The Pioneer Woman, The Spirit Is Still Alive and Well
Heading west holding the hand of her young son, the Pioneer Woman embodies the building of the western United States. She stands seventeen feet tall on a pyramidal stone base, the entire sculpture rises forty feet proud and strong. The sculpture commissioned by E. W. Marland is a tribute to all pioneer women, a culture Marland saw as disappearing and he wanted to honor. Continue reading
As in normal fashion, our one night stop over became a week. We started by taking an extra day to relax and then realized what the area had to offer. Tonkawa was our home while Ponca City offered many varied opportunities for touring. One of the interesting aspects of the city is the architecture. Continue reading
Growing up in south Louisiana at a time when sugar was king we are very familiar with sugar cane fields. While visiting north central Tennessee we saw fields of what looked like sugar cane. We knew it could not be and learned it was sorghum cane. If we wanted to see old time sorghum cane grinding, we were told to go to Muddy Pond on a Saturday. Continue reading
Highland Manor Winery – Jamestown, TN
Visiting wineries is something we enjoy as we travel the country. We like to taste the different variety of grapes as well as how the soil affects the taste and texture. It is not often that one of our visits involves history. Yet in Jamestown,TN we found history. Highland Manor Winery is the oldest licensed winery in Tennessee. Continue reading
Fentress County “Ye Ole Jail” was not on our list of places to visit mainly because we knew nothing about it. We went to the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce to get information on the area. What we walked into was a piece of Tennessee history again with a Louisiana connection. Continue reading
Courthouse Squares are interesting places. Some we’ve seen have no to very little green space while others have welcoming lawns with benches, trees and shrubs. Franklin KY has one of the better courthouse squares with lush green grass, benches, sidewalks and bandstand. It was the perfect setting for the Festival on the Square and the 55th Annual Franklin Car Show. Continue reading
“These paintings were shipped from New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina.” Okay this got our attention.
As we travel we are amazed at how often our native area and culture is intertwined into places we are visiting. So we were in Franklin KY visiting the Old Jail and Jailer’s Quarters home to the Simpson County Museum and our guide was describing various pieces of history. He started discussing paintings from New Orleans and how they were given to the museum. It always amazes us as how we are all interconnected in some way. Continue reading
Pointing, our guide said, “That one earned 1.1 million dollars, that one 1.2 million.” Yes, some of these were top thoroughbreds in their heyday. Now, they don’t work so much any more. But they were happy to see us approaching. Continue reading
Walking the downtown streets of Vincennes on a sunny autumn morning brought many sights and sounds. We began our journey at the farmers market where the pavilion was alive with colorful fall vegetables and sounds of local musicians. After stowing our purchases in the truck we headed downtown in search of breakfast which we found at The Olde Thyme Diner (another blog). Along the way we passed Vincennes Brewing Co, “The First City’s Brewery”. Continue reading
This is the sad story of a hero. A hero who died destitute only to have the state reimburse his estate for debts owed.
Towering over the Wabash River, the monument was hard to miss. With the backdrop of an autumn sky, its white marble glittering in the sunshine. Although it caught our attention, we had no idea what it was. We stood and stared for awhile and then headed over to learn what we could. Turns out it is a monument honoring George Rogers Clark. Continue reading
