Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument 2025

In April of 2025, while on our Arizona road trip, we visited Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument!

Harpeth Hotel Franklin Tennessee December 2025

A great hotel right in the middle of everything in Franklin Tennessee is the Harpeth!  It is especially nice at Christmas!

Bailey Jaynes Bakery Williamstown Kentucky 2025

Check out Bailey Jayne's!  Its just a couple of miles from the Ark Encounter in Williamstown Kentucky!

The Fashion Mall at Keystone Indiana at Christmas 2025

We made our annual visit to the Fashion Mall at Keystone, pretty much in Indianapolis Indiana!  They have a great mall Santa, and the place is always festive at Christmas!!!!

Porcupine Show at the Ark Encounter December 2025

We enjoyed a porcupine show while we were at the Ark Encounter!

Williamstown Kentucky December 2025

The Ark Encounter is in Williamstown Kentucky,,,,,  Make sure you check out the downtown area when you visit.

Java Station 56 Scottsburg Indiana Christmas 2025

A favorite coffee shop in Indiana was decorated nicely for Christmas this year!  I love this place!

Christkindlmarkt Carmel Indiana 2025

We were able to visit the perfectly German Christmas Christkindlmarkt in Carmel Indiana again this year!

Ark Encounter in Williamstown Kentucky December 2025

And, here is a quick look at our most recent visit to the Ark Encounter!

Hampton Inn Williamstown Kentucky- Ark View Rooms!

We had an "Ark View Room" at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Williamstown Kentucky, right next to the Ark Encounter!

Ararat Ridge Zoo and Christmas Lights at the Ark Encounter 2025

Here is a quick look at the zoo at the Ark Encounter and some of the Christmas lights!

Ark Encounter Light Show 2025

Here is a look at the 2025 light show at the Ark Encounter!

Petrified Forest Arizona 2025

We had a great visit to Petrified Forest in Arizona in April 2025!

Walnut Canyon National Monument Arizona 2025

One of the many great National Parks we visited in Arizona was Walnut Canyon!

Random Thoughts on Friday (Breathe 2am)

 Anna Nalick's "Breathe (2am)" came on the other day.  I like that song.  Seems like it just came out the other day.  I still kind of think of it as a new song.

As far as songs I like go, it is a fairly new song, though I just looked it up.  It is over 20 years old.

It is one of those songs that brings back a memory.

Some songs remind me of a road trip, or a high school dance...  maybe seeing a movie with some friends when I was a kid.  "Breathe" reminds me of interviewing for a job- and as much as I hate to admit it, it was about 20 years ago.

I had a job.  Not to get too detailed, but it was a job I liked.  I enjoyed it.  I liked the people.

A professional acquaintance liked what I was doing at my job.  They set up a meeting with some people at another job.  I didn't know a lot about that job, but I knew it was similar to what I was doing.  And I knew the pay was a lot better.

Let me skip ahead a bit, because the end of the story is not the point of the story.  I had a great interview.  I took the job.  It was a good job.  I was there for a while- until I left the area.

BUT, I drove to the potential new employer's office for that meeting/interview.  I had to park in a parking garage and walk a bit to get there.  I was nervous and anxious.  I felt like I was about to cheat on my current job.  I know, I had to do what was best for me and the fam, but it felt kinda wrong at the time.  

As I pulled into the parking lot in that garage, "Breathe" was on the radio.  "Just breathe" was the best advice I could have before going to that interview.

Sometimes you just have to relax, focus, and breathe.

Hampton Inn Downtown Owensboro 2025

We watched the Owensboro Christmas Parade from the Hampton Inn Downtown!

Owensboro Christmas Parade 2025

We took in the Owensboro Christmas Parade from the Downtown Hilton!

Random Thoughts on Friday: The Death of Todd Snider

I just wanted to make a brief mention of the passing of singer/songwriter Todd Snider.  I always thought of him as a folksy alt country type.

It looks like his death is still somewhat mysterious and he died at a relatively young 59 years.

He wasn't one of my favorites, though I liked him a lot.  I did get to see him live, a couple of decades ago.  He opened up for 10,000 Maniacs at a club in Columbus.
 

I have mentioned before that the Maniacs are one of my all-time favorite bands, and in the early 00s, I would go see them any chance I could.

We were totally unfamiliar with Todd at the time, but we were seated at a table with a couple of fun guys who were there just to see Todd.  He had his following too.

He played with passion and heart and was very original.  I remember picking up a couple of his CDs a few days after the show.

The show gets sweeter in my memory as time goes by, 10,000 Maniacs were great that night, AND they had a great opening act.

The club was wallpapered with flyers for the show, and I would walk out with one (see photo) a favorite souvenir from the night.

Montezuma's Castle, Arizona

Sent in 1953, this postcard shows Montezuma's Castle.

634 Coffee and Cafe Bainbridge

We had a great visit to 634 Coffee and Cafe in Bainbridge Ohio!

Chapel of the Holy Cross Sedona Arizona 2025

Here is a quick look at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona Arizona!

Random Thoughts on Friday- The Newspaper

 I have been thinking lots about that great, old source of news- the newspaper.  Remember those?  It's strange to think that a new generation has come up with out this in their lives.

I do remember being young and fishing around for the comics section.  As I got older, I would check the sports section to see how my favorite baseball teams were doing in their division.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to travel a lot, there was a time when I would look forward to getting the newspaper at a hotel!  This was kinda big at one time.  Often, a local and/or national paper would be left by your door or even slid under it for you to look at in your room that morning.  This was great, especially in the days before the internet, or even before everyone had the internet on their phone.  

If we were on the road seeing a concert or a minor league baseball game, I would always save the coverage of the event we were in town for.  It was like a bonus souvenir of our trip.

It was interesting reading the local papers too, just to see what was going on in the area.

Now, sometimes you MIGHT find a few copies of a paper in the lobby of the hotel, but its not the big deal it used to be.

Millers Furniture, Bakery and Bulk Food West Union Ohio 2025

There is a great Amish community in southern Ohio.  Miller's is one of the Amish businesses that I love- they are famous for their pretzels, donuts, and sandwiches.  

Montazuma's Castle, Arizona

Montezuma Castle- National Monument. Prehistoric Indian ruins, 54 miles east of Prescott, Arizona.

Montezuma Castle Arizona 4 2025

We had a great visit to Montezuma Castle in Arizona in April, 2025!