Indiana Transportation Museum- Noblesville, IN

We really enjoyed our train ride to Atlanta, IN this past weekend courtesy of the Indiana Transportation Museum. If you missed the train to Atlanta, there are several other train riding opportunities coming up in October (when the fall foliage should make it an even more spectacular ride). On Oct. 4th the train can take you to Arcadia's Autumnfest and, each weekend in October, they offer Pumpkin Rides to a Hamilton County farm.

While waiting for our train, we ambled through several of the train cars at the station. Pictured above are the postage car and the sitting room portion of a sleeper car. We know that they probably don't have time to do it this year, but we think these old train cars are just ideal for doing up as a "haunted train station" for Halloween as a money maker for restoration. Just an idea for the folks at the Indiana Transportation Museum.

The one purchase that we did make at the festival was "pie in a jar" from Lisa's Pie Shop. Lisa's was on our radar because of Kirsten's post over at Middle West Meals awhile back. They had a booth at the festival so we grabbed a small strawberry-rhubarb "pie in a jar" and an apple "pie in a jar". When we said we wanted them for Christmas presents the vendors said that they would keep just fine. So, we are taking Kirsten's word for how good they are and Lisa's does take online orders in case you are starting to think about Christmas shopping (or just want to get yourself a gift).

Scenes from... New Earth Festival- Atlanta, IN

OK, that was not at all what we expected. That's the problem with having really big imaginations and having heard about an event for years. In our minds, a New Earth Festival would have eco-friendly things, natural products, maybe even some yoga related booths, pieces made by local artists- stuff like that. We envisioned an enclave of artistic, new age-y types in Atlanta. However, it was much more like a flea market. It is big and hugely popular so, evidently, it is something that a lot of people enjoy- it just wasn't our cup of tea. We did think the Atlanta Mercantile store on Main St. was lovely (that is the inside of their store pictured). The photos pretty much tell the story of the types of merchandise there; sheets, undergarments (?!), "designer" purses and there was every fair food that you might crave there too. We just wanted to give everyone a sense of the festival in case you are thinking about checking it out in a future year. While it wasn't for us, it might be exactly what you are looking for.

Mrs. WYA! got a little choked up when she heard that Paul Newman passed away while we were coming home from Noblesville today. She thinks his portrayal of the title character in Hud might be the sexiest screen performance ever (although his performance in The Long Hot Summer is a close second- and he was a bit more redeemable in it). Thanks for the body of work and rest in peace Mr. Newman.

Scenes from... the Indianapolis Canal

Lucky us had a weekday morning this past week to do nothing but enjoy a stroll around the canal. The light was just hitting the steam coming off of the Indiana State Museum's clock, there were cute pictures on the Historical Society promoting their "You Are There: 1945 Hoosier Home Front" exhibit, we loved the bridge with greenery on it, and we really love the rust color on the fountain.

If you need another reason to go to the Binford Farmers' Market, Ann McWilliams (one of our favorite local singers) will be playing there from 10AM-Noon on Saturday, Sept. 27th.

If you don't catch her there, later that day she will be at the Fountain Square Art Fair along with
Luke Austin Daugherty from 3:00pm - 4:30pm.

We are really looking forward to going to the Atlanta, IN New Earth Festival for the first time this weekend (and especially excited about taking the train there!).

Mrs. WYA! has been a big fan of Marilyn Monroe for a very long time so it's good to see that she still commands so much media attention. People still fight over her photos and there is a great cover story about her in the October Vanity Fair.

Magic Wand- Churubusco, IN

Since 1964- you've got to love that kind of staying power. You've also got to love their cute sign. We headed to Magic Wand for breakfast on Sunday just to snap a photo of their sign. We had a good breakfast and greatly enjoyed the atmosphere. We loved the display tower of doughnuts on their counter. A couple of words of warning if you are heading there though. First, if you suffer from coulrophobia (fear of clowns) you should know that the interior is completely decorated in a clown theme. Secondly, evidently they still allow smoking in Churubusco restaurants. Still, it is darn cute if you are ever that way.

click photos for larger images

602 South Main St.

Churubusco, IN

260-693-3518

Interview has some nice pictures of James Franco from their current issue (oh yea, and there's an interview with him too by Gus Van Zant).

We were excited when we read that super stylist Patricia Field (Sex and the City) had a clothing line coming out through HSN but now we're not so sure...

Hula Bean Coffee and Ice Cream- Greenwood, IN

We're suckers for cute signage so the pin-up on the front of Hula Bean Coffee & Ice Cream drew us in as we passed by. We assume it is a chain (although the company's main page only mentions the Hawaii location) but we decided to give it a try anyway. There are lots more cute, retro Hawaiian images inside along with quite a bit of merchandise in case you completely fall in love with "Hula Belle". We aren't in Greenwood very much so we don't know what kind of coffee and ice cream options residents have but this place is adorable. The barista was a little startled when we ordered a plain iced coffee and an espresso (she actually said no one she'd ever waited on had ordered a plain espresso before). Are we the only ones who like the simple coffee drinks that actually taste like coffee?

click photos for larger images

3016 Olive Branch Rd.

Greenwood, IN 46143

317-893-2652

You know we are Mad Men fans so it's no surprise that we LOVE these Mad Men illustrations on Flickr.

Apple Works- Trafalgar, IN

We learned about Apple Works when we bought some of their goodies at the Irvington Farmers' Market. Having an afternoon free, we decided to drive south to Trafalgar to see their orchard and shop at their store. They have a very nice store and we were able to find a lot of homemade things that we plan to give as Christmas presents. They have bottles of everything from their own hot sauces to fruit preserves. We were hoping to buy a single, warm, perfect apple dumpling to enjoy in their lovely surroundings but, they just have 4-packs with the sauce in a bottle that comes with them so we had to bring it home and microwave it to enjoy it- which we did. We walked their grounds and a little bridge took us over to an unexpected petting zoo. At first, we thought that the goats were just really eager for some affection but, we then realized that they wanted us to buy some food out of the machines that were there to feed them. This upcoming weekend is their annual "Highlander Festival" so it might be the perfect time to visit this charming orchard and country store.

Calhoun Street Soups, Salads & Spirits- Ft. Wayne

Cute Calhoun St. in Fort Wayne, IN is becoming quite a culinary destination. Several weeks ago, we enjoyed eating at the Saigon there and, this past weekend, we just went a little further north and crossed the street to try Calhoun Street Soups, Salads & Spirits. The place is gorgeous! It is in a great old building that used to be the Welch Hardware Building (and still has the Welch name in tile in front of the door). The outside of the building has been beautifully painted. The inside is warm and inviting. There's nothing like authentic hardwood floors, exposed brick, and a tin tile ceiling. It is an ambience that just makes you want to linger. To top it all off, the food was really good too. A group of us ordered the Whole Top Chef Salad, the Southwest Chicken Wrap, and the Turkey Sandwich. Absolutely everything was a hit including the pasta salad and mac n cheese sides. We appreciated the roll that came with the salad and the thick, delicious, honey mustard dressing. The Southwest Chicken Wrap was so big that part of it had to come home with us. It looks like they are doing everything right here and we hope that Summit City residents will support it. Check out their My Space Page to see a menu and to see what bands will be playing there soon.

Hyde Brothers- Fort Wayne, IN

Hyde Brothers used book store is so cool that we selfishly wish that it was in Indianapolis instead of Ft. Wayne. We love a good used book store and Hyde Brothers does a great job of organizing their books, which greatly adds to the enjoyment of browsing. The books are stacked high to the ceiling on the main floor and there is a jam packed lower level too. It's one of those great places where you just keep winding around and finding more nooks and crannies full of books. We were specifically looking for Dark Shadows books on our most recent trip and found that, not only did they have some, they had their own section. We love the funky little strip of Wells Street that it is on too. Book lovers who don't live in Fort Wayne would find it worth the trip to go there.

Bishop Garfield T. Haywood

We've seen this sign many times as we've driven on Fall Creek and wondered who Bishop Garfield T. Haywood was. It turns out that he was born in Greencastle and moved to Indianapolis as a child. He founded the Christ Temple Apostolic Faith Assembly. There are some nice pictures of him breaking ground for the Fall Creek location here. He passed away in 1931. Now we know.

Breaded Zucchini with Horsey-Dijon sauce

Inspired by the sauce that comes with Maxine's fried green tomatoes, we picked up some packets of Dijon mustard and horseradish sauce to see if we could come close to recreating it to top some slices of lightly breaded zucchini. We enjoyed it a lot and think it came pretty close. It's another one of Mr. WYA!'s easy recipes and, if you happen to have extra packets from a carry-out order around, it is quite a cheap treat.

1. Take a whole zucchini and cut it into about 1/4" slices.
2. Make an egg wash by cracking an egg into a bowl and stirring it with a fork until the yolk and egg white are mixed. Or, you could use the equivalent amount of an egg substitute if you prefer.
3. Prepare your breading by grabbing a paper plate and pretty much covering the plate with flour (Mr. WYA! is not good about using measurements), and adding salt and pepper. (if you like it with a little more kick, you can add chili powder or red pepper flakes)
4. Coat the bottom of your pan in olive oil and heat to medium high.
5. Coat the zucchini slices in egg wash and then drag them through the flour-shaking off any excess before toss them in the hot pan. Turn them after 4-5 minutes.

For the sauce, since we had the packets on hand, we used 3 packets each of Dijon mustard and horseradish and that was a good amount for our medium sized zucchini.

Does watching an episode of I Dream of Jeannie sound like more fun than working right now? Or, perhaps, Raising Arizona or Night of the Hunter? IMDB.com is now offering free full length movies and TV shows.

Bag Ladies Tea

A friend gave us a lovely little box of Bag Ladies Tea called "My Friend" from their Blossom Collection. It is a blend of Rooibos tea and a specialty Ceylon tea flavored with vanilla and caramel. We knew that it would be divine hot but it was great iced too. If you are trying to wean yourself off of expensive, caloric vanilla and caramel flavored coffee drinks, this is would be a great tea to try.

Get ready for election day (or gift shopping for Xmas) with these unique action figures.

Tarts from Rene's Bakery- Indianapolis

A beautiful tart just makes our hearts swell and aren't these tarts from Rene's lovely? They are almost too pretty to touch- but we did. The berry ones were fabulous but the lemon one especially made us swoon. We've had the unbelievably huge, flaky, heavenly croissants from Rene's before but this was our first time trying the tarts. We highly recommend them. What a perfect size for when you just need a little nibble of something sweet.

We love the Putumayo World Music CDs because they take us to exotic locales via music (and they have cute folk art covers). In the last couple of months, they released Acoustic France and the hypnotic Acoustic Arabia (which we really like). They also donate proceeds of sales to non-profit organizations relating to the countries where the music originates. They have a sale going on now offering 12 of their classic CDs for only $10 each.