Many of you may not be aware of the attractions of the many small towns and rolling hills of Southern Indiana. This part of Indiana is unique from the rest of the state and really has more similarities to Kentucky (hence the term "Kentuckiana" has been applied to the bordering towns of both states). As my brother says, The people in Northern Indiana think of them as hopeless southerners with a drawl in their speech to match, and "Southerners" (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama), think of them as "Yankees". I first became acquainted with the area when my brother moved to Corydon, Indiana with his wife, who is from there. They now live in a little out-of-the-way place which does, in fact, boast a post office and gas station. The area is lovely and, although I don't pretend to know how many acres of land they have or anything other than what I see, they own a good deal of property with woods and hiking trails and a comfortable home.
But these are not the best parts of Southern Indiana, nor what drew me there last weekend. My days there revolve around the family that I love and don't get to see nearly often enough.
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| With my 6-year-old niece at her science fair the night I arrived. |
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| Bonding with my 3-year-old niece and getting her warmed up to me involved pulling a few faces. |
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| Crossing fingers, toes, legs, arms, while waiting for the announcement of the awards for the science fair projects. She won first place in the "modeling" category for her model of the solar system. |
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| Expert at "Kids Dance" on the Wii. |
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| Jeeps for kids that really drive -wow. I wanted one! |
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| The cutest girls in the state! |
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| McGuyver aint got nothin' on my bro! This is a contraption he put together for his scouts' rocket derby. |
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| This was actually taken by my niece with my camera - but I think she did a pretty good job. |
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| True southern-style front porch that my brother built last summer. |
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Although she called these her "spy glasses" (mirrored lenses), everyone proclaimed she looked like a movie star.
Look out, Lucy Liu! |
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| Movie star sophistication combined with a little girl's need for her stuffed panda... |
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| Hanging out on a Sunday afternoon. |
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| Gotta protect Daddy's eyes from that racy magazine...or is it from the TV and "iCarly"? |
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| "We" completed a puzzle! Although considering how dismal my puzzle-skills really are, I think she did about 75% of the work. |
Some of the best vacations involve hanging out with family.
