Etowah Mounds

Etowah Mounds
Etowah Mounds in the Georgia State Parks systems.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Bransford Family Cemetery Tour Mammoth Cave Kentucky February 2024


I really enjoy every visit to Mammoth Cave, and I am always discovering new things in and around the park.  Here is a video of our recent visit to the Bransford Family Cemetery....  a very short drive from the visitor center.

This family has been associated with the cave since it's very early mapping.  Mammoth Cave National Park offered free ranger guided tours to and of the cemetery for February.  I was thrilled to take advantage of the offer!


Saturday, March 16, 2024

"The Vice President's Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn" by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers

"The Vice President's Black Wife" is one of the more interesting books I have found in some time relating to presidential (or vice presidential) history.  This one starts out with a bang and keeps going.  Author Amrita Chakrabarti Myers goes down a rabbit hole that gets more interesting with each chapter...  and at the end, more rabbit holes are revealed.

Kentucky has only had a few sons that have gone on to be VP (Richard Johnson, Alben Barkley, and John Breckenridge).  Well, Richard Johnson was (and still is) very controversial.

During a time when interracial relationships were very much frowned upon in society (think 1830s and the next few decades) this politician had a black wife....  who was also owned by him as a slave.  Let that sink in for a while.

At first one might view Johnson as a progressive individual, way ahead of his time... but proceed with cation.  The author of this book uncovers some letters and possible evidence that several of his young female slaves were partners/wives at various times, and he had children with them.  Some close to the situation reported that one wife (and children she had with Johnson) were sold by him.

I know, I know, you probably have many questions right now.  Amrita goes after the answers in this one.  Had he REALLY married his slaves?  What happened to the descendants?  How had a Kentuckian, living openly with a Black wife (and their daughters) advanced to the office of VP?

The author covers this area, while also (and mainly) trying to investigate who Julia Chinn was and why she is important.  Why is it that the wife of a United State Vice President is in an unknown burial spot?

Get cozy for this one, and read slow.  There is a lot going on in this volume.
 

Friday, March 15, 2024

Frogman Festival Loveland Ohio March 2nd 2024



Check out my video....  man did we have fun at the 2nd annual Frogman Festival in Loveland Ohio!

There were lots of authors, artists, costumes, etc.....  I really like this town, and this event!







Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Upland Brewing Company December 2023


Check out Upland Brewing Company in Indianapolis!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

"Erie Florida: Chilling Tales from the Panhandle to the Keys" by Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz

I wanted to quickly mention the book, "Eerie Florida:  Chilling Tales from the Panhandle to the Keys" by Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz.....  This is a GREAT book with a lot of heart.

I have read a ton of strange/weird/ghost type books, and some are slopped together with little effort.  That is not the case with this nice volume.  These guys care about their state and its history.  They are efficient with their words too, giving you a lot of stories and information for your money.  There are over 20 chapters each covering an interesting legend in Florida.

They cover some well known spots.......  I think we all know about Cassadaga and St. Augustine, and they cover those areas, while still adding some lesser known tales relating to those locations.

The authors cover a lot of ground, telling about what they know, recommending other books, and mentioning some of the better tours/ghost walks they have done.  I was impressed with one story, ending with Muncy and Schultz not being able to get a boat captain to take them to a specific location because of its legend.

I could go on and on about this one, but make this one a must read before your next visit to Florida!

I was lucky enough to get my copy signed by the authors at the recent Frogman Festival!
 

Monday, March 11, 2024

Hardinsburg Indiana 2023

Another great Southern Indiana town we drove through recently was Hardinsburg!

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Concert Memories: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Evansville, Indiana 11/5/1993

Oh, it is hard to believe that this one was OVER 30 years ago....  I feel old.  I believe Brother Cane opened and then a later version of Bad Company played, and then finally Lynyrd Skynyrd came out.

This was another show at the now non existent Roberts Stadium.  We were standing on the floor and fairly close to the stage.  My pal Brent took extra sets of ear plugs with him, and I was glad.  My ears were about to bleed with the sound system that night.  I have seriously been to hundreds of concerts over the years, and this was one of the very few times I remember the levels being jacked up so high.

I really remember all 3 bands sounding great, and loud.  Brother Cane had a hit at that time, and I always enjoyed Bad Company.  I think we knew just about all of the Skynyrd songs.

We had a really good time.

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Fredericksburg Indiana 2023


And we made a quick drive through Fredericksburg, Indiana!

Friday, March 8, 2024

Moonshine Still In Kentucky

This postcard says-

Back in the hills and in the deep woods, the mountaineers have their own distilleries making powerful moonshine called "Mountain Dew".

It is unused and undated.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Palmyra Indiana 2023

And a quick drive through Palmyra Indiana!

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

"Moving Shadows" by Mark Andrlik

My pal Mark Andrlik just put out his third book, "Moving Shadows."  They are all connected, but you don't have to read all of them to understand the others, for the most part.  I will say that this latest volume pretty much ties everything up, but the last couple of pages make it clear that the story is not over.

Mark is writing Christian fiction, but I think that even the not so religious would appreciate Mark's writing.  It is descriptive and has a good flow.  His books have a very nice pace and they are pleasantly weird.

Think about a big powerful corporation, with a leader who has no problem "taking out" former employees that aren't loyal.  One former employee goes out trying to bring his old boss, and company down.  There are twists, backstabbing, and assassinations.  

The characters relationships are complicated, and you are never sure if an old friend can still be trusted.

This book clocks in at a hefty nearly 350 pages, but it is a hard one to put down.  You will enjoy it!

Paoli Indiana December 2023


And here is a quick drive through part of Paoli Indiana!

Sunday, March 3, 2024

New Salisbury Indiana 12 30 2023


While in Southern Indiana, we drove through New Salisbury!  There is a Morgan's Raid connection!

Friday, March 1, 2024

International Paranormal Museum and Research Center Somerset Kentucky 02...


Oh man, we finally made it to the International Paranormal Museum and Research Center in Somerset Kentucky!  AND, they are about to move to a new location down the street, so we were able to see it at its original location!

I was really impressed...  the place is fascinating, and they are doing a lot with their space....  Check out my video!



Thursday, February 29, 2024

The old "Tropical Breeze Aquarium and Pets" in Owensboro Kentucky


 Man, when I was a kid, I had several aquariums full of fish.  Seriously, it was crazy.  I had a 55 gallon, a couple of 30 gallon tanks (one was salt water) and several 10 gallon tanks.  I might talk more about this some time...  but I really enjoyed them.

Sometimes on weekends, my dad and I would go out and visit just about every pet store around in Owensboro.  Danny's was probably my favorite.  I was there all the time.  A knowledgeable family ran the place and I always loved talking to them.  Their prices were good too.

Annette's was always a winner too.  She was a very nice lady and always had interesting fish and aquarium critters.  

Other shops would come and go.  I remember E & L Pets by the old Lincoln Mall, then they would move later on.  They still have a Madisonville location.  There was a pet shop in the Rockport area I remember visiting a time or two.

Tropical Breeze was over by Gabe's Tower.  At some point, I got this coupon for 10 percent off of everything.  I don't remember how I got it, but it was reusable.  I carried it in my wallet for some time.

I found this one while flipping through a very old scrap book recently.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

The Chattanoogan Hotel, Chattanooga Tennessee 2023


We had a very nice stay at the Chattanoogan Hotel in Chattanooga Tennessee!


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Concert Memories: Foreigner- Owensboro, KY 07/23/1993

 Foreigner in Owensboro....  This was one of the earlier concerts I remember going to at the Big E.

I think I went to almost all of the shows that I went to there with my pal Vernon.  The shows were kind of general admission, and my friend Vernon had a pal that worked at the Executive Inn.  He would always say hi to the guy, and we were almost always set close to the front.  We were set at a front table for this show, but Lou Gramm got mad at the security telling people to set down (and not dance around or stand), so he told the audience to feel free to get up, stand, move around...  and the fans sure did.

I remember Foreigner sounding great and the audio being perfect.  I was surprised at how small of a guy Lou Gramm was.

My Grandma lived walking distance from the legendary hotel that sadly no longer exists...  and it was nice parking at her place and walking to see a show.

Was anyone else at this show?  I wasn't taking pictures back in the 90s the way I do now, so I don't have any pictures, but I still have the ticket, and the memories!


Monday, February 26, 2024

Mississippi State University 2023


We stopped by Mississippi State University on our recent road trip!  

Sunday, February 25, 2024

"Horror Guide to Florida" by David Goudsward and Scott T. Goudsward

"Horror Guide to Florida" was ANOTHER great bargain I found underpriced at Half Price Books!

David and Scott T. Goudsard have put together a strange and great reference for horror fans visiting Florida.  They haven't over saturated the book with a ton of mainstream horror movies either.  There are lots of literary and real life places mentioned.

Interestingly, they cover fictitious Florida towns from film and literature too!

This is just a good reference book for road trippers to keep on their shelf.  Being me, I read it straight through taking notes.  On my next Florida road trip, I will now be looking for filming locations seen in the Creature from the Black Lagoon Films....  I can take an air boat tour associated with a couple of horror films, and I can look for locations used in Edward Scissorhands!

I also learned about a cult now associated with a state park!

I learned some interesting Florida related facts concerning Maurice Gibb (and a score he did for a movie) and Stephen King.  Also, as the authors discuss literature, I have added some interesting books to my reading list!

This is just a very uniquely done book....  I admire it's originality.  It gets my highest possible recommendation

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Confederate Cemetery and other Civil War Buildings on the Ole Miss Campus


Ole Miss has a lot of ties to the Civil War...  including a Confederate Cemetery.

Friday, February 23, 2024

Movie: "Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis"


 After our adventure driving through Mississippi, I picked up the DVD copy of "Mysterious Circumstances:  The Death of Meriwether Lewis".  I saw a huge banner for the movie in Baldwyn Mississippi- I believe some of the movie was produced there.  AND, we visited the actual death and burial site of the legendary explorer.

Plus, as a fan of the "Dukes of Hazzard" I saw that John Schneider was in the film!

I should mention I saw some not so favorable reviews of the movie....  but, who cares?

The film is a bit unconventional.  It kind of tells the same story in several different ways, speculating how the death of Lewis went down.  It is still a big mystery to this day.  I liked the way that the film handled covering a lot of ground, and I ended up really enjoying this one.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

"Ghosts of Madison Indiana" by Virginia Dyer Jorgensen

Madison Indiana is simply one of my favorite little communities.  I would say that if you have ever been there, it is probably one of your favorites too.

So, I was glad to find a copy of "Ghosts of Madison, Indiana" by Virginia Dyer Jorgensen.  Its another book that has been out there for some time (it came out in 2012) that I personally JUST discovered.

This book is one of my favorite type of "ghost" books.  There are a lot of short chapters, packing in a lot of locations.  The author even discloses her own home's haunted past!

The book is packed with weird and strange stories, including a suicided at a funeral parlor, the unsolved murder of a sheriff, and tales of grave robbing (and forgotten burial sites!).

There are some interesting Civil War connections, something that always gets my attention.

Jorgensen gives names and info on pretty much all of the places she mentions, AND address are given too!  You could do your own ghost walk through town with this one.

You KNOW I will be taking this one with me next time I am in Madison!
 

"The Battle of Brice's Crossroads" by Stewart L. Bennett

I picked up a signed copy of Stewart L. Bennett's "The Battle of Brice's Crossroads at visitor center in Baldwyn.

Bennett makes the battle easy to understand, and the book has a very nice flow.

Roughly, Sherman was hoping that the CSA's Nathan Bedford Forrest could be kept occupied and away from his forces and plans....

The Federals had General Sturgis available for the job, who had mixed reviews as far as success goes.  He would keep Forrest occupied, but he would ultimately suffer an embarrassing defeat at this battle.  Like many union leaders, he would greatly overestimate his opponents numbers.  

Forrest, of course, was great at fooling his opponents into thinking his forces were much bigger.  Art the end of the day, his roughly 3500 man force chased and soundly defeated a US force of around 8000.  Sturgis would report that Forrest must have had 15-20,000.

The heat and mud worked against the soldiers, specifically the federals - but the crafty Confederate Forrest was the star of the fight.

Bennett gives all of the important details of the battle and I am really glad I picked this volume up about the Battle of Brice's Crossroads.

 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Baldwyn Mississippi 2023


Baldwyn Mississippi was a great little town we were lucky enough to find on our recent trip through the great state.