Of bourbon, horses, and riverboats

The whole trip was a success, but my favorite three memories, in this order:

I. The B&B we stayed at. Now, I find B&Bs a superior form of lodging. You typically get great accomodations for a very reasonable price, but the best part is usually the people you meet, be it the innkeeper(s) or the other guests. In this case, our innkeeper, Rich, was an incredibly interesting human being. Very liberal, intelligent, well-read. Tells a good story, too. The room we were in, The Garden Room, was beautiful, with rich wood furnishings and a wonderfully comfortable four-post bed. Breakfast was customized and the conversation great.

II. This one moment on the riverboat. I enjoyed the cruise a great deal, but one moment sticks out: We were in the bow (front) of the boat, gliding along at the normal, sedate pace of a riverboat when a speedboat curved in front of us with great show. There were two boys on the speedboat, and they signaled our captain to blow the horn, one by mimicking the pulling of a cord over his head and the other by making loud, random arm gestures. The boat let out its long, low bellow and the boys, with great glee, jumped up and down, one taking a victory stance. There was such joy in the moment, one of the better examples of human existence.

III. The Talbot Tavern. Although a dime a dozen elsewhere, for this side of the ocean, it's awfully cool to be in an establishment that goes back a couple hundred years. I mean, think of the history this place has seen - the birth of a nation, all of its growing pains. And life has gone on in the sleepy littly southern town. Then think of what it takes to run a business and keep it going for over two centuries. Doesn't the average business go under within the first five years? Staying afloat alone is no small feat. Plus, the food industry is so fickle, that it's even more noteworthy. It was a lovely experience.

Those are the top three, but really, all was of note, too - Churchill Downs (only one father/son pair; the fillies' race the day before the Derby; their markers on the ground, as opposed to the lofty placement of the colts' names; the harness racing at the Red Mile in Lexington, the beeeyoo-tiful country (it's a pleasure just to drive and see the rolling hills, the undeveloped trees, the richly varied shades of green)... The Braille Museum in Louisville is interesting!

Best of all, was interacting with Brian. Ours is a new relationship, so we didn't know if we were going to get on each other's nerves when in close quarters for an extended period of time. Nope, it was great. We talked, listened to music, relaxed, slept in one morning, took nice long walks, readily came to agreements regarding the next thing we wanted to do. We actually started the mini-vacation off with something we've said since the very beginning that we wanted to do: Just a day off, right here at home, when we could do anything we wanted, no alarm clock, no schedule, no plan. Mm-mmmm. Yummy. What can I say, my friends? We love to hang out with each other. We are learning more about each other and our lives together every day.