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Lexington is, of course, the heart of "horse country" and Kentucky
bluegrass. The lush, green, rolling hills bisected with white fences are
lovely to behold. In some places the white fences are being replaced with
black ones which are easier to maintain. I saw a few of these, and hope
the trend does not continue. |
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Kentucky is also the home of bourbon whiskey, which is one of
my personal favorites. Labrot and Graham is a small distillery just
outside of Lexington which makes a bourbon best savored in a brandy
snifter. The brew is triple-distilled in these beautiful copper stills.
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After distilling, the clear alcohol is put into new oak casks which
have been charred on the inside. Over three years (or more) of aging,
differences in temperature make the wood absorb and release the liquid
imparting color and flavor. When you enter the storage shed, you are
treated to a lovely aroma: around five percent of the whiskey (the
"angels' share") evaporates into the air, and it is a little bit of
heaven. |
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Just south of Lexington is the restore Shaker community of Pleasant
Hill. The Shakers were a mid-nineteenth century sect of Christians who
believed in communal living, and personal connections with heaven and
angels, and in the glorification of God by simple living. Unfortunately
they also believed in celibacy, so they were destined to die out, but not
before leaving a legacy of elegant and simple furniture, tools and
architecture, as evidenced by this beautiful circular stairway. |
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While in Kentucky I also visited the Corvette assembly plant and
museum in Bowling Green, and several caves, including Mammoth Cave
National Park. But pictures of caves are very dark and can't convey the
awe you feel when you are standing under a natural stone dome that covers
over an acre. Wow. Pictures of the flora I found in Tennessee, however,
did come out well. The mountain laurel was just coming into bloom when I
visited the Great Smoky Mountains. |
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The Tennessee towns of Pigeon Forge (home of Dollywood, which was a
bit of a letdown as far as theme parks go), and Gatlinburg were totally
tourist-oriented and honky-tonk. Luckily the The Great Smoky Mountains are
a short drive away, and there are several lovely trails, though statistics
say that people in 95% of the cars that go through the national park never
leave their vehicles. The mountains are made "smoky" by fog, and also,
unfortunately, by pollution. |
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I took a long hike one day, and happened on some wild rhododendrons
which were just starting to come into bloom. It was amazing to see
something I've always equated with well-groomed gardens out in the
wilderness. |
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There were also a lot of waterfalls to be seen, both above ground and
in the caves. They were all especially lovely because there had been a
lot of rain. |
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Nashville, Tennessee calls itself "the Athens of the South" and so
when a world exposition was held there a century ago, what made more sense
than putting up a replica of the Parthenon? The "temporary" building
lasted for several decades, and was replaced with this cement-based
version. It is not open, as its cousin in Greece, but houses a small art
museum and a huge, gaudy statue of Athena. |
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Nashville is also home of the Grand Ole Opry, a country-and-western
radio show which is a national institution and is a showplace for all
up-and-coming, established, and over-the-hill C&W artists. While the
music is not my cup of tea, the experience was a unique piece of
Americana, and the chance to visit the Opryland Hotel with its massive
central atrium, complete with waterfalls, canals, tropical forests,
restaurants and shoppes was not to be believed. |
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West Virginia is a small state, but it has a lovely state capitol
building (unlike Nashville, whose capitol is a large chunk of grey granite
stuck on a hill. |
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West Virginia is known for it artisans, none of whom are better than
those at the Blenco Glassworks, who make stained glass for windows, but
also vases, pitchers, and even the glass covers for the "warning lights"
on the Washington DC Metro! This is their trash heap. Even the broken
glass it pretty. |
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The weather was threatening rain for the next three days, so after a
lovely walk (and a scary drive) in heavy fog, I headed home.
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