New Albany Historic Home Tour

In this post I want to share a few of the pictures I took this weekend at the annual New Albany Historic Home Tour, which is one of my favorite events. 

The first two pictures are the view of downtown Louisville from a house in Silver Hills that was built in the 1890s.

 

The mural and stained glass window belong to another Silver Hills house, which started its life as a country club.

The final photos are of Centenary United Methodist Church.  In the first photo, the skylight is a re-purposing of the area where the old steeple once stood.

 

The Old Mill

There are many great things to see in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Our visit to Little Rock Central High School was especially moving.  The Clinton Presidential Library is quite interesting.  The most beautiful, however, is the Old Mill.  

The Old Mill was built in 1933 as a replica of an old grist mill.  The developer, Justin Matthews, wanted it to be appear to be the "ruins of a bygone era supplanted by modern methods."  While the building was built to look old, it is certainly old in it's own right now.  The actual grist mill on the first floor is real and is from 1828.   The mill is named for Matthew's friend Thomas Pugh.

The major claim to fame of the mill is that it was used in the opening credits of Gone with the Wind.

Today, you can visit the mill for free between sunrise and sunset.  

You will want to spend plenty of time exploring the park with it's lake, bridges, and whimsecal statues.

You can also walk through the mill itself and watch the wheel work.

It is a great spot for pictures!

Niagara Falls

One of the places I have enjoyed visiting most is Niagara Falls.  I've been there twice--once to each side.  It is one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world (or at least America). Both sides are worth visiting.  The Canadian side has the best views, but the American side is less touristy.  

 

On the Canadian side there are plenty of touristy things to do from casinos to dinosaur golf to water parks.  There is no chance of being bored if you are there for a few days.  More importantly, the Canadian side has amazing panoramic views of the falls and several ways to experience them.  

After dark, the Canadian side runs the Falls Illumination, which has been done since 1925.  The falls are lit beautiful rainbow colors every evening and from time to time in special colors for special events.  I don't think my photos quite do it justice!

The Skylon Tower affords wonderful views from 775 feet above the falls from their observation deck (pardon the safety bars in my photos). The tower also boasts two restaurants, one of which is a revolving restaurant, and shopping, and arcade, and a 3D/4D movie theater.

Niagara Parks offer a close up view of the falls with their Journey Behind the Falls tour.  You take an elevator from the welcome center down to the tunnels that lead to two viewpoints, the Cataract Portal and Great Fall Portal.  From these portals, you can view the Horseshoe Falls and walk out on the deck for an even closer view.  

Probably the most exciting way to experience the falls is on the Maid of the Mist.  When I visited this was possible from both sides, however currently the Maid of the Mist only runs from the American side.  (There is a new company on the Canadian side)  This historic boat tour (which has been in operation well over 100 years) takes you right up to the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls.  You will get wet, but you won't mind because you will be wearing a very fashionable poncho.  

 
Being so close to the falls, you have to be very careful with your camera or you end up with this:

On the American side the state park has another viewing tower.  Here is is, along with some fellow tourists.

And the view:

One final place for great views is Goat Island and it's smaller counterpart, Luna Island.  Goat Island can be reached by car or foot using one of two bridges.  Luna Island can be reached from Goat Island using a bridge that is only for pedestrians.  You really feel as close to the falls as possible here.  

 
For more information about the Canadian side check out the Niagara Parks website.
For more information about the American side check out the Niagara Falls State Park website.

The World's LONGEST Yard Sale

On this blog, I plan to write about and share pictures of places I've been over the years.  I really love to visit new places, especially if they have history.  If you share my love of history and travel, I hope you enjoy this blog!

One trip that I have taken many times is the World's Longest Yard Sale, or the 127 Corridor Yard Sale.  It is 690(!) miles of yard sales, stretching from Michigan to Alabama.  It begins the first Thursday of August and continues through the first Sunday every year.  You just drive down 127 and stop at anyplace that interests you.

  
My favorite part of the route is the part through Kentucky.  You can find anything you want (and a lot of things you don't) if you look hard and long enough.  The sale is part yard sale, part thrift store, part antique store, part flea market, and part craft fair.  If you like to shop at any of those places, you will love the 127 sale.

Many people who live along 127 have regular yard sales in their yards and driveways.  There are also many places that have much larger events.  These may be at a fair ground, church, or even in a field.  These are my favorite places to stop because I can maximize my shopping time by checking out a ton of sellers' items in one place.

If you know me, you will know that my favorite things to look for at the sale are Star Wars collectibles and costume jewelry.  You have to be a good shopper because some things are priced at yard sale prices and some things are priced very high.  It is important to know the worth of the things you shop for and what you are willing to spend for them.  I feel that after years of Star Wars collecting, I am very knowledgeable on the subject and only buy things that I can find for a good price.  The is especially useful because I collect for my own enjoyment, not to resell.  That means I do terrible things like open the packages (gasp)!  Here are some of my favorite finds from this year:

And my all time favorite find:

One final piece of advice:  drive carefully!  There will be a ton of traffic and people will driving slowly or strangely so that they can look while they drive and they will be stopping a lot.


If you want to plan a trip for next year, the official site is http://www.127sale.com/