Kentucky's Bucket List - Part 2

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/06/29/1792885/kentuckys-bucket-list-part-2-reader.html

Our "Kentucky Bucket List" of 50 experiences every Kentuckian should do, see or have while living in our commonwealth, received tremendous response from readers after it was published June 17.

Inspired by Parade magazine's recent cover story on "America's Bucket List," our list — which was far from exhaustive — spurred readers to suggest ideas that we didn't include.

So today, we share 20 readers' suggestions of experiences to have in Kentucky before you die.

Our original list can be found here.

Oh, and our list was referred to on Myoldkentuckyroadtrip.com, a site devoted to "exploring the Bluegrass State." And the women who run the site created their own list, which they dubbed the "Kentucky Road Trip Bucket List." It includes:

■ Visit the New Madrid Fault line, a major seismic zone that dips in to Western Kentucky and produced an intense earthquake in 1811.

■ Attend any of Kentucky's great food festivals — Tater Days in Benton or the Country Ham Festival in Trigg County, for example.

■ Take a scenic drive along U.S. 68 from Maysville to Paducah "as it weaves its way through dozens and dozens of Kentucky's most interesting towns."

Our hope is that you take our original list, this list and their list and get out into our gorgeous commonwealth and start checking them off.

Reader-submitted Kentucky bucket list

1. Visit Fort Boonesborough State Park, then eat at Hall's on the River in Winchester and enjoy Mrs. Bell's original beer cheese.

2. Drive along Old Frankfort Pike, one of the prettiest roads in the state. You'll pass through six historic districts and by four National Historic Register properties on the drive between Frankfort and Lexington.

3. Visit the Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site in Fairview. Davis was the first and only president of the Confederate States. The monument, a 351-foot obelisk, marks his birth site.

4. Go see pioneer Daniel Boone's grave site at the Frankfort Cemetery. From the grave, you get a scenic view of the Kentucky River.

5. Drive over the three covered bridges in Fleming County. While there, you can visit the Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum in Flemingsburg.

6. Enjoy some recreation and wildlife at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. The area is managed by the Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is nestled between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.

7. Read anything by Jesse Stuart. The late poet laureate of Kentucky published 2,000 poems, 460 short stories and more than 60 books.

8. Watch the sunset from the Kentucky Lake jetty at Lighthouse Landing in Grand Rivers. In 2006, Cosmopolitan magazine readers named it one of the 50 most romantic spots.

9. Learn some history at White Hall State Historic Site in Richmond. The estate dates back to 1798 and was Cassius M. Clay's country home. This 44-room Victorian mansion is described by AAA as a crown jewel and a hidden secret among local residents.

10. Bob and weave like boxing's greatest legend, Muhammad Ali. The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville opened in 2005. Nicknamed "The Greatest," the Louisville native described his boxing style as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." He'll turn 70 in 2012.

11. Attend a production at the outdoor theater in the Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg. This summer, productions include Annie and The Frog Prince.

12. Ride the Big South Fork Scenic Railroad in Stearns. From April through October, take a 16-mile round trip on the K&T Special aboard enclosed or open-air cars.

13. Take some pictures at Bad Branch Falls State Nature Preserve in Letcher County. In a deep cove on the south side of Pine Mountain off U.S. 119, this hollow is one of the most spectacular pieces of natural beauty left in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky — or anywhere else, probably.

14. Journey to Pine Mountain State Park and hike out to the chain rock hiking trail. The story goes that in 1933, locals formed a committee to chain the rock to the mountain for fear that it would fall on the city of Pineville. The 101-foot-long, 11/2-ton chain was muled to the top of the mountain to attach the rock to the cliff.

15. Join the whitewater fanatics who paddle the Class 5 Breaks Canyon of the Russell Fork. It's near Elkhorn City in the southeast section of Pike County.

16. Go back in time at Adsmore House and Gardens in Princeton. Tours center on events that occurred in the restored home. The decor changes with the seasons.

17. Walk along Bee Rock Trail in Pulaski County. The trail has an elevation of 1,120 feet. Hang a left at the trail's intersection with Forest Road 5063 and rest awhile at the overlook where Rockcastle River flows.

18. Admire the stained glass at St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington. According to the cathedral's Web site: "The Cathedral's north transept window is the world's largest church stained-glass window, measuring 67 feet in length by 24 feet wide. It presents the early fifth-century Ecumenical Council of Ephesus that proclaimed Mary as the Mother of God."

19. Tour Whitehaven Mansion in Paducah. The Classical Revival Victorian house is home of Paducah native Alben W. Barkley, vice president during Harry Truman's second presidential term.

20. "Like" Kentucky for Kentucky on Facebook. Devoted to Kentucky and the cultural influences of the state, the page describes itself like this: "Kentucky is an awesome state. We first sung Happy Birthday, we first fried chicken, we first slapped high fives. We invented bourbon, bluegrass music, and the ... Kentucky Derby. We birthed cool with Clooney, Depp and Hunter S. Thompson. We championed sport with Ali, Seabiscuit and Rondo. We are the real deal. We're Kentucky."

No More Drama

"There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."

FlyLady's 11 Commandments

FlyLady's 11 Commandments (cut & paste from FlyLady email)

1. Keep your sink clean and shiny!
2. Do your Before Bedtime Routine EVERY NIGHT
3. Do your Morning routine EVERY DAY, RIGHT WHEN YOU GET UP.
4. Don't allow yourself to be sidetracked by the computer
5. Pick up after yourself. IF YOU GET IT OUT, PUT IT AWAY WHEN FINISHED
6. Don't try to do two projects at once. ONE JOB AT A TIME.
7. Do something for yourself every day, maybe even every morning and night.
8. Work as fast as you can to get one job done. This will give you more time to play later.
9. Smile even when you don't feel like it. It is contagious.
10. Make your mind up to be happy and you will be.
11. Pamper yourself, you deserve it.

Fourth of July Holiday Weekend

Starts TOMORROW!  Friday, July 1!

YAY!

I need a plan, so I don't waste my time.  :-)

FRIDAY

• WHB
• Laundry - whites & shower curtain
• get out steam cleaner & clean shower
• clean chairs & put on new cushions
• steam clean old cushions

SATURDAY

• usual
• early errand - post coupon sale from Thursday's shops
• stuff to take with me - stuff for mom; jar for her sweet potato
• laundry
• craft

SUNDAY

• early in the AM - flower bed / plant veggies
• plant petunias in pots
• scrape picnic table
• steam clean picnic table
• work on puzzle with Phillip
• craft

MONDAY

• paint picnic table
• craft

ETA 07.17.2011 - I don't remember WHAT I did, but I sure didn't do all of this.  Shoot!  Still gotta do it.  But that's OK.  ;-)  I needed this reminder.

Decluttering Question

What do you wish you could do more often or with improved quality?

Your answers are the motivators to get rid of the distractions.  There are many forms of distraction, a.k.a. clutter.

1. physical
2. time management
3. mental
4. bad systems

Today's Quote

This one is from my MissusSmartyPants weekly Style Article. 

"Let go of what you think life should be so you can eepxerience the life you have."

- Rhonda Britten

I wrote down "Let go of what you think life should be so you can ENJOY the life you have."

I ran a lin through ENJOY in my notebook and put experience as in the original quote...still, like both of 'em. 

 

Today's Quote

"Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun."

--Colleen C. Barrett,
American business executive

Kentucky's Bucket List

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/06/17/v-print/1777221/the-kentucky-bucket-list-eat-drink.html

KENTUCKY'S BUCKET LIST

1. Visit Mammoth Cave. Our state's only national park, it makes you realize that Kentucky's stunning beauty isn't just on the surface.

2. Dip a bourbon bottle into that famous red wax at Maker's Mark in Loretto. The brand is known worldwide, and so is the bottle's dripping red wax. Dip your own on the distillery tour.

3. Take a sip at all the distilleries on the Bourbon Trail. It's the essence of sophistication and American's only native spirit, and 95 percent of it is produced here.

4. Watch Harlan County U.S.A. Barbara Kopple's Oscar-winning 1976 documentary about the "Bloody Harlan" coal miner strikes of the early '70s shows just how dangerous that job used to be (and still is).

5. Read the works of Wendell Berry. The Henry County environmentalist, ruralist, activist and writer is considered one of the nation's greatest minds.

6. Visit the Harland Sanders Café and Museum in Corbin. It's where the Colonel first served his fried chicken with "11 herbs and spices" and birthed an internationally fried chicken recipe.

7. Own a piece of work by a Kentucky craftsman. We are known as an epicenter for folk art. Berea is a good place to start your search for the perfect piece.

8. Read Louisville native Hunter S. Thompson's seminal article "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved," which details the hullabaloo surrounding the 1970 race and marked the legendary writer's first foray into gonzo journalism.

9. Spend a silent day at the Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown. Shed your worldly worries (and your smartphone) at this Trappist monastery, where tranquility reigns.

10. Talk to Freddie Farm Bureau at the Kentucky State Fair. The giant talking doll outside the entrance to the August fair's main hall has entranced kids for decades.

11. Walk over Natural Bridge, near Slade. If it's hot, you'll sweat like a pig getting up there, but once you do, the view is so spectacular, you'll be cool as a cucumber.

12. Ogle the natural beauty at Red River Gorge. Pick pretty much any spot, and it will be stunning.

13. Take a hike at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill. The Shakers thought they had found an earthly Utopia when they settled near Harrodsburg in the 19th century. After walking the miles and miles of trails through meadows, woods and along creeks, you'll understand why.

14. Visit Fort Knox. You can't go inside the gold depository, where 5,000 tons of gold are stored, and you can't take your picture at the gate, as we previously reported. But you can drive by the depository on your way to the Gen. George Patton Museum.

15. Grab a country ham sandwich at one of the many filling stations in rural Kentucky.

16. Listen to the trickle of the Sinking Spring at Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, near Hodgenville. Illinois claims him, but this is where one of America's greatest leaders was born, and that underground spring is where he probably took his first drink of water.

17. Visit the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington. It's America's first site restored to honor a first lady. Get to know the real Mary, not the crazy woman that history has portrayed her to be.

18. Measure your stride against that of the great (giant) horse Man o' War at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

19. Bring roses to Funny Cide, the only Kentucky Derby winner who is readily accessible, at the Kentucky Horse Park.

20. Eat a hot Brown at Louisville's Brown Hotel, the place where the delicious open-faced, heart-attack-on-a-plate sandwich got its name, but stay at the nearby Seelbach Hotel, the 1905 gem that is the backdrop for Tom and Daisy's wedding in The Great Gatsby.

21. Attend one of the multitudes of bluegrass festivals across the state. We invented this kind of music, so we ought to listen to it once in a while.

22. Visit the state Capitol building in Frankfort. We have one of the nation's most beautiful capitols, and we might not always be proud of what goes on inside there, but we can at least appreciate the Frank Mills Andrews-designed architecture.

23. Read Harriette Arnow's The Dollmaker. The story of its Appalachian heroine, Gertie Nevels, is unforgettable. Just be sure to have plenty of tissues on hand.

24. Visit Cane Ridge Meeting House outside Paris. It was built in 1791 and is thought to be the largest one-room log building in the country. It also was the site of a major revival in 1801 that is considered the climax of the Western Great Revival.

25. Tour the Corvette Museum and Corvette plant in Bowling Green. It's the only place in the world where the classic sports cars are produced.

26. Visit the Toyota plant in Georgetown while in an automotive frame of mind. It's the birthplace of the world's No. 1 car, the Camry, and the plant's arrival in the mid-1980s was a boon for Kentucky's economy.

27. Eat a tomato still warm from the sun while standing in the garden where it was grown. Consider any slight grittiness a condiment.

28. Attend the Garrard County Tobacco Cutting Contest. The event, held in late summer, might be the best way to see a dying cultural tradition: the harvesting of the tobacco crop. This year will be its 30th anniversary.

29. Find a fence row and pick some blackberries. There are few summertime treats more satisfying than a blackberry cobbler made with fruit you picked yourself. Just keep an eye out for snakes.

30. Eat a slice or two — or three — of historic "transparent" pie at Magee's Bakery in Maysville.

31. Have a taste of the state's regional sodas. May we recommend Ale-8-One, created in Winchester; and Ski, the highly caffeinated lemon-orange soda bottled in Greensburg?

32. Attend the Fancy Farm Picnic in Graves County. There are literally tons of barbecue being served on the first Saturday of each August, but the picnic is most famous for the political speaking, which traditionally kicks off Kentucky's fall campaigns. Every candidate running for statewide office will speak before the always-rowdy crowd.

33. Watch the sun rise from Pinnacle Overlook at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, where Kentucky meets Tennessee and Virginia. The gap, a rare natural break in the ancient Appalachian Mountains, provided a pathway in the 1700s for settlers led by Daniel Boone and other pioneers.

34. Watch the sun set over the Mississippi River at Columbus-Belmont State Park in Hickman County. During the Civil War, Confederates built fortifications along the bluff in an unsuccessful attempt to keep Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces from moving South.

35. Visit the Tri-Cities area — Cumberland, Benham and Lynch — for a look into the storied past of the underground coal industry. Lynch and Benham were developed as coal towns in the early decades of the 20th century and remained so into the 1960s. Portal 31, in Lynch, is an exhibition coal mine, and Benham is home to a mining museum with photos and artifacts.

36. Read All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. The three-time Pulitzer Prize winner was a native of Guthrie, in Western Kentucky, and his most famous work is an American classic.

37. Take your picture by the signs that mark some of Kentucky's more oddly named places. A few suggestions: Black Gnat in Taylor County, Monkey's Eyebrow in Ballard County, Rabbit Hash in Boone County, and Peasticks in Bath County.

38. Visit Letcher County's Lilley Cornett Woods, one of the largest protected tracts of old-growth forest in Kentucky. You'll see what the state would have looked like before people, bulldozers, strip malls, etc.

39. Memorize all the verses to our state song, My Old Kentucky Home, and sing it at My Old Kentucky Home State Park, the place that supposedly inspired the song. While you're there, see The Stephen Foster Story. The outdoor musical has been running for more than 50 years.

40. Take a self-guided West Kentucky barbecue tour: Moonlite in Owensboro, Starnes in Paducah, and pork barbecue pits about every 20 miles in the far western Jackson Purchase area.

41. Put your name on a bat at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. Located in downtown Louisville, the museum includes a guided factory tour, and you can see a traveling exhibit, Norman Rockwell: Sports, featuring sports-themed art through Aug. 14. (NOTE:  I have visited several times, but have not put my name on a bat.)

42. Drink moonshine.

43. Ride a horse.

44. Go hiking or rafting in gorgeous Breaks Interstate Park, which sits on the state line between Kentucky and the state it used to be a part of, Virginia.

45. Stay in Wigwam Village in Cave City. The collection of 15 concrete tepees, a remnant of the mid-20th century heyday of the roadside motel, this is probably one of the unique hostelries in the world.

46. Explore Kentucky's Amish and Mennonite communities. Allen County is known for its rich Mennonite culture and businesses.

47. Get out on Lake Cumberland, to ski, fish or just tie up in a quiet cove. It's the largest manmade reservoir east of the Mississippi River.

48. Drive Eastern Kentucky's U.S. 23, aka the Country Music Highway. The likes of Naomi and Wynonna Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless and Loretta Lynn grew up along the highway, but more than that, you will see and understand how the land influenced their music.

49. Meditate on life (and death) at Lexington Cemetery, one of the most beautiful places in Central Kentucky. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

50. Walk on the land once owned by Henry Clay, one of America's greatest statesmen, at his Lexington estate, Ashland.

Today's Funny

Available at Wags:

Waggin' Train Dog Treats.

Monday (02/28/11) Rise & Shine

It's Monday.  Rise & Shine!  It's a great new day!  :-D 

It's a new beginning to a great week!

I went outside to the shop to get my coffee...it was warm & windy.  Yep...we were under Tornado WARNING!  They're not lookin' for 'em.  They're HERE!  Thankfully, I didn't see one.  So we have a rainy day today.  It might be a dandy day to just order in Papa John's.  I feel better than I did Thursday...LOL...I'm going to have to do some more research on cough syrups for bronchitis, but I don't want the suppressant. 

Five things for which I"m thankful: 
1.  I feel much better than I did on Friday & Saturday. 
2.  So far, I haven't seen any tornados!
3.  I'm at work and I'm happy to be here. 
4.  Mom survived her heart attack.
5.  I see small changes in DS's behavior.

Three things I want to accomplish this week:  I started with five...way too much! 
1.  A productive work week - make a list / use inventory.
2.  Laundry - W/D/F/P one load a day.
3.  Healthy choices - take vitamin each day, four bottles of water each day.

Time to start my day!  With a cough and a smile!  LOL

Gotta start somewhere! 

Saturday (02.12.11) Rise & Shine

Rise & shine! It's a great new day!

It's Saturday February 12, 2011.

Happy Birthday to Abraham Lincoln! My hometown is the birthplace of Lincoln. I read somewhere that Lincoln got horrible migraines.  Lincoln was deeply troubled with the state of the nation during his presidency.  We used to have Lincoln Days (a two day festival) in February when I was growing up. So many bad February's and they changed the festival to October. Around my birthday! Seems like I can visualize a few snowy Februarys downtown...I wonder if Mom has any pictures.  I don't remember the exact year they changed the festival from February to October...

Five things to be thankful for:

1. Talked things out with the DH...it's a work in progress so it's not solved, but no one is mad at anyone! 
2. Snappy's Pizza delivered supper last night!  DH's treat!  I tried his "thin crust" with everything on it.  The crust is like a pita bread.  It was good.
3. I enjoyed watching Criminal Minds & NCIS with DS last night! 
4. I won't have to cook tonight...we have leftovers - beans, mac n cheese, hamburger helper, stuffed green peppers and pizza.  Lots to choose - lots of favorites from which everyone can choose!
5. A special cyberfriend who follows that telephone commercial jingle..."Reach out and touch someone".  You always seem to make my day brighter & happier.  Thank you.

For what are YOU thankful?

Have a moo-valous day!

Friday (02.11.11) Rise & Shine

Rise & shine!  It's a great new day! 

It's Friday, February 11, 2011!

It IS a new day!  And it can be a great day!  It's attitude, perception!  It IS a great new day! 

To help with that attitude, perception of the day...name five things you are grateful for:

1. My head doesn't hurt - there's no sinus pain or pressure.
2. There is school today & I can go to the office and work on the audit! We've missed 11 snow days - I'm not complaining...and yesterday, while I did get to work in the shop at home...I did find I needed some paperwork that was in the boxes at the office.
3. DH ate supper last night & said it was good! 
4. I know what's for supper & have already laid it out to thaw (leftover beans / mac & cheese / sausage & hamburger helper / stuffed green peppers from the freezer).
5. OH!  I just remembered a wonderful butter braid I hid in the cabinet last night!  Yummy!

Achoo!  and it's time to go get the DS up...time to start the day!  Have a moo-valous day! 

Walgreens (01/31/11)

Cost of items pictured - $7.34.

I had to get ANOTHER Olay cleanser.  I forgot my Wellness discount on the other.  I only needed $6.04 to reach my $50 in purchases for the $20 Olay rebate.  Um...the cleanser rang up at $5.66, which put my rebate purchases at $49.62!  ohgoodgrief!  (sigh)  This is one time I wish the Rite Aid discount didn't kick in.  Nah...I should have remembered the Wellness discount.  (wink)  I'll most likely remember next time!  Still, it's not going to be a bad thing.  On another note, the Olay at Walgreens was $5.49, which is cheaper than Rite Aid for the exact same product!  You really do need to earn that 20% wellness discount because without it, you ARE paying a premium price - at least when compared to Walgreens.   I, being a new Rite Aid shopper, am at the 10% level right now.  

Back to the picture...the Blink Tear were $7.99 with a $8 RR, so those were free.  Valentine cups were fillers...going to put these in Valentine treat bags.  Renuzits...I like those.  Old fashioned, yes...but they do work.  

There's a Banana in Your Ear!

2 guys are walking down the street.

One guy says to the other, "Hey, there's a banana in your ear."

The guy says "What?"

The first guy says, "THERE"S A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!"

The guy says "WHAT?"

The first guys says, "COME ON!  There's a banana in your ear!"

The banana guy says" HUh?  can't hear ya.  There's a banana in my ear!"

How to Stay Young

1.  Try everything twice.  On one woman’s tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:
“Tried everything twice. Loved it both times!”

2.  Keep only cheerful friends.  The grouches pull you down.
(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

3. Keep learning:  Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever…
Never let the brain get idle.  ’An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’
And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.  Laugh until you gasp for breath.
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6.. The tears happen:  endure, grieve, and move on.
The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.
LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:  whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever..
Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health.
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips..take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

Remember!

Lost time can never be found.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Wine does not make you FAT …. it makes you LEAN ….(against tables, chairs,  floors, walls and ugly people.)

I hope you have a moo-valous day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Rite Aid (01/30/11)

Total cost of all items purchased:  a whopping 27 cents for $111.21 in merchandise.  I ran it twice on the calculator...I thought I messed up!  YAY ME!  I combined sales, Wellness Card, Up Rewards, manufacturer coupons & Ad Perk coupons for a 99.8% savings! 

Toothpaste & contact lens solution are going to the local domestic violence shelter.  Everything else is going to the stockpile.  The Gatorade...actually, I had FOUR Gatorades...son drank one on the way home!  The Gatorade is going in the fridge & won't last long.  Neither will the Pringles...unless I hide them!  Chex Party Mix is going to work to share...it is TAX SEASON after all!  Tums are for the husband & the son...they probably won't last long either.  I needed $6.04 more in Olay facial products for the $20 rebate...got that. 

I was very happy with this shopping trip! 

Welcome!

...to m & b acres.  I decided to start a blog where I could share those moments in life that just don't fit on a crafting blog.  There are many Kodak moments in life; it takes me a while to take those moments & make them crafty.  ;-)  If you need a crafting fix...you can find me over here at Cow Pies.  If you just hang around in Kentucky on m & b acres...you can find me right here!

Come on in!  Can I get you a cup of coffee?