French Lick, Home of Larry Bird

Swiss Wine Festival- Vevay , Indiana

Indiana University was founded by Indiana's state government in 1820, it was first billed as the "State Seminary. Construction was began in 1822, with the first professor being hired in 1823. It is one of the premier campuses in the United States, most of the construction is of Indiana limestone. While it has one of the top pharmacy programs in the country, it's law school,and sports programs are some of the best available .Add to all of that the fact it is  set in the rolling hills of southern Indiana, makes it a superb choice for one bent one achieving a higher education.

With the coming of winter and the possibility of having to drive on roads
 that are less than perfect many people often wonder how to drive safely and reach their destination without having a fender bender or more serious accident.
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The Christmas Fire
In Late fall of 1950,Mother Nature gave us an indication of things to come. An early Pre-Thanksgiving blizzard set the stage for the rest of the winter! For a while it was uncertain as if Thanksgiving would come off at all, but at the eleventh hour the weather cleared
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The drive-in theaters have pretty much disappeared from the American Landscape, but in their day they were quite the rage! In the northern part of the country it was mainly a warm weather activity, however some drive-ins had window heaters installed so if one could keep the frost off the windshield, movies could be enjoyed in even the coldest of weather MORE!

One of the most historic buildings in the state of Indiana is the Schofield House in Madison , Indiana. This Federal-style building was the first two-story brick house and also the first tavern in Madison. Built in 1817 it was the home of Alexander and Drusilla Lanier. MORE!

The Worst Blizzard in History

The Underground Railroad Napoleon Indiana

A Hoosier is a nickname sometimes used to describe a person from Indiana. People in Indiana adopted the nickname over 150 years ago. Legend says it was derived from the days when people would be traveling through the woods of Indiana, since everyone knew everyone else, if a stranger was spotted they would shout"whos your daddy", when the response was given,it was immediately known what family the stranger belonged to. "Hoosiers" is also the mascot for Indiana University and the title of an award-winning 1986 movie "Hoosiers" starring Gene Hackman, based on the story of the Milan High school basketball team and its road to winning the state championship

Brookville Lake was built in the Whitewater Valley.

Just to illustrate how serious basketball is taken in Indiana, the following incident happened to my team in the 7th grade!
I attended a very small  school in Napoleon , Indiana , typical of the schools in the area my seventh grade class consisted of about 35 students.

As was the case in Indiana, the team from the neighboring town was always your fiercest rival, sooner cut off an arm than lose to those guys! Our rivals were the school in Osgood , which was only five miles away, being not as  large a school as us the 7th grade class probably only had about 12 students . Almost every boy in the class played on the basketball team. MORE!

Making Free Throws!
It has always been frustrating to me that professional basketball players can't hit free throw. These guys make millions of dollars a year and can't hit an easy free throw? More

Hillforest Mansion, Aurora , Indiana
Sitting on 10 acres of land high on a hill overlooking the Ohio River , Hillforest Mansion strikes an impressive scene.More

Country Roads ,Indiana

The Real "Hoosiers" In the spring of 1954 a small town school from southeastern Indana made history by becoming part of the mystic surrounding "Hoosier Hysteria"!

I find myself to be very fortunate to have been able to witness and partake in one of America's truly great traditions, More !

Having been born in southern Indiana , I don't remember the time I wasn't interested in high school basketball. My earliest memories include my family and friends talking about More.

Jac-Cen-Del Eagles WIN 2009 Indiana High School Division 1A Basketball championship!!
55 years after the Milan Indians made history by defeating the Muncie Central Bearcats and inspiring the movie "Hooosiers", their neighbor, J-C-D, wins it's own state title!

Web Cam Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The race was originally advertised as the "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race" from 1911-1916. However, from the start the race was known as the Indianapolis 500 or, more simply as the "500."

In 1919, the race was referred to as the "Liberty Sweepstakes" following WWI. From 1920-1940, the race reverted to the "International Sweepstakes" name, or slight variations such as "International Sweepstakes Race, Distance 500 Miles." Following WWII, the race was commonly recognized as "The 500", The 500-Mile Race," "Indianapolis 500," or "Indy 500," and usually the ordinal (e.g. "50th") preceded it. Often the race was also advertised on the radio as the "Annual Memorial Day race," or similar variations.

For the 1981 race, the name "65th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race" was officially adopted, with all references as the "International Sweepstakes" dropped. Since 1981, the race has been advertised in this fashion, complete with a unique annual logo and the ordinal always included.

The Borg-Warner Trophy, introduced in 1936, proclaims the event as the "Indianapolis 500-Mile Race," with no reference at all to the name "International Sweepstakes."

Whitewater Canal Locks, Historic Metamora Indiana

Growing up on a farm near a small town in Indiana, I can't imagine having a better life anywhere! We were a close knit family, having to spend all of our waking hours together, working, playing and praying together.
As I look back, the advantages far outweigh any disadvantage I might have encountered. Imagine living in nature 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

The work is hard, but fulfilling, the weather can be contrary and unpredictable, the rains come when planting and harvesting, making it difficult to finish the work, and never show up when the crops are in need, it can be quite frustrating!

There is no better feeling than plowing a field, planting the crops and spending the summer caring for it, watching it grow. When the crop is harvested, along with the monetary rewards comes satisfaction in knowing that God and I were partners in producing food for the world to eat.

Small town life gives one the opportunity to care for livestock,help with their birth, watch them grow, feed and nurse them back to health when one of them gets sick. There is never a shortage of pets, from dogs and cats to horses, cows, and even sheep and lambs.

Living in a small rural environment gives one the sense of community, everyone becomes part of your family, people are concerned about each other far more than when living in a large metropolitan area. Neighbors look out after each other, care for their property when away, and share in the everyday needs and desires of each other.

Crime is practically nonexistent,with the neighbors so near and involved, no stranger can go unnoticed. I remember while growing up , we never locked our doors! When it came time to sell the family farm ,the house key couldn't even be found!

As a child playing in the creek, with tadpoles, fish and turtles, one has little time to think about any lack of entertainment or excitement. The whole neighbor hood looks after each other, kids have a hard time getting into trouble,people know each other for miles, no matter what they try to do, someone they know will see them. Your parents always find out what you did , even before you get home.

I remember feeling sorry for my cousins who lived in the city, I always felt they were missing something by not having the life I had!

I suppose the downside of living in a rural area would be the lack of shopping,and restaurants, however with the internet, one can shop from anywhere and have quality merchandise delivered right to your door by UPS.

The lack of restaurants is far outweighed by sampling some of grandma"s cooking on a Sunday, or attending the local church festivities!

All in all , there is no better place for a child to grow up than in a small rural area.