A Winter Trip Recall #2

Welcome to the 2nd part of our Winter Trip to Indiana from December 11 to January 7, 2026.

This post will share with you how we spent our New Year's '26.

A couple of days before New Year's, we drove down to Indy to spend a few nights with Savannah and Reis.  As I mentioned in my last post, they have recently purchased their first home and have made it so warm and welcoming.  It is a lovely combination of both their tastes. 

Mine and Ollie the cat's favorite room is the glassed-in sunroom, which adjoins the primary bedroom as well as the den area.  This was the perfect place for their beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

Savannah found the green velvet sofa when she moved into her first apartment after college.  I love it!  It has such character and is so her.  They added additional pieces of furniture and made this room warm even in the dead of winter.

Even the neighborhood squirrels enjoy looking inside while appreciating the food in Vannah's Christmas gift bird feeder.  By the way, these were the largest, healthiest squirrels with the fuzziest tails that we had ever seen. 

Reis had to work on New Year's Eve, so Savannah had planned a road trip to a couple small, quaint towns in the area.  She said her goal for the day was to visit several coffee shops so that she and her mom could find the best latte.  And sure enough, we started our tasting test in the town of Franklin.  It is a delightful little town that is built around the most beautiful old courthouse I have ever seen.  So, while they ordered their lattes, I took pictures.

I love finding old courthouses, and this is the prettiest I have ever seen.  I found the millwork and details to resemble an overly decorated dollhouse. How would you like the job of stringing the lights from the top of the clock tower?

This was the first coffeehouse and for some reason, the test tasters decided to share a cup. The rest of us enjoyed a full cup of our own, and it was the last time they shared.

We explored several shops around the square and were amazed at the variety and quality of these locally owned businesses.  

We found a second coffeehouse to try, and their lunch menu was exactly what we wanted.  Evidently, the locals thought it was the place to eat as well.

After looking and shopping in the cutest little toy store, we enjoyed browsing in an interesting vintage store, The Vintage Market.  We left empty-handed, but not because we didn't find things we liked.

  

Before leaving town, we found a third coffee shop.  I don't know about the lattes, but I can testify that the German Chocolate Brownies were on the top of my list.  If you should ever find yourself in the area, I highly recommend Franklin, Indiana.

From Franklin, we drove to Nashville, IN.  Savannah had described it as a "Hallmark" village, and it truly was.

Our latte tasters decided to test the ice cream in Nashville instead.  I asked Savannah which of the lattes was her favorite, and she honestly said that Starbucks will always be her favorite.

On the way back, we spotted a sign pointing to a covered bridge somewhere nearby. Being the adventurous people we are, we decided to see if we could find it.

After a few doubts as to the wisdom of our decision, we found it.

As there was no turnaround room, we crossed the bridge and continued on the very narrow road over hill and dale until finally we reached a highway.  I told them that that was the kind of road one would expect to find an overalled clad person with a shotgun around any curve.  That was exciting enough, so home we went, but so glad we had that fun adventure.

We left the next morning before the predicted snow started up in Granger.  There had been a bit of snow overnight north of Indy, but nothing like we would have up north.

I was honored to hold Skye all the way home, even if she would have much preferred her mother's lap.

Along the open fields of Indiana

What awaited us.  After we got back to Granger on New Year's Day, the snow had already started.  We got home just in time.

The next day, we were blessed with another visit from "The Little Days," as the Big Days refer to their family.  We enjoyed being with them so much, and have already made plans to go again in July.  This time we will fly.

Come Sunday morning, it was time for us to head south toward home.  It is always so hard to leave our family, knowing it will be months before we see each other again.  We are always so blessed by them, and time is always too short.

We left on very icy streets, but thankfully the roads were clear and our trip to our first stop, Nashville, TN was smooth and uneventful.

 

I look forward to sharing about that part of our trip in my next post - Belmont Mansion.