my new(found) kentucky home

kentucky really does look like this

greetings from kentucky! i have really enjoyed my few days staying with cousins in the state with 'unbridled spirit,' in lexington specifically. i arrived late sunday afternoon with not too much trouble, with the exception of witnessing a mildly horrific accident in downtown lexington. monday was not only memorial day, but my birthday as well, so i woke up determined to have a fantastic day. in the morning i went a little south and west of lexington to the largest restored shaker village in the united states. now run by a non-profit organization, it was set in the beautiful kentucky countryside. it was operational as late as the 1920s, though it was at its height in the mid-19th century. today you can tour the village, have lunch on the grounds (which i did), have a meal, or even spend the night. during the civil war, the shakers were afraid that the southerners would raid the village due to their abolitionist leanings. instead, the southern commander instructed his men to leave the shakers alone. in return, the shakers fed the confederates for a few days while they stayed in the area. why can't people be that nice today?

not that i have anything to complain about here in kentucky. everyone is friendly in the southern tradition, but it is also quite different from much of the south. true to stereotype, kentucky actually is all about horses and bourbon. monday afternoon i drove into downtown lexington, where the historic translyvania university is located. it is the oldest university west of the mountains in what used to really be the west during the 18th century. founded in 1780 by the commonwealth of virginia (which va still is today, by the way). it was a pretty campus set in the midst of a beautiful neighborhood of old victorian houses and only a few blocks from 'downtown.' there really isn't much to downtown lexington--if you come to visit, i would stick to the countryside, which is mind-numbingly beautiful.

since it was my birthday, some of my family took me out to dinner at a local dive called ramsey's. it was fantastic! i had a traditional kentucky open-faced sandwich called a hot brown, though i had the veggie version. smothered in cheese, it was almost as good as my very first friend green tomatoes. i was so excited to finally try this particular dish--it is sooo southern. they're fried in cornmeal and delicious. i suggest you find someplace to try them if you haven't already (that's them to the right). to top things off, the restaurant gave me a free slice of pie for dessert. i got what is kind of the house special, what they call a 'may day pie,' so called for the may horse races here in ky. it had chocolate chips and pecans in it--i had it served warm with vanilla ice cream. scrumptious. all in all, i had a great birthday. thanks to lee, blair, caroline, emma, and jack for making my day special.