How I spent (part of) my summer vacation

Today's blog post is unusual in that it's not my ranting or raving about anything, just newsy.  And very little science!

Being inspired by Fox 59's Sherman Burdette, I made plans to take my family on a mystery trip to southern Indiana.  I don't know much about this area except that it's the bottom edge of our state, and Corydon, the former capital and home town of former governor Frank O'Bannon, is down there.  I used some Hilton Honors points and made a reservation for one night.  And, the best part is, I didn't tell the girls where we were going or what we'd be doing.  I told Hubby, but only because we briefly contemplated canceling our plans and waiting for cooler weather.  In the end, we decided to tough out the heat.

If you're ever in New Albany, the Hampton Inn is nice.  Not amazing, but definitely nice.  And it's easy to get to.  Typical Hampton.  That's about all there is to say about that.  It was a good place to sleep.

We arrived in Jeffersonville for our FREE scheduled 11:00 tour of Schimpff Confectionary.  They have been in business for 121 years, and if you make a reservation, they'll be sure to be making candy during that time.  Well worth it, and it was interesting to see all the antique candy making equipment they still use.  After spending way too much on chocolates and hard candies, we went to check into our hotel.  Since our room wasn't quite ready, we decided to get some lunch and left our sweet stash with the desk clerk so it wouldn't melt in the car.

Sherman had said that Market Street in New Albany has a lot of "international" restaurants - "Just look for the fork in the road."  He meant this literally.  Scattered throughout New Albany are many art pieces, and on Market Street there is a large sculpture of a piece of cheese with a fork sticking into it.  Very amusing.

We wandered down Market Street and came across Habana Blues, a Cuban-inspired Tapas restaurant.  The adventurous spirit my older daughter and I share apparently rubbed off on my husband and younger daughter, and we went inside.  So glad we did!  Great food.  It's a small place but they don't skimp on quality in this restaurant.  Put Habana Blues on your list of places to go if you wind up in New Albany.

After dinner we went across the street to an antiques store.  Hubby likes to wander in them because he never knows what he'll find.  I saw some glasses with a beige-colored floral pattern on the side that I swear we had when we were kids.  That was slightly disheartening -- glasses from my childhood being sold in an antiques store.  When we walked in, that nagging old question popped into my head again:  Why do antiques stores always smell like an old lady's house?

Since it was 103 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and the upper floor of the shop was not air conditioned, we decided to see if our hotel room was ready, and it was.  The plan was to swim a little before dinner, but the pool was closed for maintenance.  So, we just relaxed a little before getting cleaned up for dinner.

We ate at Buckhead Mountain Grill.  My two-word review is Skip It.  The food was mediocre, the service was weird  - I swear I thought at one point one of the servers was going to stand there and watch while Hubby signed the charge slip! - and by 7:45 on a Saturday night it was pretty empty.  They have an outdoor bar area that I imagine in nicer weather is a neat place to hang, but again, I wouldn't waste any time or money on food here.  There's a seafood restaurant nextdoor that says "Excellent Sea Food" on its sign so you know it must be true.

The next day's schedule was to get up early, eat breakfast, and go to Falls of the Ohio State Park.  Hubby's shoulder was acting up AGAIN ("I don't like having Percocet Sundays") so he stayed at the hotel to "sleep it off" while the girls and I went to the park.  If you have never been to this state park, you really should go.  Spend a couple of hours wandering around the fossil beds in the river.  Someone (I was going to say "they" but I don't know who "they" are) put in a dam and hydroelectric power plant on the south side of the river, which keeps the fossil beds permanently exposed now - whereas once upon a time you had to wait for the river to go down to see the fossils, you now can see them year-round.  There are signs all over the place telling you to not swim and to listen for sirens.  However, with as hot and dry as it has been, no worries with regard to the flood gates being opened.  I took a few photographs, mostly for "record keeping".  The girls tried to get some rubbings with crayon but the vellum paper they brought wasn't suitable.  I think I have a few artsy-phartsy photos that might do well for posting to my Facebook account later.

After roaming the fossil beds, it was about 10:00 am and I was already heavily perspiring.  We went back to the hotel for another shower, and changed into nicer clothes for brunch.  Ah, brunch, that delightfully leisurely way to spend a Sunday morning if you're being a heathen and not going to church.  Kind of like us that morning.

Louis le Francais is a genuinely French restaurant on Market Street in New Albany.  We went for brunch and let me tell you, while the menu is somewhat limited, you will not be disappointed by anything you order.  I had "Zee Best Omelet" which it really was.  The chef prepares this omelet the way his mother taught him when he was still living in France.  It has roasted apples in it, and was really good.  Hubby had the vegetable omelet, which has ratatouille inside.  The girls both had quiche.  Louis makes his omelets with the ingredients mixed in, but they're so fluffy and so good!  The baguette kept coming, and paired with the fresh, homemade orange marmalade, which daughter #2 ate with delight, was truly divine.  Cappuccino!  Mimosa! Quiche! And for dessert, creme brulee and bread pudding!  Tres magnifique!  (Many thanks to daughter #1 for help with the French, who, incidentally, was dismayed that she had unwittingly passed on an opportunity to practice her French with the waitress, who was most definitely French.)

After brunch we came home, much to my chagrin.  It wasn't a FABULOUS vacation.  It wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime experience the way Yellowstone was.  It was simply a nice weekend with my family.  But aren't those the best memories?  Sure, I remember the big trips with my parents, but I mostly remember the little things, like my mom working with me to learn to cook and sew, my dad teaching me to play baseball and use tools properly, and our annual camping trips that were always the same and something I could always count on.  I hope I'm creating similar memories for the girls.