Hello, all. Kari here.
Just wanted to share some photos with you and a little something that I learned this past week...I just returned home from a week in Indiana, visiting my husband's family. My hubby Robert and I chose this time to visit so that we could help on the farm. (Okay, I say "we" loosely...I'm not really much help when it comes to operating heavy equipment and stuff...but I did keep my husband company from the "buddy seat" on the tractor and I was the number one supper-fetcher while we were there. Every little bit helps, right...?) My husband's family grows corn and soybeans in rural Indiana. Sure, Jill and I grew up on a farm, but we grew up with orchards and vineyards, not thousands of acres of corn and soybeans---farming is so varied across the United States! I enjoyed learning a little more about how my husband grew up. I even got to ride along with my father-in-law for awhile while he planted corn, and he was very patient to answer all my silly questions. It was a really good visit.
While I'm no photographer by any standard, I couldn't help snapping a few pictures while I was out and about on the farm because Indiana is so beautiful this time of year. Yes, I'm spoiled to live in California where beaches and mountains and farmland and cities are readily available depending on one's mood. Still, I was captivated by a different kind of beauty in Indiana. Lots of open spaces, lots of green (things have already turned pretty dry here in the Central Valley), and a never-ending shortage of two of my very favorite things: old farm houses and old barns. I also enjoy the quaint towns with antique shops full of treasures...(I didn't have much time to browse antique shops this time, but I plan on putting that on the list for our next trip to Indiana!)
I think one of the things that really struck me was how beautiful the United States is, and how there are fascinating things within driving distance of pretty much every place within the Union. (I mean, Indiana doesn't usually get rave reviews for being a beautiful place, but I know that I think it's lovely each time I visit.) With budgets tight these days, perhaps the best "vacation" consists of loading up your car and heading out on a road you've not yet traveled. You probably don't need to get very far from home to see something amazing. We live in a beautiful country!
Here are some of the beautiful things I saw on my trip:
Yellow fields...I know, they're weeds. But so pretty!
My mother-in-law, Shirley, took Robert and me to see these bald eagles not far from one of the fields being planted. You can't see the baby eagles, but they were there, in the nest! (That nest was the size of a small hot tub!) I had never seen a bald eagle before (except maybe at the zoo), so I thought this was pretty great. Then, later, while Robert and I were in a different field, a beaver waddled out into the open! Again, I've only seen a beaver at the zoo, so I thought this was quite a sight. (I know, many of you reading this are rolling your eyes because seeing a beaver is a pretty regular occurrence for you...but it's not too common in Central California!) We also saw two baby fawns while we were out and about. Very cute.
Every time I go to Indiana, I LOVE to see all the farms and all the open space. While I think I could live in New York City for an extended amount of time, eventually, I would need space. I think it's quite nice to be as obnoxious and loud as you please, and not have a single neighbor around to hear you.
Isn't this just lovely? (If you are looking at this and not seeing how pretty it is, you are completely jaded. I'm sorry, but it's true!)
This is my father-in-law, Abe, planting corn. He is a very, very hard-working guy! (So is my mother-in-law. The two of them handed down great work ethics to their boys!)
Blue skies, no smog. Can't say that about the Central Valley!
I tried to get my husband to buy this barn for me, but apparently barns aren't in our budget. Or something to that effect...
(Isn't it fantastic, though?)
All in all, Indiana is a very lovely place full of friendly, hospitable folks.
It's very likely you have a very lovely place undiscovered near you. Why not plan a road trip and do some discovering of your own?
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