Clayshire Castle

I’ve got to say, after visiting Ravenwood Castle in Ohio last year for dinner, I wasn’t entirely certain what to expect from Clayshire. But our getaway weekend at Clayshire Castle was AMAZING.

So we arrived a little later than we meant to Friday evening as apple maps decided to dump us out on some poor farmers driveway about 30 minutes from the castle saying, “You have arrived.” Heck no we haven’t. It’s dark, we’ve been driving on gravel roads for the past 30 minutes, and I’m hearing banjos and waiting to see Jason come out of the corn. Thankfully, Waze had our back and was able to reroute us and we arrived around 8pm. 

The host greeted us at the door in full costume, and gave us the full tour of the castle. Inside the castle they have five bedrooms they rent out, a library, small kitchenette, costume closet, and a gym. Outside the castle is the hot tub, walking trails, hedge maze, large chess set and pond.

We spent most of the rest of the evening in the small cedar hot tub and were able to stargaze, the night was beautiful and so incredibly clear you could see the Milky Way band across the sky. The rooms were nice and modern while having those special “renaissance/medieval” touches. The bed was incredibly comfortable and we both slept soundly.

Breakfast was served at 9 in the main hall and (thankfully!) was not “traditional.” Saturday’s breakfast was a fruit parfait, and a wonderful thing called German Eggs with sausages and grapes on the side. Jacob and I liked it so much we got the recipe from the hosts! There were also blueberry muffins, orange juice and coffee. Sunday’s breakfast was a warm peach and blueberry compote (Basically cobbler without breading), currant scones, bacon, and three different flavors of quiche. And the whole time “Lord Doug” or “Lady Jo” were bringing out dishes or refilling drinks, they would give you tidbits of trivia or stories, or the meanings behind old nursery rhymes. And at the end of breakfast, they send whatever leftovers with you in bags or containers for snacks later!

After Saturday breakfast, we put on some costumes from the guest costume closet and had a small photoshoot. I was expecting the cheap “crushed velvet-bought at walmart-halloween costumes,” but these costumes were either very well handmade or bought and incredibly beautiful. (And sizes from XS to 4X!) 

And since there was a birthday party there Saturday afternoon, we made the roadtrip to Spencer, got lunch from Wendy’s and dinner from the local walmart. Dinner was chicken pot pies and mashed potatoes that we prepared later in the microwave at the Castle.There’s not many other food options near that aren’t fast food or very fancy, I was hoping for an Olive Garden or Red Lobster, but Marie Callender tasted just fine. 

We hiked most of the trails around the castle, all very nice through some older woods. I wished I had a horse to gallop along them though!

In all, it was a great experience and we will most likely be back, hopefully bringing some friends to join with us next time! The hosts were lots of fun, always calling you “M’lord” or “M’lady,” and very knowledgeable about the renaissance time period. It was a really fun weekend, getting to dress up to play King and Queen and relax. 

*I’m adding in a small edit here to say that I was already impressed from when I booked last year and their website calendar wasn’t updated, allowing me to book a room for two nights that was already booked on one. I received a call from Jo saying how sorry she was, but that we could only have one night, and to make up for it, they would give it to us at half price. I was fine with that, not a problem, I was just excited to be staying a night in the castle. But then a few months ago I got a call saying that the room had opened up for that second night if we still wanted it! And of course we still did. I would have to recommend a second night if you can, it allows more time to relax and enjoy the castle.*

https://www.clayshirecastle.com/

The Land Rover Kentucky 3 Day Event

I’ve got to start off by saying – I don’t know why I’ve never been before. The Kentucky 3 Day Event (K3DE) is a great display of equestrian athletes and amazing horses, showing the variety of their skills from dressage to cross country to stadium jumping. (The same horse & rider will complete all three days) This all started because I wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby and then found out that a single grandstand ticket was over $400, and an infield ticket (where you would be crammed in like sardines and not actually able to see the race) was $75. So I looked for alternatives and found the K3DE.

You get a whole weekend for $165. ($80 – 3 day ground admission, $25 – Friday dressage grandstand seating, $60 – Sunday stadium jumping grandstand seating)

We also rented an AirBNB that was a beautiful historic house in a quiet neighborhood that was 15 minutes from the Horsepark. It was much cheaper than we could have gotten hotel rooms for all 6 of us. $212/night, so $70 per couple, which for a full house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen/living/dining, stocked with snacks, coffee, and towels, was a great deal.

We decided to not go to Thursday’s dressage tests since we figured one full day on Friday would be plenty, and we were right. I love watching horses and riders perform in dressage, but watching (nearly) the same test 25 times can get a little old. So we skipped out on a few and there was a ton of great shopping to be done as well! Incredibly expensive custom boots, free giveaways, new tech…test driving a land rover through a off road course… (One of the highlights for Jacob)  What was really fun that evening though was the “Kentucky Invitational CSI3* Welcome Speed Cup.” Stadium jumping, but based on time and faults. That was really fun to watch. Also, do yourself a favor and buy the guide book for $10. It has a wealth of information if you’ve never been and don’t understand the rules of all the competitions, as well as horse and rider names, maps, jump descriptions, past winners, etc.

Saturday’s Cross Country was definitely all of our favorite though. The course was four miles long with 28 jumps, and Jacob and I probably covered 10 miles running all over the place to try and see horses go over all the jumps! (Parents picked a few jumps to park their lawn chairs at, but we wanted to see it all!) We began at the first jump because they start a horse and rider on the course every four minutes and we figured we could see a few go over the first jump and then see one come over the last and then move on to other jumps. This year the first three riders didn’t finish the course and we began to worry about our plan, but the fourth rider finally finished the course! (To thunderous cheering and applause of course) The cross country course is a great opportunity for photos because you’re allowed to get pretty close to the jumps and the lanes, and after the last horse is past the jump you are allowed on the course and on the jumps! It’s incredible to just see the size of the jumps and the fact they have to clear 28+ jumps. You’ll have most of the evening free if you don’t attend the next round of stadium jumping that night(which was an extra ticket cost), so instead we went and saw Avenger’s Endgame.

Sunday was a pretty fun wrap up, getting to watch stadium jumping and awarding the winner. It’s really great because you don’t have to know much, the crowd will tell you when something goes wrong or right. Imagine dead silence from the massive crowd, a sympathetic “oooh” when a horse knocks a rail, or loud cheering and thundering foot stomping from a clear round! All in all, it was a great weekend that I would definitely recommend to any friends that enjoy anything about horses, and I’m sure we will be back again.

P.S. This is also a super helpful page for first timers: K3DE Visitor’s Guide

P.P.S. The bourbon chicken and rice is amazing. We ate it for lunch Friday and Saturday and I overheard a vegetarian buying some!

One Year of Dates

So I noticed in the busyness of this last year, Jacob and I’s dating life was a little …“dull.” We would go two or three months without doing something just the two of us, which usually resulted in “Hey, we’re free tonight and haven’t gone on a date in a while. What do you want to do? Dinner? A movie?” I realized that if I didn’t pre-plan something fun… it wasn’t going to happen. So for his birthday, which is in January and the start of a new year, I was going to give him a big gift. I was going to give him a year of dates. Not gonna lie, this took a lot of time and planning. I happen to enjoy planning, but maybe that’s just me. 🙂  So I put this into a small scrapbook I purchased from Hobby Lobby, and put either the gift card or receipt into the envelope.

 

• January – An afternoon in Wabash & dinner at the Market Street Grill
• February – Sledding at Pokagon
• March – Pottery in Muncie
• April – Kentucky 3 Day Event
• May – Swing Dancing Lessons
• June – Dinner & a movie
• July – Hickory Hall Polo
• August – Axe throwing
• September – Warrior Dash
• October – Night at Clayshire Castle (Hiking at McCormicks Creek SP)
• November – Wolf Park
• December – Coffee Date

The best part is, this is a great gift for any occasion! Birthday, Valentine’s day, Christmas, Anniversary…
Need some ideas for you book? Be sure to check out https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/ and pinterest for some great ideas! What are some of your favorites that should make next years list?

Salt Lake City, Utah – part 3

Fun stuff and Food!

After skiing at Brighton, we went to the Midway Ice Castle which was really fun! It was way bigger than I expected and there was a lot to look at and a ton of photo opportunities. There was a slide (which we waited in line for forever), tunnels, huts, a throne, a fountain, and a snack shop. And of course, lots of really neat ice formations.

We had also planned to go to the Axe Arena after skiing at Alta, but they were closed for an employee outing. Thankfully, we were able to squeeze it in Saturday morning before we had to leave to catch our plane. It was a lot of fun and fairly difficult! We had the place to ourselves for most of the morning, and the hour goes by fairly quickly. It’s a good challenge and a pretty good arm workout too!

Some notable food/restaurants I have to mention quickly:

J Dawgs. Their menu is so simple. It’s awesome. You choose a dawg, polish or beef. Choose if you want chips/drink/combo. Then the toppings for the dawg. That’s it. The dawg was really tasty and their special sauce was very good. It’s a sweet-spicy flavor, so think brown sugar/chili powder/BBQ/Ketchup. They’re fairly large so one dawg was enough to fill me up, Jacob ate two and was almost full. (It takes so much food to actually fill him up)

Chip Cookies. It was Jacob’s birthday while we were out in Utah so our hosts celebrated with cookies. These cookies are massive and taste amazing. They got both the hot cocoa cookies and the traditional chocolate chip. I tried both and couldn’t pick a favorite. I just discovered they DO ship to Indiana, however, I’m cheap and don’t want to pay $15 in shipping for $10 worth of cookies. But it’s very tempting.

Bruges Waffles. This place was so good. Little and unique, with amazing food. I’ve never had chicken and waffles before, and they had to convince me to get it, but I’m so glad I did. It was so good. I didn’t think the sweet of waffle/syrup/cream would go well with fried chicken strips. I was wrong. It was amazing. Plus the presentation was adorable, it actually looked like a chicken. Also, the cashier was super nice and since we paid for our hosts breakfast, he gave us our coffee free. He said, and I quote- “You got them, I got you.” We also tried their frites and fry sauce which was also very good. A little strange at first, but I ended up really liking it.

Salt Lake City, Utah – part 2

Skiing!

So for days 2 and 3 in Utah, we spent them skiing at Brighton and Alta. We left early to get our gear from a place called Ski n’ See. Ski n’ See is a nice rental place with a great selection, you can choose ski’s from this year, last year, or the year before, and the price is reflected in their use. The workers outfit you quickly and accurately, and are very helpful. (Especially if it’s your first time really skiing. Indiana ice hills don’t count!) So for two people to rent gear – skis, boots, poles, and helmets for two days, it was about $150. I also purchased a fleece muffle for $10 that I ended up really appreciating. We weren’t certain about the quality of rental ski goggles, so we purchased our own before leaving for Utah. Besides, you can get decent ones on Amazon for $20ish, and if you use them more than once, they pay for themselves. We purchase these goggles, Jacob getting the B-VLT 11% Black Frame Silver Lens and I the K-VLT 13.7% White Frame Mirrored Gold Lens. I will be honest, I have no idea what those percentages mean, but both of our goggles did great on the mountains when it was sunny and very bright and when it was snowy and foggy. Mine only fogged once, and that was after I tucked my muffle into them to try and keep my nose a little warmer.

Brighton was a great, it had a variety of slopes to keep me and Jacob occupied. (Brighton map) Only a few places were not marked well, and made us take a blue slope instead of a green at one point, which wasn’t a huge deal. The only other “problem” I will complain about… is that bathrooms were semi hard to get to. Especially while wearing ski boots. Good lawd those things are difficult to walk in. I think I still have the bruising on my shins from them. But the trails were well maintained, lift chairs and operators great, and scenery was beautiful. ALSO, this might seem silly, but their map was amazing. I didn’t realize how great it was until we had Alta’s map for the day. Their map had two hard pieces to it, and folded to the size of a credit card or ski pass card. This ensured it didn’t get mangled in your pocket or torn. A+ ingenuity on that.

Alta was also very nice, but I feel like their slopes were less beginner friendly and less well marked. (There’s only a few green slopes – here’s the map) I almost shot past a warning sign for a black diamond slope at one point because the blue trail took a hard right and the black diamond continued straight. There was no signs pointing where the blue trail went and as it went over a hill, it wasn’t easy to see. At Brighton I felt very comfortable on greens and moderately comfortable on the blues. At Alta… the greens were fun but a little challenging and the blues were almost a little much for me. I did them, but it was a little stressful. Still a very nice ski resort, and if I was a more advanced skier, I’m sure I would have liked it better. But as it was, I think I would have rather done two days at Brighton. There were several trails I didn’t get to that I wanted to after a full day of skiing. So bottom line: both resorts are beautiful and great. Alta doesn’t allow snowboarders and is for the more advanced skiers, Brighton is more geared towards beginners but still has some difficult trails.

Salt Lake City, Utah – Part 1

Diamond Fork Hot Spring – I’ve got to say, this is one of my favorite outdoor things I’ve ever done. The hike was gorgeous and the hot springs were like an amazing natural bright blue hot tub. We went on a Wednesday morning, arrived around 8:30am, and there was only one other car in the parking lot. The earlier you go, the less crowded it will be as this is a popular attraction! When we left around 1pm, we passed probably about 30 people coming in to the springs and the parking lot was full.

From the trailhead, it’s 4.5 miles out and back, but there is a gate they close if it’s extra snowy/icy and that adds an extra 3 miles for a total of 7.5 miles round trip.  And like many of the other people say, WEAR ICE SPIKES/CRAMPONS. I almost didn’t because I thought, “I won’t need those, I’ve got good hiking boots!” No. Just wear some and it will make your life a lot easier. It’s a long hike with some decent hills, and if I didn’t have my yaktrax, it would have made the trail fairly difficult. You can get decent ones for $20(ish) on Amazon, and these are the ones we used which worked perfectly. YakTrax.

You can tell you are getting close to the springs when the river you are following begins turning blue and smelling like sulfur. The springs will turn any silver jewelry you are wearing interesting colors because of the sulfur! (You will also smell like sulfur after soaking for an hour or two.) A neat thing is that you can find a pool that’s the perfect temperature for you, as the closer you get to the waterfall, the hotter the pools get.

You will probably want to wear your swimsuit under your clothes for ease of changing, and bring a towel and a change of underwear, and a plastic bag to put your wet suits in. A pair of water shoes might also be a good idea. The rocks are fairly slippery and sharp, and since you can’t really see the bottom of the pool, there could be debris (Natural or man made).

Also, be aware nudity is a thing out there. When we were in the springs, there was one other man a few springs closer to the waterfall that was nude, but it wasn’t a problem. He stayed in his spring and we stayed in ours. For changing back into dry clothes, it’s helpful if you have someone to hold a towel for you as it’s kind of hard to find seclusion or get off the trail.

For other tips/reviews and to check if the gate is closed, check out – All trails. The location of the trailhead for this hike is in Diamond Fork Road, Springville Utah.

 

Bonneville Salt Flats – The salt flats are about 3 hours away from the hot springs, and 2 hours from SLC, but be prepared for a long drive and a lot of nothingness! It was a very alien feel and the landscape was beautifully strange as it was incredibly flat for miles and miles but there were mountains in the distance. (The salt was also mostly… brown. Instead of the typical white I had seen/was expecting.) But where the flats were flooded, it created some very cool reflective photography opportunities as the water was only a few inches deep and continued for miles. Be warned, wear shoes you don’t like if they aren’t sturdy, or be prepared to thoroughly wash your boots later! The salt clings to and stiffens the material. Most of the flats you wouldn’t want to drive on while they’re flooded, but from the looks of it, quite a few people had (And some had gotten stuck).

Our whole goal was to be out on the flats in time to watch the sunset, which was beautiful. At one point, it looked as though there was no horizon, no line between land and sky, just one blue strip. It was a strange illusion to look at!

It’s only about 6 miles to the Nevada border from there, but there’s really nothing in the area. So if you go, just know that it’s a long drive to see some cool scenery and not much else! (Which still makes it worth it in my book as a photographer!)

Lazy updates

I was recently reminded that I still have a blog. And that it’s been three months since I last posted. I’m bad at this blog thing, sorry. But everyone has insisted on getting married this summer, Jacob and I started a taekwondo school, and progress updates just haven’t been as “fun.” So we finished siding and stained it! And now we’re working on the trim on the inside, and it’s >THIS< close to actually being done! The to-do list is getting shorter. Finishing trim, boxing in the furnace, adding shelves under the stairs, and finishing the hook ups for the washer/dryer and the shower is about it.

But our timeline on living here has shortened. We just simply don’t fit. We have too many hobbies! Tiny house living has been fun and “do-able,” and would have worked out much better if we only had two or three hobbies. But between martial arts, photography, guns, archery, airsoft, horses, sewing, crafting, art, woodworking, camping… (I’m sure I’m missing some too) It’s a little tough. So the open house we will eventually have after everything is completed may also serve a double purpose!

And I’ll do my best to add some updated photos of the interior soon. If I remember. 🙂

And just like that!

And just like that – Almost all the siding is done! We started May 19th and almost finished the back side with help from my dad and Seth, and then throughout the rest of the week Jacob and I were able to finish it. We planned a big work day for memorial day and with some blood (Mine, from accidentally hitting myself with a screwdriver trying to pry a nail from a board) and sweat (Seriously. It was nearly 100*), and thankfully no tears, we were able to get the end and the front side done as well! And my beautiful “porch” light was able to be installed too. We saved the worst/precision work for last as we still have to side the front with the box and the box doors need replaced since they warped, but the brute work of siding is done. I can’t get over how awesome it looks.

Also, I managed to make a decent looking spice rack, and I’m very proud of it! 🙂

 

Slow Progress

It’s been two months since the last update and honestly…not much has happened! Thanks to Indiana’s eternal winter and the rain that wouldn’t stop left it too cold, too muddy, or too miserable to get work done. But thankfully we were able to replace the jacks and get the new ones welded on. (Thanks to a great welder named Barry Soultz of Bent Knee Metal Works, LLC)

We were also able to get our bathroom ceiling up!

When it finally dried out in the last few days, we were able to get out the saw and go to work on trimming out two of our windows. We’ve had a sheet stapled into the bedroom window on my side in a sad imitation of a curtain to block light, but in another day or so I’ll have an actual curtain rod with an actual light blocking curtain! Trimming out the windows doesn’t take a lot of time or effort, but wow it makes a difference in how finished the house looks! Now I can’t wait to get the other 3 windows done and put curtains up.

Part 2: Bump in the Night

We awoke this morning at 3am with a heart attack. There was a bang and the trailer dropped down and to the side, so as I woke I reached out and grabbed Jacob and yelled, “We’ve been hit!” I had no idea by what or what was happening yet, but I knew something had hit the trailer, and my first foggy thoughts was that maybe it was a tornado since it had been stormy and I could hear strong winds now. Jacob quickly ran outside to see what happened and if “evacuation” was necessary. Somehow, we were struck by such a strong wind that the jacks that were bolted underneath the trailer gave way and broke to the sides. So the waking to the falling we felt was the trailer dropping about a foot down and a foot to the side as it fell off the jacks and onto the wheels and hay bales lining the bottom. We’re not sure what we can do about it yet as the ground is still standing in water so placing more jacks underneath wouldn’t accomplish much. Soooo anyone know a good welder?