Upland Brewing Company Indianapolis IN 2023

We had a really nice meal at Upland Brewing Company in Indianapolis!

Home of Budweiser Lager Beer

I found this very attractive old postcard showing "Home of Budweiser Anheuser-Busch-- St. Louis MO." recently.

it is undated.

Madison Indiana December 2023

We took a quick drive through Madison Indiana right before Christmas!  This is one of the greatest little towns around, and they always decorate it up for the Holidays!  

Central Bank Center and Downtown Lexington Kentucky at Christmas 2023

Here is a quick look at the Central Bank Center and Downtown Lexington at Christmas time!

Kalkaska Michigan 2023

And here is a quick drive through Kalkaska Michigan!

Santa at the Fasion Mall at Keystone Crossing Indianpaolis Indiana 2023

AND, because I do it every year....  Here are a couple of photos I took of Santa Claus at the Keystone Fashion Mall in Indianapolis.  He was busy this day!

I love this mall and area....  and I love Santa!

 

Grand Haven Lighthouse Michigan

AND, here is a short video of our visit to the Grand Haven Lighthouse in Michigan!

"Oxford in the Civil War" by Stephen Enzweiler

After our recent trip through Mississippi, mostly to see Civil War sites, I wanted to know more about the area.  AND, we spent several nights in the Oxford area....So I was glad to find a book about Oxford in the Civil War.

Stephen Enzweiler has put out a very nice book explaining the locals, politics, and general feelings going on in Oxford at the time of the Civil War.  He writes a very nice story about the Civil War OVERALL, from the perspective of Oxford.

This is a fascinating story.  Local politicians influential in southern politics are introduced, and, of course, Mississippi heavy weights (Jefferson Davis) are discussed as they rise to power.

You get a lot of small scale stories too...  Some of these tales are touching and interesting.  Some, I want to follow up on more.

A few interesting notes that really struck me:  Edwin Stanton considered an assassination plot to kill President Davis.  A soldier writes a letter to his mom as he is dying at Gettysburg. Also at Gettysburg, the unit from Ole Miss, the University Greys are beaten to the point of no longer existing. 

As you can guess, the campus of Ole Miss is greatly affected, as students go to war and never return.  The area accepts wounded from Shiloh, and the Union plays the villain in town, looting and burning.

I definitely appreciated "Oxford in the Civil War" by Stephen Enzweiler after our visit.

 

Little Sable Point Lighthouse Michigan 2023

AND....  here is a quick video of our visit to Little Sable Point Lighthouse in Michigan!

Lake Charlevoix Coffee Company Michigan 2023

We found the great little coffee shop, Charlevoix Coffee Company, while exploring Michigan!

The Square Oxford Mississippi 2023

I have gone on and on about how great of a time we had in Mississippi.  Oxford was an especially spectacular town with culture and plenty to do.  We REALLY enjoyed our visit to their main Square area, and we will be back

Square Books Oxford Mississippi

We had a surprisingly good time in Oxford Mississippi, and I was thrilled to find the great bookstore, "Square Books" right in the middle of everything!

They had regional books, and an interesting selection of collectible books too.  

Check out my youtube video!

"Eye In The Sky" by Dewey Edwards

I picked up a copy of Dewey Edwards "Eye In The Sky" while at the wonderful Bell Witch Festival event at the end of October.  I have picked up and mentioned some of his other books here.
 

It was great meeting Dewey in Adams and chatting with him about various bits of strangeness in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Anyway, in this volume, Dewey gives a lot of information on the 1948 Mantell Incident.  In fact, probably half of the book's 270 pages is about the legendary Western Kentucky UFO event.  Giving the book a ton of cred is the fact that a couple of Mantell family members intro this one!

Dewey has hunted down a lot of early newspaper accounts and interviews about the strange plane crash and death.  This might be a one stop book if you are interested.

This is a fascinating case...  and it is not mentioned in the same circles as some of the more well known cases, but it should be.  Just months after the famous Roswell Incident, a pilot, Captain Thomas Mantell, chases a UFO and ends up dead.

A man in the Scott Air Force Base Operations Room reported that Mantell's last words concerned seeing people in the craft.  One pilot suggests that Mantel actually collided with the object, or that it knocked him and his plane out of the air.

The official explanations are the usual ones.... a balloon, the planet Venus, etc.

Dewey's book has a lot of articles from the time of the crash and information from witnesses and others close to the case.

Edwards devotes the rest of the book to some of the more interesting and well known UFO events like Betty and Barney Hill, Travis Walton, etc.  He also includes some more obscure reports, including a couple from his own family members.

I really like the way Dewey writes and collects information.  I highly recommend all of the books of his I have read so far.....

Christmas Lights at the Ark Encounter 2023

I have brought up the Ark Encounter in Williamstown several times (here and here).  Also, last year I put up a few different videos form our trip there in December to see the lights (here is my video specifically about the lights, here is a walk through the Ark, this is a video of the zoo, and here is one on the new carousel).

I can't say enough about how cool the lights are here at Christmas.  They have done an incredible job.

West Point Mississippi 2023

Here is a quick look at the small Mississippi town of West Point!

Scottville Michigan

We drove through Scottville Michigan in April, 2023!

Savannah Tennessee 2023

Here is a drive through the Savannah Tennessee area!

Mt Zion Church Civil War Hospital Richmond Kentucky 2023

Here is a nice look inside of Mt Zion Christian Church in Richmond Kentucky, which served as a Civil War Hospital!

Charlevoix Michigan Mushroom Houses 2023

We passed by the Mushroom Houses in Charlevoix Michigan.

Harwood Gold Cafe Charlevoix MI

I wanted to take a moment to mention Harwood Gold Cafe in Charlevoix Michigan.  

We were in the area just ahead of the start of their "season".  Several shops were still not open while we were there.   Luckily, this place was.

We intended to swing by and just enjoy a couple of drinks early one morning...  which we did.  They had some really nice coffee.

AND, they are a great gift shop too.  They had a lot of unique items, and their prices were pretty good too, so we ended up picking up several gifts to bring back home for friends....  And we got a few cool things for ourselves.