Tuesday, May 19, 2020
As a hobby for entertainment,
a study of human experience, and discovery of historic people, places and
things of the past, I read history. I read the history of wherever I happen to
be at any given time.
Currently in Mississippi, I recently
read “It Happened in Mississippi”, short stories about events that shaped Mississippi,
by Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick. Ironically, one story was “Yellow Jack Invades
Mississippi”, concerning the 1878 Yellow Fever epidemic. It killed mountains of
people and spread far and wide. The similarities to our current CV pandemic
were conspicuous and alarming. Regrettably, science and medicine did not know
what was causing Yellow Fever, but they did know to quarantine. Unfortunately,
through ignorance and fear, people fled to other areas spreading the disease. The
Yellow fever epidemic ended in the Fall, with the arrival of frost, and the
last death occurring November, 28, 1878.
Some of my pioneer ancestors,
living what is now, Pike County Mississippi, died in the epidemic, so I knew a
little about it. Thankfully, the National Board of Health, and the Mississippi
State Board of Health were created in response to the 1878 Yellow Fever
epidemic and in 1951, Max Theiler developed a yellow fever vaccine to prevent
the disease. Be informed. The more you know, the better your decision making! Be
safe!
Friday, May 22, 2020
In Mississippi:
We camped at Memphis South RV
Park, in Coldwater May 9 thru May 17. We were waiting for a dry period to move
to Rose’s backyard.
We moved down to a shady spot
in Rose’s back yard on Monday, May 18. We had to install a 30-amp circuit with
a 100-ft, 10-guage electrical connector for the RV hook-up, with city water
from the house connection. We purchased a portable holding tank to periodically
move wastewater to the sewer via the cleanout access.
Monday, June 1, 2020
Got wash and fold agreement
with Gloria. She does an outstanding job with our laundry needs.
Finished May at Rose’s house,
with RV in the back yard. Had to make a new 30-amp electrical circuit for 100-foot,
10-gauge, RV extension cord and had to order a waste-water tank dumping caddy.
Wastewater dumping caddy is very compatible when connected to any outside sewer
clean-out opening.
Been working on house and
yard:
Pruned all the hedges
Raked and cleaned flower beds
Eradicated vines on trees
Cut overgrown areas with
string-trimmer
Pruned tree limbs
Snaked-out clogged bathtub
drains
Sprayed Rose Garden
Repaired/propped-up back
privacy fence
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
I enjoy reading history and
always read about the State that I happen to be in. Currently, I'm reading
Mississippi, especially North Mississippi. Reading about the case-by-case
history, it becomes apparent that a lot of people were gravely mistreated. This
occurred all around our young Nation. The Native American Indians were severely
mistreated, followed by the inhumane mistreatment of the imported slaves, and
many other ethnic groups. The scars remain and I hope that we somehow, can find
an achievable way to reconcile. An even worse outcome of all this is the
apparent disregard and disrespect for the “Rule of Law”, a
durable system of laws, institutions, norms, and community commitment that
delivers the accountability, justice, and freedom that we all so fundamentally cherish.
Gotta have it!!!
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Well, here it is, the second
Sunday in June and we remain sequestered, with uncertainties that the CV will
only get worse, before it’s over. Unfortunately, “over” for some will be a
permanent exit from this world. With all that’s going on in the minds of
people, it seems that social issues and protests are even additionally complicating
the stress-factor.
For us, early morning walks in
the cool, damp, North Mississippi mornings, is a mind-clearing and calming
exercise. Here at Senatobia, the large, blooming Magnolias produce a complex,
unmistakable fragrance. We discussed, (what is the fragrance)? Terry looked it up and learned: “Its
character, or flavour, depends on the mix of compounds in each flower, often
with a lemony linalool base. Consequently, magnolias can smell like sweet
candy, spicy verbena, tart lemon, citrus-honey or dusty violets.” Now ain’t
that a hoot! Live and learn, die and forget it all! Stay safe, yall!
Sunday, July 12, 2020
For almost the last month, we
have laid-low, avoided the risk of exposure, and just stayed at home in,
Senatobia. Days have been filled with the house-chores, yard-work, and we have
hardly had time to make any notes about our experiences. Unfortunately, I have
developed a hernia and will require surgery on July 17th. This will
be a minimally-invasive surgery, on an out-patient basis, so it will be just the
day-visit.
The surgery for HERNIA REPAIR,
INGUINAL WITH LAPAROSCOPE, went well and I was discharged the same day. In my
case, it took about three weeks for me to recover from all the procedure’s
consequences. I had swelling, pain, and urinary tract irritation to recover
from. All considered, it took the remainder of July and most of August to get
back to a normal routine.
Note: In reality, I’m stiff
favoring the surgery site, having some pain indication, at the end of August.
I’m just being cautious of lifting or placing any type of strain on the
surgical site.
Thursday, August 13, 2020
Sister Rose has made good
progress with her rehabilitation and is striving to regain her independence,
through exercises, medications, and diet. After five months with her, she is
ready to get back to her own routine and lifestyle. We have had a good visit
and it has been good for all concerned!
Ending the summer, we decided
to head up to Indiana for a visit with Terry’s kin. We departed Senatobia, and
traveled to Mousetail Landing State Park, on the Tennessee River, near
Perryville, TN. MS 4, MS 7, TN 18, and US 412 were scenic routes with narrow
lanes, but traversing picturesque, rural country. Along these routes I saw so
many historical sites that my summer readings acknowledged. My practice is
reading the history of the area that I happen to be in, and this makes the
historic sites come “alive” for me. Currently, considerable controversy seems
to be over removing Confederate monuments from public spaces, but I enjoy reviewing
the monuments, names, and references to historical figures. Therein lies many
fascinating stories!
At Holly Springs we admired
the old town, but some of the old Rust College buildings have much deteriorated
since we last saw it. My recent summer, North Mississippi historic readings,
revealed some very fascinating history of the area. Wealthy cotton planters
from the east descended on the newly opened Chickasaw lands and created some of
the finest cotton plantations of the period. Marshall County was the original
County and Holly Springs the County seat. Marshall County was established
February 9, 1836, the year in which the Chickasaw session of 1832 was divided
by the commonwealth into political organizations. It was named for Chief
Justice John Marshall and formerly included within its area a considerable
portion of present-day Benton, Tate, and Desoto counties. Here, were many
prominent families and wealthy planters. More and more white settlers came to
this area when it was found that the soil was richly fertile and cotton became
the cash crop with cultivation and harvest done largely by the slave population.
Holly Springs and Marshall County became the center of antebellum culture in
north Mississippi. These were the “flush times” of the cotton economy! Some
relics from the mule and plow days still are visible around old barns and
sheds.
Crossing into Tennessee on TN
18, was a fun-ride. Bolivar on the Hatchie River is historic and picturesque. This
is West Tennessee, one of the three major (Grand Divisions) unique regions of
the state of Tennessee. The region includes 21 counties west of the Tennessee
River and east of the Mississippi River. It consists primarily of flat lands
that have rich soil and vast floodplain areas from the Mississippi River. Observing
your travel surroundings, it’s easily seen why this part of the Mississippi
River embayment was so attractive to early settlers. It’s rich, flat land,
except for the hilly terrain which is encountered along the bluffs bordering
the Mississippi River and the land bordering the Tennessee River (known as the
West Tennessee Highlands). Hilly land in these areas is forested. Otherwise,
most of the land in West Tennessee is used as farmland. The soil in this part
of the state comes from when a prehistoric sea, dried-up and left sediment in
its place. Unlike in the rest of the state, bedrock is buried a few thousand
feet below the surface. I loved this drive and admired the land and geography.
Grand Junction, has been
called the "Bird Dog Capital of the World" and serves as the location
of the National Bird Dog Museum. It’s dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation
of bird dog, field trial, and hunting traditions. We learned that there’s a lot
to know about bird dogs! We were impressed with the amazing, lifelike, outdoor monuments
to famous bird dogs, on the “Walk of Fame”. Daisy liked walking the grounds but
was not impressed with the monuments, however, favored sniffing the trees!
Traversing the Chickasaw State
Forest is a roller-coaster, tunnel-like road through mature stands of hardwood
and pines. The Forest is dominated by stands of mature sawtimber. Primarily,
predominate timber stands are upland hardwoods in excess of 80 years old with highland
stands of southern yellow pine. We loved driving through thus forest on the
narrow road. Caution is advised on this hilly, curvy, narrow, no shoulder road,
especially when traveling in an RV.
Henderson (formerly Henderson
Station) is an old railroad town well known to Casey Jones. Rich in history and
steeped in tradition, Henderson embraces the small-town values and volunteer
spirit that made West Tennessee great. From its contributions to war, women’s
rights and music, Henderson residents prove why Tennessee is the Volunteer
State. This would be a great, picturesque, place to live in the country!
Hickory Valley is a snapshot
of the past, with the old railroad bed, a curious Sassafras Mill, and old
Indian Trail, as attractions. Hickory Valley's architecture dates back to the
Antebellum period. It was like going back in time to see this 1820 town!
Mousetail Landing State Park,
our three-night campsite, is located on the east bank of the Tennessee River,
in the state's picturesque Western valley. In the midst of the CV epidemic,
it’s nice to have on-line reservation and payment of RV campsites, facilitating
social distancing.
Tradition has it that
Mousetail Landing received its name during the Civil War period when one of the
area's hide tanning companies caught fire. The exodus of mice fleeing the
burning tannery was so profuse that the area in proximity of the park became
known as Mousetail Landing. The park setting is steep, hardwood hills, near
rocky bluffs and coves along the spectacular Tennessee River. The campground
had lots of Hickory trees and the road was covered with nuts, which popped as
we drove over them. Nearby attractions are Lady’s Bluff overlook, Cedar Grove
Iron Furnace Historic Site, and Pinckney’s Tomb Historic Site. We were totally
fascinated by these historic places! This area and the Park were so much fun,
historic, and picturesque. We loved riding the hilly, forested back roads and
enjoying the quite solitude and fresh air of the hills.
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Today, we decided to hook-up
and head north to the Cumberland River. We departed Mousetail State Park and traveled
US 412, TN 13, TN 49, and US 79, to a scenic campsite at Piney Campground on Kentucky
Lake. Now, we are in Middle Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the
41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee, east of the Tennessee
River and west of the Cumberland Plateau. It is characterized by rolling hills
and fertile stream valleys. From here, we popped into Kentucky.
Along the Middle Tennessee way,
we discovered some interesting things;
Linden and Perry County are
the first encounter on US 412, in crossing the Tennessee River into Middle
Tennessee. This is a hills and dells,
rural area with a wide range of recreational opportunities such as hiking,
boating, kayaking, canoeing, and historic sites. We rambled the mountains and
backroads and loved the peaceful serenity, beautiful creeks, rivers and vast
hardwood forests. Here I was reminded of the importance that iron ore was as a
cash revenue for early settlers. Small, home-made furnaces can be found here
and all along the Tennessee watershed. The pioneer ironmasters’ paternalistic
system that produced this useful metal in small, low-yield operations did not
require elaborate organization and was highly compatible with the self-sufficient
agriculture practiced in Tennessee, during the early nineteenth century.
Next, we followed the Buffalo
River to Lobelville, an old 1884 French Trading Post and now a pastoral little
town. We admired the scenic Buffalo River, longest un-impounded river in middle
Tennessee and the longest tributary of the Duck River. The Buffalo and Duck
rivers are famous scenic, canoe-paddling streams and there are local outfitters
to accommodate you.
At Hurricane Mills, on the
Duck River, we happened upon the Loretta Lynn Ranch about lunchtime and popped
in for a visit. What a mass of humanity today as the AMA Pro Motocross Race,
annually hosted by the ranch, was in its final day. We drove back to the mill
and house and just happened to meet Patsy Lynn and it was a real treat talking
to her.
Waverly began as a stagecoach
stop (1835), on Blue Creek, between Nashville and Memphis. A large iron furnace
and old stone structures remain from the period. It later became and remains a
railroad town. We had lunch and shopped Walmart here.
Erin city was named for Erin,
a poetic name for Ireland. In 1863, Irish workers, building the Memphis and
Louisville, KY Railroad, settled this town. According to history, “the hills
and creeks” reminded the Irish of their native Ireland and named their town Erin.
Today the town is also known as “Irish Town Tennessee.” It too has a pair of
old Iron furnaces. We admired the pretty little,” wee bit Irish” town!
Taking TN 49 from Erin, the route
forms a broad southern arc that took us on a winding, narrow, hilly, terrain, through
several rural Middle Tennessee communities to Dover, site of Civil War Fort
Donelson and the Fort Donelson National Cemetery. Some scenic views of the
Cumberland River and Lake Barkley appear along the route. I could just imagine
how it looked when Nathan Bedford Forest led his campaigns through this area.
They’re taking down all reference to him now but the fact remains that he was
an outstanding leader in the Civil War.
This entire route brought to
mind the great ingenuity of the early American settlers in this wilderness
area. They came and lived on what the land had to offer! That’s the spirit!
Thursday 8-20-20
After four splendid days at
Kentucky Lake, on the Tennessee River, we trekked north. Taking US 79, from
Dover, TN 68 to Russellville, KY, then US 68 to Bowling Green, then north on
I-65, to Cave Country Campground, at Cave City.
Clarksville, TN to Bowling
Green, KY were very scenic routes through pristine farm-country. Vast rolling
hills of corn, soybeans, hay fields, and some dark tobacco were being harvested
or nearing harvest. A little research proved tobacco to be a complicated farm
product.
At Clarksville, the huge Fort
Campbell, located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee line, is enclosed by miles and
miles of high, chain-link fence. No one gets in or out unless authorized. We
were wondering how much that fence cost!
At Russellville, we shopped
Walmart and also had a picnic lunch. We bought salad bowls and topped our
salads with Walmart Deli’s fried chicken fingers which we chopped into nuggets.
As always, a good picnic lunch in our cozy RV rig!
Russellville is a historic
1780 area, with interesting geographic features and long-standing buildings and
homes and Civil War sites. It was hot, so we didn’t get out much!
Bowling Green, home of
Chevrolet Corvettes is a hard to miss attraction, beside I-65. The Corvette
Museum is a great stop! Been there, done that!
Lost River Cave’s historic
underground network of caverns is a natural wonder and popular attraction. They
have a cave-boat tour and scheduled entertainment in the cave-room. Due to the
CV epidemic, we did not enter any risky public attractions, just admired them
from a distance and just did social-distance outdoor stuff.
Cave City is the gateway to
Mammoth Cave and a great one-night camp spot when traveling through. A small
campground on the edge of town and with a short, cut-through path to
McDonald’s! Agricultural fields and rolling hills were adjacent to the
campground. A nice, peaceful rest, with a rain overnight!
After our early morning walk,
we dashed in at McDonalds drive-thru, for a quick, picnic breakfast. I could
eat this breakfast every day!
8-21-20 Friday
On a cool morning, we
continued north to Louisville and a campsite at the North Louisville
Campground, at Clarksville, on the Indiana side of the Ohio River. Rain began
just as we set-up, so we just made dinner and stayed-in for the night and did
some research and planning for things to we wanted do in Louisville. A nice
night with good rest!
Saturday, August 22, 2020
After a morning walk along the
trails, we made a good breakfast and got ready for a day-tour around
Louisville. Having been here on many occasions, we looked for something new to
do.
First, we researched the
Frederick Law Olmsted park system.
When Frederick Law Olmsted was
commissioned to design a park system for Louisville in 1891, he was already the
acknowledged father of America landscape design, famous for his work on Central
Park in New York, the U.S. Capitol Grounds, and the Biltmore estate grounds.
Olmsted’s greatest achievement, however, was his concept of creating a system
of parks connected to/by tree-lined parkways, instead of freestanding parks as
was the common practice. His concept was most fully realized in Louisville, the
ultimate park system of his career, and one of only four completed such Olmsted
systems in the world.
We would love to walk the
entire network of parks and parkways but NOT TODAY! Just a ride-around today!
The parks are so impressive when you get the story beforehand!
Afterwards, we took a drive
around some historic neighborhoods. Our favorites were:
St. James-Belgravia Historic
District
Cherokee Triangle
Old Louisville Broadway
Anchorage
Audubon Park
Next, we drove up to Cave Hill
Cemetery and Arboretum. Labyrinthine, with 16 miles of road, and 136,000
graves, the 1848 cemetery will get you lost and we got LOST. Delightfully, with
the funerary art, monuments, trees and landscaping, we didn't mind wandering around
lost. An additional treat, is the great views of the Louisville area and the
Ohio River, from Cave Hill Cemetery. In the end, our GPS knew exactly where the
one-gate entrance/exit was! Cave Hill Cemetery was a great visit. It's also an
Arboretum with beautiful landscaping and awesome trees. (Trees are identified
with tiny plaques, so that you can learn from them)
Also got to visit:
George Rogers Clark
Muhammad Ali
Colonel Sanders
Jennie C. Benedict
Patty Smith Hill
Julian Proctor Van Winkle
and many other celebrities,
free of charge. Unfortunately, “dead men tell no tales”!
Cave Hill Cemetery contains a
variety of trees that have been recognized in local and national contests
through the years. Below is a small sampling of these trees.
Japanese Pagoda Tree Administration
Office 11′10″
Willow Oak Section
P Reserve- Lot 758 16′7″
Sweet Bay Magnolia Section
4 Lot 30 6′8″
Southern Magnolia Section
A Lot 209 12′0″
Pignut Hickory Broadway
Entrance Lawn 8′0″
Weeping Beech Broadway
Entrance Lawn 6′10″
Fern Leaf Beech Broadway
Entrance Lawn 11′1″
American Yellow-wood Broadway
Entrance Lawn 12′9″
Carolina Siverbell Broadway
Reserve ″10″
Pyramidal Japanese Yew Section
H Lot 72 5′0″
Red Horse Chestnut Section
N Lot 216 7′10″
Katsura Tree Section
5 Lot 179 8′7″
Cucumber Magnolia Section
A Lot 329 Reserve 13′7″
Pond Cypress Section
C Lot 119 5′3″
Turkish Filbert Section
3 Lot 44 5′10″
Amur Cork Tree Grinstead
Entrance Lawn 9′4″
Weeping Norway Spruce Grinstead
Entrance Lawn 3′8″
Nordman Fir Grinstead
Entrance Lawn ″6″
Weeping Balsam Fir Section
25 Reserve 2′1″
Golden Larch Section
25 Reserve 6′6″
Caucasian Wingnut Section
15 Lotus Pond 21′6″
Last evening, we took a walk
at the Falls of the Ohio River, one of our favorite spots around Louisville. The
Falls was the site where Lewis & Clark met for the 1803 Lewis and Clark
Expedition. Clark was waiting at the Falls as Lewis came from Pittsburg after much
delay in obtaining the boats. I imagined that Clark is saying to Lewis, “where
have you been?” Lewis is saying. “don’t start with me, I had to take a ski boat
with no motor, a sailboat with no sail, and a canoe with no paddles, down a
river with low water”!
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
After two nights in
Louisville, we headed north to Columbus, and took 11 nights at CERAland,
arriving Sunday 8-23-20. CERAland Park, established in
1963 as the Cummins Employees Recreation Association, started out as a
corporate recreation facility in Columbus, IN, that has 345 acres of beautiful
park land consisting of both indoor and outdoor recreational activities. CERA
(Cummins Diesel Corporation) has over 100 local community corporations that now
partner to provide the opportunity for their employees to participate and
utilize the services of CERA for discounted corporate rates. This place is the
“Disney Adventureland” of Indiana, and has an amazing array of activities and
facilities. Come camp, rent a cabin, enjoy the lake, full gymnasiums, ball
fields, ranges, aquatic center, fitness center, airplane strip, and loads of
fun and sun, surrounded by thousands of acres of Indiana beans and corn! Life
is good!
With hot days and cool nights
and mornings, we plan our days around the weather. CERA and Columbus have
everything that’s needed to entertain and entice. Because of Cummins Diesel and
many other high-tech corporations, Columbus has a good foundation and support for
the Arts and Culture.
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Today, we get to experience,
cloudy, rainy, humid weather, due to the Gulf hurricane effects in southern
Indiana. Cummins Employees Recreational Association (CERA) will be the
culmination of our 2020 summer camping season AND the end of our full-time
camping experience. We started our camping experience in 2011 and now in 2020,
we can say that it was an incredible engagement. With our camp-hosting, we had
an emersion experience in many States and many fine parks. I like to call it
the “noun experience” because of the wonderful people, places, and things that
we encountered. We have traveled, worked and/or lived in all 50 of the US
States and they are all unique. Each of the 50 states is special in its own
way. They all have unique history, geography, attractions, food, music,
culture, and any other classification to be added. When considering our
camp-hosting volunteer work, we have never met any finer, diversified group of
people. We never had a bad experience and never resigned a season assignment. Amazing
people from every walk of life. We did just about every job that
camp-volunteers can do but the specialty that we settled into was Revenue. In
Revenue, we dealt with all the aspects and activities that bring-in the money. This
offered us a very close relationship with Park Managers and Administrators,
which gave us a tremendous respect for the dedicated service that they provide
to the public. I now see Park officials in a totally different light and
appreciate the tremendous challenges that they face daily!
Now, we’re returning to the
routine of home ownership and city-living that will be quite a change, but it
is the best thing, at this point in life. Home ownership is a big decision,
investment and responsibility. We’re planning and organizing for our new
lifestyle and it is exciting. A perfect house found us quite by providence.
Now, we have made an offer,
been accepted, and have closed the deal. Columbus is a great retirement town
and we look forward to becoming part of this community of Hoosiers!
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
At CERAland in Columbus, we
have enjoyed some nice visits with Terrys Indiana kinfolks. Last weekend, Kim
and Glen, from Seymour, camped in their “Class C” motor home and we cooked-out,
visited and relaxed for two days. On Saturday, Bill and Amy came up from
Madison and we spent the afternoon just talking and laughing at our stories. It
took careful practicing of the “social distancing” policy but we were outside
and had lots of room to spread out!
On Labor Day weekend, we’ll
move down to Seymour and visit at Kim and Glen’s home. After Labor Day we’ll
ramble around, making our way back to CERAland.
Friday, September 4, 2020
Well, it’s Kentucky Derby week
and the big, annual weekend has come. The Kentucky Oaks today and the Kentucky
Derby tomorrow. Kentucky Oaks is America’s premier and most lucrative race for
3-year old fillies. Tomorrow, the Kentucky Derby, part of the Triple Crown of
racing, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont
Stakes, are the highest attended horse races in the United States. For the
first time in its 146-year history, Churchill Downs will have no spectators
present because of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m catching the “fastest two
minutes in Sports” on WAVE at Louisville.
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Moved from Seymour to Madison
today. Had a good Labor Day weekend with Kim and Glen. Took US 31, US 50, IN 7
Seymour to Madison. We took a six-day campsite on the Ohio River, at Madison
City Campground, located by the Madison-Milton bridge, which connects Milton,
Kentucky and Madison, Indiana.
Madison (1809) was a
significant river-port during the steamboat era. Most of the old buildings have
been preserved and the city has created a gorgeous river-walk along the entire
river frontage. Lying along the banks of the Ohio River, Madison, Indiana
enjoys a rich history as a river city. We love to visit Madison and walk around
the old town, watch river traffic and stroll and river-watch, along the popular
Riverwalk. Madison’s historic district is composed of 133 city blocks, which is
one of the largest national historic landmark districts in the United States.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Looking from Madison, IN,
across the Ohio River to Milton, KY, the early-morning fog has obscured half
the bridge.
After breakfast, we took a
drive over the bridge to Kentucky and then drove upriver (East) along the
Kentucky-side of the river. We saw a (1803) Richwood Plantation and the
Italianate Mansion, now a B&B with special hosting venues.
We saw an old Federal-style and
a Salt-box house, out in the river-bottom, farm-country.
At Carrolton (1792), situated
on the Ohio River at the mouth and confluence of the Kentucky River, we admired
the old Court House, homes, and historic markers. The Kentucky River is
navigable from the Ohio River, up to Frankfort, and is a very scenic and
historic river.
Thursday, September 10, 2020
This morning, we crossed the
Ohio River into Kentucky, traveled upriver to Boone County, then crossed back
into Indiana, returning to Madison. Bill and Amy joined us by following in
their car.
We spent the day rambling the
hills and hollows of Boone County, Kentucky. Riding the backroads along the
Ohio River was scenic and thrilling. Thrilling, because the hills are steep,
and the roads are narrow, with precipitous drop-offs.
We visited the Big Bone Lick,
a place that remains remote and captivating. Big Bone Lick is recognized as the
key to understanding the life of the Ice Age on the North American continent
over 10,000 years ago. We walked the trails, saw some big bones, and took some
pictures, followed by a nice picnic lunch, under the diverse hardwood grove.
After lunch, we cruised down
the Ohio River road through Gallatin County and some picturesque communities,
past corn, soybean, tobacco, and hemp fields. Along, the river were all manner
of camps and resorts, from shacks to manors. It’s easy to picture Daniel and
Squire Boone, Simon Kenton, and John Stewart, as they explored these hills,
hollows, savannas, and prairies of Kentucky.
We crossed the Ohio River at Markland
Dam, crossing the dam and locks and entering into Switzerland County, Indiana, on
the north bank. Driving the river road on the Indiana side, we observed huge
corn, soybean, tobacco, hay fields, and grape vineyards, with camps and resorts
along the river bank.
Switzerland County was formed
in 1814 and named for the home country of many of the early settlers. Industrial
wine-grape production in Switzerland County earned the area the title "The
Rhineland of America".
A real fine ride-around,
look-around, and walk-around today!
Friday, September 11, 2020
This morning, we took our
daily walk and decided to walk from Indiana, over to Kentucky, a distance of
about two miles via the bridge-pedestrian-walkway. A concrete, 5-foot, cantilevered
pedestrian-only walkway traverses the Ohio River and offers splendid views from
high above the river. On Wednesday, a dense fog covered the river valley, so I
decided to hike the bridge-walkway. It was a surreal experience, suspended high
above the Ohio River, surrounded by sounds of nature and activity, masked by
restricted visibility. It was an exhilarating experience!
Saturday, September 12, 2020
The Madison City Campground
was full today and the weather was warm and humid. We decided to have a picnic
at Clifty Falls State Park with Bill and Amy. We have visited Clifty Falls many
times, with day-trips, camping trips, and diners at the beautiful Clifty Inn Lodge
overlooking the Ohio River valley.
Clifty Falls State Park is
located near Madison. The park’s waterfalls change moods with the weather and
the seasons and can range from roaring plunges to delicate bridal-veil mists to
gleaming frozen titans. Clifty Creek’s stony bed is littered with fossil
remnants telling of a long vanished marine ecosystem that teemed with life
including ancient corals, ancestral squids, brachiopods and more. It’s one of
Indiana’s best kept secrets. The Clifty Inn & the Falls Restaurant offers
superior lodging, meeting rooms, down home cooking, warm hospitality, an indoor
pool, and awesome vistas.
The park was crowded with
hikers, and other visitors, so we found a secluded, shady spot, with a nice
picnic table, and enjoyed our fried-chicken picnic with Amy and Bill. It was a
good outing and a good visit!
Sunday, September 13, 2020
A rainy, warm, humid Ohio
River morning greeted us today. We decided to make an early Walmart shopping
trip, preceded by a McDonald’s breakfast. Returning
to our site at the Madison City Campground, we planned to enjoy our last day in
the Madison visit.
Madison is a great historic
town that is on the banks of the scenic Ohio River! It has a vast amount of
19th and early 20th century buildings and homes and a great selection of shops.
We enjoy watching the riverboats passing, pushing their barges, loaded with
innumerable cargoes. Using my marine radio, I talked to some tow-boat captains
as they passed up or down river, driving a tow. We still have our marine radio
from our live-aboard experience on the Mississippi River. Madison and the Ohio
River draw tourists like a magnet, with something different for all seasons!
53 L&D on the Ohio River
Monday, September 14, 2020
This morning, after a good
breakfast, we packed-up and headed to Columbus and CERAland. We took IN 7 north
from Madison to Columbus and enjoyed a picturesque, farm-country drive. Enjoying
the cool, fall-like morning, we had the windows down and Daisy got to “fly her
nose” to her satisfaction. Along the way, we set-up our walk-thru meeting at
the new house.
At CERAland, we moved on to
our reservation site (240) and it’s perfect for this time of year. Sunny early,
and shady for the remainder of the day.
Tue. 9-15-20
Had closing process on our house
and spent afternoon at house doing preparation for move-in. Sold travel trailer
on Fb Marketplace.
Wed. 9-16-20
Packed trailer contents for move-out/move-in.
Thur. 9-17-20
Moved trailer contents into
house. Delivered trailer to buyer and did walk-thru.
Friday, September 18, 2020
Opened bank account. Shopped
Kroger. Spent the remainder of day at house unpacking, organizing. Cool, breezy
Fall day.
September 19, 2020
UHAUL Medium Moving Boxes 3
cubic feet $1 each
Thursday, October 1, 2020
On the first day of October,
with a cool, clear morning, it felt like Fall. We decided to grab a Starbuck’s
coffee and head over to Brown County and the hills and hollows of Nashville,
Indiana. At historic Nashville (1836), we walked the quaint little village,
admired the Fall decorations on the streets and in the attractive shops, and
took pictures. A delightful little town with many original log cabins, and
subsequent Victorian homes, now house the eclectic shops and restaurants. The
town, close to nearby Indiana University, is best known as the center of the
Brown County Art Colony and as a popular tourist and party destination. After
our morning walk at Nashville, we hit McDonald’s for a quick, drive-thru
breakfast, then drove over to Brown County State Park.
At Brown County State Park,
the largest State Park in Indiana, we took the trans-park-drive through the hardwood
wonderland. Nicknamed the “Little Smokies” because of the area’s
resemblance to the Great Smoky Mountains, Brown County State Park encompasses
nearly 16,000-acres of rugged hills, ridges, and fog-shrouded ravines. The
Brown County State Park is a traditional fall color hot-spot, with nearly
20-miles of tree-lined roads and many scenic vistas overlooking miles of
uninterrupted forestland. Fall colors were beginning and we checked-out all the
stops and overlooks. It was a stunning sight this morning!
Fall Colors in Indiana:
Each Fall, Indiana is
blanketed with a rich tapestry of reds, oranges and yellows from the variety
and abundance of hardwood trees. Throughout October, thousands are drawn to
state parks to gawk or leaf-peep at, and take photos of the changing leaves. My
favorite time is early morning, with the trees backlit by the morning sun.
There are the yellows and
golds of poplars, the vibrant reds from native sumacs, while maples add a touch
of vivid orange. There are more than 100 native tree species in Indiana, not to
mention all the shrubs, so Fall colors are spectacular in the Hoosier State. Now’s
the time!
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
My, how time flies! We have
been busy with house-projects, so the days just fly-by. We have moved
electrical and cable TV outlets higher-up the walls, in order to position them
closer to TV mounts and to hide the outlets and wires. I’m also planning to add
some outside floodlight with convenient inside switches.
We have done a lot of cleaning
and spruce-up projects on the house which really look good. Over the past few
weeks, we have furniture-decorated the rooms with new beds, night stands, drapes,
couch/ottoman, end tables, desk, plus bathroom fixtures and furnishings. All of
these items have come to our door by on-line shopping. A great shopping option!
The weather has been cool and the
Fall colors have been fantastic but recent rain and wind have put lots of
leaves on the yard, creating an on-going, leaf-raking project.
We take our daily walks on the
Columbus trails and get our exercise while enjoying the trees, landscaping,
wildlife, and various architecture along the route.
We have enjoyed some good
social-distancing visits with family and friends. We’ve had bring-your-own,
picnic meetings in the parks and fellowship, wearing masks and with ample
distancing.
Thursday, October 22, 2020
This morning, we closed the
loop on our Columbus loop-trail. We’ve been regulars on the trail and have
covered the entire thirteen miles in the last few weeks. Walking one mile out
and returning to our starting point each time, means we walked 26 miles. Now,
we move on to other trail challenges and opportunities in the area.
Saturday, October 24, 2020
This morning, we began a
walking tour of the architecture and landscaping in Columbus. On our first
outing of this challenge, we did a lot of stopping and picture-taking, and we
also did a coffee/muffin take-out at a bakery we walked by. If this sets a
precedence, we’ll have to make this waking tour a now-and-then thing. Anyway,
we’d like to share some photos of the architecture and landscaping, as we work
our way (walk our way) through this challenge.
Columbus is a great place for
us and we are staying busy learning about our new home-town. This is another
great “noun-experience” for us with the people, place and things.
Unfortunately, sister Rose has
had a fall and broke her leg, so I will be going down to Senatobia to be her
care-giver.
Rose fell on November 10.
Rose had surgery on November
13.
Bob arrived in Senatobia on
November 14.
Rose remained in Baptist
Hospital Desoto and entered Rehab
Rose came home on November 24.
Monday,
November 23, 2020
Today, I took a day-trip out
east to Ripley, county seat of Tippah County, Mississippi. Ripley is located in
the Hills region of the old 1832 Chickasaw Cession land of North Mississippi,
acquired by the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek.
This area later became an
important region for the birth of American music. The area is known as
birthplace of the hill country blues. Cotton is still king but now they harvest
5-thousand-pound rolls, wrapped in green plastic.
Colonel William Clark Falkner,
(1825-1889) great-grandfather of authors William Faulkner and John Faulkner,
was a prominent resident of Ripley in the mid to late-19th century. Colonel
William Clark Falkner's exploits in and around Ripley served as the model for
William Faulkner's character of Colonel John Sartoris. (Not sure when they
added the “U”) I visited Colonel William Clark Falkner and his first wife
Holland Pearce (?-1849) today, and they are still dead. My impression was that;
he got rich after Holland died and never improved on her grave marker, but his
marker is colossal and overlooks his old railroad.
I took the backroads and it
was like going back in time. I traveled on some roads that were familiar to
Nathan Bedford Forest ("Wizard of the Saddle"). Had a fine, sunny day
in the Chickasaw Cession!
Thanksgiving with Rose was
good and we had McDonald’s for lunch. Being sequestered, we got reacquainted,
after any years of brief holiday-visits and fleeting vacation trips.
I tested positive for COVID-19
and Rose tested negative. Covid was a difficult experience for me, try to be a
care-giver and struggling to do simple chores. Fortunately, I recovered without
hospitalization or serious complications but symptoms still persist.
I had about 12 days of COVID-19
illness and continue to have symptoms, but no longer contagious. Thankfully
Rose was symptom-free and did not get Covid-19.
We continue making medical
appointments with Rose and she is making good progress.
Dr. Gupta schedules a
bronchoscopy for Rose on a COPD lung issue.
Christmas 2020 found us
sequestered, so we had a quite Christmas holiday at the house. Rose’s 80th
birthday on December 8th brought her a huge stack of birthday cards
from friends and family. This was a little secret campaign that Marilyn and I
executed by spreading the word through social networks. Rose was elated and
saved every card to enjoy over again. Nothing like loving friends and family!
This posting will be the end
of my notes for 2020, so I’ll try to catch up with notes in 2021. What a
challenging year 2020 has been, with COVID-19 virus, hostile politics, and
shook-up people acting-out, we have demonstrated that we can overcome the
negative with the positive spirit. See you in 2021!
