Saturday last, we spent the day doing chores after arriving at Grandma's RV Park in Shepherdsville, KY, and getting to know the neighborhood. One of the finest things about Grandma's is the multitude of signs warning of consequences if pet owners don't follow the rules.
In an adjoining field, several miniature horses and small donkeys were taking care of their young ones. This little guy was being encouraged by his Mom to stand up!
He finally made it on wobbly legs, with Mom right there to steady him!
Eventually, he figured out which end was which, and went right to work!
On Sunday afternoon, our good friends Larry and Debra from Florida stopped by on their way to an appointment in Iowa, and brought their Pug, Max. You may remember if you follow this blog, that Sasha and Max were best friends when we were in Florida, and Larry and Debra took great care of Sasha while we had to make a quick flight back to the West Coast. It took Max and Sasha all of about 5 seconds to get re-acquainted, and then the game was on!
You'll notice that the pics are blurred....that's the way it was for two days with these two!
On Monday, the four of us went to the Jim Beam Distillery just down the road from Grandma's. This area south and east of Louisville is known far and wide for it's Bourbon distilleries. The limestone in the area filters the natural water and removes all of the iron and other impurities, making it perfect for distilled spirits. Bourbon ingredients are tightly controlled, with the starting "mash" containing at least 51% corn. The remaining 49% is made up of Rye and Barley in varying percentages according to the result desired. The distilled spirits must be entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof and bottled at no less than 80 proof. Sounds like I know something, doesn't it? Well, I don't. I just listened to the tour guide.
We took a short tour of the grounds while we waited for the tour to start.j
I'll skip all the mixing, stirring, and fermenting, and get right to the distilling! At the bottom of the 65 foot high distilling tower, the spirits are fairly gushing out! The spout on the right is splashing "Low Wine", meaning that it's the first result of the distillation process. "High Wine", from the spout in the back, has been distilled a second time to remove impurities.
Our guide, Gary (nice guy of course), showed us how the High Wine is entered into the barrels. Bourbon must be entered into new, charred oak barrels by law, and only produced in the United States, or else it must be called something else.
We also saw the bottling process.
Years ago, commemorative decanters were all the rage. This Jim Beam decanter was used in the television program "I Dream of Jeannie".
Outside, we looked across the grounds toward one of several aging buildings. Each contains racks and racks of barrels, specifically numbered, waiting for the aging process to do it's magic.
In the dark interiors of the aging sheds, barrels sit quietly waiting.
In a special area, commemorative barrels are stored. This is the 14,000,000 barrel produced since 1935.
We drove (or rather, Larry chauffeured us) to the quaint town of Bardstown. Know as the heart of Bourbon Country, it is also home to the Old Talbott Tavern, now an historic restaurant. Built in 1779 at the far western fringes of european civilization in America, the Tavern is the "oldest western stagecoach stop still in use".
In an upstairs room, several bullet holes testify to the sharpshooting abilities of Jesse and Frank James. Local boys who fought during the Civil War with Quantrill's Raiders, and made a number of friends among the locals, including the Sheriff, the James brothers had free rein to visit Bardstown whenever they wished. A tapestry once hung on the wall showing birds flying about. Jesse plugged the birds with his gun leaving bullet holes in the wall!
Larry and Debra needed to be on the road at o'dark thirty Tuesday, so after they left Donna and I went to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to visit the museum dedicated to the life of General George S. Patton.
A life-size statue of General Patton greets the visitor in the lobby.
A number of the Generals observations on service and leadership are on display. This particular one applies to leadership in any field, don't you think?
General Patton was presented with this 1938 Cadillac in early 1945 by members of the 5th Infantry Division, who seized it from the Gestapo. How it made it's way to Germany is unclear, but it served as the Genera's staff car.
On December 9, 1945, General Patton and his Chief-of-Staff, along with the Generals driver, Horace Woodring, left for their Sunday morning pheasant hunting ritual. A 2 1/2 ton military truck turned right in front of them without a signal. PFC Woodring attempted to avoid a collision, but could not, and the two vehicles collided. Even though the speeds were low, General Patton was thrown forward into the car's center divider, instantly breaking his neck. Though paralyzed, General Patton survived for 12 days. He took time to forgive both drivers, thereby removing any stigma of blame from them.
General Patton died of a blood clot that entered his lungs. His effects, including his dog Willie were shipped to the Patton home, where he lived until his death in 1960. His full name was William the Conquerer.
The Generals famous pistols have a place of honor in the museum. Erroneously thought to be a matched set with pearl handgrips, the pistols are completely different and were acquired at different times. The grips are a custom addition, but are made from ivory, not pearl.
The General was a unique figure in mid-century world history. A visionary, a master tactician, and a man who "told it like it is". He would not ask his men to do anything that he wouldn't do, and they respected him for it. We shall not see another like him.
Today, Wednesday, we find ourselves some 153 miles west of Shepherdsville in the town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, which is directly on the infamous Trail of Tears. A local museum tells of the local impact of that forced march, but we couldn't visit since it closed at 2 pm, and we didn't get here until well after that.
We were fortunate this evening to be able to have dinner with our son-in-law Monte, who is in Hopkinsville for business. It was extremely nice to see a family member after such a long time. I think that Donna and I are getting a little homesick! Monte took us to dinner at a local steakhouse, The Horseshoe, where the locals hang out. It was a raucous, noisy crowd, with much yelling and shouting, and great food!
We're overnighting in a Walmart parking lot tonight. It's still in the 70's at 11 o'clock, so it will be "exciting" to sleep without air conditioning! We turned on the generator for Sasha as we went to dinner, so the ac would keep her cool, but when we got home, we decided not to run the generator all night, so we're going to tough it out. Tomorrow we're moving on, just a bit farther west....
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