Kentucky

After a hard two and a half months of moving, Karen and I took some much-needed and much-appreciated time off and went to Kentucky to visit her cousin.  Cheryl Lou is her closest relative and Robert, her husband, is just a dyed-in-the-wool good guy.  He also plays in a band once a year, and this past weekend was the reunion.

We arrived Thursday night after Karen got off work early.  Driving through Ohio -- my first time to really drive through an extended stretch of the state -- was boring.  I was told to expect all sorts of cops, but we didn't see but one state trooper on the way down.  What's more, Interstate 75 in Ohio is not scenic at all. Until we hit Cincinnati, there was precious little to see.

After we got on the AA Highway that runs along Kentucky's northern border beneath the Ohio River, it got dark, but the nicer thing was the lack of traffic.  Karen hates the AA because it's boring -- which it is -- but I like it for the relative lack of traffic.

Once we got the boys situated, we went to bed, not sure what we were going to do the next day because both Robert and Cheryl Lou had to work.  The first stop, as I knew it would be, was to Hardee's for breakfast.  Karen loves the breakfasts at Hardees and, I have to admit, they're the best fast-food breakfast I've ever had.  But more than that, the experience of going to a Hardee's in a small town, where everyone knows one another and can spot a Northern carpetbagger in a heartbeat, is something to behold.  The stares weren't rude, but they were noticeable, just like all the hello's and how-are-you-doing's we got.

After that we went shopping, where we met a very voluble saleswoman in a shoe store.  Of course, given the size of the town, she knew Cheryl Lou.

The rest of the day wasn't much about which to write home.  Robert and Cheryl Lou got home, their daughters Erin and Staci came over, Staci bringing her adorable and very rambunctious son over, and we had dinner and caught up.  They made dinner, then we proceeded to get ready for Saturday, which was both a family reunion as well as the band's annual reunion.  Robert and I got the camper set up while Karen and Cheryl Lou cooked.

The next morning, Karen and I went to Morehead to visit her aunts, uncles and cousins who were there. The drive down the country lanes to Morehead is exquisite.  More than that, it was great catching up.  I helped Uncle Lum fix a bike.  Old stories, heard often, were repeated, much to the delight of everyone present.  This is something I never had in my life, and although I barely knew some of the people involved in the stories, it was fun listening to them talk and laugh.

We returned to Robert and Cheryl Lou's under storm clouds, but thankfully the rain held off and we began to set up the hay wagon that was to serve as the makeshift stage.  People played cornhole, otherwise known as bags or beanbag toss up north, and food magically appeared to cover virtually every level space in their house and tables set up in the garage.

Once the band started playing, Karen begged me to dance, which I would only do if it got dark enough where people couldn't see me.  I relented when it was dark enough and we laughed as she danced and I tried not to embarrass myself.

We slept in the next morning as late as we dared.  With typical Southern hospitality Cheryl Lou whipped up breakfast for us before we left.  After that we crossed the Ohio to take a different route to Interstate 75, and I gained a different appreciation for Ohio.  The police presence, however, was much heavier than it was on the way down.  Fortunately, I'd been forewarned and didn't get a ticket.  When we finally made it out of Ohio, the drivers got more aggressive, the lack of a police presence encouraging them to be bolder. But we made it home in one piece, and I can't wait to go back to Kentucky.

(c) 2013 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles