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Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Reflection
"You alone are The Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You". Nehemiah 9:6
Over the course of the past 8 weeks we have walked through magnificent mountains, gazed over the sea, stood under the starry hosts, driven across dry desert and through lush forests. We have heard countless languages, been exposed to many different cultures and met strangers who have become friends. We have seen the old and the new, the beautiful and the ugly, the rich and the poor. We have reunited with friends and with family. We have had fun. It will take the rest of our lives for us to fully assimilate all the blessings that we have experienced.
Throughout these weeks we have had wonderful weather, good health, safe travel and no mechanical difficulties. Surely God has been with us.
Tomorrow will be my last post. In less than 12 hours we will return to our home. We hope that those of you who have traveled with us through this blog (we realize now that there are many more of you than we ever anticipated) have enjoyed the journey.
We look forward to the next chapter of our lives, remembering that every day is a new adventure and that all exits from the routine of daily life are possibilities.
Over the course of the past 8 weeks we have walked through magnificent mountains, gazed over the sea, stood under the starry hosts, driven across dry desert and through lush forests. We have heard countless languages, been exposed to many different cultures and met strangers who have become friends. We have seen the old and the new, the beautiful and the ugly, the rich and the poor. We have reunited with friends and with family. We have had fun. It will take the rest of our lives for us to fully assimilate all the blessings that we have experienced.
Throughout these weeks we have had wonderful weather, good health, safe travel and no mechanical difficulties. Surely God has been with us.
Tomorrow will be my last post. In less than 12 hours we will return to our home. We hope that those of you who have traveled with us through this blog (we realize now that there are many more of you than we ever anticipated) have enjoyed the journey.
We look forward to the next chapter of our lives, remembering that every day is a new adventure and that all exits from the routine of daily life are possibilities.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Unexpected
We thought we would wake up to rain. We went out under sunny skies. We thought we would probably not have any new adventures today. We had new adventures all day long. I need to remember not to expect the expected and instead expect the unexpected.
We started our day at the Woodcraft store in Louisville. Jim is still thinking every day about his wood working plans and I suspect that is one of the reasons he is eager to get back home. He had a great time looking at all the possibilities and available tools. It is going to be interesting to see how this all works out for him. I'm glad he is excited about beginning a new hobby.
The St. James Court Art Fair in Louisville is the largest we have ever attended. The streets were crowded with thousands and thousands of people. The art was creative and well crafted. It is probably a good thing that we have no more room in the Prius because I saw many things that would have been fun to buy. We walked for blocks until our feet ached, but it was worth it. We enjoyed it all.
After we left the art fair, Aaron and Andrea showed us Churchhill Downs. It was impressive to see and I wished we could have seen horses racing there, too.
Early on our trip we visited a Lewis and Clark museum in Iowa. All along our journey we saw milestones of their journey. Today we were able to see the cabin where they planned their adventure and the place on the Ohio river where they first set off on their trek. In some vicarious way we have traveled with them.
The weather is much cooler today then what we have experienced over the last eight weeks. It is hard to believe that where we were two weeks ago the temperature was 104 degrees and tomorrow when we drive into Michigan it will be in the low 50's. This has been the longest summer we have ever experienced and it will be the shortest Fall.
We started our day at the Woodcraft store in Louisville. Jim is still thinking every day about his wood working plans and I suspect that is one of the reasons he is eager to get back home. He had a great time looking at all the possibilities and available tools. It is going to be interesting to see how this all works out for him. I'm glad he is excited about beginning a new hobby.
The St. James Court Art Fair in Louisville is the largest we have ever attended. The streets were crowded with thousands and thousands of people. The art was creative and well crafted. It is probably a good thing that we have no more room in the Prius because I saw many things that would have been fun to buy. We walked for blocks until our feet ached, but it was worth it. We enjoyed it all.
After we left the art fair, Aaron and Andrea showed us Churchhill Downs. It was impressive to see and I wished we could have seen horses racing there, too.
Early on our trip we visited a Lewis and Clark museum in Iowa. All along our journey we saw milestones of their journey. Today we were able to see the cabin where they planned their adventure and the place on the Ohio river where they first set off on their trek. In some vicarious way we have traveled with them.
The weather is much cooler today then what we have experienced over the last eight weeks. It is hard to believe that where we were two weeks ago the temperature was 104 degrees and tomorrow when we drive into Michigan it will be in the low 50's. This has been the longest summer we have ever experienced and it will be the shortest Fall.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Go, Go, Go!
It was a treat to wake up to a leisurely, slow morning. Andrea made us a nice breakfast and then the three of us were off to the races.
We have been in Kentucky so many times to visit Aaron and Andrea, but most of our visits have been quick weekends because of our work demands. We have always wanted to go to the horse races at Keeneland, but were rarely able to be here on the days the races are held. We felt like we hit the jackpot because the Fall races just began today. Aaron wasn't able to be with us because of his work schedule, but there were thousands and thousands of people there along with Jim, Andrea and me.
If I were a betting woman I could have made money today. The horses I was cheering for in two of the races came in first place! The horses are beautiful, and the races exciting. I was caught up in the excitement along with everyone else. The weather was perfect, and it all added up to a very fun day.
We finished up the day with a game of Sequence and M & M's.
We have been in Kentucky so many times to visit Aaron and Andrea, but most of our visits have been quick weekends because of our work demands. We have always wanted to go to the horse races at Keeneland, but were rarely able to be here on the days the races are held. We felt like we hit the jackpot because the Fall races just began today. Aaron wasn't able to be with us because of his work schedule, but there were thousands and thousands of people there along with Jim, Andrea and me.
If I were a betting woman I could have made money today. The horses I was cheering for in two of the races came in first place! The horses are beautiful, and the races exciting. I was caught up in the excitement along with everyone else. The weather was perfect, and it all added up to a very fun day.
We finished up the day with a game of Sequence and M & M's.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Flexibility
We woke up early today so that we could get to Georgetown, KY in time for a scheduled tour at 2:00 PM at the Toyota Camry plant. We allowed time so that that we could also stop at the National Corvette Museum along the way.
The Corvette museum was very interesting, and Jim drooled a bit over those powerful cars. We went through rather quickly, however, with one eye on the clock so we could get to the Toyota plant in time. What we didn't realize until we were back on the road was that we were crossing another time zone. Maybe we could have made it, or maybe not, but we decided it wouldn't be worth the speeding ticket we might incur if we kept traveling at the speed we were going. It is a Prius we are driving after all, and not a Corvette! The Toyota plant will have to happen on a subsequent visit.
Flexibility has been the name of the game, so we quickly changed plans. We first went to a railroad museum in New Haven, and then just a little farther south visited the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. Both Jim and I were impressed with how small the house was, and also how relatively recently, over the long course of history, people lived in such primitive conditions.
Just a bit north is the town of Bardstown, which is where Steven Foster was inspired to write the song "My Old Kentucky Home". We made a short visit to the beautiful State Park there (no State does State Parks as well as Kentucky!).
The most interesting part of our day was a tour through the Barton Distillery. We thought it very funny that two old tee-totalers were in a distillery, but it was really interesting to see the entire process of producing bourbon. The guide was very knowledgable and we really enjoyed the nearly two hour tour.
Tonight we are reunited with Aaron and Andrea. We look forward to spending the next couple of days with them. Of all we have seen and done in the last two months, we have found nothing more precious than our family.
The Corvette museum was very interesting, and Jim drooled a bit over those powerful cars. We went through rather quickly, however, with one eye on the clock so we could get to the Toyota plant in time. What we didn't realize until we were back on the road was that we were crossing another time zone. Maybe we could have made it, or maybe not, but we decided it wouldn't be worth the speeding ticket we might incur if we kept traveling at the speed we were going. It is a Prius we are driving after all, and not a Corvette! The Toyota plant will have to happen on a subsequent visit.
Flexibility has been the name of the game, so we quickly changed plans. We first went to a railroad museum in New Haven, and then just a little farther south visited the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. Both Jim and I were impressed with how small the house was, and also how relatively recently, over the long course of history, people lived in such primitive conditions.
Just a bit north is the town of Bardstown, which is where Steven Foster was inspired to write the song "My Old Kentucky Home". We made a short visit to the beautiful State Park there (no State does State Parks as well as Kentucky!).
The most interesting part of our day was a tour through the Barton Distillery. We thought it very funny that two old tee-totalers were in a distillery, but it was really interesting to see the entire process of producing bourbon. The guide was very knowledgable and we really enjoyed the nearly two hour tour.
Tonight we are reunited with Aaron and Andrea. We look forward to spending the next couple of days with them. Of all we have seen and done in the last two months, we have found nothing more precious than our family.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Solitude
We continued our journey up the Natchez Trace Parkway on this beautiful morning. It was a long leisurely ride, and in retrospect we probably should have taken an additional day to complete this 440 mile drive. There are historical markers and places of interest all along the way and although we stopped many times, we only utilized a very small percentage of what was available to visit and explore.
Our first stop was at the Mississippi Craft Center. This is a wonderful art center that displays the best of the State's arts and crafts. Jim was very interested in the blacksmith, but when he saw the wooden bowls, vases and jars, I could hardly pull him away. He still talks every day about making wooden bowls. Fred definitely inspired him when we were in Iowa!
We stopped for lunch at French Camp. We ate on the porch of a home of a Choctaw Indian. It amazed me to think that I could touch the same walls that an Indian built in the early 1800's. For some (uneducated) reason I related cabins such as this one to white settlers and not to Indians. There was also a dog trot house from the same time period and other settler cabins for us to look at. It was an interesting site to visit.
We saw more deer and wild turkey on our drive than we did other cars. We felt like we were driving through the forest all alone for the most part. When we arrived in Nashville this early evening it was almost shocking to experience so many cars and trucks scurrying here and there after enjoying a slow, mostly solitary drive for two days.
We decided not to spend much time in Nashville other than an overnight stay because we have been here before and we are looking forward to spending time in Kentucky tomorrow.
Our first stop was at the Mississippi Craft Center. This is a wonderful art center that displays the best of the State's arts and crafts. Jim was very interested in the blacksmith, but when he saw the wooden bowls, vases and jars, I could hardly pull him away. He still talks every day about making wooden bowls. Fred definitely inspired him when we were in Iowa!
We stopped for lunch at French Camp. We ate on the porch of a home of a Choctaw Indian. It amazed me to think that I could touch the same walls that an Indian built in the early 1800's. For some (uneducated) reason I related cabins such as this one to white settlers and not to Indians. There was also a dog trot house from the same time period and other settler cabins for us to look at. It was an interesting site to visit.
We saw more deer and wild turkey on our drive than we did other cars. We felt like we were driving through the forest all alone for the most part. When we arrived in Nashville this early evening it was almost shocking to experience so many cars and trucks scurrying here and there after enjoying a slow, mostly solitary drive for two days.
We decided not to spend much time in Nashville other than an overnight stay because we have been here before and we are looking forward to spending time in Kentucky tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Excess and Heartache
We both noticed this morning that Louisiana is the first State we have been in on this trip which looked like it had recently received a lot of rain. We saw a lot of standing water in the fields and along the roadside. It almost looked strange after seeing so much dry countryside over the last several weeks.
We had a short morning drive to Natchez, Mississippi. It was fun to cross the mighty Mississippi at this southern point. It seems impossible that 7 weeks ago we crossed this same river at the Iowa border.
We were so glad we took the time to visit Natchez. We were fortunate that the Fall Pilgrimage of antebellum homes had just begun this week. We visited several and enjoyed learning more about the history of that time period. It was apparent that the excess of those beautiful homes came at a huge price to humanity. As we toured the homes I couldn't help but think of all the slaves that were used to make that lifestyle possible. We visited the place where one of the largest slave markets in America existed. Heartbreaking.
We left Natchez via the Natchez Parkway. Jim commented that it felt like we were driving through a large city park. We saw so few other cars on the road and must have seen at least 50 deer along the way. I mentioned to Jim that I felt like we were traveling through a picture postcard. It was relaxing and beautiful.
Tomorrow we will travel along the rest of the Parkway as we continue to wend our way north.
We had a short morning drive to Natchez, Mississippi. It was fun to cross the mighty Mississippi at this southern point. It seems impossible that 7 weeks ago we crossed this same river at the Iowa border.
We were so glad we took the time to visit Natchez. We were fortunate that the Fall Pilgrimage of antebellum homes had just begun this week. We visited several and enjoyed learning more about the history of that time period. It was apparent that the excess of those beautiful homes came at a huge price to humanity. As we toured the homes I couldn't help but think of all the slaves that were used to make that lifestyle possible. We visited the place where one of the largest slave markets in America existed. Heartbreaking.
We left Natchez via the Natchez Parkway. Jim commented that it felt like we were driving through a large city park. We saw so few other cars on the road and must have seen at least 50 deer along the way. I mentioned to Jim that I felt like we were traveling through a picture postcard. It was relaxing and beautiful.
Tomorrow we will travel along the rest of the Parkway as we continue to wend our way north.
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