Bad Ass Coffee in Lexington Kentucky- being festive for February!

 https://youtu.be/Px52Aku9AOQ

I stopped by Bad Ass Coffee in Lexington.  They were doing some sweet things for the Valentine's season!

ScareFest 2025 Lexington Kentucky

Here is a brief video mostly of me exploring "ScareFest" in October 2025!

Woodland Art Fair Lexington Kentucky August 2025

Check out the annual Woodland Art Fair in Lexington Kentucky!

Candado Tacos Lexington Kentucky 2025

I really like Candado Tacos in Lexington!

2025 Bluegrass Railroad Club Show Lexington Kentucky

Check out the 2025 Bluegrass Railroad Club Show!  I had a great time at this event!

Driving from Owensboro to Lexington

The drive between Lexington and Owensboro is one I have made probably hundreds of times.  I thought I would put up a very edited version of that drive, for the other people out there who might also make this trip!

Primate Rescue Center Kentucky Members Event 2025

We had a great time at the recent Primate Rescue Center Members Event!

Lexington Legends Baseball 2025

Here is a quick look at the Lexington Legends!

Lexington Comic Con 2025

Here is a brief look at this years Lexington Comic Con!

Concert Memories: REM, Lexington, KY 10/20/1995

I have scanned in a lot of my old ticket stubs for future posts...  I just want to make sure I have an interesting story before I post them.

I saw REM at Rupp Arena back in 1995.  That seems so long ago now.  And I guess it was (I just did the math on it).  I saw this one while in college.  We had fun, the music was great.  I am glad I got to see REM before they called it quits.

I have mentioned it before, but the first time I saw 10,000 Maniacs back in 1993, Stipe was a surprise guest and came out to sing with the band.

Well, I was at a local coffee shop the other day, and they were playing some REM.  I asked who the REM fan was, and a young lady spoke up while making my drink.  Her dad spent some time in the Athens area, and I think she was spoon fed on REM as a kid.  I mentioned that I saw this show back in 1995, adding that was probably before she was born.  She let me know her parents were there too that night.

I had a seat at the coffee shop and flipped through some books.  "Seven Chinese Brothers" came on.  Hadn't heard that song in a while.  After a bit, "Rockville" came on.  I know we all have a few songs that shake us up, or make us remember an emotion, or a moment.  This is one of mine.  I could go on and on about it....  but, if you are a music fan, you know what I am talking about.

Every time I have had to move, or leave something in life, I think of that song.
 

Primate Rescue Center Nicholasville Kentucky 2024

We were very lucky to be able to visit the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville Kentucky recently!  They open it up for members once a year!  They are doing great work and we were excited to stop by!

Nic and Normans Lexington Kentucky

I finally got to viit Nic and Normans for a nice meal here in Lexington!

Keeneland Racing in Lexington Kentucky April 2024

Here is a brief look at Keeneland from April of this year!

Lexington Cemetery Cherry Blossoms March 2024

Central Bank Center and Downtown Lexington Kentucky at Christmas 2023

Here is a quick look at the Central Bank Center and Downtown Lexington at Christmas time!

Campbell House Lexington Kentucky Postcards

Here are a couple of vintage, unused postcards showing the Campbell House in Lexington Kentucky.

 

The Campbell House Curio Collection by Hilton and Rackhouse Tavern in Le...

The first time I visited the Campbell House Inn in Lexington was sometime in the 90s.  I have been there a lot since then, and, really up until fairly recently, I think most people thought of it as an OK, maybe slightly above average hotel.  It was functional.

Well, over the last few years, it has become a part of the Curio Collection by Hilton and man have they fixed the place up!  Honestly, it has become one of my favorite places to hang out in town.

They have decorated the place with appropriate equestrian and bourbon themes.  If you were coming to Lexington for Keeneland, or to visit distilleries, this would be a great place to really 
immerse yourself in horse racing and spirits.

I really like their restaurant, the Rackhouse Tavern too.  We had brunch the other day and it was special.

Anyway, check out my video on the Campbell House Inn!

Kentucky Book Festival at Joseph Beth in Lexington 10/21/2023

I love books, and I really enjoy getting books signed by the author when I can.  

Each year, there is the "Kentucky Book Festival" in my neck of the woods.  Unfortunately, I have been busy or somewhere else the last few years that they have had it.

I got to go this year though, and I had a great time meeting with several authors!

They have it as Joseph Beth, and I love that place.  Having the authors sectioned off did make the place a bit crowded, but it was nice seeing so many people at the legendary bookstore.

I had reviewed the list of authors and I knew who I wanted to find.  I was given a map showing where each writer was, so it was easy to find whoever you were looking for.

I forgot to get a picture of him, but the first person I stopped to see was fellow Berea grad Keven McQueen.  Keven has written a ton of books on general weirdness in and out of the Bluegrass State.  I have read several of his books, and I picked up a copy of "Bizarre Bluegrass" on this day.  Not to give anything away, but there is a chapter where Keven talks about writing a letter in the 80s to Charles Manson.  Manson DID write back.

Next to Kevin was Bryan S. Bush who wrote a book that I appreciated, "Butcher Burbridge."  Bryan has also written several other books mostly relating to this area, and the Civil War.

I stopped by another author's table that I have read a lot before, Stuart W. Sanders.  Stuart is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Civil War, and other topics.  I picked up his, "The Battle of Mill Springs Kentucky" when I saw him.

I also had a nice conversation with him about touring battlefields in and out of Kentucky.

Amrita Chakrabarti Myers was an author not originally on my radar, until I read a review of her new book, "The Vice President's Black Wife" about Julia Chinn, the wife of Richard Johnson, Van Buren's VP.  We stopped by and picked up a signed copy from her.  She was very friendly and talkative and I am excited about reading this one.

Right beside Amrita was former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton!  I had to pick up a signed copy of his book.  He was very friendly and seemed happy to be there.

His co-author, Jeffrey Suchanek was a very nice fellow too, and he noticed that I was wearing a Roberto Clemente baseball cap!  We ended up chatting for a while about the Puerto Rican baseball legend.

Another connection was made relating to my Clemente cap before we left the event.  Author Jamie H. Vaught also noticed my hat, and told me that he met the mad when he was a child!

Vaught has written several books covering UK basketball.  He was a very friendly and entertaining fellow, and he included a chapter on Roberto Clemente in one of his books!

 

Eckert's Orchard Versailles KY Fall 2023

Here is a quick video on our visit to Eckert's Orchard in Varsalles recently!

"House of Abraham" by Stephen Berry

 

"House of Abraham" by Stephen Berry came out a decade and a half ago, and I am almost embarrassed to say that it has taken me this long to get around to reading it.  This is a great book, and a must read for anyone interested in Abe and his relationship to the very complicated Todd family.

I have spent a lot of time reading up on the Lincolns and Todds, and I have visited many of the sites associated with them (heck, most of the Todds are buried a short distance from my home)....  but this book really showed me some new aspects to the relationship.

I am very familiar with (and fascinated by) the relationship of Mary and Abe to brother in law (and Confederate General) Benjamin Hardin Helm, but the family's relationship to some of the other siblings and their spouses is also complex.  The fact that almost all of them had some sort of connection not just to Lincoln, but also to the CSA really makes this story interesting.

Berry does a great job of introducing the family members, and talking about their places in the Todd family, in the Civil War, and in history in general.  He tells about their interactions and he lets you know what happened to them after the Civil War.  His writing is easy to follow and has a very nice flow.

There were siblings of Mary Lincoln at the inauguration of Jefferson Davis.  Others served in the Confederate army.  One brother dies while serving the in CSA at Shiloh (I have visited the spot) and one sibling put in charge of Yankee prisoners gets into trouble for abusing them, including a corpse.

I took notes while reading it, and this is definatley a volume on the Lincolns/Todds that will always be on my shelf.