A Beginning and An End

On our first stop in Virginia we visited two of the most iconic historic places in America: Moticello and Appomattox Courthouse. How strange to think that a site representing the beginning of an exciting new era in American history like Monticello would be located within such a short distance from Appomattox, where an incredibly painful chapter ended.

"Stove top" on the left  in Monticello's kitchen

Thomas Jefferson was way ahead of Walt Disney when he built Monticello, which was like the 1800s House of the Future. From the moment we walked in the front door and saw the huge clock--which even had a  second hand and worked  off a system of weights, showing not only the time but day--we were delighted by Jefferson's ingenious inventions that were the definition of high tech at the time.  (Not everything was perfectly designed though; he ran out of room for the marker for Saturday so that marker was actually down in the basement.) My favorites were both in Jefferson's  study-- a writing device he rigged up that our guide called the "first copy machine" and a candle attached to each arm of his desk chair to provide extra light for reading and writing. No photos are allowed on the first floor so I can't show you those things but we do have a photo of another of Jerfferson's innovations: a "stove top" set up using charcoal briquets. 

Trust me, I was careful on these narrow stairs at Monticello

I'd highly recommend the "Behind the Scenes" tour of the house which we took. Not only did we get the guided tour of the downstairs but we also got to tour the recently opened second floor and even got to go up into the famous and unusual dome room on the third floor.   

Jefferson was meticulous (and opinionated) in his design of Monticello. He maximized the space by building pocket staircases instead of the common grand entry staircase and by insisting that all the beds be built in alcoves instead of freestanding.  

Continuing the search for artifacts at Monticello

We also took the outdoor tour about slavery at Monticello. Our guide didn't sugarcoat the slave experience there or Jefferson's treatment of the slaves. There is no reliable answer of how the Thomas Jefferson who wrote that all men are created equal could coexist in the same body with the Thomas Jefferson who owned other humans and almost certainly fathered some of those enslaved people. What is certain is that the enslaved people at Monticello were woven into every facet of the plantation and were as much a part of it as their white owners.

The foundation which owns and operates Monticello is still researching and still searching for artifacts that will add to current knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and life at Monticello.

McLean House parlor: An ordinary room with an extraordinary history

If Monticello was a testament to the promise of the future, Appomattox was the unmistakable moment of an ending. Even though it wasn't the formal end of the Civil War, it was for all practical purposes an unequivocal sign that the war was over. At the time of the surrender Appomattox Court House was actually a village, although only a few structures exist today. After all the Civil War battlefields we've visited and all that we've learned about the war it was somewhat eerie to think it all ended in a small room in a quiet village when two men signed a piece of paper.  We learned that despite all the bloodshed in the past four years of war, the terms of surrender were generous: after the Confederates signed a pledge of loyalty and surrendered their arms, not only would they be allowed leave, they would also be issued Union rations and given a pass to return home unharmed by any Union forces.  (Unfortunately, Confederates  who were captured  literally hours before the surrender ended up spending time in Federal prisons.) After so much bloodshed, so many horrific battles, so much loss and pain it seemed incredible that in the end, Union troops watched as 28,000 Confederates laid down their arms, surrendered their colors and simply walked away heading by foot or train to whatever remained of their homes. 

According to Union General Joshua Chamberlain, who was in charge of formal surrender, as the surrender began, Confederate General John Gordon approached, riding ahead of Stonewall Jackson's old Brigade.  As Gordon was riding towards him, Chamberlain ordered the Union troops to assume the 'carry arms' position, which Chamberlain described as a "marching salute in review". When General Gordon passed, Chamberlain ordered the  bugle blown and Union troops stood at attention. Chamberlain wrote later that, Gordon "wheeled his horse facing me, touching him gently with the spur, so the animal slightly reared, and as he wheeled, horse and rider made one motion, the horse's head swung down with a graceful bow, and General Gordon dropped his swordpoint to his toe in salutation." Then Gordon ordered his troops to maintain the same carry arms position as they marched past the Union troops. The Confederates marched up to the Union troops, stopped and faced them, standing at attention as the surrender began. Chamberlain,'s account said that soldiers on both sides had tears in their eyes at the memories of the struggles of the past four years.

Demonstration of process that printed 28,000 paroles overnight for surrendering Confederates

After learning how the surrender at Appomattox took place I realized that those events weren't just about an ending to a terrible conflict. They were also about the start of healing.    

                                  

Welcome to Horse Country

Just one of many beautiful horse farms we saw

For our stay in the Lexington area, we had the pleasure of being hosted by our friends, Waverly and Delores Jones, who live in nearby Morehead, Kentucky. Even though they had told us that part of  Kentucky was particularly beautiful we were blown away by the lush pastures that looked like golf courses--not just on one farm but on gently rolling hills for miles and miles. Every place--whether small house or large farm--was surrounded by immaculately groomed landscapes. After seeing all that neatly clipped grass, Russ says that if he ever chooses a new career it will be selling lawnmower blades in the Lexington area. To make it even more picturesque, many of the farms were dotted with immaculate barns and bordered by long lines of beautiful stacked rock fences or the traditional rail fences, some painted white but many in the traditional black.

We couldn't have had better guides than Waverly and Delores to help us explore all that the area has to offer. Waverly took us on a driving tour through the heart of Lexington, pointing out the local landmarks and giving us a history of the city.  He made sure we saw all the sights even though we teased him about driving in circles since it seemed like wherever we drove we ended up back by Thoroughbred Park, with its dynamic sculpture of life-size horses in mid-race.

Russ with Delores and Waverly at Keeneland

They also took us to visit the horseracing track at Keeneland. It was at the end of a non-racing day so the track was deserted but Waverly and Delores told us great stories about the tailgating that fills the parking lot on racedays and the crowds of people who sit on lawn chairs trackside to watch the races. Until we saw the track firsthand we didn't realize that--unlike Churchill Downs--the track at Keeneland is covered with artificial turf.  Again, Russ was impressed by how beautiful the grounds were to the point that even the grounds around the parking lot with rows of perfectly aligned big trees were impressive.

Dinner at Shaker Village

The evening of our grand tour we drove out to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill which is the largest restored Shaker village in the country. Looking at the beautifully balanced architecture and graceful furniture surrounding us, I marveled at the way the Shakers merged pure functionality with such beautiful design. We were too late to tour the buildings but we had a wonderful dinner at the restaurant there although I'm suspicious that the meal we had was a lot fancier than the simple food of the Shakers.

Russ and I may not be spring chickens but we're in good health so we usually have no problem being on the road away from our regular doctors. When Russ started having a change in the vision in one eye however,  he knew he needed to have it checked right away. Luckily Waverly has a good optometrist who saw Russ right away and immediately referred him to a retina specialist. Turns out that Russ had a horseshoe tear in the retina of one of his eyes and had to have on-the-spot laser surgery to repair it. (His retina is healing nicely now.) During the same visit I somehow managed to fall down a flight of stairs. I was lucky enough to weather the fall with only some pretty spectacular bruises but Waverly had to do double duty not only as our host but as our EMT driver too. He even made sure I got to stop by the Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead before we left town.

I'm a big fan of folk art like this

Our visit ended on a particularly happy note when we all went to Cincinnati for a Reds game. It was a perfect baseball experience--the weather was just right, we had great seats right behind home plate, the Reds won, and the stadium even had veggie dogs.

Thanks Waverly and Delores for a great visit!

Lovin' Louisville

Me with a Slugger at the factory

When most people hear "Louisville" they probably think of the Kentucky Derby but we immediately  think "Slugger" as in Louisville Slugger bats. So naturally our first stop in that city was for a tour at the Louisville Slugger factory. As baseball fans, it was fun for us to see how they make the classic Slugger bats and see the bat vault where they keep master copies of bats for the pros dating back to the late 1800s. From the Babe to Jeter, they have them all. We heard how they grow the maple, ash, and birch they use and saw how they process the wood into blanks before customizing each bat per the players' individual specs. 

At one time the company made all the Louisville Slugger bats at their factory in Louisville but now they only produce bats for major leaguers there. An extra treat at the factory was talking to the woman at the visitors desk whose name tag said "Aunt Sue". She knew the company history inside and out--her grandfather had started working in the factory in its second year, she had worked there for 45 years, her husband and her sister had worked there as well. Aunt Sue told us great stories about some of the players in the past who would come in and spend time with the workers, something players today don't typically do.

Russ looking at an exhibit in  the Ali Center

Louisville has a  lovely downtown with restored buildings and a few oddities just to keep things interesting. One of the few new buildings is the Muhammed Ali Center. Even if you didn't know who Muhammed Ali is the Center would be interesting because of the range of history it covers. I thought its contemporary design and use of multimedia made it a unique museum.  Most people know that Muhammed Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay Jr. but they may not realize that the man his father--Cassius Clay Sr.--was named after was a fiery 19th-century abolitionist who was tougher than nails. The Center covers not only Ali's controversial decisions and politics from the earlier years but also his ongoing involvement in projects to promote peace and social justice.

We happened to be in Louisville on Memorial Day weekend during the Abby Road on the River Beatles Tribute. We were lucky enough to hear the singer Hal Bruce do a long set of Beatles songs. He didn't have any backup musicians or singers, just him with his  guitar. I'm not much on tribute bands but boy, could he sing--song after song without even one false note. After about an hour of music, we realized that we had wandered out of the Ali Center into the concert venue where concert wristbands were required so we snuck by security on our way out.

It wasn't the Derby but we did see a race while we were at Churchill Downs

Jockey's silks at the Kentucky Derby Museum

We couldn't spend time in Louisville without going to Churchill Downs. Although it was quiet on our visit, we were told that the number of people at Churchill Downs during Race Week equals the number of people at five Super Bowls. I can only imagine from the displays in the Derby museum how festive and colorful it is on raceday. Just as amazing, all the betting and wins are done in cash. Yep, every single dollar in cash--and that's a lot of since millions is bet at Churchill Downs on the Derby race alone. After seeing movies like Seabiscuit and Secretariat, I was all set to see picturesque barns and stalls but Churchill is more about racing than movie-perfect looks so it wasn't quite as posh as I had expected. Churchill Downs might not be the most opulent track but It's impossible not to be impressed with it's place in racing history.

The cabin is inside a monument to protect it from the weather

Illinois may claim Abraham Lincoln but Lincoln's birthplace is in Hodgenville, Kentucky, south of Louisville. Although the actual Lincoln family cabin no longer exists, the National Park Service has placed a similar cabin built during that time period on the site where the original cabin was. The Park Ranger told us that contrary to popular legend,  the Lincoln family was not poor but was in the middle class which at that time used log cabins as temporary housing until something more substantial could be built. The Ranger also said that even today local residents doing home remodeling occasionally discover  that part of their house was originally a log cabin. In one of those "what-if?" events that could have changed the course of history, we learned that as a young boy Abraham Lincoln fell into a creek and would have drowned if his best friend hadn't held out a stick for Lincoln to grab and pulled him back to the creek bank.

The Hot Brown--a Louisville specialty

The Eating-Our-Way-Through-The-South Tour got a big boost in Louisville, thanks to not one but two local specialties:  Hot Brown and Derby Pie. I've heard Chicken Alfredo called "heart attack on a plate" but I'm convinced now that title goes to the Hot Brown in Louisville. In case you've never heard of it, the Hot Brown is a layer of French bread in the bottom of a dish, sliced turkey covered with gravy, Mornay sauce, melted cheese AND topped with strips of bacon.  After Russ ate a Hot Brown at the restaurant Aunt Sue recommended, we split a piece of the Derby pie which was like a warm delicious brownie in a pie form.

Oh, about those oddities we saw  in downtown Louisville. . .

Nope, not Florence and gold not marble

A crazy mirror outside the science museum

A limo covered in red marbles on a downtown street

Louisville was so much fun I hated to leave but we're always ready to see what's around the next corner so we lifted the jacks, pulled in the slides and hit the road again.

The Need for Speed

After several weeks of studying Civil War battlefields we were ready for a break so we hopped across the Tennessee state line into Kentucky. First stop: Bowling Green, home of the Corvette.

When we were first married and in our early 20s, we found a Corvette we wanted to buy. Everything about it was perfect, even the price: $1,900. The only problem was that even though we had the cash to buy the car, we couldn't afford the high insurance premiums for drivers under 25. So we had to pass on it. Decades later we finally bought not one but two Corvettes--Russ' was a souped-up pewter convertible and mine was an automatic stock silver coupe. Although we no longer own them, we're still Vette fans so we visited the Corvette Museum and Corvette factory tour.

The Corvette factory in Bowling Green

As a "car guy," Russ was interested in seeing all the processes involved in manufacturing a Vette. He would have been happy with a longer tour that covered every step of the process but what we got was more of an overview of some phases of production. The plant was smaller than I expected and even though it had robotics and an assembly line, the output was small and the cars seemed more individually made. It was fun to see those shiny Corvettes rolling off the line but we don't have any photos of the tour since no photos were allowed inside.

 

It was business as usual at the Corvette Museum even though the infamous sinkhole had swallowed up some of their show cars not too long ago.  According to the Museum those cars will be restored but after seeing them we wondered how they'll restore what's basically a bucket of bolts. 

Need a good deal on a car? One owner, very low mileage

We were a little disappointed in the rest of the museum since there were fewer cars and less specific information than we had hoped to see.  One neat feature is that people who order their Corvettes can pick them up inside the museum, start the engine, and drive them out of the building. One happy couple did just that while we were there. New Corvettes are covered with white protective shipping covers even when they're just being moved from the factory to the museum.

Vettes waiting inside the museum to be picked up by their new owners

More yarn for my ever-growing stash

We didn't find any special local food spots in Bowling Green but I did find a great yarn shop--Crafty Hands--where I bought way too much yarn. Anyone need a hand-knitted hat for next winter? 

More photos from Bowling Green:

Russ checking out the cars

Corvettes in their protective covers waiting to be moved in to the Museum

Another of the sinkhole victims

Corner of the sinkhole just beyond the rope