Tag: Kentucky

Happy 4th!

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Spike and me downtown. Attempted pic in front of a flag.

First up this muggy 4th of July: the Bluegrass 10K!

Full race report here.

Then a walk with Kristin and Spike downtown for a beer, the Lexington 4th of July parade, and some other displays of good ol’ ‘Merican culture.

(If you can’t read the shirt, it says “Infidel: Everything I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11”.  I also stumbled across this article on Wonkette this morning.  God Bless America.)

To be fair, there was also a gay pride booth that my friend Roy was working at, and the roller derby girls had a float in the parade, so it wasn’t all anger and jihad.  Overall, it was a great day.

Happy 4th!

We’re #1…?

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Time for another sidebar.  For this:

Yes, it’s another notch on the belt for Lexington, Kentucky.  Per Barefoot and Progressive (who also reported on the story):

If you’re keeping score, Lexington is now #1 in: biggest carbon footprint, sexual frustration, allergies and laziness. So if you’re into the whole coal-burning, coach potato, sneezy and celibate lifestyle, come to Lexington and join the fun! Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. 

BUT this month we were also selected as Esquire’s most stylish state in the US.  (Yes, really).  So at least we’ll be looking good in our derby hats as we grow clots in our legs.

Full story here.

Derby.

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Because I turned 30 about 2 weeks ago, and because when I told people I was moving to Kentucky the first thing everybody said was, “OH MY GOD I’m coming out to visit you for the Kentucky Derby!” my sister (above) decided to throw a big derby party for me.  Because she is great.

People started arriving Wednesday night (Derby is on Saturday) and I dropped the last guest off at the airport Monday morning at 4:15am before I went to coach practice, and we basically didn’t stop at all in between.

First up: trip to the Woodford Reserve Bourbon Distillery:

It was here we learned that bourbon only has 5 ingredients, and that it does not, in fact, have to be made in Bourbon county (but it does have to be made in the US).

At the end of the tour we had a free tasting and got to hang out on the back porch of the farm.

That night we went to a favorite local hangout, and then out to another bar, where things got a little dicey.

The next morning, after getting home around 3am, I had to get up at 4:45 to coach practice.  Deciding to coach that Friday morning and not have someone cover for me may have been the worst idea I’ve ever had.  Ever.

The rest of the group was a little slow to get rolling.   Throughout the day more friends arrived, people got hats, and those that were already here went shopping for supplies and food…

…which they then cooked up into an AMAZING Friday night BBQ.  Best friends ever.

Saturday morning the big blue school bus arrived to take us to Louisville.

It was supposed to rain, hence the galoshes.

An hour and a half later we arrived…

…and walked under the tunnel…

…into the infield.

Everyone wore hats…

…and buttons…

…and drank mint juleps…

…and bet on the race…

view from the infield

…and lost (except for Molly, who wasn’t even sure which horse she bet on.)

The next day about half the group had to leave early, the other half took a trip out to Glencrest Farms (where Andrea lives)…

…to get a little tour and see the baby thoroughbreds…

…and then I slept 12 hours straight.

No tornados, no injuries or hospital visits.  Success!  SO great to see old friends, thank you to everyone who made the trip out here, to Molly and Andrea for organizing, to Paul’s parents for giving up their home for our visitors, to everyone who fronted money on food or tickets and may or may not have been fully refunded, and to my parents for financing our transportation.  It was a really wonderful weekend.

Update: I was wrong, Kristin also won $7.

Tornados, Tiaras, and Trifectas

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Just another April in Kentucky.

Tornados

I have spent the past two weeks peering out the window at 2am, looking at the trees bent in half from the wind, telling Paul that we should get in the crawl space under the house (we have no basement.)   Paul has spent the past two weeks mumbling to me half asleep at 2am that no, we should not get in the crawl space, and that I should go back to sleep.  Then last week a friend of mine posted this, taken out the window of his office:

I know this pictures is tiny, for a full version go here 

Next time I am taking Spike and getting in the crawl space.

Actually, I learned that if you don’t have a basement, the best place to go is an internal bathroom with no windows, bring a mattress with you to cover yourself, and either get in the tub or hug the toilet (I guess the plumbing is more likely not to get sucked up or something?)  I have also learned that if a tornado is coming, it sounds like a freight train, so it’s not going to catch you totally off guard (a fact which, strangely enough, has provided me some comfort on those windy nights.)

Tiaras

The royal wedding was great.

Trifectas

The tornadoes cleared up just in time for the last days of Keenland, one of the premiere racing tracks in the country and everyone’s favorite hangout in April and October.   It was my first time here, the weather was absolutely beautiful, and it was packed.

We walked in just before the 5th race with about 4 minutes to post.

I bet $2 on horse #5 to win it all, at 12:1 odds.  He won.  I promptly went and got myself a bourbon.

The next race I bet $3 on a horse with 31:1 odds to show (his name was Ndongo…I had to.)   He got 3rd.  I am amazing.

The last few races weren’t as successful, but you can’t really beat a beautiful day outside at the races with a free bourbon.  I also saw my first Dale Earnhardt tattoo.
Next up: Derby.

…but there is no joy in Jortsville

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Bad weekend for Kentucky.

I was actually in New York city for the game, but found the Kentucky bar in NYC (as you can see from the picture above.)  I came home to find the town in quiet despair…nobody even cared about watching the final game.

So tonight, instead of watching the game, Paul and I went to our favorite Cajun restaurant around the block.

Last week they were giving away free meals for anyone who came in and made their jeans into jorts.  Apparently, it wasn’t enough.  Sad, sad weekend.

Oh, and Spike ate our blueberry bush.