Indiana Getaway

Years ago, maybe 20+ years ago, I was returning from a visit with Marcheta in California, and struck up a conversation with the gentleman in the plane seat next to me. He was an engineer with Cummins Diesel in Columbus, Indiana, and asked if I had ever visited there. Obviously that answer was no, but as he explained the architectural inspiration and treasures of this community, I made a mental note to visit there . . . sometime. Years turned to decades, family expanded, but retirement provided the desire and time to travel. Of course, travelling is much more fun with our favorite adventure companions, Brad and Andrew.

Thank goodness they have such a busy schedule that we had to make our reservations well in advance, for we had no idea how quickly the guided tours of this architectural mecca filled. As soon as I had their dates and approval, the reservations were made. Good plan, as participants in our morning tour of the public buildings, shared that they were unable to book the smaller and more intimate afternoon tour of the Miller Home and Gardens, now owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

We enjoyed a leisurely two hour drive to Columbus, marvelling at the last of the fall color. We could not believe the Irwin Inn where we had booked our overnight reservations. Although we saw all the gorgeous rooms and gardens on the website, to be an overnight guest in this treasure was such a delight. This was the home of the extremely wealthy banker/venture capitalist in town. His chauffeur, Chessie Cummins, tinkered in the garage and developed the first Cummins Diesel engine. We toured the gardens with the owner of the inn before our daylight dwindled, then checked into our rooms. Although our rooms were pricey, we were constantly surprised by the graciousness of our host. We shared wine and appetizers (combination of the hosts and our own contribution), then walked a few blocks in the light rain to one of the three fine dining experiences. Our trip could have ended with the experience of the inn. Our trip could have ended with the experience of observing a vital city center in a small downtown. On our way back to the inn we chose our lunch destination, a restored Greek ice cream shop (huge) with a $3 million renovation.

The side view of the Irwin Inn and Gardens.
We stepped back in time an entire century. Just an incredible experience.

How would you like this for your butler's pantry?
The woodwork at the Irwin House was such a treasure.
Of course, I now wish I had taken many more photos.

The next day we freshened up for breakfast in our very old fashioned bathrooms, all in suite. Brad and Andrew stayed in the bachelors' room on the 3rd floor, and we stayed in the original owners' room on the 2nd floor. Might I add that 95% of the furnishings are original, and we were somewhat reminded of the Biltmore in Asheville, NC, with all the panelling and service fixtures. Then we checked out and moved on to the incredible Visitors' Center (VC) for our tours. The public building tour was two hours, and we walked to the first two venues which were adjacent to the VC and the Irwin House. Then we boarded the bus and motored around town, jaws dropping as we passed by the most innovative public buildings ever. We had a nice lunch and ice cream, again, a few blocks from the VC, then on to a smaller bus for the tour of the Irwin's grandson's home, an extremely contemporary offering of architecture, design, and gardens. I only took a few photos, as I so much more enjoyed the tour experience and the great company.

One of many sanctuaries that we visited.
Even a wide-angled lens would not have done this justice.

The Miller House and Gardens.
We were asked not to take photos, but I sneaked this in.

The Irwin Gardens pergola and wisteria.
Pond is covered in preparation for winter.

Irwin Garden detail. The bronze elephant was purchased following the St. Louis World Fair and Exposition.
Can't imagine what these gardens must look like at high season.

So many interesting views and private mini gardens at the Irwin Inn.

Bonfire 2011

Shame on me. I didn't want to deal with a camera - too many years as the photographer and not the mom nor grandma, so I decided to have fun and enjoy myself. It was a hot day, in the low 80's, but warm temps trump rain, so we enjoyed the beauty of the day. Thank goodness my sister's husband and Chris took photos. Annie sent me some of hers, but they don't include everyone. So this year I'll focus on what we did, and next year, I'll have my camera with me.



Henry and Lola loved fishing at the pond.
Where were Paul and Jeremy on Sunday, when Henry caught 17 fish?
What was so cool, was Henry set a goal of 10, then 20, added catch from the day of Bonfire (2) to his catch on Sunday, then did the subtraction from his goals to determine how many fish he needed to catch to reach goal.
It took a lot of worms to hook and extractions from the throats of the fish. Yuck!



Hunter, Paul, and Rob enjoyed the games.
Rob spent some time with Hunter giving LaCrosse tips.
Hey, Rob, Hunter's team won their LaCrosse game last week!

The Dalrymple boys love the shooting range.
Surely, Paul, that is not a bottle of beer I see there?

Auntie Annie always plans and brings a quiet craft for the little ones.
Natalie, Lola, Henry, and Emily enjoyed their crafting time with her.
It's these traditions that make Bonfire so special.

After last year's Bonfire, Bruce was so impressed with the help and focus that Grant offered
that Bruce asked me to find a chef's hat for Grant, to which I added the smaller apron.
Bruce is so impressed with Grant's help with the grilling.
Bruce says he can't cook for that crowd without Grant's assistance.

On Sunday we hiked Caesar's Creek Nature Preserve, some of the inspiration for Camp Colegate.
The hour of peace and discovery was a sweet way to spend the day after Bonfire.
Love the way both of my girls' families love to be out in the woods.
That must be the Hank gene coming out in them.

Next year I'll have my camera, and have a plan for a group photo before we start cooking. Hopefully everyone will cooperate. I'm going to have a step ladder hidden in the brush, and we'll find someone to shoot the group photo. I'm thinking I need a megaphone to get everyone organized. Come to think of it, I sure goofed when I put that dinner bell by the back door. I need it back by the bofire area. I also want to get a photo of each group/family. Someone please help me remember, and see you next year!

October Chores

I so look forward to the slower pace of fall. I take long, leisurely walks, pausing to listen to leaves fall, watching starlings flock, and marveling at the everchanging fall landscape and sky. Then we have our chores, which I truly relish. What a great excuse to be out of doors. Now that we're retired, we can work outdoors in the fine weather, take the time to do the job right, and work together as a team. As we clean up and stagger inside, we wonder how we ever did it while we were still working and taking care of our elderly parents.

Years ago, Bruce's Dad gave his used landscape timbers to us.
We recycled those timbers in our first garden beds and compost pile.
Over the years the boards began to sway and deteriorate, needing replacement.
Fortunately, our wonderful neighbors behind us tore off their deck and gifted their boards to us.
Here Bruce is removing the old timbers. My job is to prepare the bed for the boards, and make sure that the soil bed is somewhat level. Bruce would form the frame near the bed, then we'd drop it in place.

Our asparagus bed is nearly naked here, and hardly makes a pretty picture.
This is my favorite garden, requiring very little maintenance.
After the cold and drear of winter, the sun comes out, the ground warms, and green spears emerge.
For nearly two months we enjoy the blessings of asparagus, with minimal effort on our part.



Bruce adds the finishing touches to the bed, and what an improvement.
We love the clean, simple lines.
And doesn't that garden shed porch look like a comfy place to hang out?



Grace definitely sees the porch as a great place to hang out and be close to us.
Yesterday she too was busy with autumn chores, catching a sweet little chipmunk and depositing her trophy at our back door. When I woke up this morning, I thought I should have taken a photo of the 'sleeping chipmunk,' but maybe not.

Another of our chores. This is the 'before' photo of the triangle before our gardens.
There were so many spindly elms and berry bushes in there. In addition to mowing to keep the trails open,
we also had to cut vertically with loppers and weed whip. Bruce had finally had enough. Recognize the jacket?

Can't begin to tell you how many truckloads of brush we've burned this fall.
Bruce drives to the left on one pass and unloads, then to the right on another pass.
Sometimes I'm so far behind him in the burning, that he has to unload past the fire.
We're not thrilled with all the burning we do, but the ashes are recycled back to the gardens.


Mission accomplished. Bruce worked his way through the tangle of youthful elms, berries, and poison ivy.
Looks good for now, and we'll mow wider paths next spring. Pruning often encourages more growth.
We may have to do this on a periodic basis. We don't have these issues in the bordering meadows.





Sometimes the smoke gets too much for me, and I have to take a break and walk in our woods.
We have been delighted this year with the domination of the maple trees.
They really exploded in color the week after Bonfire.
Nature's gift to us, my gift to you.



Savoring Summer

Thanks to Hurricane Irene, the Midwest has enjoyed a week of Canadian summer weather; highs in the low 80's and lows in the high 50's at night. Bruce and I call this 'Jackson Hole, WY weather'. The breeze blowing through the open windows has freshened the indoors and carried the birdsongs along with it. My greatest delight is spending time outdoors in the morning. I gather our harvest, and make a mental note for the next day. I never got out of the kitchen on Sunday, which is not a personal goal, but there simply is a lot of chopping and peeling to be done this time of year. Don't mind it when the outdoors is inhospitable, but my heart wants me to head outside, but ourproduce keeps me inside. After I picked this produce, Bruce returned with a basket of tomatoes and pears to work up.

My neighbor, Susan Case, came over to share a fantastic homemade apple pie she had made, then took photos of Bruce and me in the garden. Later in the day she returned with the hard copies. Bruce and I look like the elderly couple in Grand Woods', "American Gothic". Years ago I took a similar photo of Mom and Dad in the foxglove at Forest Glen. Oh, how we follow in those footsteps. Unfortunately, Susan didn't use a digital camera, and I have no scanner. But picture Bruce with a pitchfork  and me holding Grace, standing at the edge of the garden.  Susan and I share the same initials, sjc, and since she is the queen of desserts, we call each other Sweet Suzy and Savory Sara.

For years I have kept a folder in my computer recipe file for garden produce and one for canning. This past week I gathered the best of the best of those, saving them to my flash drive, then printed out a handy notebook for me to grab when I'm in the kitchen or come in from the garden. Instead of stalking the wild asparagus, I stalk the domestic squash and tomato, calculating what can be best used that day, and what I can do the next day with the abundance. I'm also putting my ideas for the next year's garden on paper and computer. Every year I think I have my beds have been laid out to perfection, only to be frustrated when I can't dig my carrots because of the tender fennel growing in the neighboring row.

Well, time for the garden before the day heats up. Hopefully the time in the kitchen will be brief.

Earlier in the summer I made these eggplant 'purses' from Laura Calder's French Cooking Show.
The eggplant is grilled, layered in the small containers, filled with Ricotta cheese and mashed, grilled eggplant,
covered with the tips of the layered eggplant, then baked. The 'purses' actually slip out of the containers, for a pretty presentation. A little tedious and time consuming, but great to do with an abundance of eggplant.

Our volunteer butternut squash plant that popped up in the compost pile.
We have counted 16 butternuts on there. Love that chicken shit.

We tried strawberries twice in this garden and were not impressed.
Let's see how our herbs like it here.

Joyful Morning

What a lovely morning. Our cool front has arrived following a much needed rain. We are on our way to Columbus to visit with Susie and Alison, then dinner with Brad and Andrew. We're then bringing their dogs home for a long weekend while the boys are in New York.

What I'm really excited about is the garden produce that I picked this morning for Susie. In addition to what I photographed, Susie will have anabundance of tomatoes, bread and butter pickles, fresh eggs, and freshly baked baguettes. What a joy to share our garden with a really good cook who will have great fun preparing  all these lovely gifts from the garden.

Did I Really Do This

Samuel Hannaford Connection

This is why I love history. I was researching Spring Grove Cemtery for our bicycle trip there on Wednesday. I was intrigued by the information that Samuel Hannaford, architect of Music Hall, City Hall, and the Observatory at Mt. Lookout, designed the chapel at the historic cemetery. We love the Observatory, and have toured that multiple times. Inspired, I then went further on the internet and researched the architect. He was most prolific, and near the end of the list of grand buildings that he inspired, was a Middletown connection. Hannaford not only designed the Sorg Mansion and Sorg Opera House, but also the First United Methodist Church. Who would have guessed? But look at the following photos. The chapel at Spring Grove was built in 1880, our church in 1890.