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.