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Top 12 Facts About Indiana

I finally found some blog posts that I authored a few years ago. At one point, I was a freelance writer. I wrote this for a now defunct travel blog.

If you are a fellow Hoosier like I am, you may know a lot about Indiana History.  I’ve gathered a few tidbits that I found interesting for your enjoyment.  So, here are the top facts about Indiana. It was fun. Photo is by me, and is from Metamora, IN.

  1. Parke County is not only known for the Covered Bridge Festival held in October.  It has 32 covered bridges and is considered the Covered Bride Capital of the World.
  2. Southern Indiana has one of the richest deposits of the best limestone in the world.  From New York City’s Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center in New York, to the Pentagon, the U.S. Treasury, a even more government buildings in Washington D.C. as well as 14 state capitols were built from Indiana limestone.
  3. Ball State University was built mostly from funds contributed by the founders of the Ball Corporation, a company than made glass canning jars.
  4. From 1900 to 1920 over 200 different makes of cars were built here in Indiana. Duesenbergs, Auburns, Stutzes, and Maxwells were all made here.
  5. If you’re traveling on U.S. 41 just north of Vincennes, there is a huge landmark, “Big Peach” in front of the produce market near Bruceville. It’s 20 feet tall and stands next to a Washington Monument replica.
  6. Indiana is the “Mother of Vice Presidents.”  Five men from Indiana have been elected as V.P.: Schuyler Colfax, Thomas A. Hendricks, Charles W. Fairbanks, Thomas Marshall and Dan Quayle. (Edit in 2021 – Mike Pence).
  7. President Thomas Jefferson sent explorers Lewis and Clark to their Northwest Territory excursion out from Fort Vincennes.
  8. The Coco-Cola bottle was designed in Terre Haute, Indiana.
  9. The first rapid fire gun was patented by Richard Gatling from Indianapolis in 1862.
  10. Frank Sinatra made his singing debut at the Lyric Theater on February 2, 1940 with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
  11. Theme parks were invented in Indiana.  The world’s very first them park opened to the public on August 3, 1946 in Santa Claus, Indiana.  It was open a full nine years before Disneyland.  It is still owned and operated by the same family.
  12. The first professional baseball game was played in Ft. Wayne on May 4, 1871.
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Writing A Lost Art?

I haven’t written a blog post in years. I miss it. When I had a job where I actually worked for someone else, my job consisted of writing. All day, write write write. I wrote training manuals. I wrote emails. I wrote company blog posts. Then, I was, as they say, furloughed. Yea. the boss’ son didn’t like me. I wouldn’t keep my mouth shut while he tried to bleed the company dry. That’s ok. Junior got his. The other partners eventually caught on, and to avoid his son being prosecuted, the daddy partner left the business. Karma is a bitch.

But, that was years ago. I guess all that drama left a bad taste in my mouth and I stopped sharing my thoughts, not that my thoughts matter a hill of beans to anyone else, but it was nice to download random ideas, etc. So, here I am – 10 years later and I start up again. For how long, who knows.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

I have spent the last few years taking care of my parents. Not just checking in occasionally or financially, but as a caretaker. It sounds noble, but it isn’t really. it’s tough and I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint hearted. The subtle shift of becoming a parent’s parent is heart wrenching. It plays on your mind, body, and psyche. But, more of that one another post.

During this pandemic, I lost 2 dogs to basically old age. When “they” say it can be worse than losing a human, it is true. I have mourned the loss of my two dogs tremendously. They were both larger that life and filled the house with energy, even up to the last few days of their lives.

They introduced me to people and led me to new hobbies I would never have found without them. We traveled, competed, and found each new adventure exciting and we went for the gusto. I traveled cross country with one of the to Texas. OH, what a time that was. We stopped more than if I had just gone alone. Katie sat up and stayed awake the entire time, like she knew this was a once in a lifetime event, which for her it was. But, again, more on that later.

I am just stretching my rusty writing habits and hope it will ease my crowded mind. My lifestyle is different than it was before. But, I am trying to bring back the habits that brought me peace. I need peace in my life more than anything else.

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Time to paint the ornaments! This is for a dog groomer. #christmas #holidays #tistheseason #holiday #winter #instagood #happyholidays #elves #lights #presents #gifts #gift #tree #decorations #ornaments #carols #santa #santaclaus #christmas2016 #photooftheday #love #xmas #red #green #christmastree #family #jolly #snow #merrychristmas

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Take your mask wearing to the next level with this one. Stand out in a crowd… link in bio. Enter code PC725 for $2 off. #gothgirl #gothaesthetic #blood # bloodhands #halloween #halloweeneveryday

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Bring me the skull of my enemy. Or, just wear them on a mask. Sale this weekend. Enter Promo PC725 and take $2 off the price of each mask. Link in bio #horror #skull #skullart #skullartwork #halloween #gothgirl #gothaesthetic #horrormovies #bones

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