Silverdale Confederate Cemetery in Chattanooga TN

The Silverdale Confederate Cemetery in Chattanooga Tennessee is worth a stop if you appreciate history.  It is sandwiched between a Harley Davidson shop, a hotel, and a McKay's bookstore.  There is a huge sign promoting other chain stores right beside the cemetery.  The cemetery park area itself is very peaceful, but you know you are in an urban shopping area.

There are only a fistful of Markers still here, though 155 men are buried.

Point Pleasant, West Virginia AND Hillbilly Hot Dogs!!!!

I have stopped by Point Pleasant West Virginia several times for the Mothman Festival over the last decade or so. (See here, here, here, and here).  Anyway, I have REALLY wanted to get back to Point Pleasant on a non-Mothman Festival day just to get more of a feel for the town...  and to enjoy the great little West Virginia place on its own.

So, me and my pal Rick got up early one morning when we both didn't have to work, and we headed for Point Pleasant!

We got there around 9am, and it was cold!  We were both craving some java, and I remembered that the cool little coffee shop, the Coffee Grinder, was around.  It was not in the same spot I remembered, but we ended up finding it at its current location, right by the Mothman Statue.  I talked to the nice ladies running the place, and they said they had been at the current location for a couple of years now.

Last time I was in town, I remember a very cool and odd little shop in the same location selling some interesting souvenirs.  The spot sold some of the more unique items relating to the Mothman.  They had a very local and DIY feel to them.  I remember picking up some very cool postcards and other items at the former shop where the Coffee Grinder now sits.

So, we ordered a couple of drinks and had a seat.  I had to have a cup of their Mothman coffee (I ended up buying a bag of Mothman beans to take home with me...  it was delicious stuff!).  The shop has a good amount of seating and it has a comfortable feel.  They have a "take one/leave one" book shelf that I thought was nice.  They also have a very cool life sized Mothman stand up with the face cut out for photo ops.

I hope Point Pleasant continues to support this little coffee shop; it is pure goldAfter we warmed up with some coffee, we headed down to the Mason Jar antique shop.  I always find some cool postcards or something like that here.  They do have some nice local items too.  I didn't find anything on this day though.

Next, we walked down to the Point Pleasant River Museum.  I have been wanting to swing through here for some time, and I feel bad that this was my first visit.  It was a cheap $5 each to go through the museum, and this was definitely a great value.  The museum is a couple of packed floors full of local history.  Lots of info on boats, and there is a very nice and HUGE aquarium on the first floor. There is more on the second floor, including a lot of stuff on the collapse of the Silver Bridge.  There is an amazing model, and a fascinating video you can watch on a man who was on the bridge (and survived!) when it fell.

This museum would be a lot of fun for kids, and there are some hands on displays.  There are some LOUD whistles and a fun simulator that lets you pilot a boat.  The simulator is very realistic (we heard that it is the same type of simulator used in training for real pilots).  We both really enjoyed trying to pilot boats!

We found some unique local books (and other items) in the museum's well stocked gift shop.  While here, we also talked to the friendly Fout sisters who were running the place. Martha Fout was very informative and helpful about a lot of local history, and we just had a great time talking with her.  She is big on local history, and she knew tons about the Silver Bridge and the town.

The Fouts are co-writers of the detailed and informative book, "The Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967" which I mentioned before.

We spent way more time at the River Museum than we expected, but that was OK- it was worth the time, and we really didn't have firm plans anywhere else.

Rick really wanted to check out the legendary Mothman Museum.  I have been many times, but the place is so cool.  And, at $3 admission, it is worth checking out every time you are in the Point Pleasant area. 

The small museum tells the story of the Mothman, the well known cryptid that haunted this area in the 60s.  The late John Keel wrote a strange book about people in the area seeing the Mothman (along with other strange sites).  I have said it before, but the BOOK, The Mothman Prophecies" is just an odd, scary read.  If you have ever been fascinated with ghosts, cryptids, UFOs, the book is a must read.

Luckily, the town has this museum devoted to the legend.  There are some interesting items related the scary events of the 60s on display.  There are toys of the Mothman.  Artwork is around.  Plus, the museum has props and other items from the Mothman Prophecies movie.

The gift shop is just as impressive.  Shirts, buttons, books, etc. etc. can be purchased here.  I had to have some buttons and a can of the museum's exclusive Mothman Energy Drink before we left.

We had a great talk with the fellow running the museum on this day.  I didn't catch this guys name but he knew a lot about the area and the legend.

In fact, we ended up talking to several locals on this day about different topics, though, since I was wearing a Mothman Festival t-shirt, the Mothman came up.  One person talked about how they had heard that local football players were responsible for the sightings!

Anyway, we had spent a very nice day walking around Point Pleasant, and on the way home, we were looking forward to some Hillbilly Hot Dogs!

I have mentioned these guys before (here and here) and you know I love Hillbilly Hot Dogs.  PLUS, at the Mothman Museum, they had a flyer saying that, if you took your receipt from the Mothman Museum in, you could get a FREE Mothman Hot Dog!  Oh yeah, you heard that right!  I ended up getting two other dogs and a canned drink (my total was just over $7 with my museum reciept).  Rick got some fried macaroni bites that were as good as they sound and I had one of those.  As always, we tipped a couple of bucks and the friendly young lady who waited on us sang the Weenie Song!

Oh, and Hillbilly Hot Dogs has $2 off coupons for t-shirts at the Mothman Museum!  NOW, I need to go BACK to the Mothman Museum!

I thought I might have trouble taking out 3 dogs, but I didn't.  It was almost 5pm, and this was our first real meal of the day though.  AND this is such a great place to go to hungry.

Co-owner Sonny was there the day we showed up.  I was glad to see that he was a friendly, talkative guy who loves his business and providing a quality product in a fun atmosphere.  His wife Sharie has been there on a couple of my visits.  They both seem warm and excited about what they do.

Rick told Sonny that he was thinking about taking the Homewrecker Challenge next time.  Sonny spent some time giving Rick advice on how to go about it.

Like I said, I have been to Hillbilly Hot Dogs several times, but this was Rick's first visit.  I asked Rick what he thought and he went on about how much he loved the place too.  AND, he said something I remember thinking after my first trip to the wacky Lesage Restaurant.  He said that the place is novel and fun, but the food is great.  He talked about how these were some of the best dogs he had ever had.

It was funny too, a couple from Columbus Ohio walked up to the door as we were walking out.  The man asked us if the food was any good.  The wife had watched a segment on a TV show about their food and location.  They came by, but once the husband saw the.... well... hillbilly style on display outside, he was reluctant to go in.

We both enthusiastically assured them that they would not be disappointed with the food.

It was getting late, and we still had a good 2 hour drive to make it back home to Kentucky.  We left Virginia stuffed from our meal at Hillbilly Hot Dogs.







 

Keystone Santa in Indianapolis Indiana

Because of this, I am posting a photo from this year, 2016, of the Keystone Mall Santa in Indianapolis Indiana.  This is my favorite mall Santa!

Carmel Indiana

We swung through Indianapolis the other day, and made a point to see the Village of West Clay in Carmel.

Check out the houses!  I took some photos, as this was a very colorful area!  Many of the homes had a very retro vibe, though they are obviously newer!  We really dug this place!

There were some shops, and we did get a drink at the cool little coffee shop called Zing Café.  The staff was super friendly and the shop was clean and comfortable.  They do close early in the day though.  The shops had a newer vibe too, but I could see this area pop at some point in the near future.  I like what they are doing here.

"UnCORKED! Kentucky Sports Legend Corky Withrow" by Sherrill Williams and Charles Thurman

I used to really enjoy following baseball.  I still do, but not as much as I did before.  I still enjoy a good book about a former pro baseball player. 

AND, I love books about guys who, well, didn't exactly go on to be Hall of Famers.  I think we all know the stories of Ruth and Mantle.  I love hearing stories about guys struggling through the minors.  I want to read about someone who had his cup of coffee in the Majors, and then had a career in something else later on in life.

"UnCORKED!  Kentucky Sports Legend Corky Withrow" by Sherrill Williams and Charles Thurman is one of those books.

PLUS, it is a book about a guy who grew up in Kentucky.  He hung out in some of the same areas I did (just, many years earlier).

UnCORKED! tells about Central City Kentucky's Corky Withrow.  Most of the first part of the book follows Corky through his super star high school basketball career.  I especially enjoyed reading about his encounters with schools I am familiar with in Western Kentucky.  Horrible (and hysterical) pranks are played- Corky is the victim of a terrible one himself.  He is a member of some very exciting teams, including one that could almost be called perfect.

Eventually he is able to play some college basketball though his college basketball career gets very complicated as Corky signs a professional baseball contract after high school.

The second part of the book deals mostly with his baseball career.  He has a long and interesting career in baseball, mostly in the minors though he does get to play at the highest level with the St. Louis Cardinals!

Characters you might expect pop up, including the Everly Brothers, James Best, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, and many Kentucky basketball legends. 

I want to mention again that the part covering Corky's high school basketball days was much more interesting than I expected.  The authors obviously did a ton of research into specific seasons, games, stats, etc.

This is easily one of my all time favorite Kentucky sports books.

"A Black Night for the Bluegrass Belle" by Ian Punett

When we were at the Kentucky Book Fair, I picked up Ian Punnett's "A Black Night for the Bluegrass Belle".  The very strange story of Verna Garr Taylor's murder truly makes this a must read for anyone interested in true crime in Kentucky.

PLUS, if you are interested in Kentucky weirdness....  well, the fact that Ian Punnett authored the book really adds to this tale's appeal.

I was a little familiar with the case, but I really didn't know the entire story.  Ian Punnett thoroughly covers what he thinks happened to Verna on the night that she died.  Considering those who were in the area at the time, and the questionable character of fiancé/suspect Henry Denhardt, his piecing together of the events makes a lot of sense.  Plus, Denhardt is linked to another strange death in Louisville, at the Seelbach.

There is a trial with tons of publicity, legal maneuvering, and story telling.  Notable lawyers duke it out.  There is conflict with the main suspect and his legal team.  At the end of the trial little is resolved.

BUT the story is far from over.  The victim has three brothers who are eager to close this case.

This is a very exciting telling of the events relating to Verna's death.  Names and places well known in Kentucky appear.  Legendary director DW Griffith shows up at the end.  There is a lot going on in the story.

Author Ian Punnett has a very direct connection to the case, as he is related, through his mother, to Verna.  He obviously had more access to the case through this relationship.  That fact alone gives the book a ton of legitimacy.

Pick this one one when you can!  I give it my highest possible recommendation!

"Hillbilly Jim- The Incredible Story of a Wrestling Superstar" by Gary P. West

I mentioned earlier that I got to meet Hillbilly Jim at the Kentucky Book Fair this year.  He was great!

 Well, I was pretty excited about reading his biography- "Hillbilly Jim:  The Incredible Story of a Wrestling Superstar" by Gary P. West. 

I enjoyed reading about Hillbilly Jim Morris and his life before wrestling.  The first part of the book covers Jim's high school sports career which transitions into a very shaky college basketball career. 

As a big athlete, Jim eventually gets involved in pro-wrestling.  He spends some time hanging out in Tennessee with the Lawler promotion, and he gets his first gimmick as a biker type named Harley Davidson.  He also works briefly with Stu Hart's promotion in the Canada.

Hillbilly Jim, with Gary West, covers a lot of ground in this book, including Jim's basketball career, Jim's thoughts on his pre-wrestling career gigs, and his musical talents. 

A brief history of wrestling is covered here and there too, making this a fun read for someone with little knowledge of wrestling and it's classic stars.  Morris does tell some behind the scenes stories, and he lets ya know what he thinks of many of his former colleagues.  For the most part, Jim seems careful about not talking bad about people... but he does open up about a few questionable characters (Adrian Adonis comes to mind).

Anyway, I don't want to give away any of Hillbilly's stories, but this is a fun read, especially if you grew up admiring this big hearted Kentucky giant like I did.  The book had a great, casual feel (you feel like Jim is simply telling his stories to the reader for fun with West's help).

David Warther Carving Museum

I hate to admit it, but I first thought the David Warther Carving Museum was the same museum I visited in Dover Ohio six years ago.  I thought maybe that the one in Dover had moved to Sugarcreek.

Well, these are actually two separate museums.  The one in Dover is dedicated to Ernest Warther, and it showcases many of his trains that he carved.

The one in Sugarcreek just opened within the last few years, and it is an exhibit of ships carved from ivory by Ernest Warther's grandson, David.

We arrived as the museum opened in the morning, and we were surprised and excited to discover that David Warther himself would be giving us a tour!

David (shown in the top two photos) told us about how he legally obtains his ivory.  He has the third biggest tusk set in the US on display at the museum!

He also talked about several of his favorite ships that he has built.  It was exciting to hear about his efforts to obtain the blue prints.  Many museums and individuals have been very kind and helpful to him, with a couple of small exceptions.  You should ask David about what all he has done to obtain blue prints when you visit!

One particular ship was buried in Egypt and only discovered in the last several decades.  Since it was buried in sand, it was very well preserved, Because of its great condition, model ship builders like David can make accurate replicas now!

David Warther took the time to demonstrate how he sculpts the very thin (string like) rigging used on his ships.  He does spend time carving at the museum, and there is a windowed in area where visitors can watch him doing his craft.

David Warther was very friendly the entire time, and he even gave us some great recommendations for the rest of our trip.  He gave us directions and suggestions for exploring more of the Amish sites in Sugarcreek.  He also strongly recommended we try Rebecca's Bistro in town.  he took his advice and we were very happy with everything he mentioned!

You MUST stop by the David Warther Carvings Museum in Sugarcreek.  Artists like David are becoming more scarce by the moment.  It is a very rare opportunity to get to see one person's amazing work like this in one place AND to also get to meet them.  This museum gets my highest possible recommendation.

Yoder's Amish Home in Millersburgh Ohio

I mentioned Yoder's Amish Home in Millersburgh Ohio last year.  Well, we stopped there again this year because we loved it so much. 

If you read that entry from 2015, I said that I would stop here again just to get another fried apple pastry.  Well, I got two this time, and they were just as good as last time.  And, just like last time, very polite young Amish ladies were cooking treats up as you toured the house, and you could buy them at the end of the tour.  Our friend wanted cookies that were fresh made, and the Amish ladies were very kind abut accommodating us.

On this trip, we also did the buggy ride and toured the school house.  The buggy ride was very fun, and our friendly buggy driver told us about how the Amish pick a horse and how dependable they can be.  He was funny and fun!

At the Amish school house, there was an actual local Amish school teacher who told us about how their schooling works!  This was very fascinating, and she was happy to tell us all about the school day and what is involved.  We asked about discipline.  The teacher told us that she can discipline as needed... and the fact that she can do this usually prevents her from having to!  Also, the teachers may be asked to teach again the next year, or they may not.  There is no tenure type of situation for them.

The teacher seemed very friendly and proud of what she does as a teacher.  As we left, we thought she would make a great school board leader anywhere!

The tours here aren't rushed, and there is really no set leaving time.  They have a cool farm with lots of animals too, so you can kind of take your time, hang out, and enjoy the authentic Amish vibe going on here.  Yoder's is a must stop on every trip to the area as far as I am concerned.

Sugarcreek and Walnut Creek Ohio

We are working hard on visiting various places here and there that look interesting.  There are still a ton of places on our list that we would like to see as soon as possible.

BUT there are other places that we travel to, and we realize, we need to visit as often as possible.

The Sugarcreek/Walnut Creek Ohio area fits into that category.

I mentioned this area a LOT here and here.  Since I wrote about it before, I will try not to be too repetitive......  but we just love this area.

We again stayed at the Carlisle Inn in Walnut Creek.  We had a nice suite on the 3rd floor with a great view of the rural farming area.  There was a storm one of the nights we were there, and it was so relaxing watching over the green hills from our balcony as lightning flashed in the distance.

A short walk from the Carlisle Inn is the Der Dutchman.  If you like good food, and A LOT of it, this is the place.  We went one evening and had a rib special that was perfect.  The meat fell off the bones with no effort.  Der Dutchman always has a line at popular times, but its worth the wait.

Also a short walk from the Carlisle Inn are some great gift shops, and a nice antique mall (I have had some good finds there!). 

We stopped by Sugarcreek to see the World's Largest Cuckoo Clock again.  That's always fun.

Sadly, our old Amish pal Leroy was not driving his cart around, doing his tour!  We were a bit heart broken to see the cart with a "for sale" sign on it!  I do hope that Leroy and his family are doing OK.  I would really appreciate an update from anyone who might know whats going on....  Leroy would pick up tourists in his horse drawn cart and give them a very nice tour of the Sugarcreek area.  There was no official fee charged, but he did have a tip jar.  This was a very unique experience for travelers to this part of Ohio.

AND, we got to visit one of my all time favorite café/coffee shops- Wallhouse Coffee.  It is kind of hard to put into words how much I love this place.  I talked about it before, but the place is simply perfect.  We ended up stopping by here on each day while in town, and I am already missing their smooth coffee, great sandwiches, and ice cream.  This is easily the most delicious restaurant around that is still a secret.

We are already talking about a trip to this area again soon.....