Owen County Tour: McCormick's Creek State Park

First of all...remember how our next podcast episode is #200? Well...it's going to be coming your way next week instead of this week. Ryan and I were on the go every single moment of the weekend, which is when we normally record them, and we didn't want to slop through a 200th episode! So we decided to wait a week and do it correctly. 

In the meantime, here's a look at some of what kept us so busy on Saturday! I told you yesterday how we crossed Owen County off our tour list, and we started our day with delicious coffee in an adorable little coffee shop. 

After we left there, we headed over to McCormick's Creek State Park, where we spent the rest of the day! Ryan had never been to this park before, and my only previous visit was probably 35 years ago when I was pretty small. I have a vague recollection of going with my parents to the park to meet up with my grandparents, who had gone to stay in the Inn there. I don't remember a single thing we did. I just remember going. 

A fun fact about the park is that it holds the distinction of being the very first state park IN Indiana. It opened in 1916 when the state was 100 years old. 

During our time at the park, we hiked all but three of the trails (and the three we ran out of time to do were some of the shortest and easiest ones, so we did all the hard stuff)! We logged over ten miles of hiking, including our hikes from one trail to the next, since some weren't right next to each other. I think the only thing that could have made this day better would have been better shoes for me. We learned LAST October, when hiking another park, that I really need proper, waterproof hiking boots. Apparently the yearlong break in between the parks wasn't enough time to remember to actually get them. (hee hee hee.) This park has the most creek/water hiking I've done, and we were extremely fortunate that it's been so dry around here lately, because otherwise I would have come home with very soaked feet.

We took a ton of pictures, and I'll do my best not to completely bore you with the recap, but I'll show you some fun stuff we did!

First up: the official county tour photo:

(Little change in wardrobe from the tank tops and shorts of our last county tour!)

We found a cave, and we chose not to explore this one. You may remember that a year ago in May, when we hiked at Clifty Falls State Park, we did traverse through a cave, and it summoned every ounce of my mental strength to do so. That cave, however, was big enough to walk through while standing up (bending slightly in some place). This one was WAY too small. No way was I crawling through and getting soaked at the start of the hike or getting assaulted by bats. Nope. I told Ryan if he wanted to do it, he definitely should and I would just wait for him, but he declined too. So...photo opps for the win!

It was so cold during the first couple hours of our hike that we couldn't feel our fingers or noses, but it was also a fairly empty park during that time, and we had the BEST conversations while we walked around and explored. 

 Trial run on creek bed walking. This was a mostly dry bed. They got trickier. And a bit more slippery.

 The pro.

It's my "Where's Waldo" picture...where's Ryan? 

 So pretty down by the water...

 These stairs were my NEMESIS. I climbed steep hills all day long and did fairly well. These stairs about killed me. And I think I did three of these. They just went on and on for days. I would have counted the steps, but I had to breathe and there wasn't enough energy to do both.

We found this beautiful amphitheater and discovered it was set up for a wedding! We actually met the bride while we were there and talked with her for a while. She had stopped by to check things over one more time before she went to get ready, and she was so nice!

 Ryan's pretty sweet panoramic. Can you find me?

 That would be a stunning aisle to walk to get married, right?

A few more scenes from our hike:

 These tree trunks are pretty huge for this area.

Got lost for a little minute:

 This was STRAIGHT up and down.

Finally found the trail.

See this?

We climbed it - all the way to the top, or at least until the padlock. (The actual tippy top platform that looks OVER the treetops is locked, but we went up to the highest platform.) I had to pray SO MUCH all the way up and down, but I was crazy proud of myself for doing it.

I have a few more I want to show you, but I fear this has been a long post already, so I'll give you a break for today and come back with more tomorrow. Spoiler alert: there's a waterfall! 

Owen County Tour - Main Street Coffee!

First of all, a happy birthday to our friend Odie!!! We hope you have a wonderful day today!

Ryan and I only have a couple of free Saturdays this fall, and we had/have high hopes to visit two more counties on those days. This past Saturday was the first of the two, and we had tentative plans to hike a state park. We were a little nervous about it earlier in the week, because the forecast for Saturday included some pretty cold temps (in comparison to our fall so far). But as the week went along and we saw it was at least going to be sunny, we decided to go for it. We could layer up, right?

We are so glad we went. Gorgeous day, cold and all!

Our county this time was Owen County, and to be honest with you, we didn't really know anything about it before we went. (Including the fact that it existed.) It doesn't get a lot of press - and sometimes that's not a bad thing, right? We learned that the county is 200 years old THIS YEAR, having been formed in 1819. It's named after Abraham Owen, a colonel who died in Battle of Tippecanoe. The county only has two cities listed in its roster, and neither one is very big. It's mostly made up of little burgs and villages - and a whole lotta pretty scenery.

We got up early Saturday morning (six a.m. is insane on a Saturday) and were on the road by 7:00 for the two hour drive to Owen County. For those of you who may be as clueless as we were about where this county is located, it's about an hour south of the Indianapolis area and is just a bit west of Bloomington.

We stopped in the city of Spencer, Indiana first, so we could get our coffee shop fix. My goodness, we were certainly NOT disappointed. I'd only found one coffee shop online, but when we arrived, we discovered there were two - and they're directly across the street from each other. We went to Main Street Coffee, and it was one of the most adorable shops I think we've ever been to. It was also one of the smallest, but that did not seem to bother a soul inside. (Regardless of its square footage space, it may have also been one of the most highly-visited shops we've been to. Many times we'll almost have a shop to ourselves. Definitely not this time!

Main Street Coffee is located in this character-laden old downtown building, and I gathered from the conversation that the owners live upstairs. There was a big old spiral staircase behind the register, and I told Ryan that is just the dreamiest kind of commute. Live above a coffee shop and work there? OKAY!!!!!

Though tiny, this place was just as cute - AND CLEAN! - as could be on the inside! I was so impressed. Both owners were there (with a handful of other employees) and everyone who came in was served quickly. I also loved it that everyone sat at a table (until they ran out of them) and enjoyed their coffee and breakfast while they talked together. It was so cozy.

This was just inside the front door:

 The counter area, with the crew hard at work:

 Handsome husband in the front - and adorable signage in the back.

 My life in a sign:

 Cute little cups!

We ended up getting the same thing to drink: a peanut butter mocha latte. DELISH.

Ryan also found this book in the reading materials, and it was a fun book to glance through while we enjoyed our coffee!

I will tell you about the hiking part of our trip tomorrow. There is a state park and a state recreational area there. We only had time/energy/daylight for one of them, so we chose the state park. We are definitely going to have to go back to do the recreational area, though, because it has a covered bridge in it, and you know I love a covered bridge! (It also has waterfalls, and I need to see those, too!)

But if you're ever in the area, we absolutely recommend this shop. I think it shot into our top three with no question!!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

I'm writing to you from my perch on the couch, where my feet are propped up and screaming at me. We hiked ten miles yesterday, which apparently I forgot to inform my feet we were going to be doing. Evidently next time they would appreciate some notification. But oh....what a fun day it was, and it followed a pretty wonderful week!

* I have to share this picture from church last Sunday morning. I love being part of a church that still prays for people at the altar! I grew up in a church that made a habit of praying for its people, and it makes me happy to see more of that! Also last Sunday, our Colts played the Kansas City Chiefs, and my sister and brother-in-law had tickets to the game! (It was in Kansas City.) I tried to find them but failed. Ha! Ryan found his football tray for his Sunday night football dinner. (This really is what he has for dinner on Sunday nights during football season.)

* I had a meeting Monday evening to go over all the last minute details for our big event this coming weekend. I went early to help wrap the silverware bundles and check out some of the decorations - and then for two solid hours, I sat with the team and we made pages and pages of notes, detailing everything that needed to be done before the doors open. (Typed out - in large font - it ended up totaling 22 pages. So basically we won't be bored!)

* I had the most eclectic kind of day on Tuesday. First thing in the morning (following a gorgeous sunrise) I helped one of my friends learn how to organize paperwork. As soon as she left, I drove to a local radio station and recorded a commercial spot to promote our women's event at church. First time I've been back in a proper radio studio in over four years! And that night, I donned my photographer's hat and went to a park to take pictures for one of Ryan's co-workers. It was a gorgeous evening, and we cashed in on the tail end of the golden hour and got several pictures that she said she loved. (WHEW!)

* I was making lunch on Wednesday, and it was even a combo of recipes I'd made before, and something went very, very wrong. The fritters didn't hold together. I am not sure if scrambled fritters are a thing, but if they are...we had them. I had to text Ryan at work and ask him to please remember that most days, I'm a good cook. I found a couple literal late bloomers on the rose bush that afternoon, and that night I had Bible study at church.

* Did some baking on Thursday and THAT went much better than the fritter extravaganza. Also - this is my favorite look for the egg carton. (Nerd.) Our trees started popping out more pretty red that day, and it made me SO HAPPY! Honestly, most of the trees around here aren't really colorful, but that line is not disappointing! I think they even inspired Ryan to add the candy corn/peanut combo to our grocery list!

* Friday was super rainy and cold here in Indiana. Just like most of the rest of the country, we had a massive temperature drop all at once. Braeya and I cashed in on the whole rainy Friday afternoon thing and worked (me) and slept (her) from the couch while catching up on DVR'd shows. I found another fabulous fall leaf view that I had to photograph - even in the rain. And I worked on a craft project that night...glue gun and everything!

* Yesterday was one of just two free Saturdays we have this fall, so we took the day and headed to Owen County to cross another county off the list and have a day of adventure! We had some amazing coffee at this most darling little coffee shop that I'll have to tell you about, and then we hiked (you remember the ten miles...) at McCormick's Creek State Park. We may have to be carried around today, but yesterday was SO FUN!

The Saturday Six

One.

While I realize that not everyone loves fiction, I didn't realize there were such strong feelings against it from some who feel you should only read or study the Bible. This was an interesting post, I thought, from fiction writer Jody Hedlund (who also happens to be a friend of mine) in response to someone's remark. Jody always thinks things out so well, and I think her response is informative, kind, and worth looking at, regardless of whether or not you like fiction.

Two.

Callie is doing a series on memory making and keeping, and this week she had a post on how to take your own family photos. Ryan and I always have a photographer take our annual fall pictures (coming right up, actually!) but throughout the rest of the year, we take our own, with a blend of selfies, tripods, remotes, and timers. One of my friends actually asked us once if we have a photographer travel with us regularly to document for us, so we must be doing a decent job of photos! Anyway! Callie's post has some great tips, and if you have kids, you might find it especially helpful, because she has tips for employing their cooperation as well!

Three.

Jessica from The Mom Creative shared this post of her DIY Halloween costumes - and this was a theme I hadn't seen before! Every costume (for grownups and kids) was inspired by a board or card game. CUTE! I think the Operation Man and the Monopoly Man were my two favorites.

Four.

This popped up in my Pinterest feed this week, and I had to save it (and now share it with you) because I always need this kind of inspiration! A couple of years ago, Ryan's mom generously gifted me a vintage sled that was gathering dust in her storage area, and I was so excited, because I had always wanted one for my porch! But other than slapping a red bow on it, I really wasn't quite sure how to accessorize it. HERE ARE SOME GREAT IDEAS!!!

Five.

Now that I'm working with the women's ministry at church, I'm hyper-sensitive to fun ideas for gatherings, but I think this would work with ANY group. Teens, kids - basically any kind of human! A caramel apple nacho bar that is feasible for big groups as well as small! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

Six.

Our church is having a big women's event next weekend, so I have been in full planning mode for the last little while. One of my tasks was to find an icebreaker, and I did - and this isn't it!! But along the way, I found this one that looked like a fun and different option - at least from icebreaker games I've seen. It would work for any women's gathering, and with some tweaking, it could work for bridal or baby shower, too! A twist on the "What's in your purse?" game, this one is "What's in your phone?" (If you ever play this one with me, you don't want me on your team. Other than pictures, I would be a pretty big fail.)

Label Makers

First of all - a very happy birthday to my Dad! Today is his very own holiday, and he's celebrating with some of his favorite things, so I have no doubt he'll have a good day - despite the solid rainfall and frigid temps we're expecting. :)

Secondly, this post is NOT about a little machine that slaps stickers on everything you own. (Though I do own one of those, and I love it.) Today's post is about something I learned this week, and I wanted to share it with you.

For the last few weeks, I've been part of a Bible study at our church. I've really enjoyed the book we've studied, but I have also enjoyed getting to know some women I didn't know before! We were a small group this week, but we talked at length about the common human struggle of believing the labels the people around us slap on us rather than believing what the Bible says is true of us.

I am sure we're not the only ones to struggle with that. You can read a dozen verses in the Bible that speak of your worth to the Lord, and one person (that you may not even know very well) can say one unkind word, and suddenly that's all you hear about yourself. That's all you believe.

I've written before about the time in my awkward junior high years when a visitor to our Sunday School class made some incredibly rude comments about me. I had never met him before that Sunday. His parents were divorced and his dad attended our church. He was staying with his dad for the weekend and landed in our class that morning. Our youth pastors had us go around the table and introduce ourselves. When it was my turn, I smiled nicely and said my name, and he said out loud his thoughts about me. I guess he didn't have a filter.

Our youth pastors were horrified, and they did everything they could to move the class along. Later that week, I received a card in the mail from them, reiterating the truth of my worth and making sure I understood the young man had ben wrong and incredibly out of line in his outburst.

I still have that card. I will never get rid of it, but I don't need to see it tangibly to see it in my mind. I remember the exact wording and even the flow of Jody's handwriting.

That moment popped into my mind this week as we talked in our women's Bible study. It occurred to me that out of all the mean things that were ever said to me in my pre-college years (and kids can be cruel, so you know there were several moments to choose from) that one bothers me least of all. I still remember that kid. I can see his face. I had to think about it pretty intently, but I also finally remembered what he said.

But I don't care.

That moment has never scarred, marked, or defined me.

And this week, I figured out why.

It was because of Jody. She reached out immediately and spoke truth over me. She didn't have to do that, and I knew it. She wasn't my mom. She wasn't my older sister. She didn't "have" to believe good things about me. But she chose to believe good things, and furthermore, she chose to tell me her beliefs.

Powerful.

I came home from Bible study and shared my epiphany with Ryan. I told him it occurred to me that there are some things that we desperately need to know from the people closest to us. And when they don't affirm us in those ways, it wounds us.

I need to know Ryan thinks I'm beautiful. I need to know that he thinks I'm smart and funny and gifted. I need him to be my biggest supporter, and I need him to be vocal in his encouragement. I have blossomed as a human being because for the last seven years, he has spoken truth over me that no other man ever did, and it has changed me.

But at the same time, Ryan is my husband. Sometimes I tell him he "has to" believe those things. He tells me he doesn't, and I say, "oh yes you do!" Ha!

So yes, we need those closest to us to believe in us - out loud. But I also came to realize the value of believing in people when we wouldn't have to do so.

I absolutely still melt into a pile of goo when Ryan tells me I'm beautiful. But last week, one of the girls in my Bible study stopped and said to me, "You are just beautiful. You know that?" Well. No. I didn't. Not in that moment when I felt a little fluffy and frumpy. But it meant something special and different coming from her, because she didn't have to tell me that.

I certainly blush to the roots of my hair when Ryan compliments my writing. It makes me so happy to hear his affirmation. But when the children's pastor at our church called this week to tell me he really liked a proposal I'd written for a church program, that made my heart so happy, too! He wouldn't have had to say a thing about it!

What I'm trying to say is that there is great value in affirming the people we love. They need it and we should take time to offer it. But there is at least an equal, if not greater value in affirming people who would never expect such a word from us. People who are at a bit of a distance from us. People who may be wrestling with doubts and fears. They need their spouses and parents to cheer for them, but they need you, too. They need to know you see and you care. In fact, your words may end up being the ones that settle over them most deeply.

What if we chose to be label makers? Not the kind of label makers that slap mean words over people just so we can feel smugly better about ourselves. No. I mean the kind of label makers that take the sting out of a tough moment so it doesn't become a defining moment for the rest of time.

Wouldn't that be a great job to have?

Let's do that.

Fire Pit Fun!

When Ryan and I moved to this house three years ago, we brought with us our beloved fire pit from our old house. The landing place in our new backyard was chosen mostly because the previous owners had four mysterious pavers grouped a few feet out from the back porch. I don't know what they had ON the pavers, but they had been there long enough that all the grass beneath was dead. Rather than replanting the grass there and putting our pit a little closer to the porch, we just took out the pavers and put down the pit.

It's true that it always looked funny just sitting out there in this random spot in the yard. And in the three years we've lived here, I think we only used it a couple of times.

This summer, Ryan was ready to take it out. I went to bat for our little fire pit, proclaiming that I felt like a house needed a proper fire pit, and I thought we should give it one more chance.

So we did!

And it turned out that once we extended the landscaping to include the backyard, that little pit actually looks like it belongs now. It fits in!! Ryan even said he was glad I urged him to keep it. And this past weekend, we tried it out for the first time this fall. (Would have done it sooner, but 90 degree days don't really urge a soul to start building fires.)

It was a pretty perfect night out there. It was cloudy, so we didn't get to enjoy the stars, but there was the slightest breeze - enough to drive away the bugs - and just enough chill to warrant a light jacket, but not enough freeze to require gloves and blankets. Delightful.

Excuse the fact that we are still re-growing grass. :)

Adding the ring of river rock around the pit was a good decision.

Hot dogs for dinner!!!

Mmmmmm.

Boy isn't that just a picture: Generic graham crackers, bug spray, and water. LOL!! (Bug spray was just in case. I'm such a buffet.)

 And then, of course, marshmallow time!

For s'mores!

Perfection.

We stayed until it started raining and we were forced back inside. One of our friends came over (impromptu) and ate with us - and it was just fun, low-key, and delightful.

Let's do more of THAT!

How to Organize...Your Papers

Last week I did a post about organizing your day, after one of my friends told me that she wished she had my skills for staying motivated and purposeful about each day. This week, one of my friends contacted me with questions about organizing paper piles. (Apparently I am gaining a reputation among my friends for being the one who organizes.)

So I figured maybe she's not the only one overwhelmed by piles that have taken up residence in boxes...and now overflow the boxes! She came over yesterday morning with a mini-box of papers, and we went through it together so I could dream up some strategies for helping her gain control of the paper clutter!

There's no real right or wrong way to do it, but I'll tell you what I told her, and maybe it will help if you feel as overwhelmed as she does!

1. Gather everything in one space. 

My friend that I helped yesterday told me her kitchen island tends to be the catch-all for mail, contents of backpacks, and all other such paper clutter. When it starts to topple, she puts it in a box. I think she said she was up to three boxes, and that's what made her reach out to contact me. So I told her to round up all the boxes and get ready for a sorting party.

2. Start making piles.

I advised her to pick a big open area: living room floor, garage, hallway, whatever worked, because she was going to start making big piles. I told her to start at the top and make a category for whatever paper came out of the box first. I also told her to have a stack of sticky notes and a pen on hand so she could label her piles. It's easy to remember what's what when you only have two or three, but once you have a dozen or two piles going, you won't remember what goes where without a label.

Everyone's categories will be different. Depending on what your life entails, you might have old (or new!) bills, report cards, fundraiser papers, legal documents, sports information, cards, pictures - the list goes on and on.

One of your piles should be trash, which will be a fulfilling thing to throw out immediately when your sorting pile is done. You'll also want a shred pile for things you don't need to keep - but you don't want to just pitch in the regular trash because they have identifying information on them. If you don't own a shredder, you can put those things in a box or bag until the next community shred day in your area. (Most cities and downs have opportunities now and then for you to drop off shredding at a certain location.)

Open mail as you go - it will be easier to sort things when you can spread the papers out and they're not all folded up inside an envelope.

ALSO! If you find things that are current and require action/payment, put them in an urgent pile and deal with them quickly. No one has time for late fees and penalties.

3. Then make sub-piles. 

Once you've gone through everything, you'll probably notice you have some piles that are small and manageable, and others are starting to topple. The tall piles can probably be recategorized in another way to make a few smaller piles out of them.

For example: when I was helping my friend, I told her one of her sorting options might be to make a pile for each of her children. But then within that pile, she might find artwork from school, pictures, report cards, checkup printouts from the doctor, sports schedules, and more. So she can then make sub-piles for each one of them to sort out exactly what she has for them.

4. File what you can.

Some of your papers can be filed. Bills, check stubs, taxes, legal documents...those sorts of important papers can be separated by category and put into file folders. If you have a file cabinet, you can put them in there. If you don't, you can buy file boxes that are smaller and easily store the things you need to keep. If you label the folders, you can quickly find whatever you need at a later time, and as new papers come into your house, you can add them to the file folders so you don't make new, toppling piles on your kitchen island!

Ryan and I like to use hanging files, because they stay nice and perky in the drawer and don't slouch down so far that you can't see the tab that labels them.

5. Get rid of what you no longer need.

Just because you have bills, check stubs, taxes, legal documents, etc. doesn't mean you need to keep them. Check online to see how long you need to keep whatever you have in front of you. (Also take into consideration whether or not you may feel it important to keep something longer than the standard because of a unique life situation you have.) If you don't need it, don't keep it. If you're trying to go paperless, you may also want to look into scanning some or all of these documents and getting rid of paper versions if you don't need them.

6. Determine what needs to be within reach and what can be filed away in storage.

We try to keep recent important documents handy, but if something is from a few years back, we'll store it somewhere else so it doesn't take up valuable real estate in the office. We can still access it if we need it, but it's not in the way. That can certainly make day-to-day life more breathable.

7. Sort through the sentimental things.

That can be the hardest part, right?

You don't have to keep every single card ever sent to you - unless you want to! Here in our household, we tend to keep all the cards from big events (our wedding, Ryan's mom's passing, etc.) but we don't keep every single little card we receive. We have a card box where we stash the ones we want to keep for posterity. (By "card box," I mean a storage tote.)

Most of our pictures are digital now, but the ones that we do have in print also have a storage box where they go to live once they're not in a frame anymore. I don't keep duplicates or weird pictures (like an accidental shot of a sandbox taken back in 1983). I also advised my friend (who had packs of leftover school pictures in varying sizes from wallet to 8x10) to keep one or two but not to worry about keeping every single print from 10 years ago. (Picture organization can probably be its own separate post, actually!)

Ryan and I keep a "yearly box" every single year. We throw in our ticket stubs, newspaper clippings, funeral bulletins, state park maps, and other little memory-makers from our adventures. We go through the box on New Year's Day, reminisce about our year, keep the things that have come to mean the most to us, and throw away the rest. The things we keep go in a gallon sized bag, which I label with the year, and then the bag goes in a storage tub.

My friend has three children, and the youngest, in particular, is pretty insistent that all artwork be kept forever. I told her I once saw advice from a mom who keeps everything for the school year and then asks the children to go through their own work and pick their ten most favorite things to keep. She photographs the rest of the pieces, saves the pictures, tosses the artwork, and keeps the ten winners in tangible art.

8. Make homes for everything and make sure everything finds its home.

Once you go through everything initially and make the files, the boxes, and the tubs, make a rule that every week (no longer than every month) from here on out, you'll go through any piles and put everything in its home. Regular maintenance helps make sure you don't get out of control again.

9. Periodically weed out the homes.

Since you don't need to keep documents forever, and things that were once sentimental may someday not matter as much, go through your permanent paper homes regularly and get rid of the things you don't need anymore. That frees up room for new things coming in! (This could be an annual project - like around tax time, when you're gathering up papers.)

10. Send things out with the owners when they leave.

A few years ago, my mom cleaned out some of her closets, and she sent a bunch of pictures and scrapbooks to me (and to my sisters too). She had kept the memories for us, and it became up to us if we wanted to keep them in our adult lives. I encouraged my friend to do that with her kids too; when they get out on their own, send their things with them. Of course she can keep things to remember their childhood, but they can take the bulk of it and do with it what they want. (And don't get upset if they don't keep it!)

So I hope some of those ideas help with the paper clutter! If you can bite the bullet and organize it once, chances are good you can learn to keep up with it so it doesn't become so overwhelming again!

Back Roads and All the Art!

Would you believe this week is our 199th episode of Spill the Beans? Enjoy!!!

 Listen here

I've told you before about my friend Amber, who is an incredible artist. Even though I'm not an artist and am often not smart enough to properly understand art, I do appreciate it, and I like supporting Amber in her adventures. So when she asked if I wanted to go with her on a back roads studio tour for artists in Brown County, I said sure!

Brown County is about two hours south of here, and it's beautiful country - especially in the fall. (Fun fact: seven years go, the day after Ryan proposed, we drove to Brown County for the day to hike and plan our wedding. And there I was, seven years to the day later, back again!) This year the leaves haven't turned yet, and none of us are quite sure if they will. Our hot, dry, extended summer may just cause them to turn brown and fall off without hitting their true peak. But it was still a fun and fallish day to travel!

Amber drove, and I navigated/caffeinated.

I guess I didn't really explain the premise of the trip, did I? So Brown County is not only beautiful, but it's the home of many artists. It's the sort of place that inspires creativity, so many artists live there year round, and others have second homes/studios there to escape to when they need to exercise creativity. All throughout the month of October, visitors can go on a self-guided tour that takes them to the homes and studios of many of these artists. You can see where they work, purchase some of their creations, and have a great time. And when it says back roads tour? It means back roads. I lost my cell signal MULTIPLE times out there.

Amber had pre-marked the map with the stops she definitely wanted to make, so between the map and the GPS, I would like you to know we only got lost ONCE!

Our first stop was at this magnificent building that the artist built himself. All the wood came from the trees that were cut down to make room for the building, and he even made the wheel himself!

He does metal work (as you might gather, since he made the wheel) and he had some awfully cute little things.

Yes! Some of those are turtles made out of tiny cast iron pans!

This was also the stop where they had a litter of chocolate lab puppies that I absolutely SWOONED over. Ryan told me later he figures I want a chocolate lab just because the word chocolate is in the name. I mean...he might not be wrong. ;) I didn't want to be the crazy picture lady and ask for a picture of the puppies, so just Google, scroll, and melt.

We also went to a shop where the artist worked with wood, and oh my goodness - the amazing smell of all the sawdust!!! Loved that! He had everything from cutting boards and coasters to big pieces of furniture. It was pretty wonderful!

There were also a couple of guys set up in his yard, under tents, doing some metalwork. One of them gave each of us a little ring he'd made from a horseshoe nail. Creative!

I didn't take pictures at every stop, because sometimes the artists were hanging out with us, and I didn't want to appear to be a creeper or an art-concept-stealer, but there were some super cute things!

We also found a road named "The Less Traveled Road" and we were going to get a picture with the sign. But there wasn't one. How unfair is that?

But we did go to this one place I have to tell you about - especially if any of you have kids or homeschool. This would be a GREAT field trip place. We didn't get to fully explore it, because you had to pay an admission fee to go down into the gardens and into some of the buildings, but we had fun with what we found in between our car and the office!

It's the T.C. Steele Historic site, and it's part of the Indiana State Museum. The lady in the office told us that T.C. Steele was the first artist to settle in the area and devote his life and time to making art. (Apparently the area farmers found him to be rather odd for sitting and painting all day.) His property is now this beautiful area that you can explore, and there are some really fun things there for kids and overgrown kids. :)

There was this little mini studio that I think was supposed to be a replica of what he used as an actual studio. (And yes, that is a Little Free Library out in front there.)

You could try on smocks and try your hand at some different art activities in and around the wagon.

It was a fun stop! And if you do have kids and go on a nice day, there are trails to explore and the whole bit!

Our last stop was at a sculptor's studio. Amber had met her at other art shows and she was really welcoming. The little stone house was my FAVORITE.

After we finished at that studio, we headed back home. It was a fairly uneventful drive except for one stretch of construction, where we narrowly avoided being in an accident. Major props to Amber for her defensive driving skills that kept us safe! She exercised quick thinking and creative driving and we stayed all in one piece!

So that was our fun day out! :)

(Ryan was at work and then helped my Dad cut down a tree, so he wasn't with us. That was the only sad part of the day!)