We're BAAAACK!! Did you miss me?

We went to KENTUCKY! And did we ever tour Kentucky. It took us from 6:00AM to about 6:00PM to reach Bardstown, south of Louisville. Bardstown it an interesting community and we spent our first evening at a restuarant called the Old Stable. We had a buffet and mint julips (or a punch) in special Kentucky Derby Glass. They issue a new one each year and the Old Stable has one of every single year in a cabinet on the wall in the dining room. We got to keep the glass too. I ended up with three of them, so Jim will have one too. I like that. There were a man and woman playing bluegrass/country music just for us during our dinner. It was a nice buffet, but I am going to tell you now that I hope I do not have another buffet to go to for at least six months.

After we ate they got four of us (naturally I got "recommended " by Patty, our tour director) to go up and show off our musical abilities. Gene played the Washtub Cello, Stan played the Stumpf Fiddle, I got the Washboard and Maureen played the tamborine. It was a lot of fun.

I didn't tell you, we also were given hand made hats that we all "had" to wear while we ate.. Dick was "thrilled" as you can well imagine.

Anyway, we are home now and frankly we are really glad to be here. Have you ever noticed how excited one gets when one perpares and leaves on a vacation and how, as it gets closer, one becomes more and more eager to be home?

Critters were very glad to see us. Chelsea is at this moment trying to tell me that she is ready for bed now.

We were so delighted tonight to have Leslie call. She wanted to hear how we liked the trip and where we went. She had GOOD news from there also. Bill is starting a new job at LSU which is much more what he wants to be doing and will be more profitable AND they can stay where they are. They have grown to like it there and would hate to leave, at least for the time being. Also, our Sara has her first job. She is bagging at Kroger's and has been there for three weeks. Yea! Sara!. We are so proud. That first one is always the hardest. Experience and a job history helps SO much.

I will send pictures later, and let you all know more of our trip each day. We went to the Louisville Slugger factory in Louisville to find out how they make the wooden bats that they are famous for and to visit their museum. This was Friday. I mention this because I like to have a nice ending to the blog and was impressed with something Dusty Baker said on the film they show before you tour the factory. He spoke of playing baseball as a kid and all the kids encouraging each other as they played. He remembers the others yelling "Yea Dusty, Go Dusty Baker." when he was a kid. He then said, and I quote, that because of playing the way he did as a kid, " You kind of expect yourself to be a hero." I have visions of all these kids playing little league and pick up games imagining themselves as heros of the game. Too bad they can't always believe they are heros.

Til tomorrow

Mary