Kylie received the news that her grandfather had passed away last Wednesday, so we made last minute plans to fly up to Indiana for the weekend to be with her family for the services.  Her "Grandpa Shine" (everyone called him 'Shine') was a character, someone that had this infectious sense of mischievous humor that just made him fun to be around.  One example - the hospital staff that took care of him for the last several years took the time to write out lots of memory cards with some of their memorable moments with Shine.  I didn't get a chance to read them, but I heard this one read aloud..."Everytime we got a new nurse, Shine would fake a heart attack when she came in."  Is that not priceless?  I only got to spend just a little time with him during a couple visits to Princeton, but he left a lasting impression on me about the kind of attitude and sense of humor I want to have when - God willing - I'm 85.  This image below is from our wedding back in January when Kylie and I stopped up at the hospital to see him in between the ceremony and reception.  I expected nothing less than the tuxedo t-shirt.  (image courtesy of our wedding photographers, Vincent and Elizabeth)

Here's a few images from the rest of the weekend.  I had a hard time telling some of the crops from weeds, but Kylie's dad set me straight most of the weekend.  Soybeans and corn where e-ver-y-where (and for the record, I was able to pick out soy beans and corn on my own, thank you very much).  The harvest season had just started, so all the farmers up there were gettin' ready to reap the rewards of their hard work.

Old storage containers in an old barn.  Looks a lot like a pre-cursor to the Dewey Decimel System if you ask me.

Got a screw loose?  We've got a replacement for ya.

Kylie's dad, Garry, lookin' all dapper in red.  Seems nice enough, right?...

... ahhh, here's Garry again, this time fondly recalling the phone call I made to him when I asked for his permission to marry his daughter.

...and speaking of his beautiful daughter, here she is in high heels... in a barn.

"Kylie, quick, strike a pose!"  As always, she obliged.

There's a few things I can always count on when I go to Princeton... a more relaxed pace of life, cherry tunrovers for breakfast on Sunday, and this rusted red Chevy truck always parked in the same spot on this side street.  Love this beautiful light just as the storm was rolling in and the rain started to come down.

This was actually the door to the women's restroom outside at a gas station, but I spruced it up a tad in Photochop. Step into my office.

I love back county roads with big skies.

Here's an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image of a barn we stumbled on during a Sunday drive through the county with Garry and Kylie's brother, Bryce.  To see how I create my HDR images, click here.

One of my absolute favorite things about small towns is the local restaurants, and if it's a pizzeria, even more betterness.  Yes, betterness.  There's just something about the relaxed atmosphere in these places that you don't find in big city chain restaurants.  (Think Sweet Home Alabama).  This was Sandy's Pizza in Fort Branch, IN.  We obviously were dining in the "Coke Room" with all the original Coca-Cola paraphernalia.  +5 points for authenticity.  -7 points for not actually serving any Coke products in the whole joint.  3 bonus points if you can find me in the image below.

We got a gargantuan pizza on our last night there (and actually the night before from a different joint).  Kylie's dad and he Aunt Connie are lookin' pretty pleased with the the grease quotient that comes with this bad boy.