Frankfort Cemetery- Frankfort Kentucky

Here are a few photos I took recently at the Frankfort Cemetery.  This place is amazing!  EVERYONE knows Daniel Boone rests there.  US Vice President number nine, Richard Mentor Johnson is there to!  The place is beautiful, and offers a spectacular view of Frankfort....  I will be spending more time at the Frankfort Cemetery!

Rebecca Ruth Candies- Frankfort KY

We've been to Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory several times, but we had never taken the actual factory tour until recently!

For pocket change ($3) you can get a nice tour of the Rebecca Ruth kitchen, see where the candy is made, check out their very cool museum, AND they will give ya a sample at the end of the tour!

We had a great guide who expressed sincere enthusiasm about the business.  She told us all about the company and it's origins. 

Two friends (Rebecca and Ruth)got together and enjoyed making candy.  They enjoyed it so much, that they decided to quit their day jobs so that they could hang out, and make candy their full time gig!

This was during a time when ladies really didn't do that sort of thing.  You know, like work outside of the home.

Well, their candy was very popular, and locals loved it!  After some time, Ruth bought Rebecca out of the business (though they still remained close friends).

There is more to the story.  Someone mentioned to Ruth that the best 2 things they had one day were bourbon and her chocolate, and she decides to try to combine them- and she came up with the bourbon ball!

Celebrities would come to buy her candy, which she sold out of her home (now the Rebecca Ruth Museum area).  People in Frankfort loved what she did and supported her in various ways.  During WWII, the locals actually gave her their rationed sugar so she could make her candies!

I was personally impressed with a marble slab Ruth bought from the old Frankfort Hotel after it was destroyed by fire.  Also, a stove and a couple of other tools that are around 100 years old are STILL USED by the company!

Along with the stove and other candy making items, other traditions are strong here.  A display in the kitchen notes one employee who worked here 67 years!  AND, the business has not been sold, and is still in Ruth's family!

Random Thoughts on Friday

Its been some time since I randomly put some thoughts up........

I thought I would mention a few things on TV that I have enjoyed lately, though I generally try to avoid the TV in general (more time to get out and see things!).

First off, my wife and I have REALLY gotten in to the show "When Calls the Heart" on the Hallmark channel.  We heard that the show was set in an old Canadian mining town AND Michael Landon Jr. is working on the show!  I was hoping this show might be similar to Little House, and it is.

Another show that I like (but my wife hates) is the Eric Andre Show.  It is juvenile, kind of in the same family as South Park, but it is horrifyingly brilliant in many ways.  Eric and his sidekick, Hannibal Burress (who has become comedy royalty in his own right) do a strange train wreck of a talk show on Comedy Central.  Its weird, perverted, and totally inappropriate.  I am often laughing so hard that I am crying by the end of it.  It reminds me of Tom Green at his most deviant, mixed with GG Allin at his mildest.

Back in Kentucky....  I heard that the Rabbit Hash General Store In Rabbit Hash Kentucky burned down.  I was shocked when I got that news......  It does look like they are going to rebuild!

Keep your eye on Mammoth Cave this year!  They are celebrating all sorts of anniversaries in 2016, and I am sure they will have some big events planned!

Zachary Taylor Monument and Tomb Louisville, Kentucky

Here is a postcard relating to Zachary Taylor-

"President Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States, rests forever in the old Taylor family burying ground, in the National Cemetery.  Located on the Brownsboro Road U.S. 42."

Zachary Taylor sites in Louisville Kentucky

You know I have been on a huge Presidents and Civil War kick lately.  AND, I am finding that there are so many great sites literally right in my back yard!

In Louisville, you can visit the grave of our 12th President, Zachary Taylor!

Also, very close to his grave in a nice, neighborhood is a house he lived in!  It is a private residence, but there is a historic sign in front of it.  This is a very rare former home of a President that is not open to the public for tours.  The house looked well maintained...  I am sure the current occupants are very proud.

Cumberland Gap, near Middlesboro, Kentucky

Sent in 1955, this postcard was sent to a friend in Indiana, as the writer was on their way to Williamsburg.

Chained Rock- Pineville, Kentucky

I went with a buddy to Chained Rock in Pineville.  My pal had grown up in this area, and he had been telling me about how cool it is.

We hiked to the rock, and it was cool, and you could see a lot of the town on the rock.  You can walk up the side of a large rock, which is kind of scary!  I am surprised more people don't get hurt here!

In fact, this is a very exciting place to visit because you are very high up, and you can see way down.  PLUS, if you fall you aren't going to fall on nice, soft ground.  You will fall on hard rock!

Oh, and the chain is impressive too!  It looks like back in the 30s, some locals chained a rock to keep it from falling on to the town under the mountain.

Cumberland Gap

We stopped by Cumberland Gap some months ago.....  I was organizing some photos and realized that I never mentioned our stop!

Oh well.  Here are a few pictures I took.  The visitor center has a very cool miniature diorama display showing the gap during different time periods.

There is a lot to do in this area, and I have no doubt we will be back soon!

Deer near Owensboro Kentucky

I was driving around near Owensboro recently one evening, and I saw these guys!  In fact, I saw several sets of them! 

Big City Coffee Madisonville, Kentucky

It had been a little while since my last trip through Madisonville, and I was excited to see that they have a NICE independent coffee shop now!  Good for you, Madisonville!

Big City Coffee has actually been around for a few years now, but this was my first time getting to stop by.  Man, these guys are doing everything right.  They have a roomy, cozy and slick place downtown.

Check out the cool art on the walls, and check out their menu!


I do hope they eventually think about longer hours, as they close most weekdays before the work crowd heads home.

BUT, if you are a fan of coffee shops where they care about a great product, and a nice, clean atmosphere, this is the place!

Downtown Madisonville Kentucky

Madisonville has ALWAYS been one of my favorite little towns to just hang out in.  It has small town charm, easy going folks, and it is just barely big enough to have a cool, small mall!

It has an attractive downtown too!  Here are some random photos from downtown I took not too long ago....

Hanson Kentucky

Near Madisonville is the very cool small community of Hanson!

It had been some time since I had been able to stop here.  They were having a pretty cool little street fair when I stopped by.

I will have to go back on another day to get better shots of the buildings downtown.

Anyway, back when I collected old toys, there used to be an amazing antique and collectible toy shop on the corner.  There is a gaming shop there now.  Also, a VERY cool old book store is next door.  Luckily, that business is still around!