford Forrest stories is in here- the one where he spares the lives of to Union soldiers because of their obvious brave attitudes while facing a firing squad.

BUT, there are a lot of other nice little quick read stories too.  PLENTY of them.  Even though each story is short, this book will take you a while to read and digest.  This isn't a quick read flimsy book.  You get your moneys worth out of it for sure.

Lynn Indiana 11 2020

 AND another cute little town we drove through in Indiana recently was Lynn!  Here is a short video I posted to youtube!

Brookville IN 11 2020

 Here is another short video I posted to youtube as we passed through the small town of Brookville, Indiana!

"Murder in Irvington" by Robert A. Fangmeier

I found a nice, unique, signed copy of "Murder in Irvington:  reconstructed Fictionally From Records of the Ku Klux Klan Era" by Robert Fangmeier the last time we were in Indianapolis.

This is a really interesting book covering 1925 when a Grand Dragon of the KKK gained a ton of power in Indiana politics.  With an "I can do anything I want" attitude, he sexually assaulted several, and raped and killed a local assistant of his.

Alan Hunter covers this crime in detail on his Irvington Ghost Walk in October, so I am pretty familiar with this crime.  Also, just about any book on crime in the Circle City brings this one up, but it was interesting reading this fictional, but based on facts account, from a news reporters perspective at the time.

Like I mentioned before, I have an interesting copy of the book.  It is signed by the author, AND a few pages in the book are blank.  The copy I bought had all of the missing pages photocopied, so I was able to read it completely.

Richmond Indiana 11 2020

 Here is a brief video I posted on youtube as we passed through the town of Richmond Indiana!  We also stopped at the grerat little coffee shop 5th Street Coffee and Bagels.

"Wicked Indianapolis" by Andrew E. Stoner

On my last adventure through the Circle City, I picked up "Wicked Indianapolis" by Andrew J. Stoner....  a book about, well, wicked things that have happened in or connected to Indianapolis.

I have to say that I have found some of the "Wicked" books a bit hit or miss.....  but this one is solid.

AND, I have read Stoner before- his "Notorious 92:  The Most Infamous Murder From Each of Indiana's 92 Counties" is a really interesting work.  In fact, I know I have owned 2 copies that I have let friends borrow.  I have no idea where those copies are now. 

But I read "Wicked Indianapolis" in no time.  I was impressed that the author was able to link some crazy celebrity moments to Indianapolis.  Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson had some very bad moments in town.  I loved Chris Farley, but I had forgotten about his dark moment in Indianapolis (not to mention I had forgot that the area had a Planet Hollywood...  briefly).

Also, I am not a racing fan, but I did not know about all of the deaths that have occurred at the Indianapolis 500.  I was unaware of some of the bigger political scandals that have gone down in the city.

I wanted to mention that Stoner covers a LOT of ground in under 140 pages.  Each crime/criminal covered gets about 2-3 pages.  He gives the important details and gets on to the next tragedy.