July in Kentuckiana - Madison IN Antiques

I spent most of July along the Ohio River, between Kentucky and Indiana. As a Chemical Engineer working in the industry, I know the Ohio River Valley well, having lived close to its banks for most of my career. This region, between Louisville and Cincinnati, sits deep along the water, flanked by picturesque hills and dotted with small communities along the winding scenic Ohio River byway. The larger town of Madison, Indiana, takes advantage of its historic position along the Ohio by developing a commercial Riverfront and quaint Main Street with numerous antique shops, unique restaurants and cafes. 

After a morning hiking in nearby Clifty Falls State Park in the heat and humidity of July, I was ready for sustenance. I found myself walking into the G.H Coffee Shop and Cafe where I enjoyed a nice iced coffee and breakfast sandwhich in their outside seating. From there, I walked up and down Main Street, mainly window shopping since many stores hadn't opened (it was Sunday morning). This caught my eye in one of the window displays:

I fixated on the cat to verify he wasn't a stuffed animal and caught the rise and fall of his breath. Later, when this store opened, I looked again and sure enough, it was time to go to work for this guy:

I found the street alleys adorned with murals:



As shops started to to open, I ventured inside, scanning the odd antique collections. I enjoy the nostalgia of "old stuff" but never buy anything - until a thought formed in my head - to see if I could find an antique camera. My strategy - walk into a store, ask the proprietor if they had any cameras. If they answered 'no', I would immediately leave (no point putzing around!). Most stores' offerings were limited to those cheap, plastic, point and shoot automatic film cameras, circa 1980's. Then I came upon a store with a treasure trove of interesting stuff - a Kodak Brownie, a Kodak DuaFlex and this beautiful Canon AE-1 Program body:

Obviously, I bought the Canon. It is in mint condition and now sports a 50mm lens. I have two rolls of Kodak Ektar coming so a new facet to photography begins for me.


I ended my visit to Madison with a walk along their waterfront and taking photos of interesting postal boxes adorning the historic homes in town.




I enjoyed my afternoon in Madison and would visit again.

July in Kentuckiana - Clifty Falls State Park

July flew by in a flash and we now find ourselves in an angst-ridden August, faced with the impending start of the school semester. Each day brings new cases of Covid-19, scrapped then re-vamped plans, vacillating between in person and online course instruction. We deal with the changes by going with the flow, being patient and knowing in our hearts things will all work out OK.

Last month we delivered our daughter to her new venture in Dallas. We traveled there during the height of the city's spike in cases but experienced responsible citizens wearing masks and adhering to social distancing guidelines. This weekend we will transport our son back to St Louis and once again have an empty nest.

Other than the short weekend trip to Dallas, I spent July in "Kentuckiana" (Kentucky and Indiana) for work. My company has a greenfield (brand new) facility in Kentucky and I was there to help with the commissioning and start up of the automation systems. Even though the long hours and days morphed together, starting up a brand new facility is a rare opportunity - I learned a lot from the experience.

On my first day off (I think I ended up with a total of 2 days off during my tenure), I ventured to Clifty Falls State Park in Madison Indiana, about a 40 minute drive from my hotel. Along the Ohio River, the park winds through lush greenery, along cliffs and boasts seven little water falls. At the bottom of the 300 foot deep canyon, the Little Clifty creek flows. I spent several hours traversing various hiking trails in complete solitude, a wonderful respite from my harried days at work.

Clifty Falls

 

Tunnel Falls

 

I had such a nice time in the park I ended up going back three weeks later and I brought a couple of co workers with me. We hiked different trails on the southern end of the park and ended up in the Little Clifty Creek. The area experienced significant rainfall two days prior, so the creekbed flowed with rushing water.

I highly recommend visiting Clifty Falls State park. When you are done hiking, head over to the quaint town of Madison IN with its antique shops, restaurants and river walk. I'll share those photos next.

August Free Calendar Download - Yu Gardens in Shanghai

This month's free calendar download features a pavillion in Shanghai's Yu Garden. This famous walled garden, also known as Yuyuan Garden, covers five acres in the Old City and consistently ranks as a top attraction for tourists to the city.

I entered the Garden upon its opening on a Sunday morning just before 9am. As a result, I was able to explore in relative peace. I've seen photos online where the walkways are packed with people. I believe the garden re-opened to the public in July after being closed due to the SARS-CoV2 pandemic.

To download August's calendar, click on this link from Box.com
Link --> August Calendar 2020 - Yu Garden

In other news, I've been absent here due to craziness at work - I've been in Kentucky, helping to commission a new facility there.  Hopefully I can stay home for a couple of weeks before heading there again.