weekly wanderings: madison, indiana

this past week my mom, sister, and i took a day trip to madison, indiana, which is less than an hour's drive away from louisville. madison is a small river town where the three of us have had lots of adventures. 

[little pink houses for you and me]

when julie and i were kids, mom would sometimes take us to spend weekend mornings at clifty falls state park. we'd go on little hikes, look at the waterfalls, and play in the nature center. in the afternoon we'd head to nearby madison. we'd get ice cream and roam the quiet downtown streets, stopping in antique stores and occasionally seeing a movie at the old theater. 

[old school fabric shop]

once the theater was playing some came running, starring frank sinatra, dean martin, and shirley maclaine, which was filmed in madison back in 1958. i talked my mom and sister into driving up to see it, but i ended up sleeping through the whole movie. what can i say? i was a teenager, and i had my nights and days mixed up. 

[bottles of essential oil concoctions to cure your ills]

each time i go to madison i remember all the times that have come before. i love the feeling of familiarity, of fun times had and still being had. it's a place where the magic of my childhood still seems to linger.

[architectural detail]

[bathtub cactus]

* * * * * 

do you have a place you go that instantly transports you back to childhood?