Some good times, present and past

Today is Wednesday, the middle of the week. The day upon which I was born. A day, allegedly full of woe. Why is that? After today, there are only two more days until the weekend. That should bring some cheer.

Today I have two closings scheduled out of the office. One is in Molena at 11:30. The other is in Harris County at 6:30. I have arranged with Cindy to go to Callaway in the early afternoon and then go to my closing nearby outside of Hamilton in Fortson. I have wanted to do this for some time. I am excited about the prospect of some down time this afternoon. It is nice to be able to combine that with some work also.

This week and the previous week have been good ones. I am relatively even-tempered right now. I could use some physical exercise, but otherwise am fine. I have a full closing set for tomorrow and another one set for Friday. I need to search a title in Henry County before the end of the week. Probably tomorrow.

I have been thinking about travelling to Clarksville and Hopkinsville sometime. I would really like to go back to the homeplace sometime in the near future. I know there will be some sadness because the farm house is gone and the farm is now owned by the county. Most of my relatives live elsewhere. But still, it has been some time since I was there. Seven years. It has been a whirl.

I was talking to Kate about a trip Cindy and I went on back in the early 90's. We had gone to visit the in-laws in Knoxville, and left Kate with them while we travelled up into Kentucky. We started off by eating lunch at the Boone Tavern in Berea. We continued on up to Lexington and west to Bardstown. We stayed in an old farmhouse which had once been the residence for a farmer who raised horses. That evening we ate supper at a little restaurant where they specialized in local foods, like ham and mushrooms and bourbon. The bourbon soaked mushrooms were a delightful appetizer. After supper we went to the Talbot Tavern and drank a bourbon and water and watched a little bit of a baseball game. It was fun. The Talbot Tavern has been around since the early 19th century and has hosted many famous people over the years. It was neat.

The next morning we awoke early and toured the Old Kentucky Home, where the song of the same name was written. We followed that up with a ride through the country which led us to the Maker's Mark Distillery. The tour of the distillery was interesting and the place where the distillery was located had a little wooden building on top of a wall that ran along the narrow road to the distillery. Apparently, at one time the farmers who sold their grain to the owners of the distillery would get paid in whiskey from the little building above the wall.

Later that afternoon, we drove into Perryville and checked in to our bed and breakfast. The B&B was in an old building which had served as a hospital during the Battle of Perryville. It had been a private girl's school as well. After checking in, we drove into Danville and toured Constitution Square, where the state of Kentucky was formed, and then drove up to Harrodsburg. That night we ate at an old restaurant/inn in Harrodsburg.

The next morning we drove into Harrodsburg and toured Fort Harrod, which included a small log cabin where Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln were wed. After touring the fort, we drove over to a little building where a lady had traditional music playing every week. We met the lady and listened to her play for awhile.

Later that afternoon, we drove up to Pleasant Hill, a former Shaker community and toured the community. We ate a delightful meal in the central building and enjoyed atmosphere among the old buildings. We then drove across the Kentucky River, viewing the pallisades. That night we returned to Knoxville.

I would like to redo that trip, with an added side trip to Hodgenville to see Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. It has been a very long time since we saw that. I was a small boy. I would also like to see the monastery where Thomas Merton lived. It is also in the area.

Someday.