One thing that Indiana simply doesn’t have are mountains. To me, there is just so much majesty in mountains. Sometimes I have brief glimpses of being a mountain man but I think that is probably just too much watching “Jeremiah Johnson” than anything approaching reality. :) So, this InSearchOfAmerica post gives you some of my favorite pictures of my travels out west in the last decade. Continue reading Mountains…
In this weeks ISOA post I thought I would finish off my report about San Francisco. Of course the first view is the Golden Gate Bridge, second is The Wharf. Don’t miss the Aquarium, it is one of the best in the country. We must have roamed about 6 miles one day throughout the neighborhoods. Not bad for a couple of senior citizens. Regretfully we never managed to get a ride on a cable car. As usual click on any picture to bring up a larger slide show view Continue reading San Francisco..
I will be the first to admit that I have only been in California on a handful of occasions and only once in the 21st century. But here is my gallery celebrating your State. I visited San Francisco and those pictures will be coming soon. But for this gallery I want to concentrate on the central farm lands and such. Here is a gallery of that: As usual click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view: Continue reading Here’s To You California..
I need another ISOA post to take my mind off this very stressful week. For this week’s ISOA (in search of America) post lets go to the Oklahoma State house in Oklahoma City and focus particularly on the paintings and sculptures there. This was one of the most lavish state houses I have been in and it was also the most paranoid as far as security is concerned. It was my feeling that they didn’t really appreciate people taking pictures. When a young Asian couple were taking pictures of the unoccupied House chamber a guard came up and confiscated their … Continue reading Oklahoma State House..
One of the most impressive city projects I have ever seen is the Wildnerness Park that extends through downtown Omaha Nebraska. I goes on for about a mile with bronze after bronze celebrating the buffalo that once populated so much of that State. Here is a rather extensive gallery/slideshow but it is still nothing like actually seeing them in person. As usual click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view. Continue reading Omaha’s Wilderness Park
Omaha is perhaps my favorite city. It has a small town feel but is ripe with history and preservation. The sculptures strewn throughout the downtown area are awesome. It is also the home of the Durham Museum and Father Flanagan’s Boys Home. We spent four days there on two separate occasions and still haven’t seen all there is to see. For more pictures of Omaha click on the gallery page on the right side here. as usual click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view Continue reading Omaha…
I spent a couple of summers during high school as a farm hand. A lot of it was putting up hay but some was helping with the planting and harvesting. I hate to admit it but some of these antique tractors were the same models that I drove during those years.
Everything is being automated now. Even the tractors are beginning to be driven by GPS enabled robots. Less then 1% of us are now working the land. Its good to look back on the past to see where we have been. I enjoy the continuing tractor shows here in the Midwest. Continue reading “Antique Tractors…”
A part of my “In Search Of America” journeys is about documenting the many different containers used in our past. Each one is as much an art object as it was a functional container for our goods. They come in various sizes and materials. Here is a sample of some I have collected: Continue reading Containers Through History..
For this ISOA post I want to remember my honeymoon lodging at CoCo Palms in Kawaii Hawaii. We were there in April 1986 and it was almost dream like. At that time Kawaii was still very rural and Coco Palms was … Continue reading CoCo Palms…
One of the most unique places I have ever visited in this country is the “Grounds For Sculpture” in northern New Jersey. It is a fascinating place where you sometimes don’t know if the person beside you is real … Continue reading Grounds For Sculpture…
I have visited and posted about Pleasant Hill Shaker Village many times here on RJsCorner but never about it’s sister village at South Union. Unfortunately it did not have the fortunate fate of Pleasant Hill so most of the buildings and even the graveyard was destroyed. But there is enough there to appreciate its unique beauty. This post will concentrate on some of the rural farm artifacts found in just one of the buildings but in another post soon I will discuss its history and current status. click on any picture above to see a larger slideshow view Continue reading South Union Shaker Village..
On my most recent uRV trip I visited the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green KY. I am not necessarily a Corvette or even a car fan but I recognize that Corvettes are a significant part of America. They are our answer to all those expensive foreign cars like Porsche and such. One of the things that drew me to this particular place was the story on the Velocity channel about how the main display area collapsed into a giant sink hole a couple of years ago. Of course this event is a major part of story now for them. I worked … Continue reading Corvette Museum – Bowling Green
There is just something soothing about seeing people do good words in Jesus’ name. Given our totally insane political season we all need something soothing. Catholics seem to be especially suited and tuned to doing good works. With that in mind one of the places I visited this year during my uRV trips was St.Meinrad Archabbey in Ferdinand Indiana. It is one of only two archabbeies in the nation. I visited here many years ago but the experience affected me even more this time. The serenity of the place almost melted away my pent up anxiety caused by our current … Continue reading Something Soothing…
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending The Feast of the Hunter’s Moon in Tippecanoe County Indiana. It is one of the largest re-enactor events in the Midwest. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what was there. More on this in a later post: As Usual click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view Continue reading Feast Of The Hunter’s Moon…
Recently I visited the Zoar Village in central Ohio that is one of the few villages where the whole town is on the National Register of Historic Places. As is often the case Zoar was platted by Germans escaping religious prosecution by the Lutheran church in the early 1800s. It was a communal colony but unlike most did not discourage gawkers so it has a rich pictorial history that I hope to bring you more of in future posts. For now just enjoy some of the buildings found there. It shamefully seems that many of these type sites are falling out of … Continue reading Zoar Village – Ohio
When I was hearing I enjoyed the songs of John Denver, especially his 1971 album with “Take Me Home, Country Roads” about West Virginia. I certainly enjoyed my visit to WV in 2011 and yes it did have a lot of beautiful country roads. Click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view An especially delightful time was at the State Museum in the capital city. I think it is the best I have ever visited. Continue reading Take Me Home, Country Roads..
There will be much more later but I wanted to give you a quick pic of my recent three day adventure into central Ohio and particularly the Zoar Village. If you are into history it is an awesome place. Continue reading Zoar Village, Ohio
When I came across these pictures in my database I began dreaming of Pittsburgh and particularly the Heinz Museum. Don’t miss it if you are in the area. Pittsburgh is different from any other major city I have visited. It has a raw edge to it that is a legacy of it steel industry heritage. Click on any picture to see a larger slideshow. Continue reading I’m Dreaming Of Pittsburgh
I know that most people from outside the Midwest probably can’t even put Indiana in the right place on the U.S. map. But I think when asked “How would describe Indiana?” the answer many would give is that it is a cornfield with lights. I admit that for the most part Indiana is kind of boring. It doesn’t have an ocean or mighty mountains. But it does touch (barely) a Great Lake and the part where I reside is pretty hilly. On my recent uRV trip I took the quintessential picture of Indiana and thought it deserves its own … Continue reading When You Think Of Indiana??
My latest micro-RV (uRV) trip was to Madison Indiana which is on the Ohio River east of Louisville. As usual I took county and state roads during my 400 mile trek. One of the towns that intrigued me was Flat Rock Indiana. I’m sure it was once a thriving rural town in the area. There is a gravel pit near the town as the only traffic through the town while I was there were loaded dump trucks. (as usual click on any picture to see a larger view slideshow) I think there were still a few houses occupied in the … Continue reading Welcome To Flat Rock…
On one of my recent uRV trips to northeastern Indiana I visited the Swiss Heritage Village. It was recommended to me by the tourist information center in the city of Berne. I was not aware that there was a strong Swiss presence in that part of the State. Here are some pictures of that visit. (Click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view) I felt very privileged that Phil Montgomery who is a docent at the village gave me a personal tour. The info about the area was very interesting and the buildings were well restored for their appropriate time … Continue reading Swiss Heritage Village – Berne Indiana
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 