Summer of Fun- Weeks 6/7

 SAW HEARD DID

*Photos shared are mostly taken by my very talented husband…he takes the good ones, I take the weird ones.  

SAW-  These past 2 weeks we saw a significant shift in our activities and found ourselves surrounded by friends- some old, and some new.   Which of course, is exactly as we planned it!

Photo credit- Curt another Zuki owner

Back in February, Hubby tossed out the idea of attending a summer event in Kentucky- called Zookimelt in Bedford, Kentucky.  He had met a Samurai guru on his travels, and Mike (the guru) looped Hubby in on this gathering of fellow Suzuki enthusiasts.   

The name is a play on two words- Zook (referencing the  Suzuki brand) and melt (so hot you melt).   Each year a bunch (exact number of attendees tends to wax and wane through the years) of Suzuki owners gather at an off road park outside of Bedford Kentucky (slightly north east of Louisville, just across the river from Indiana) for trail rides and interactions.   Much like my scrapbooking retreats- most of the owners connect online with this annual in-person gathering creating a strong sense of community.  

Sounded promising- although I admit, Kentucky in July would not necessarily be on either of our personal  travel bucket lists, we were both  very curious to connect with others who own this rather unique vehicle type.  We were also eager to step away from our treasured rocky mountain views and explore some other areas of the country.   

So with a destination in mind, I started to build in other reasons to visit KY- and reached out to our long time friends (and match-makers) Jane and Larry.   Would they be interested in meeting us in Kentucky after the rally and check out the Bourbon Trail?    The answer as you will see later in this blog was a firm YES!

HEARD-

I heard the rumble of Samurais (in the mud)

I heard a host of stories of where Bourbon has been made

and how it is made

and stored

even through the era of Prohibition (hello-all you need is a prescription)

and just when we'd had our fill of Bourbon tales- we shifted gears to hear about the history of Bardstown

with the focus on two of their favorite sons...

Stephen Foster- famed composer-spent time here visiting his cousins-the Rowen family

Lt. General Hal Moore-

whose story was featured in the movie We were soldier once…and young

DID-

Lunch at the historic Old Talbot Inn-serving hungry visitors since 1779

Sampled bourbon

A time or

three

Sipped cocktails here (Woodford Reserve)

There (Limestone Branch-featuring Yellowstone Bourbon)

most anywhere....

until the bottles were empty..

as we reminisced by the fire

and gave thanks for just how happy we are that these two

introduced us so many years ago...

for without them...

there'd be no us....

Until next time...

May you find yourself exploring new roads with

those you hold most dear...

and if given the chance to meet new friends...

Lean into it and say YES...

You'll be glad you did!

Summer of Fun- Week 5

 Saw Heard Did

SAW:    This week I saw how the brain will deliver little snapshots or snippets of memories.  

30 years ago, the Army assigned me to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.  I was stationed here for a couple years before deciding to leave active duty and complete my service obligations as a reserve officer.  

n theory- I've been to many of the places our travels would take us this past week.  

In reality- I don't remember a lot of the details. 

But, as we visited a few of my old haunts- little memories came to the surface.  

Which at my age- is a relief to say "YES, I remember that"...

because a lot of times, I've forgotten what I did yesterday, 

much less what I did 30+ years ago!

HEARD: The sounds of silence!   

In our almost 5 years as campers-glampers, we have intentionally avoided camping on holiday weekends.  

Roads get too congested, fellow campers get too rowdy- it's just not our scene at all!  

But, this summer, given the epic scope of our travels, it was unavoidable.  

Eureka (COE)- Site 3

Luckily, we found ourselves at a full but very small campground located on the northern edge of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.   Many of our fellow campers all seemed to know each other, scooting around on their golf carts. 

  Could have been the perfect scene for all our fears coming true. 

 But nope- these are some quiet folks-

 all the way down to their  tastefully decorated campsites?

And their near silent electric golf carts

Thus the term- rolling sh*t show?

What a relief to enjoy the weekend, in relative peace and quiet, while sharing space with other humans.

DID:    This week included

A last minute change in plans landed us this picture perfect campsite

Natchez Trace State Park, site 28 at Pin Lake

Our first purchase of moonshine

Followed by another stop for more shine..

this one with a tour

and samplings..

NOTE TO SELF- you are still in the bible belt- tread lightly with jokes about what's in your communion cup!  

A quick drive by of Paris (Tennessee that is)

A sunset to savor on the shore of Energy Lake

Seclusion at Energy Lake Campground-site D4

with some curious neighbors..

are they Bourbon Trailing it in-style, or is it a company write off?

A discovery of some delicious Kentucky smoked ham

coupled with a second discovery that the air fryer is perfect for making biscuits

A collection of  Superman stuff so huge he had to build a museum

*Wondering how that conversation went

The parents insisted he move his stuff out of their basement as they were retiring to Florida- 

Or the Mrs. announced "ME or a Museum?"

anyway- the dude had a lot of stuff to be shared with super-fans-

or wandering tourists (such as our selves)

The museum is coincidentally  in the town of Metropolis..

Ok, maybe not a coincidence...

You can't visit western Kentucky and not make a visit to

The National Quilt Museum

*which I think is more art gallery than museum...

*and yes, the Hubby was excused from this excursion-

(we'd just paid too much and hence ate too much at a buffet for me to insist he join me on this stop)

These are clearly not the quilts I am capable of making

with proof that some folks made good use of their time in Quarantine...

A reminder to Wash Your Hands..

wrap yourself in Covid?

Nah...Instead...

And looks can be deceiving

This-is a quilt (by a military mom-and master quilter-by Melinda Bura)

This is not

it's actually a wood carving by an artist named Fraser Smith...

In other news- Back home-

the Things  are doing ok

And "The Coven"  stepped in to help ensure Thing 1 had a  happy birthday

while his parents have left him behind..

Until next time- 

may you still be enjoying the Summer of Fun...

I know I am trying my best to soak it all in!