Family Visit continued...

...and the family visit continues.  Cousin Nathan, my mother's oldest brother's son, and his wife Janice recently spent a couple of days with us.  FYI, Nathan 'caught' Janice while he was serving in US military in the United Kingdom...or did Janice 'catch' Nathan?  Those Scottish women are pretty determined and very focused!  I should know given Laurie's Scottish heritage...

In my last post, we'd done a little shopping at Everhart Lumber, a furniture and decor store in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Out next stop with any first time visitors in Tellico Plains was at the Charles Hall Museum and Heritage Center.  This photo...with a handsome fully restored 1934 Plymouth as our backdrop...was taken in Building 2 at the Museum.  From the left, Nathan, my better half Laurie and yours truly.  Janice took the photo.

Among other items, Building 2 features over 400 antique telephones, 16 old-time manual telephone switchboards, a complete local moonshine still, commemorative Harley motorcycles, antique tools, and a plethora of early Appalachian homesteading artifacts.  It also offers a shopping opportunity, "The Museum Marketplace".

Laurie took this group 'selfie' in Building 2 of the museum.  From the left, Janice, Laurie and myself.  Nathan is in the back.  Our backdrop is just a portion of the more than 800 unique telephone insulators on exhibit.

Thousands of collectors covet old or antique glass insulators.  There actually is an annual National Insulator Show.  This year it will be held in June in Marlborough Massachusetts.  

I didn't take any photos in Building 1 of the Museum.  The varied displays in Building 1 includes a wide variety of items, including 350 historic firearms, antique coins and currency, office machines, and Native American artifacts.  This building also features a shopping opportunity..."Timeless Treasures".  

The Charles Hall Museum and Heritage Center is located at 229 Cherohala Skyway (aka TN Hwy 165) in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Admission is FREE!  The museum is open 7 days per week from March through December.  Phone: 423-253-8000.  Website: https://www.charleshallmuseum.com/.

Our next stop was at the Old Order Mennonite Community Farm Market near Tellico Plains.  The market is owned by the local Mennonite community and it's one of three such markets located within a reasonable driving distance from our home.  A wide variety of produce and other items are grown, raised or built by members of the community.  In addition to the produce (amazing!), they also sell jams, jellies, pickled just about everything, honey, molasses, baked goods, wooden tools, soap, and much more.

Laurie just had to stop at the greenhouse shown above.  This time of the year she always 'needs' more plants...especially herbs.  Tomato plants of various types are a big seller at the market.

Entrepreneurial...a good way to describe the members of this community!  Furniture is available in addition to all the other items for sale.  Oh yes, do you like to eat rabbits...or just have them around?  They are also for sale...as are rabbit hutches. 

Laurie snapped this photo of a Old Order Mennonite carriage moving along one of the roads near the store.  

Keep in mind that the store only accepts cash.  Don't expect air conditioning or fans...there is no electricity.  Hand cranked adding machines are used at checkout.  It is important that shoppers/visitors need to respect the modest dress code that is posted on site.  Also no photos of community members...

This is truly an old-time bucolic scene.  It's the peaceful looking valley just below the store where the people live and work.  The Old Order Mennonite Market near Tellico Plains Tennessee is located at 1472 Fairview Road.

We loaded up at the market.  Heirloom tomatoes, pickled beets, fresh bread, jalapeno cheese rolls and Laurie's favorite granola mix...2 big bags of it!  To see photos of the market, go to the following post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amishmennonitetn/posts/the-tellico-community-farm-market-in-tellico-plains-tennessee-is-such-a-pretty-p/479923548199930.  If you go to https://www.visitmonroetn.com/farmers-markets, you can view a calendar that projects what produce you can expect to find at the market on a month to month and week to week basis.

When we got home, the exhausted shoppers took a break on our screened porch overlooking the patch of wooded common ground behind our home.  Photo by Nathan as were most of the others in this posting.

Nathan had very fond memories of my mother, his Aunt Beth.  We gifted he and Janice with a couple of my mother's woven wall hangings or couch blankets as well as this ceramic/pottery bust of Grandma Estelle Sibbald Weed.  My mother did an excellent job of capturing my grandmother's features.

This final photo was taken by guess who?  Nathan at least warned me that he was taking a photo so although I'm giving him that 'walleye look', at least I'm not frowning.  Here I am in our bonus room at action central.  Computer, printer, TV, Radio/CD player and lots of family artifacts...what more could a fellow want?!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

It's All About Woodstock Virginia...

...continuing with our fall 2024 road trip through several states.  Our last road trip sights and experiences on this adventure were in the state of Virginia.  On this particular day we'd driven from Mansfield Pennsylvania down past Harrisburg and Greencastle, then a short bit through Maryland past Hagerstown and into Virginia.  Our overnight stay for this leg of the trip was in Woodstock.

 

Unfortunately, for me at least, Woodstock offers many shopping opportunities for both locals and travelers.  I don't remember what Laurie purchased at this shop but I do know that she wasn't finished shopping!  You can check out The Buttercup Gift Shop, located at 120 South Main Street, by visiting their website at https://thebuttercupva.myshopify.com/.

Just across from the Buttercup, I spotted this handsome log building at 129 South Main Street.  Fortunately neither Laurie or I assumed that it was a retail destination.  Built in 1787 this restored log structure originally was a home.  Later it was covered with weatherboard.  Not too long ago, the new owner took off the weatherboard and restored the building.  It's now the home of Nate and Main, which offers a curated selection of works by local artists as well as antique and vintage home a garden decor.  Learn more on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nateandmain/.

The Community Theater in Woodstock Virginia was built in 1940 by the Dalke family.  In addition to this theater, the family owned one other theater in Woodstock as well as others in Shenandoah County.  While most of these theaters have gone away, apparently the Community Theater has never closed.  New owners took over in 2008.  The interior is fairly intact except that there are now 3 screens/theaters offered that seat a total of 650 patrons.  Website: http://communitywoodstock.com/.

I couldn't find very much information about this handsome old home at 144 North Main Street.  Apparently it was built in the latter half of the 1800s...and it certainly has been well preserved!  As far as I could determine, it currently serves as a residence, an insurance company office and home  for a physical therapist.   

This was the shop that ended Laurie's shopping for the day!  As you can see, Three French Hens at 143 North Main Street was loaded with possibilities outside...so you can imagine just how packed with goodies this store was inside!  My downfall was another comforter for our king size bed.  It was almost pristine and while it was much less expensive than a brand new one would have cost, it wasn't exactly free either... Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Three-French-Hens-Woodstock-VA-100045482802459/.

As for the structure, it was built as a home in the late 1800s.  Before becoming Three French Hens, it has served as apartments and offices.

This handsome building at 132 North Main Street was built as a home ca 1830.  It displays both Greek revival and Italianate design elements.  At some point it served as the Intellectual Arts Building but now it's the home of a Certified Public Accounting/Business Consulting firm.

Constructed in 1877, this building also started out as a home.  With the installation of those storefront windows, the lower level has been transformed into retail space.  At one point, one entrance led to an art gallery and the other door provided entry to Shenandoah Sports.  Today, the building is the home of Traveler's Treasures...a shop that we skipped given our 'shopping expenditures' for the day.  Website: https://www.facebook.com/joystravelerstreasures/. 

FYI, Woodstock Virginia is the oldest town in Shenandoah County Virginia as well as the county seat.  It was founded in 1761.  Unlike many small towns across the USA, Woodstock has seen a steady growth in population, from 1,815 in 1950 to over 5,300 today.  

As the day faded toward night, we sought out a dining destination.  The goal was an inexpensive diner style local restaurant.  A quick search led to the Route 11 Diner at 1296 South Main Street.  Basic sign, simple exterior and a spotless interior that was almost devoid of decor...

Laurie kept her evening meal simple and basic.  As we'd had lunch, she wasn't very hungry and this  bowl of broccoli cheese soup and that nice hunk of cornbread was more than enough for her evening repast.

You know that it's a diner when they offer sloppy joes, a country ham dinner and beef liver with caramelized onions...  

Was I hungrier than Laurie?  Probably not but still I ordered a small steak with this pile of French fries.  Hey, at least the apple sauce was healthy!  Actually the steak was pretty tasty... Oh yes, I did talk Laurie into sharing a single serving of raspberry cobbler.  No photo though as we'd/I'd pretty much destroyed our dessert before I thought about taking a photo.

Our meals were just fine and the service was friendly down home style.  This restaurant is closed on Monday.  Phone: 540-459-8181.  Website: https://route11.top/.

This photo definitely out of order.  It was taken earlier in the day.  Laurie loves horses and as we drove to our Hampton Inn for the night, we spotted this race track and a number of standardbred horses pulling their drivers in their sulkies around a track.  Practice and exercise for the horses and drivers I'm sure.  Sometimes referred to as 'trotters', harness racing is about the horse that can trot the fastest without breaking pace.  Harness racing used to be more popular in the US but despite some decline, there are still 35 harness racing tracks in the USA and Canada.  Learn more about harness racing at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harness_racing.

The Shenandoah Downs Racetrack is located at 300 Fairgrounds Road in Woodstock.  This track is one of 4 harness racing tracks in Virginia.  The next series of races at this track will take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from April 26th through June 8th.  Wagering is available.  Website: https://shenandoahdowns.com/.

Fans along the rail with their race sheets

The start of the race.  Once the horses are even, the starter vehicle pulls aside.

My home town, Jackson Michigan, was a home for harness racing from 1948 until 2008 when the track at the Jackson County Fairgrounds was scheduled for demolition.  I have memories of going to the races with my mother and my stepfather.  My mother...not a 'horse person', wagered on a couple of races and won.  My stepfather...definitely a horse person even owning 3 horses including an Arabian stallion when I was in the 4th grade, wagered and, much to his frustration, was not a winner.  My mother was very amused at the outcome...

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Headed to Paris - Again!

Hard to believe that we visited Paris only 2 days earlier...Western Tennessee that is.  This time its a different Paris and in this case it is located in north central Kentucky, just a little northeast of Lexington.  We decided stop and take a look around town before heading on to our destination for the evening.  Paris had a couple of things going for it...places to shop for Laurie and Paris is horse country.  Laurie loves horses and shopping so the area fit her needs. 

This elaborate gatehouse is worthy of an entrance to a nice park or a fairgrounds.  But it serves neither of those functions.  Instead it is the gatehouse for the Paris Cemetery...which was incorporated way back in 1847.  The gatehouse itself was built of granite in back in 1862.  It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

Yes!  Paris Kentucky also has its own version of the Eiffel Tower... However this model, located at 801 Main Street, is only 20 feet tall...about a third of the height of the Eiffel Tower located in Paris Tennessee. (I borrowed this photo from the Internet)

Folks of a certain age remember the J.J. Newberry stores.  This five and dime chain of stores was founded in 1911 in Pennsylvania and at its zenith this family owned company had about 565 stores serving the northeast, southwest and western USA.  The company, which had been purchased by McCrory Stores in 1972, was completely liquidated in 2002.  

Love the fact that the old J. J. Newberry sign has been preserved and that the 1930s structure is being appropriately reused.  Located at 627 Main Street, most of the building is occupied by Ardery's Antiques and Collectables.

In general, I'm not a big shopper or fan of shopping.  However, this store occupying most of the J. J.  Newberry site, was loaded with antiques, collectables, quality recycled clothing and much more.  Lots of interesting 'stuff'.  From my viewpoint, another plus was the pricing...very reasonable...a bargain in many cases.  My purse 'addicted' better half scored a branded purse for a very nice price.

The other portion of the old J.J. Newberry's store is home to a popular local spot for coffee, breakfast and lunch.  This is Lil's Coffee House and yes, you can still experience dining at an old time dime store counter.  Talk about nostalgia for us 'older' folks!  

Lil's is open from 8 AM until 3:30 PM Monday through Saturday.  While old timey favorites like tuna salad, egg salad and chicken salad sandwiches are on the menu, so is a daily quiche, Scotch eggs and toast, tomato pie and an olive nut sandwich, along with a wide variety of coffee 'treats'.  Trip Advisor reviewers give Lil's 4.5 'stars'.  You can learn more about Lil's Coffee House at https://www.facebook.com/LilsCoffee.  

Laurie 'scored' again at Loch Lea Antiques, which is located right across the street from the old J.J. Newberry's store.  Loch Lea has a nice selection of actual antiques, not just old stuff like so many 'antique' stores offer these days.  She picked up an antique corn bread iron skillet.  I even got into the act, adding a couple of nice antique postcards to my collection.  Loch Lea Antiques is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LochLeaAntiques/.

As we cruise through small and medium size towns on our trips, murals while certainly engaging, have become commonplace.  This huge 3-story mural of legendary racehorse, Secretariat, was just completed in November of 2022.  The Paris area was home to this truly famous racehorse.  

Artist Jaime Corum started the painting on the anniversary of Secretariat's death and she finished the mural on the anniversary of his retirement to nearby Claiborne Farm back in 1973.  The mural is on the wall of the old Baldwin Hotel, that was built in 1933.  Today the old hotel is home to 6 fully equipped and furnished suites that are rented to travelers or business people for 30 days or longer.

Guess what is located right nest to that mural!  This park, which features this life-size bronze sculpture of Secretariat, was created by famous equine sculptor, Jocelyn Russell.  It depicts 'Big Red', (Secretariat's nickname), running at nearby Claiborne Farm...and its a companion piece to that huge mural.  

The park just opened in November of 2023, 50 years after Secretariat arrived at Claiborne Farm for his breeding career.  Not only does the park celebrate Secretariat, but it also pays honor to the 90 horse farms that populate Bourbon County.  Paris is the county seat for Bourbon County.  

Secretariat is considered the greatest or one of the greatest thoroughbred horses in American racehorse history.  He set many records, some of which still stand today.  To learn more about this amazing horse and his history, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(horse).

Artist Jaime Corum was at it again with another big mural during our visit.  This mural is right across the street from the Secretariat mural.  This mural depicts Curlin, another American thoroughbred racehorse.  He was the American Horse of the Year in 2007 and 2008, having won a plethora of major races during his racing career.  Per my research, this mural was completed in October of 2024.  To learn more about Curlin, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curlin.

Once again, those of us of a certain age remember structures like this one.  It was a former Pure Oil Gas Station.  Thankfully, it has been preserved and readapted as an Edward Jones office.  This former Tudor or English Cottage style gas station was built in 1926.  Back in the early days of automotive expansion, designs like this were an effort by gasoline companies to built stations that were more compatible with residential neighborhoods.

The center of Paris Kentucky includes the Downtown Paris Historic District.  This very large historic district covers more than 96 acres and it includes more than 220 contributing buildings and 15 contributing structures.  Basically, I could point my camera in any direction and I'd be recording a bit of area history... 

This handsome structure is the former Elks Lodge building.  Its located on Courthouse Square at Bank Row and Main Street in Paris.  One of the tallest buildings in town, this four stories building is a mash of Neo-classical and Romanesque Revival styles.  

Built ca 1901 as the headquarters for the local Elks lodge, it was intended to accommodate a number of uses.  The local Masonic Lodge bought the building in 1926.  In the 1940s the upper floors were home for the Bourbon Hotel and the first floor served a number of businesses until the hotel went out of business.    Neglected for many years, most recently it was refurbished in order to provide apartments for the elderly.

The 1899 Agricultural Bank Building is right across Main Street from the Elks/Masonic Building.  This structure's design is unique as it was inspired by northern European architecture.  Topping the facade, that Flemish wall dormer with its hemispheric dome pierced by oculi style windows really sets this building apart from others in town.  Architectural changes to the first floor show a Georgian modification.

I couldn't find much information about the former tenants or owners of this old bank building but it does appear that it served the banking industry for many decades.  The most recent occupant seems to have been Kentucky Bancshares, Inc.  Currently this striking building is on the commercial real estate market.  You can own this structure!  The asking price is $860,000.

The centerpiece of courthouse square is of course the Bourbon County Courthouse.  It is the dominating architectural landmark in the city of Paris.  Located on the highest point in downtown Paris, it is the fourth courthouse constructed on this site.  Ca. 1902, this Beaux-Arts building replaced an 1874 building that was destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Bourbon County is one of Kentucky's nine original counties and of course, it's best known for its historical association with Bourbon whiskey.  The county was established in 1785 from a portion of Fayette County Virginia.  In gratitude for King Louis XVI's assistance during the American Revolutionary War, the county was named after the French House of Bourbon.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.  Our next overnight stop was on the Ohio River.  

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Continuing With Our Family Visit to Omaha

Our continuing family visit started with the St. Louis Missouri area and then on up to Omaha Nebraska... We watched movies at David II and Amy's home, ate a lot of food, celebrated July 4th and generally chilled out.  Unfortunately for me, I had left my camera in St. Louis so I was hesitant to ask Laurie to take a boatload of photos for me to use with the blog site.  Maybe some of you aren't all that unhappy over my little boo boo... 

On one of the days during our visit, the plan included driving to downtown Omaha, wander through the relatively new park/activity area, and then have some dinner in a local Italian restaurant.

Amy and David II were goofing off when Laurie took this photo.  Our son and daughter-in-law do know how to have fun together!  Note: No 50 something year old adults were injured while performing on this 'dangerous' swing.

This activity area/park replaced a green strip along the edge of the center of Omaha that used to include a stream of water, lots of grass and trees.  I'm told that this concept draws more people and more families to the downtown area as there is more to do.  I preferred the old-time green park...but then again I am an old-timer.

 

The reimagined park/activity area butts up to the Old Market, a neighborhood located in downtown Omaha.  Most of the area, including its old warehouses and retail spaces along with the brick paved streets, date back to the late 1800s, up through the turn of the 20th century.  As you can see from the photo above, some buildings in the area come with old-time covered sidewalks.  The Old Market is home to all levels of shopping ranging from art, to antiques...including books, some typical tourist items and some high-end stores as well.

The Old Market area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an Historic District.  To learn more about this neighborhood in Omaha, just go to https://oldmarket.com/ and/or to  to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Market_(Omaha,_Nebraska).

It looks like Cinderella has been dropped off at the ball!  I'm sure that this fancy all white carriage, (actually named the "Cinderella Carriage", has transported a lot of little girls...not to mention newly married couples.  Tours cost between $45 to $160.  Children under 12 are free when accompanied by adults.  Website: https://www.mjcarriage.com/. 

Street performers are not unusual in the Old Market area but we didn't spot any during this visit.  So we wandered in and out of a few shops...and then it was time for dinner!

Amy and David II had selected Cibo Vino as our evening's dinning destination.  Appropriately enough, cibo e vino in Italian translates to Food and Wine.  Note the outdoor dining option.  It's a chance for folks walking by to check out what you are having for dinner...but it also offers an option to folks who want to bring their dog with them... 

Cibo Vino has a nice long bar with tons of alcoholic options lining that back wall.  Despite my lack of photos, I can testify that this is a very large restaurant.  The other news, which some may regard as positive, is that I didn't want to 'bug' my better half to take a bunch of food photos...so there just aren't any.

I can assure you that we ate well.  Cibo Vino offers 'small plates', 'starter pastas', 'entree pastas' and then a variety of dishes they refer to as just 'entrees'.  Items like grilled octopus, burrata caprese, spaghetti and meatballs (meatballs made with veal, lamb, beef and pumpernickel breadcrumbs), plus chicken, salmon, trout, shrimp and cioppino.  Although not as good as some of the restaurants in St. Louis's Italian Hill area, Cibo Vino was quite credible.  Learn more and check out the menu at https://www.cibovinoomaha.com/. 

I just 'had' to include this photo of our son at work prepping food for a meal.  I can't believe that we have a son that is old as he is!  That must mean that I am really old!

Despite his age, David II is always thinking about his elderly parent.  In this case, he knew just how devastated I was when I learned that Heinz no longer makes their ketchup with Tabasco variety.  So David II searched his local market and came up with a couple of alternatives.  I brought these 2 bottles home and have since stocked our pantry with this critical condiment.    

Both Amy and David II are really into books.  That works well for Laurie and I as we have hundreds of books ourselves.  Knowing about their book fetish, on this visit we delivered over 80 hard cover books ranging from a set of the classics to a complete set of Mark Twains novels.  This bookcase, and indeed the room, contains mementos and books that are family related.  I spotted some of my dad's books, one of my mother's paintings on the wall and a small basket my mother made on the third shelf down at the left of the photo.  

We're planning to bring more books and another piece of art on our next visit...

This rainbow seemed to be the perfect end piece for this post.  It framed the family's pool as well as the trees lining the field behind them and the American flag was a bonus.  Another great family visit!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave