Scenes from... Westfield, Indiana

We had never visited Westfield before a couple of weekends ago and we found it to be absolutely adorable. It was a frigid day but we managed to take some photos.

The Westfield Antique Mall (800 E. Main Street) has 2 big floors of treasures:

Stitches & Scones- what a great combination:

Downtown architecture:

We've heard good things about Marlow's but didn't have time to stop and try it this time.

Some gorgeous old homes that look like they have been there for awhile:

Scenes from... Arcadia, Indiana

We braved the cold on Saturday to roam a couple of small towns and take pictures. It was absolutely worth it to see the cute buildings in Arcadia's downtown. Some of the buildings need some love but it is a very quaint Main Street. Arcadia has an arts initiative and their Arcadia Arts logo is displayed outside of artisans shops such as the Hedgehog Music Showcase, Scrappin for Schools, and Tabby Tree Weaver.

We love small town Christmas decorations.

On Washington Street, just off of Main Street, we stumbled upon the adorable Arcadia Cushman Company. We admit that we had never heard of Cushman Scooters but we peeked in the windows and they are very cute. The building is quite eye-catching with the scooter sticking out from the facade.

The railroad crossing on Main Street:

Strawtown Koteewi Park- Noblesville, Indiana

For us, it wasn't a hard choice this weekend between facing shopping crowds or taking a walk outside. We decided to take a break from our Ft. Harrison State Park routine and head north to the Kotweewi Park in Noblesville. While it isn't as woodsy as Ft. Harrison, the north and south loops had their own beauty and provided ample walking. We walked both loops and we walked for about an hour and 45 minutes. It was very quiet and not crowded at all which was quite nice.

There's not a lot of color outdoors right now so we were grateful for these greens and reds:

We like the contrast of the white on the trees:

The path was a little muddy but not too bad. It's a multi-use trail so bikers, walkers, and joggers are welcome.

Part of the path leads you under Strawtown Avenue:

We like to fully savor Thanksgiving before we think about Christmas activities but, if you're ready to get in the yuletide mood, Shelbyville is having a holiday parade tonight. The Strand Theatre is getting into the spirit by showing Holiday Inn on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The holiday open houses are in full swing too. Gallery 116 in Fishers has theirs this Saturday with a demonstration of glass blowing. Gallery One 36 is having a holiday sale on Saturday from noon to 5PM in Westfield. It's also Midnight Shopper time on Mass Ave. so there will be ample time to shop at that great store for gifts, At Home in the City/Silver in the City.

Heartstrings Holiday Open House- Markle, Indiana

The holiday open house for one of our all time favorite places to shop, Heartstrings, is this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It's a beautiful shop where you'll find Indiana made lotions, soaps, candles, and so much more for gifts and for yourself.

Christmas Open House at Logan Village Mall in Noblesville, IN

It's hard to believe that it is Christmas Open House time but it is at Logan Village Mall this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We nearly have all of our holiday shopping done but, since this is one of our favorite places to browse, we'll be there this weekend.

Halloween Film Fun

Halloween is Mr. WYA!'s favorite holiday. We have a busy month and, in case you do too, here's a rundown of some films to try to squeeze into your schedule:

We know that we've raved before about Nosferatu but there's another local showing of it on October 29th. This time, it's at The Toby in the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The Strand in nearby Shelbyville is getting into the spirit with Night of the Living Dead on Oct 17th, Ghostbusters on 10/23 and 10/25, and Young Frankenstein on 10/30 and 10/31 (the 10/31 showing includes a costume contest).

If you're closer to Franklin, Indiana, the Artcraft is also showing Young Frankenstein (10/23 and 10/24). On 10/9 and 10/10, they are showing the Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

If you're staying close to home, there are a lot of eerie highlights on TCM's schedule this month. There's Lon Chaney (The Unknown on 10/11 and The Unholy Three on 10/11; both were directed by Tod Browning who we love!), the 1925 Phantom of the Opera also with Chaney(C'mon, does it get any better than this? The masked ball sequence alone make it a must-see), and Nosferatu on 10/25. On 10/18 they're airing Vampyr, on 10/30 there is a Boris Karloff marathon, Friday nights are dedicated to thrillers, William Castle movies on 10/20 (including a terrifying Joan Crawford in Strait-Jacket), a Halloween marathon on 10/31 with some unique flicks, and more Tod Browning brilliance on 10/17 with a couple of our all time favorites, Freaks and Devil Doll. Whew, we are probably going to be watching these well into November.

Lustron Homes in Fort Wayne, Indiana

This month's Midwest Home magazine has an article about a "Lustrous Lustron" home in Minneapolis, MN but there are plenty in Indiana. As it so happens, there are several Lustron homes within walking distance of Mrs. WYA!'s parents' house so those are the ones highlighted here. Lustron homes were post WWII prefabricated porcelain-enameled steel houses made for those who wanted a low maintenance home. We've never been inside one but we think that they are intriguing. These are in a lovely older neighborhood in Fort Wayne so we recommend spending a gorgeous afternoon or morning making your own walking tour to see them.

4105 S. Webster:

316 W. Fleming:

415 W. Maplegrove Avenue:

Be sure to check out the Strand Theatre's website for info about their B Movie Celebration and Tromadance Film Festival this weekend.

A September Saturday in West Lafayette

We actually don't follow college football but, an opportunity to hang out with friends who are like family on a gorgeous September day with good food- who couldn't get into that?!

Scenes from... Centerville, Indiana

There are several arches along Main Street; many have plaques with dates and names.

How perfect, a classic car on Main Street:

The Old Salisbury Courthouse just behind Mansion House on Main Street. Built in 1811, it was Wayne County's first seat of justice:

It's always fun to browse at White River Architectural Salvage:

We're Chester Morris fans so, while we really wanted this huge poster, we were pretty sure it was out of our budget, pretty sure we'd have to rent a flatbed trailer to get it home, and pretty sure we don't have a wall big enough for it.

On North Morton Avenue:

The school mascot must be the Bulldog because we saw lots of Bulldog pride around town. This statue was in the park off of Morton Avenue:

We definitely recommend a stop at the Centerville Farmers' Market. While there was some fresh produce, there was even more cute home decor items and private label foods like jars of marinated mushrooms, lots of pickled treats, and some delicious dill garlic that we bought.

Mums and pumpkins: a classic Autumn combo. We bought pumpkins and an awesome gourd that was only $1.

Here are some of the cute things that they have for the home:

Their private label soda- we liked the root beer:

They had a whole Christmas room:

As we walked Centerville's Main Street and took pictures, we really felt like we could be on assignment for a publication like Midwest Living. It's just so darn picturesque that it seemed like it would be gracing the pages of a glossy magazine. We're sure that once the fall foliage starts to hit its peak, it will be an especially perfect time to visit so we're giving you a heads up early so you can plan an autumn trip here.

After you visit Webb's and the Warm Glow Candle Outlet, you'll want to stroll a few blocks along Main Street to browse at the shops, see all of the Federal Style architecture, and maybe even grab a bite at the Brown Jug or Blue Monkey. It's an easy trip from Indy; you take a right at Exit 145 off of I-70, immediately to the left is the Warm Glow Candle outlet so you can hit that then or on the way home, 2.5 miles south from the exit is Webb's. From Webb's, you can walk or drive down the road (Centerville Road which becomes Morton Avenue), definitely stop in at the Centerville Farmer's Market & Country Store, and before you know it you are at Main Street. White River Architectural Salvage is at the corner of Morton and Main. We love their Indianapolis store so we had to stop in and browse this smaller version. There are a few shops on Main (and don't miss Mockingbird Antiques on Morton just south of the Main Street intersection) and, for architecture buffs, a lot of cool buildings to see. The Historic Centerville website has a great brochure that you can print to make your own walking tour. While there are some Italianate and Greek Revival styles represented, there are more Federal styles which we don't really remember running across much in our Indiana travels. They really give the place a sense of history; some of them date back to 1830.

Centerville is just way to close to Indy (65 miles from our east side home) and way too cute to miss.