A Day at Ferrell's

Enjoy this little trip through part of my childhood. The Burger Chef is gone and some of the old motor courts on Fort Campbell Boulevard are no longer as nice as they once were, but you can still eat a little hamburger at Ferrell's and a steak at Charlie's Steakhouse and you can still drive down 41 from Hopkinsville past Fort Campbell to Clarksville. Of course, its quicker down I-24.

Memories of food

I would have to make a trip with someone who is not bothered by a more old-fashioned ambiance. I understand that Charlies' still allows people to smoke in the restaurant, which would take Cindy out of the picture. Kate might go. I remember when I was a child and we always would pass Charlies' either way as we passed from Hopkinsville to Clarksville or vice versa. I was always entranced by the brick building and the cows on the premises. Big Hereford cows. I imagined that they borrowed cows from my grandfather's pasture for the pictures.

It was only later when I was in college before I could visit and eat a steak. It was a good steakhouse and I understand is still pretty good. Going to a restaurant you went to as a youngun is rife with problems. It is somewhat akin to going to your old elementary school and realizing how small the halls are, despite how large they were when you were young. It is an optical illusion perpetrated by time and memory.

I would like to go to Charlie's and Farrell's up in Kentucky. Farrell's is a little hamburger stand in Hopkinsville, which is akin to Krystal or White Castle, but only has one store, on Main Street in Hopkinsville. You can visit on youtube, if you want.

I wouldn't mind drinking some bourbon in the Talbot Tavern in Bardstown. I wonder if that restaurant that Cindy and I ate in in Bardstown is still there. They specialized in Kentucky food and had country ham and mushrooms. They had marinated mushrooms as an appetizer. They were delicious.

We also at In Harrodsburg and Pleasant Hill. Both delicious. I am getting hungry. I hope I don't have to drive to Kentucky to eat tonight.

The plays of summer

Today really felt like summer. The Braves played the Phillies. I don't like the Phillies. Never have. I kind of like the Eagles some times. I would like the A's if they were back in Philadelphia. But I don't like the Phillies. Never have. And the Braves beat them again for the third time in a row. And it made eight in a row, I think and they are now 2 1/2 games in first in the East. Above the Phillies. Above the accursed Mets. Above the Marlines. Above the Nationals.

This morning I woke up early and watched a bit of television and saw the Sports anchor excited about the Braves being hot. Hot, like summer.

Then it was hot and sunny this morning until the rains came and covered everything with summer showers. Cool and hot together. Just like Dairy Queen.

Then I turned the television over to ESPN so I could watch a bit of baseball between the Cardinals and the Reds. It was tied. 0-0. And they turned the broadcast over to Detroit to show a young pitcher from Argentina who had a perfect game through seven. And he was working on eight, striking out one, a couple of ground outs. Then the Tigers scored two more runs to make it easier and the pitcher stepped up to the mound in the top of the ninth and let one go and the ball soared toward the centerfield fence and the centerfielder ran it down and caught it like Willie Mays catching the fly off Vic Wertz's bat in 1954. Then they threw the ball back so the pitcher could heave a ball and let the shortstop pick it up and throw it to first base for out number two.

Then the Indians brought the last batter to the plate. A young skinny kid who didn't look like he was going to do anything. And the pitcher threw one for a strike, then a ball low and outside. Then the third pitch was low but the batter hit it toward the gap between the first base man and second and the first baseman back-handed it and the turned and the pitcher and the batter were running toward first when the the ball was thrown by the first baseman to the pitcher who caught it and looked down and stepped on first a good step before the batter and he looked at the first base umpire and the first baseman was jumping up with joy and the arms of the umpire were showing safe and everyone looked with incredulity.

I couldn't believe it. Cindy replayed it slowly to see. It was so clear. The pitcher walked back to the mound and the runner ran unimpeded from first to second to third. And the new batter finally grounded out for the final out.

But there was still one more player who got to come to bat than was necessary. I called Kate. I called Frank. I called Ed. I was amazed.

That one will be shown for years to come. Summer is here.

Summers coming

This turned out to be a interesting day, starting out with a deer jumping from the yard in front of the house where my offic is located and slamming its body into the driver's side windshield of a passig car. Then there was dealing with the dog when I got home for lunch, who acted passively and decided to urinate on the floor in front of the back door, rather than waiting to be out in the grass. This is a common occurrence and thrills me no end. Then got to talk to my old friend, Scott Gosnell, who went from a short term tenant in our home when Kate was young to a lawyer in Montgomery. Now,I am waiting for the afternoon to end. It is getting closer. It is a pretty day, and I have to debate over whether I mow the yard when I get home or go to choir.

We are planning on going to Knoxtown on Friday for the weekend. We haven't been since around Christmas. Everybody seems to be infirm at the Sicard house, other tnan Megan. I am hopeful that the farmer's market south of Concord is open and heirloom tomatoes are available. I've got four plants at home, but they are still in the works.

We were talking about peaches at Dickey's in Musella. I can't wait. It won't be too long now. Sitting under the roof in the peach packing facility, eating peach ice cream and feeling the breeze from the ceiling fans. What a way to enjoy an afternoon in June or July.

Showers

I awoke to the sound of thunder this morning and it was very dark outside. I got out of bed and went to the living room and lay down on the couch to fall asleep again. When the rain shower and the thunder and lightening ended it was nearly 8:00 o'clock a.m. and it was way past the time to get up and take a shower and dress for the day. I believe I could have slept until 10:00 o'clock this morning. Apparently, my cousin Gayle could have slept that late as well. And she has little children to deal with.

I hope for a few more showers this evening. I think the tomatoes need the rain. I wish I had mowed the lawn in front and back before now. I should have taken care of that on Tuesday or Wednesday. Just part of the fun of being an adult.

There is always something.

Of peaches and tomatoes

We are on the very edge of Summer and it already feels hot and humid like the season is already here. We seem to get rain showers regularly through the evening hours, which keeps our patio covered with green water and a thin layer of scum. All the trees are full-blown with leaves and as long as we keep the pots watered, the leaves and blossoms of late May seem to cover the plants on the patio.

I am watching our tomato plants for blossoms. We have already had two tomato fruit on the cherry tomato plant. There are already green fruit on that particular plant. I can't wait for the three plants in the trick planter to come to fruition. I hope we get ripe fruit all Summer.

I could use a cold drink. I just had a thought of driving down to Musella in the bright sunshine of July, to buy peaches and fresh peach ice cream and sit under the overhanging roofing at Dickey's Peach Orchard. The ceiling fans blowing the breeze from the orchards. Watching people linger out in front of the general store across the street. Delightful.

Who says the old South is dead? I might take off early one afternoon, drive down to Musella, sit under the overhang and eat peach ice cream, then drive over to Lake Tobesofkee and eat boiled peanuts and fried shrimp for supper. All washed down with sweat tea. Wow.

Music and vision

I have been really caught up in nostalgia for music groups and bands I have really liked over the years. I have a predilection for pop rock from the late 60's and 70's. You can go on line and hit the Amazon website and listen to a smidgen of anything that hits your fancy. The beauty of it is that they will direct to artists that are similiar so if you think of a song by Player "Baby, come back" and listen to a bit of it, they will direct you to Ace and Ambrosia and Firefall and England Dan and John Ford Coley and Paul Davis. If you hit Chad and Jeremy, they will direct you to Peter and Gordon, The Fortunes, The Grass Roots, etc. It just becomes one long riff on similar music. Suddenly, you are listening to music you hadn't thought about since you were laying in your bunk at summer camp. Or sitting with your buddies on the curb in your neighborhood during summer break.

At one time every aspect of my life had a musical background. If I heard a song on the radio it would remind me of some place or some incident which was going on at the time I was listening to that particular piece of music. When I hear 'Born to be Wild' by Steppenwolf, I think of sleep overs with friends when I was in 8th grade. When I hear 'Let it Be' by the Beatles I think of the graduation dance at Dunwoody Elementary in 7th grade. When I hear 'You don't mess around with Jim' by Jim Croce I think about mornings spent at the pool in our neighborhood.

I think music videos in the 80's killed that for me. All of a sudden the image projected in my mind when I hear certain songs from the 80's coincides with the mini-drama played out on the music video. Of course, I don't watch music videos these days so I don't tend to have that going on in my head.

Fortunately, I can still play Miles Davis' 'Miles Ahead' and still see and feel the car travelling over the bridge between Tampa and St. Pete, with the windows down, and the sun glinting off the waters of Tampa Bay. Gold on blue. Nice.