Day 119: 4/30/11- Kentucky!

Day 119: 4/30/11
New Thing: Kentucky!
Inspiration: Kentucky!         
Cost: $0
Time: All Day                   
Bottom Line: Love this beautiful horse country.

Outside of Churchill Downs

Reflection: I had an amazing day today in Kentucky today with Dad, Andi, and Maddie. There was so much pack in here that I think I should just list them all in an attempt to actually make it to bed tonight. Here we go:

• I started out the day with a 6.5 mile run around their neighbouring county side. This was absolutely beautiful. My route took me in a loop near a 1700's farm house, lots of livestock, a little river, a tobacco farm, and only about 2 cars. It really did make me pine for county life again. I am thinking this will be in my "Top 10 best runs of my life so far" list for the shear peacefulness of it all.
• I know that this next thing may seem trivial, but I tried Andi's Rosemary and Mint shampoo and it was like washing my hair in the cleansing elixir of the gods! I will have to get a bottle when I get home for special occasions.
• Then we helped make an adjustment in Dad's new hives. This is not a totally new thing for me since Dad and I used to keep bees together when I was a little girl. He called it "Hilly Honey." I could watch these fascinating creatures all day and I am sure that I will bee-keeping in the future.

Hilly Honey

• After all of Maddie's friends went home, we drove into Louisville to see the sights. Very cool city! We saw the Louisville Slugger Museum, the University of Louisville, the Historic District (which boasts one of the highest concentration of Victorian architecture in the country), and of course, Chuchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby will be held  next week. I'll be going next year!

Classy

• We stopped and had lunch at another Louisville landmark: Lynn's Paradise Cafe which has amazing locally grown and raised food with a cool kitchy atmosphere. Every year they have a "Tacky Lamp" contest to chose which lamps they will have on their tables. Maddie got a free ice brownie and the whole place sang to her--much to her chagrin.

"Ladies."

• They we capped off the day with horse back ridding! Dad and Andi have 3 horses and she has been riding for years. I have actually only ridden a few times in my life and that was years ago, so this definitely felt new to me. I rode on Rocky and had a blast! I can totally see how people get hooked on this hobby. There were a few moments when I was unsure of the process--like when Rocky decided that he was going to run instead of walking without any warning--but it was really fun and I felt like a cowgirl. Another great day!