KY - Who Knew!?

We had never been to Kentucky before. It wasn’t by design, it was just the result of opportunity (or lack thereof). I didn’t have much in the way of expectations and I really thought we’d pop down, spend a great evening with one of Scott’s good friends from his MBA program (and his family) and be on our way. But southern charm isn’t famous for no reason. We’ll be spending a total of 6 night here… because we want to. Nothing is broken. There are no issues to be solved. We’re just really loving it.

Louisville is quaint in the same way as Boston. It feels like a walk back in time. It’s the buildings. They have streets full of beautiful brick buildings that are strong and interesting. To say they have character is an understatement. They’re full of lively restaurants, museums, libraries, art. As if that wasn’t enough, then there are the old southern style homes along the river. They have sprawling lawns and tree lined driveways. Plus there are… get this… yacht clubs. I never would have guessed that. Obviously I’m ocean-biased…. but I guess you could have a boat on a river. Why not?! It’s not just any river – the Ohio turns into the Mississippi at some point and you could get all the way to the Gulf.

I’m pretty sure they would never let me live here because I have what they consider a fatal flaw. It’s so obscene I would be treated like a leper in the 1800s. I don’t like bourbon or its half brother whisky. It smells bad, tastes worse and isn’t something I would ever pay to drink. That… right there… is like saying Tom Brady throws like a girl to a New Englander. It’s fighting words. I would be turned around at the border.

We’re in a great location south of the city and north of Mammoth Caves National Park. We hadn’t planned to stop there, but I’ve always wanted to see it. I saw a National Geographic special on it years ago… and, as usual with NG…. I was fascinated. We’re an hour away – please. It’s a ‘mandatory’. We’re also going to see Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home and maybe Churchill Downs. I nixed Fort Knox from the list. I was excited about it at first but it turns out they don’t have public tours. Probably a smart move, but disappointing nonetheless. We won’t be spending much time at the historic sites related to the War of Northern Aggression (of which there are many). With all due respect, it’s not our thing. We’ll do Gettysburg when the time comes to teach the kids but thankfully they’re too young right now.

Evers is sick with a little cold and we think Jack is starting to come down with it as well. We’re taking today slow. Scott just went for a run. He came back after maybe 8 minutes thinking he had done 20. Ha! Giddy-up Cowboy – he had to do another couple of loops. He’s planning to pull his exercise stuff out today or tomorrow and show everyone what he’s got going on because he’s been asked several times. I spent the morning researching “poisonous things in Kentucky” on the North America Wildlife Guide. Thanks Frank B! Awesome recommendation. We’re still reasonably safe in KY as far as I can tell. It’s not the deep south yet. Horror movie creepy crawlies still get killed by the cold winter in these parts.