Berea Campus and Depot

Yes, I know...  I bring up Berea a lot here.  You know I love the place, and I find myself down there a lot.

So, here are a few MORE photos that I took recently.  I have included some of the depot/visitor center in town, as I think that cool resource is neglected by visitors, who only stop by the new visitor center.

Purdy's Coffee Richmond

It has been some time since I found myself in Richmond, but I made it down there the other day.  Luckily, I found Purdy's Coffee Shop!

Oh man, I might be giving away my age on this one, but the last time I "hung out" at a coffee shop in Richmond, it was at a place called the Mad Hatter!  Anyone remember that spot?  I remember cool vampire and Alice in Wonderland paintings on the walls.  It was always dark, and Tori Amos or REM were played on the speakers!  We went one night though and it was closed.  There was a note on the door explaining that it had been shut down.

Purdy's is more traditional, and has a clean and cozy feel.  In fact, this is one of those coffee shops that is, in every way, EXACTLY what a coffee shop should be.

On their website, they explain that the shop was opened in a very old historic building downtown.  They fixed the place up, again, maintaining a vintage look and feel.  I love the wood floors, and there is a beautiful old panoramic photo of downtown Richmond on one wall.

I have stopped by for lunch, and Purdy's has GREAT lunches made fresh.  AND their coffee is perfect.  These guys care about their product and they don't let their brewed stuff sit around.

Purdy's is very roomy inside, and there are 2 floors.  On Thursday nights, it seems they have live music.  We enjoyed a very pleasant young original band called "Wicked Peace" the first night we were there.

If, however, you wanted to be somewhere a bit less melodic, you can go upstairs!

I really like everything about these guys.  The staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable.

Check out their site-

http://www.purdyscoffee.com/



Or stop by some time! 

Lava Fountains- Hawaii National Park

The Goose

My Dad pointed this old marker out to me recently.  It is in a cemetery near Owensboro.  The small stone marks the site of a family pet- a goose.

I love the stove design on the larger stone.  Beautiful.

Random Rural Photos Near Owensboro

Mt. Zion United Methodist Church and New Macedonia Baptist Church near Owensboro

Several months ago a couple of Einsteins decided to set a couple of abandoned churches on fire near the Windy Hollow area.

They first set Mt. Zion Methodist Church on fire, and they then drove down the road and set fire to New Macedonia Baptist Church.

Luckily, the two arsonists bragged about their actions, and they were caught later that same day.

Both churches were no longer functioning as they were meant too, but many people still feel a connection to these sites.  Even though I live hours away, I always make my pilgrimage to Mt. Zion when I am in the Owensboro area.

Three generations of my family attended Mt. Zion Church and many of my loved ones are buried in the cemetery across the road.  My fathers best friend from the Vietnam War (the person I am named after) also rests there.

I personally attended weddings, funerals, and hundreds of Sunday church services there.


Anyway, I could go on and on.  Sure, these buildings were not what they used to be.  I know Mt. Zion has been open to the elements for some time now.... but it was still there. 


The top four photos on the left are of Mt. Zion, and the bottom two are of New Macedonia.  I do have many photos of Mt. Zion that I have taken over the last couple of decades.  I would love to hear from anyone else with memories of these wonderful churches.

Harbor View, America's Largest Seaport, New Orleans, LA

Postmarked 1947, the back of this postcard notes:

Many and varied are the harbor scenes replete with interest for the visitors of New Orleans. This view shows part of the great white banana fleet of the United Fruit Company at a wharf that is typical of nine miles of New Orleans river frontage. These boats do much to make New Orleans the world's greatest banana port, with an annual importation of approximately 20,000,000 bunches.

"The Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide" by Michael Weeks

This has been a good year for travelers interested in the Civil War!  Lots of anniversary celebrations going on and all.

I thought I should mention "The Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide" by Michael Weeks now, as I haven't mentioned any books here in a while, AND I really like this one.

First off, this book is huge (nearly 500 pages of various information, ALL relating to the Civil War, and there is no filler).  It is broken in to sections geographically, and the author suggests how to approach that given area as a traveler, suggesting where to start and end on a trip through that region.

I think many might use this as more of a reference guide for a trip through an area.  For example, I doubt I would ever plan an entire week long vacation around Civil War locations, but I do enjoy seeing some of the sites associated with it when I am on the road.  So the next time I am in Memphis for a Redbirds game or at the Civil Right Museum, I can check out Michael Weeks' section on The Middle Mississippi Valley to see what Civil War sites I might want to see too.  AND there are suggestions about places to stay (like historic B&Bs) that have a direct connection to the conflict.

I really admire the authors attitude about travelling.  He mentions in the book that his main purpose for writing it is to increase the amount of visitation to the various battlefields, homes and museums.  He asks the reader to make sure that they spend a few dollars in the area, and to mention to the locals why they are there.  He wants people to know that preserving these sites is great for the local economy.

I personally wanted one well researched volume about traveling to spots associated with the Civil War.  I wanted information on everything from the National Parks, down to the mostly neglected obscure sites.  "The Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide" covers them all.

Michael Weeks gives all of the details you need about an area (he lets you know if finding a hotel in an area might be tough).  He lets you know about museum hours, fees, etc.  He gives the basics about the battles and the key players too, so this is really a VERY complete Civil War book in general.

I spent several evenings going through this one, and taking notes about sites that I might want to see later.  As I went through the book, I realized that there was nothing about it that I would change.  This is the perfect, must have book for any Civil War traveler.

The White House, Washington, DC

"The White House was designed by James Hoban.  Washington selected this site, laid the cornerstone, October 13, 1792, and lived to see the building completed.  John Adams was the first occupant in 1800."

Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC

The bottom postcard was sent in 1929.  You may have purchased stamps with these same images on them.

Colonel Sander's Cafe in Corbin

We were able to stop at the Colonel Sander's Cafe again recently down in Corbin.

I do like this place, and it is very cozy.  I like seeing all of the memorabilia relating to the Colonel on display.  It is all very cool.  Its also cool knowing that Harland started something that would become known world wide almost at this exact spot.

The Colonel Sander's Cafe has always been hopin' when I have visited.  The old style dining area is always full.

It is a little odd in some ways that there is an actual standard Kentucky Fried Chicken at this site.  You probably couldn't have the museum open without the fast food restaurant to support it, but it is still a fast food restaurant.

So, you can check out all of the cool Sanders related artifacts, in their cases, displayed all nicely....  And then you can get some fast food chicken and have a seat at a table that hasn't been cleaned in some time.  I think it is strange (and somewhat charmingly novel) to have a museum and a fast food restaurant combined like this.

I have been to museums with interesting restaurants inside.  I think a lot of museums now have dining areas for people who might be spending the entire day there.  I can't think of a museum mixed evenly with a fast food site though.  There must be a McDonald's restaurant/museum mash up somewhere.

Lyinn's Blog

Hey!  I wanted to take a moment to mention Lyinn's blog.  She has been doing hers for several years now too, but we just recently happened to cross path's here in cyberspace.

Lyinn dropped me a note some time ago to say hello, and she sent me a link to her blog.  I was blown away by its coolness, and I was scratching my head at some of the similarities!

Lyinn is based out of the Northern Kentucky area, so she covers a lot of ground in that area, and in Southern Ohio.  AND, like this blog, she doesn't exactly stick to any one geographic location.  She is all over the place!  PLUS, she is big on coffee, books, obscure travel destinations, and many other things that make a blog and blogger great!

I have really enjoyed reading about the various places Lyinn has visited that I have also visited.  I also like seeing the many places she covers that I was totally unaware of!  I have gotten a million ideas from her!

In fact, I am a bit jealous of all of the cool places she has been to that I haven't yet!  AND, I love her writing style!  I am jealous of that too!  She is much more open about herself on her blog, and her experiences at places she visits.  I almost want to read her blog with a note pad handy!

Anyway, check out her blog too!


http://lyinnwolf.blogspot.com/

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg

A couple of times a year now, we seem to be making our way down to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area.

I really love doing all of the stuff surrounding Gatlinburg (Knoxville, the Great Smoky Mountains, and a spectacular AA baseball park are all very close by).  This creates a bit of a problem though.  I can never go down to this area for a weekend and do everything that I want to do!


I do try to drive and walk the main areas when I go down.  I like looking at the new businesses that pop up ever so often.

The one thing that I don't care for in Gatlinburg are the time share salesmen.  These guys are aggressive.  It is the kind of thing that makes you think twice about walking around the area.

Still, I think most people ignore them and keep walking.

I do love how colorful the area is, and I do appreciate the cheesiness of it all.


On this trip I noticed that the moonshine businesses have really moved in.  It seems like not too long ago there was just one or two, but there are several now.  One of the new moonshine spots was very bland.  They had their product, and they had the standard shirts and other dull items with the name of the company very unimaginatively printed on them.  I was a little let down to see some less than average businesses on the strip this time.

There are some places that I totally love here too.  I have mentioned Cooter's Place before, and I still love it.  Any fan of the Duke's from 80s TV (or from reruns now) will love this spot.  I have to duck in every time I can.  I love seeing the photos from the show and the old toys.

Great Smoky Mountains

The weather is getting better, so we thought a quick trip to the Smoky Mountains sounded appropriate right now!

This is becoming one of my favorite spots for a weekend get away trip.  I love the area and the fact that it is relatively close to me.

And, there is a lot going on in the area.  Close by you have Gatlinburg, Knoxville, and Tennessee Smokies baseball! 

We took a short drive through the park.  One ranger told us that there had been a bear sighting the evening before.

I love talking to the rangers in the area, and stopping by the various national park visitor centers.  These guys know their stuff, and they are great at making suggestions about things to do and see.

The national park visitor centers are just great too.  I always try to make some purchases there, because I am a huge fan of what they do.  AND, you know I have a passport to our national parks book that I must get stamped!  They do have a great selection of postcards, shirts and books too.

The drive around the park has a lot of turns and twists.  That, along with the fact that I bumped my head hard on the door before we drove down made me a little dizzy during this trip.

As we drove around the park, I got to thinking, which park do I like better, The Great Smoky Mountains" OR Land Between the Lakes?

I have spent a LOT of time at LBL and I am a bit biased on that one.  I might have to revisit this debate later!