Say Hello to the Family....from about 115 years ago!

What Would (Great-Great) Grandmother Say?

This is a photo of an old photograph that hangs now in the house that you see in the picture, currently occupied by my cousin and his family. The house on the farm we visited. (it has a glaring reflection, I know). The baby is my Grandfather, whose boyhood home this was. His father is the younger man, standing. The older couple are my 2g-gp's and they all lived in the house. Lots of family members were conceived, born and died in that house. The baby is two or three years old--making the year 1897 or 98. The older gent passed away in 1899. Family lore says the widow wore Victorian black mourning til she died about 1931. Certainly, she rode in automobiles and trains, but lived quite well without all the modern conveniences. She was a teenage girl at the time of the Civil War.

Ancient log barn...

Like the farm house, additions were built onto the 18th Century log barn; the tool marks are still visible on the original supports; the other side of the structure on the lovely fall day, somewhere in Kentucky.

Almost like an excursion in time...

The gentleman on the right is an extremely distant cousin of mine, in Lexington to meet again and gain knowledge of the family lore. My Mother's 1st cousin, a venerable gentleman farmer of many decades in the area was his focus. Mom's cousin (90 years old) lives quite near the old "home place" farm, and visits regularly. Recently, he was seriously injured in a hair-raising farm accident; out of the hospital and back to his regular work schedule, he took time to walk around the farm property (originally, an 18th century log cabin with associated log out-buildings-some standing)to give us an oral history of the days when the farm was a working complex of many operations, grain crops, tobacco, hogs, meat smoking, an orchard and cidar making and so much more. He was a small child in the 1920's on the farm and could quote the words of his grandparents, etc. He spoke of the tobacco wars, for instance. Except for the internal combustion machine (tractor and auto) and some electrical power they generated, life on the farm in the 1920's was much as it was in the 1800's. Indoor plumbing was added about 1970.

Window Shopping in downtown Lexington..

Heritage Antiques, housed in an old brick church building downtown, caught Hubsy's attention. Good way to repurpose an out dated building, rather than demolish it for another parking garage. A bright, eclectic mixing of various old furnishings and decor. I loved the light from the stained glass windows and the massive organ pipes.

Visiting Family...

Early in our visit we stopped at the lovely local cemetery, a garden spot and full of the memorials for famous Kentucky citizens-- and our family too. By now I can remember where the section is located, but somehow the family plots always seem to hide from me. When I was much younger, this area was in pounding sunshine all day long; after all these years the trees have certainly grown tall.

Breakfast at the Track Kitchen and One Last Photo of Keeneland, for now.

I should add that the Track Kitchen at Keeneland is meant to provide great, plentiful and economical cafeteria-style food service for handlers, trainers and "horse people" in general; it is open to the public (if you can find it: it's near the big black water tower near the rear of the lot). But it's special: the aura of the racing world surrounds you, the staff is very warm and inviting and the food really is good.