Following a month with our northwest family, and taking care of annual business, the big red and blue sky bird took us back to Tennessee to be reunited with Kodi and Kermit (the 'rig') and head north once again.
Jerry took advantage of being back in the travel mode at our first stop in the state of Kentucky. Oh, I meant the COMMONWEALTH of Kentucky, which is what they call themselves.
Kentucky is quite lovely, and not what I expected! I knew I had entered this Commonwealth when, in one town, I saw the 'Free Full Restoration Biker Church', a business named 'S*itkickin' Garage and Auto Repair', the 'Coon Dog Cafe' and 'Bubba's Fish House'. However, this same town houses the National Quilt Museum, a national school of art, and the very unusual artist relocation incentive program where artists are offered a free historic home (in need of fixing up) if they come and open their doors/house to the public.
Kentucky is all about the horse. . .
'bout the horse . . .
'bout the horse . . .
Oh, and a few other important attractions like Abe Lincoln's birthplace/monument . . .
Louisville Slugger bats . . .
Stephen Foster and his music, distilleries, and oh, did I mention the horse???
On that same theme, we HAD to go to the famous Churchill Downs which we planned on the day they were parading American Pharoah for all to see upon returning from his triple crown win. There was more security around him (now that he's worth over $100 million!) than around most human dignitaries, so photographing him was a bit challenging, to say the least . . .
They even had security helicopters hovering over head while he was on parade. We enjoyed seeing the Downs, although I expected something a little more elaborate for the location of the Kentucky Derby.
Food in this neck of the woods is interesting! Their standout, popular state dish is something called Kentucky Hot Brown. When I inquired about it, the locals I spoke to referred to is as a 'heart attack on a plate'. Obviously, I decided against that one! 🚫 I did try the Creamed Pull Candy though, as well as fried peanuts in the shell. Really good, and not the woody shell I had expected. Saw something on several menus that reminded me of my part-southern upbringing - - pimento cheese spread sandwiches - - on white bread, of course (urp!) Oh, and they offer corncob jelly there as well!
We had some chuckles over a couple of signs; both posted at different locations near the Ohio River. ("DUH" comes to mind!) . . .
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the Indiana Amish country. Once again, the horse plays such a major part of life there.
While I am not talented in any of the needle arts, anyone who loves to quilt should, by all means, visit this area. Many quilters have a special block pattern painted on their barns. It is really quite lovely!
Also saw lots of old tobacco barns from the days of the plantations.
For all you history buffs out there, this is a place to visit! Soooo much to see . . .
Tried as I might, I couldn't get 'hold of my fortune in this area - - found out that it is still 'all locked up' here at Fort Knox. It is so secure, that you can only photograph the Mint from the road as you drive past! I was hoping for a tour, but . . .
And the corn - - sooo much corn! It was not quite as high as an elephant's eye, but it is only the first of July! 😜 I guess Indiana provides much of the corn that Kentucky uses in all those distilleries!
One more childhood memory that came back while exploring these areas was the firefly! I had not seen them since I was a very wee tot living, for a short time, in the south. What a joy to see them every evening, although I couldn't talk them into stopping their flight long enough for a portrait! Beautiful!
We've just ventured into Michigan and will be blogging about this next time.
Hope all is well.
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