This year travel was closer to home. It was still challenging to plan, and certainly exhilarating. First, thanks to my lovely daughter’s invitation to accompany her while she attended a conference, Louisville, KY was placed on the agenda at the end of June. In July, we went to Corpus Christi. Then I took a week for a fly & drive to Hermann, MO.
Although I had visited Kentucky before and had flown into Louisville, I hadn’t taken the opportunity to explore the area. My sojourn, then, involved driving into downtown, locating the hotel and discovering the “lay of the land”. As it turned out, Kentucky (and a vast portion of that part of the world) was experiencing a drought and “heat” wave (105° was the new normal.) Arriving around 1:00, I settled into the hotel. During a break from her conference, my daughter and I went for a snack in the downtown area. Even though it wasn’t a long walk, I stayed in the shade – there was a small breeze, but the heat was suffocating. Walking down 4th street, we spotted a place called BBC (Bluegrass Brewing Company) – so, we entered into the refreshingly cool environment. We both ordered cold beer and an appetizer. Lovely respite.
Our plans for the evening were different. I was definitely looking forward to visiting with a friend who had worked with me but had relocated to Louisville a couple of years earlier. We met at 5:00 at the Palermo Restaurant. It took me a few turns and looping around to actually find the place. One does not always have smooth “sailing”, and indeed I’ve taken my share of wrong turns. It was a delightful visit; we talked and chatted the whole time. They were engaging company. I was sad to leave, but had to return to the hotel. The next day, my daughter was occupied with her convention, so I traveled up to see my brother for the day. We visited two wineries in his area – this was the first time he had been to them, and he was pleasantly surprised. I returned to Louisville after making plans to meet him in Louisville on Saturday. It was that evening that I had my first bourbon tasting (now, I’ve had bourbon before, but we decided to splurge on a tasting – I’m now sold on Four Roses.)
The next day my daughter was still involved with her convention and I again wondered around Louisville in the morning, being mindful of the heat. In the afternoon, the both of us were able to do some wine tasting. We drove out to a winery called Broad Run – it was a bit difficult to find, so we only managed to visit this one place. What a treat, though. They had a huge menu of very nice wines and knowledgeable staff. We could have stayed there enjoying the view and sipping wine, but we had to return to Louisville so my daughter could attend another meeting. My brother did come into Louisville the next day. We met at the Champion’s Sports Bar and enjoyed a nice respite. It was all over too soon and we returned to our respective homes.
In July my daughter and I ended up in Corpus Christi for a short visit. Thanks to her business responsibilities, we had a room provided. From Houston, I was really surprised how quickly I managed to travel to Corpus. It had been many years since my last visit; I had lived in the D/FW area at that time. While she was occupied, I visited the Texas State Aquarium and enjoyed watching the dolphins. She and I met at a museum for lunch, we walked the beach, stuck our feet in the gulf waters; I watched wind surfers while consuming a cool gin & tonic. One afternoon we drove over to Port Aransas, Ingleside and Mustang Island. It was a delightful and very quick weekend.
Although I had visited Kentucky before and had flown into Louisville, I hadn’t taken the opportunity to explore the area. My sojourn, then, involved driving into downtown, locating the hotel and discovering the “lay of the land”. As it turned out, Kentucky (and a vast portion of that part of the world) was experiencing a drought and “heat” wave (105° was the new normal.) Arriving around 1:00, I settled into the hotel. During a break from her conference, my daughter and I went for a snack in the downtown area. Even though it wasn’t a long walk, I stayed in the shade – there was a small breeze, but the heat was suffocating. Walking down 4th street, we spotted a place called BBC (Bluegrass Brewing Company) – so, we entered into the refreshingly cool environment. We both ordered cold beer and an appetizer. Lovely respite.
Our plans for the evening were different. I was definitely looking forward to visiting with a friend who had worked with me but had relocated to Louisville a couple of years earlier. We met at 5:00 at the Palermo Restaurant. It took me a few turns and looping around to actually find the place. One does not always have smooth “sailing”, and indeed I’ve taken my share of wrong turns. It was a delightful visit; we talked and chatted the whole time. They were engaging company. I was sad to leave, but had to return to the hotel. The next day, my daughter was occupied with her convention, so I traveled up to see my brother for the day. We visited two wineries in his area – this was the first time he had been to them, and he was pleasantly surprised. I returned to Louisville after making plans to meet him in Louisville on Saturday. It was that evening that I had my first bourbon tasting (now, I’ve had bourbon before, but we decided to splurge on a tasting – I’m now sold on Four Roses.)
The next day my daughter was still involved with her convention and I again wondered around Louisville in the morning, being mindful of the heat. In the afternoon, the both of us were able to do some wine tasting. We drove out to a winery called Broad Run – it was a bit difficult to find, so we only managed to visit this one place. What a treat, though. They had a huge menu of very nice wines and knowledgeable staff. We could have stayed there enjoying the view and sipping wine, but we had to return to Louisville so my daughter could attend another meeting. My brother did come into Louisville the next day. We met at the Champion’s Sports Bar and enjoyed a nice respite. It was all over too soon and we returned to our respective homes.
In July my daughter and I ended up in Corpus Christi for a short visit. Thanks to her business responsibilities, we had a room provided. From Houston, I was really surprised how quickly I managed to travel to Corpus. It had been many years since my last visit; I had lived in the D/FW area at that time. While she was occupied, I visited the Texas State Aquarium and enjoyed watching the dolphins. She and I met at a museum for lunch, we walked the beach, stuck our feet in the gulf waters; I watched wind surfers while consuming a cool gin & tonic. One afternoon we drove over to Port Aransas, Ingleside and Mustang Island. It was a delightful and very quick weekend.
Elk Creek Vineyards, Owenton, KY.
Corpus Christi, TX - there is a windsurfer in the middle!
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