Last week, I set foot in the oldest shoe store in the USA.  Stout’s Shoes has been serving customers with quality, selection, and a memorable shopping experience since 1886. A historical retail highlight in the heart of  downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, Stout’s is the home of the last Baldwin Flyer baskets still in operation.  My fascination with old mechanical objects meant that I immediately turned my attention to these fixtures before the shoes when I walked in the door.

“In the early 20th century, each salesperson hand wrapped all items purchased in the store. A system of baskets hanging from wires was, and still is, used to transport the purchased items and cash to and from different areas of the shoe store.  This system is called the Baldwin Flyer and we are the last shoe store still using it.  The Baldwin Flyer system was intended to centralize the wrapping process. After the salesperson rang up the purchase it was placed with the money in a basket, which was lifted to the mezzanine to be wrapped and have change made. The wrapped shoes were sent in another basket to the front desk where an attendant would hand the shoes and change to the customer. On a busy Saturday in addition to the salesperson, two “wrappers”, a cashier and a front desk attendant were required to run the system.  It all sounds very confusing… I would recommend that you come in to the store and see it for yourself.” - History of Stout’s

Love the shoe shelf ladders and checkerboard floors.

Well, see it for ourselves, we did!  While driving through Indianapolis on our way to Ohio last week, we stopped for a quick lunch at one of my husband’s favorite pizza places, Bazbeaux, which just so happens to be next door to this cool old shoe store.  Mark grew up nearby, and remembers shopping at this store as a kid with the baskets zipping along overhead.  This place is totally my kind of retail environment – historic character and quality merchandise. Only bummer was that my camera battery was just about dead and we were short on time, so I didn’t get into much picture taking on this visit. Guess we’ll have to make a point to go back for pizza and shoes next time we’re in Indy!

Here’s a collection of some more shots from a recent hike to the site of the Black Eagle Mine ruins, which is just up the mountainside behind our house.  Most of these are abstract detail shots; you can read more about the Black Eagle’s history and see more images of the mine itself in my previous post and on Flickr.

I have an obsession with old rusty metal…and found a whole pile of it! Read the rest of this entry »

Black Eagle Mine in Idaho Springs, CO

Sunday was a beautiful day here in the mountains, and I got to spend most of it OUTSIDE!! I’ve been itching to get out and work in the yard, but I have been so busy with my sewing business transition that I haven’t had many free moments in recent weeks.  It was Memorial Day weekend, and I was thrilled to have a free day to spend outside.  I’ve been sewing every Sunday for months now, with Shabbat being my only day off each week.  Now that June is here, I am now working from home all but one day a week, which I’ll be spending at Bits and Pieces.  This is my first week of the new expanded sewing schedule, and I’m finally getting caught up on some things (including blogging!!)  The windows have been open, I’m eating lunch in the sun, and sewing for hours and hours at a time.

Which brings me back to the outside air….we made some good progress on “reclaiming” our yard and the beautiful stone landscaping.  I spent alot of time weeding and uprooting grass so that I could plant some new perennial flowers.  Everything just started budding and blooming here in the Rocky Mountains a few weeks ago, and now there are fresh green leaves and beautiful blossoms everywhere!  I’ll have to take pictures of the yard in a few weeks when it fills out with new growth.

Old power lines…they don’t make them quite like this any more!

After spending all day in the yard, with occasional thoughts ruminating regarding the possible hikes we could take straight from our house, I suggested that we just take a walk up the road behind our house.  It was already 5, but the sun would still be up for hours (it happened to stay up just long enough, until we got back about 9!).  I had only been up Black Eagle Road once since we bought the house two Septembers ago; I was alone and had turned around after encountering private driveways and a steep, rocky road up the mountain (in bear and mountain lion country!).  Now I was curious to see more of what’s up there.  So, Mark and I set off up the road that cuts into the hillside directly above the back of our house, and that serves the 5 or 6 neighboring houses above us.

Black Eagle Mill

Here’s some background: Read the rest of this entry »

I took these pictures a couple of years ago, shortly after I moved to Colorado. The top picture is of the abandoned Nevadaville mine, just outside of Central City. The second image is some type of old mining equipment that is now grown into the scenery.