Visiting Brown County

Mikey was home from Purdue for fall break this past weekend, and one of the things he wanted to do was to visit Nashville, Indiana. The weather was perfect, so we spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon strolling along the streets and going through all the different shops.

Funny thing about Nashville, when I lived in Louisville, we referred to it as Brown County, but the folks in Indiana refer to it as Little Nashville. Either way, if you're looking to do a little sightseeing and maybe find a few treasures, it's a nice spot to visit, particularly in the fall.

I have a lot of memories of this town. My family went several times when I was a kid, and Bud and I went a time or two when we were dating and spent our honeymoon in a cabin in Brown County State Park. Mikey probably doesn't remember his first trip. He was about eighteen months old and rode in a backpack the whole time.

I used to buy a lot more things there when I was younger. Twenty years ago, I bought two maple cutting boards--one big enough to make bread on--that I still use to this day. I've gotten various home decorations and belts and purses (one that I carried for twenty years), but I find that as I've grown older, I buy less stuff all the time. What I really need to do is have a yard sale and start over again, but the fact is that I've lost my desire to purchase items just because they're pretty.

I'm not sure just when I went so utilitarian. It's been such a gradual process that I didn't notice it. I was always one for buying useful items, but occasionally I'd buy something that just smelled good or looked nice sitting on a table. The pretty knickknacks disappeared from my coffee table when the kids were small, and now I don't even have a coffee table. I still love flowers, though, and these asters are some of my favorites. I've never been able to get them to grow at my house, so I have to take pictures of them where I find them.



















Sam didn't want to go on this adventure, preferring to stay home and do the laundry. I know that sounds unbelievable, but I made the mistake of not warning Sam in advance that we were thinking about taking the trip, so he hadn't done the laundry on Saturday. He might have gone if I had. Anyway, he told me to take pictures, so I did. Here are a few of them.

This fountain was part of a larger garden, but it was the best part. I've always liked those "water features" in gardens, but I have an idea they're harder to maintain than they look, so I've never put one in. Like the asters, I just admire them when I find them.



























Windchimes are another thing I'm rather fond of. I've run through several really nice ones over the years, but they don't last very long when left out in the weather. The last set (a small one) that my sister gave me a few years ago is hanging in the kitchen, where it will probably last forever, but they only chime when I hit them accidentally.



























They have carriage rides through the streets of Nashville, but the only time we've ever ridden in one was when the kids were little. I still take their pictures, though, and the man you see playing the guitar has been a street musician there for as long as I can remember.





















Just to prove I was there, and to demonstrate the size of this plant, I had Mikey take my picture with it.



























In the end, I didn't buy anything but lunch, a blue crystal for Sam, and some gourmet dog treats for Peaches--who is growing like a weed, by the way. I'll take some pictures of her and post them later this week. In the meantime, I hope you're all enjoying the fall!