Thursday, October 15, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
More about the trip to come Friday.
What the Beck???? |
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
My Second Trip to Kentucky cont.
On
Tuesday morning, I awoke about five o’clock, which was shocking, because I got
about seven hours sleep. I was dead to the world after all of that driving. I
usually get about five hours, so this was a rejuvenating night.
I
ate the hotel breakfast, which was good, and headed out into the foggy
countryside to look at the land of a few properties. The first home had a very
long tree-lined driveway. Some of the 13.7 acres was open, but most was wooded.
Bummer! I drove to the next
property, and couldn’t even see anything. The fog was ridiculous. I thought that
I had better investigate the town until the fog cleared.
It was a beautiful long lane |
The house was interesting! |
I
desperately needed a Diet Coke or Iced Tea, so I stopped at the Berea Coffee
and Tea Shop. Can you believe that they were out of Diet Coke? What is up with that? So I took my meds
with an Iced Tea.
I love that all of the buildings on this street are a fresh white |
The
Warren A. May Woodworker Shop was around the corner. My brother-in-law and his
sons are amazing with wood so I wanted to visit this shop. I bought a beautiful
cherry breadboard. Mr. May also creates amazing musical instruments. I was
blown away by his work.
I love my new breadboard |
The detail is amazing |
Wow! I thought they were beautiful |
One
of my favorite stores was the Appalachian Fireside Gallery.
This phenomenal
store is part of a coop of crafters. This store was right up my alley! The quilts took my breath, and made me
long to go home and begin quilting again. This was just the motivation that I
needed. They had so many wonderful things. Madonna, you would have loved this
store! One of the funniest things I found were feather dangly earrings. I wore
those in the 70’s! Are they
back? They were definitely a blast
from my past. I bought some great woven coasters for my living room.
This quilt was 100% hand made |
I loved the stitching |
Quilted pot holders |
I loved the colors in this one |
This store was located in the old Berea Bank and Trust |
I was in the vault looking out. |
Another great quilt |
My
final morning store was called Student Crafts. All items in the store were
created by students at Berea College. Students were demonstrating their skills
in weaving using a loom, chair and ottoman caning, creating pieces of jewelry,
and making pottery. I also took photos of an old country game which was also
made by the students.
This is the game You spin the dowel at the end, and it knocks down the pegs |
Berea college is unique.
According to their website, students have to be “academically competitive” and
meet certain expectations listed in the site. The address is: https://www.berea.edu/
The
website stated that, “Every Berea student is awarded our Tuition
Promise Scholarship. The amount of the
scholarship will vary depending on financial need, and the presence of any
additional outside scholarships. The important thing is that, together, these
resources cover the entire cost of tuition, which totals $24,300 for the
2015-2016 school year. The actual cost to students and their families is $0.
Berea is
the only one of America’s top colleges that awards every enrolled student a
no-tuition promise. Though admission to Berea is highly competitive, every successful
applicant is assured that tuition is completely covered. Part of this financial
assistance stems from Berea’s endowment and annual donations from Berea alums.
In many
cases, we can even offer additional financial aid to assist with housing, meals,
and other fees—not loans—according to each student’s need. Simply put, students
at Berea College pay what they can afford.”
The
students I talked to told me that working in the community was part of a
requirement for no tuition. What a
wonderful idea. I found these crafters to be outstanding.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
What the Beck??? |
Happy
Birthday Yesterday to
Donna and Wesley!
Donna and Wesley!
My Second Trip to Kentucky
I left the Aurora Hertz
dealer late because of a total mix-up with my rental car. The assistant manager
was fabulous and upgraded me to a Hyundai Sonata, and credited me a half a tank
of gas for my almost hour delay.
The
best part of this car was that it had a GPS system. I named her Dora the
Explora because exploring Kentucky was my goal. The trip down took almost seven
hours, so I amused myself by making up rhymes for Dora like…
“Hurry
Dora
we
need to explora
the
town of Berea
let’s
get there todaya
Okay, it is sad and pitiful, but when you are alone and have this much time on your
hands you find ways to amuse yourself. It would have helped if the radio worked
continuously, but it faded in and out so much that I just turned it off.
My
first town was Berea. According to the people of the town, I was pronouncing it
incorrectly. It is Ber eee a.
Berea,
Kentucky has a population of 14, 374, which is larger than I wanted. I checked
in to the Fairfield Inn on Paint Lick Rd. Don’t ya love the street name??? The
room was immaculate, and after checking in, I went to inspect some properties. Tess,
the desk clerk was amazing. She was extremely helpful during my visit.
I
visited the first two properties, which would never work. The first one had a
pond that covered much of the land.
and the second claimed to have 117 acres but was probably a decimal misprint, because it is probably more like 1.17 acres.
The pond is right behind the fence, and the barn is all of the way around it. |
and the second claimed to have 117 acres but was probably a decimal misprint, because it is probably more like 1.17 acres.
The house didn't look bad from the outside, however |
A
neighbor, Janel, told me the second one was a mess, and to forget about it! Thanks Janel!
The
final two properties were the same as the others. However, the positive is that
the shape of the land was excellent. It was rolling, and not too steep.
House #3 - in a subdivision, but had open land behind it |
It
was now 7 p.m. and I was hungry and tired. I decided to try the Historic Boone
Tavern Restaurant for dinner.
I had been warned that it was expensive and had an “interesting” menu.
It is a beautiful building |
Cool! |
I had been warned that it was expensive and had an “interesting” menu.
After
being seated, the waiter brought over a sample of spoon bread. It was moist and fabulous.
After
receiving the menu, it took me awhile to find something that I would actually
try to eat. I ordered, “Pork Chops the Tricky Way.” What arrived were boneless,
thin, seasoned, and breaded pork chops with a mustard cream sauce. The breading
was created with tomatoes and Parmesan (don’t ask me how since I saw no sign of
tomato), and it was all served over cheese grits. On the side were braised
greens. I had no idea what braised greens were, however they were very dark.
Hold on to your seats – I actually tasted them. They were fabulous!
Amazing |
Even the greens - must be a fluke! |
Of course, that should tell you that
the braising changed the flavor so that they didn’t taste “green.” I loved my dinner!!!! After
I took a photo of my full and empty plate, the waitress told me that I could
keep the menu. I thought you might enjoy the choices on the menu and my dilemma
in selecting my meal.
Lamb
meatloaf (I couldn’t eat a cute little lamb)
Tempura
salmon (I am not a salmon lover)
Bourbon
pork chops (the grits on the other ones swayed me)
Appalachian
Hatchet Steak (what in the world??
I instantly
thought of Daniel Boone carrying a hatchet around
looking to kill a steer)
Seared
scallops (love them, but needed more food because
I was really hungry)
Braised
spring rabbit pot pie (this has been a bad month for
me dealing with rabbits so I passed)
Roast
chicken (too boring and safe)
Kentucky
shaved lamb (I’ve never heard of a lamb with a beard. Have you???)
The
meal was amazing, and so filling that I declined dessert. The disclaimer at the
bottom of the menu pleased me. It said:
“We
take great pride in supporting and featuring our local farmers and Kentucky
farm families. Many of the ingredients come from these families and are a
testament to our sustainability, efforts, and community support.”
I
love it when businesses feature food that is home grown in the region.
So far, Berea is a yes, but I did stay two entire days in this great town! Stay tuned for Berea Day 2.
So far, Berea is a yes, but I did stay two entire days in this great town! Stay tuned for Berea Day 2.
That
ended Monday, October 5th.
I was so exhausted from the drive to Kentucky as well as scouting out
the properties, that I went to bed around 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
What the Beck??? |
Have you been to…
I love this Geneva business! |
A New Find…
Bucket List Update
Academy Award Nominated Movies
1956
Friendly
Persuasion
starring:
Gary Cooper, Dorothy McQuire, Anthony Perkins, and
Marjorie Main.
plot
– The dilemma a Quaker family faces when the Civil War closes
in on their family farm.
This was a great movie! I find the Quaker lifestyle
interesting. They
are truly brave to live a nonviolent life in time of war.
1957
12
Angry Men
starring:
Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Warden, Ed Begley, Martin
Balsam, John Fiedler, Jack Klugman, and Henry Fonda
plot
– A boy is alleged to have killed his father. This shows the
court case where in initial vote is 11 to 12, as the jury
struggles to decide a verdict.
I love, love, loved this movie. The acting
was outstanding and the
cast amazing. I remembered so many of the cast members from my
childhood, and it was great to see them in these roles. A great
film!
1958
Separate
Tables
starring:
David Niven and Burt Lancaster
plot
– The stories of a group of people staying at a hotel.
This was a well-written story. I liked
seeing all of the different stories
of the patrons. It made me think about all of the people I
encountered at the hotel in Kentucky. What was their story?
1959
Anatomy
of a Murder
starring:
George C. Scott, Jimmy Stewart, Eve Arden, Lee Remick,
and Ben Gazarra
plot
– This was another courtroom drama.
I loved this movie, too. Scott and Stewart
were outstanding as opposing
adversaries. The characters were so well developed that
I felt like I really knew who they were. This great movie lost
to Ben-Hur, unfortunately.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
What the Beck??? |
Slow
day……….this is all I have today.
Bucket List Update
Academy Award Nominated Movies
1942
The
Talk of the Town
starring:
Cary Grant and Jean Arthur
plot
– Grant is accused of arson and hides out in a cottage. Arthur
is the owner of the cottage and catches Grant, but
keeps his secret. The new tenant arrives early and Grant
pretends to be the gardener. A good story.
I liked this story, and Grant and Arthur are
wonderful in their roles.
It is predictable, but I liked it anyway.
1943
Madame
Curie
starring:
Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, and Margaret
O’Brien
plot
– The story of the joined lives of two brilliant scientists: Marie
and Pierre Curie, and how they discovered a new element,
radium. The pair earned the 1903 Nobel Prize in
physics.
I learned so much from this movie. Garson
and Pidgeon were outstanding
as the amazing scientists. The movie showed the ways
they struggled to find radium and prove it existed to the scientific
world.
1946
The
Razor’s Edge
starring:
Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Anne Baxter,
and Clifton Webb.
plot
– This is the story of wealth, greed, jealousy, and a person
who longs to understand where he fits in the world.
This was a great movie! I find this movie to be one that really
makes
you evaluate the choices people make in their lives, and how
they have to deal and live with the consequences of their actions.
1940
Sergeant
York
starring:
Gary Cooper, Joan Leslie, and Walter Brennan
plot
– A Tennessee mountain man named York initially is a conscientious
objector to fighting in WWI, but has to go
anyway. After deep thought, he fights for his country
and is a hero. This is a true story.
I
loved this movie! Cooper is
amazing as this American hero.
I remember my Dad talking about this movie when I was
a kid. He loved a good war movie.
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