SAY HAY

Seems like an appropriate license plate in the south

"SAY HAY" to the beautiful Lexington, Kentucky area.  Mike and I spent a delightful weekend there with friends Chuck and Melanie.

Buffalo Trace water tower

We skipped out of town on Friday and headed south. Our first stop was the Bourbon Trail where we visited the Buffalo Trace Whisky Distillery for a tour, and of course, whisky tasting.

Interesting history about how whisky originated in Kentucky.  In the late 1700's when this area was part of the Virginia Commonwealth, payment for 400 acres of land was one acre worth of corn.   Finding it extremely difficult to transport corn over the Appalachian Mountains in covered wagons, these clever settlers shipped whisky instead.  So there is a rich tradition of whisky in this area with about 80% of U.S. whisky originating in Kentucky.

Natural temperature changes contributes to flavor

It was fascinating to walk inside an open-windowed brick building filled with hundreds of barrels of whisky.  This is where the whisky ages, and there was the pleasant fragrance of whisky in the air, sometimes called "angel share".




















And the Lexington area was simply beautiful.  Rolling hills, horse farms, black fences and tobacco barns as far as the eye can see.   And an amazing sunset.

We stayed with Melanie's mom and  spent hours on the back porch soaking in this beautiful scenery.

Lunch with Chuck, Melanie, Shirley and Mike

We enjoyed some wonderful meals including Hall's on the Kentucky River and a local winery where we dined outside on a beautiful Fall evening.

Melanie and her mom

Dinner  with Mike, Christine (Melanie's sister), Chuck and Melanie

Being in Kentucky it seemed appropriate that our final stop was Keeneland, a famous horse track in Lexington.

Tailgating at Keeneland

Although we came to watch horses, people watching was just as fascinating.  There is money in Kentucky horse racing, that's for sure.  Lot's of women in dresses and boots and men in jackets and hats.  And possibly we were under-dressed...

And the winner is...

Our "scientific" method of betting on a horse based on his name didn't make us rich. Why we didn't win on a horse named "Wendy and her cats" when our own cat is named Wendy, I'll never know!   On the other hand, being the cheapskates we are means we only "donated" about $20 to Keeneland.

Enjoying Keeneland

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery to clear your mind and give you a new perspective.  And spending several days with friends in a beautiful place did just that.  And I keep imagining living there...

Have a great week! Diane