Val and Jim and the Biltmore

Feb.2-5We had the absolute delight  staying with Jim and Val for a long weekend.  I met Val many years ago in Colorado at a party of a mutual friend and we've been friends since.  The military and life made it such that we haven't seen each other for six  years.  Val has always been the wind beneath my wings and the kind of friend that has always encouraged and built me up.  What a joy to get to know Jim more and to have Mark, Janae and Stefan get to know them.  They absolutely spoiled us with wonderful meals, great movies, inspiring conversations and a trip to the Biltmore. We even had lunch in a renovated horse stall.  Janae and Stefan had their own loft bedroom complete with Val serving them breakfast and a movie every morning.  They did not want to leave.  Spoiling me rotten, Val had peach roses waiting for me by my bed.  The aroma of roses and good friends does wonders for the soul and our souls all felt lifted and revitalized after our visit.  A special treat was worshiping together Sunday morning and learning about Jim's passion for the Jewish people.

Our hostess with the mostess!!

Totally spoiled,Janae and Stefan didn't want to leave

Mammouth Cave

Feb. 2nd-Thursday

Today we had the priviledge of experiencing Mammoth Cave.  It is the longest cave in the US at 392  miles compared to Carlsbad at 33 miles.  It remains at 54 degrees year round and was the 26th national park.  Cave man Joe was the guide for our first tour, The Frozen Niagara, and he was very good and informative.  He quoted a Mark Twain quote that I loved.  “The worst death is to be bored to death.” Janae asked what presidents had visited the cave and we learned the Reagon and Andrew Jackson.  I find this hard to believe that they were the only ones to see this incredible natural wonder.

albino crickets

Where the frozen niagra got its name. 

We saw more stalactites and stalagmites than we saw on the afternoon tour due to the fact, we went in the edge of the cave where the water can leak into the cave.  The cave made from a dried up creek bed has a 40-60 feet thick cap rock on the top.  When we entered, Stefan said, “This is amazing.” There is nothing frozen but the flow stone looks like flowing water and since many of the early tourists were from NY, it got called Niagara.

Bats, fish, shrimp and crickets are the living animals.  We  enjoyed seeing a cave cricket upclose.

After lunch we took a little longer tour called the historical tour.  We learned a lot.  During war of 1812 over 1/2 the calcium nitrate needed for gun powder was  mined here.  A side note, The Star Spangled Banner came out of war of 1812.  The acoustics are wonderful in the cave and every year, there is an annual Christmas tree lighting and carols.  It's very limited as to who can perform but Jenny Lind and the Tibetian Monks have given concerts.  There were some markings on ceiling of different groups that had performed. 

The rooms on this tour were very big and dry.  Enjoyed hearing all the historical stories.  One was about Booth's brother visiting who was an opera singer. 

Squeezing through

Saxhorn band

A cave kiss is when a drop of water falls on you.  The slaves were the early guides and since they couldn't read, they used a lot of imagination.  Right now, there is a 5th generation tour guide.  very interesting is that they found preserved bodies, over 2000 years old in the cave due to the constant temperature and humidity.  One of them still had food in their digestive track. Bottomless Pit and the Done were visual highlights.

Kentucky Derby

Feb. 1st-After leaving Thomas Edison's, we went a few miles to Churchill Downs.  Driving into the parking lot, the facility is very impressive.  The museum is very good and interactive.  The 360 degree movie theater was a fun way to start.  We enjoyed immersing ourselves in this part of our history and learned many intersting facts like:
*Nickname for race is the  Run for the Roses
*Race is 137 years old.  Started one year before Custer's last stand when we only had 37 states.
*A champion horse can go from 0-40 mph in 3 strides
*Oaks is the race the day before for fillies only.  Has become "Louisville Day" and is treated like a national holiday.  Schools, businesses closed so locals can go.
*M. Lewis from Lewis and Clark.  His grandson was honeymooning in England and brought the Upson Darby idea back which eventually became the KY Derby. Was a mile 1/2.  Later changed to mile 1/4.
*Three fillies have won.  The third Winning Colors in 1988 was the largest horse and stayed in the lead the whole race.
*Three year olds only and only get one chance
*20 horses in derby, most races only 14
*One of safest race tracks, mix sand in with dirt
*Horses only run about 15/20 minutes a week in training.  Surprised that they didnt train as we think of an athlete.
*Three types of racers: stalker, front runner and closer
***Secretariat's heart weighed 21 lbs. Most horses 9 lbs..  Sham was 15 lbs.  No wonder Sec. could keep getting faster every 1/4 mile.
*2011 winning jockey gave some of his earnings to the jockey who had riden and worked with Animal Kingdom the most.  Unheard of generosity in this cut throat profession.
*Manarcos and Secretariat only 2 winners under 2 minutes.  Sham though (Secretariat's competitor) also ran it under 2 minutes.
*Man of War never ran in Derby but War Admiral his son won.

Thomas Edison

This light bulb  was designed for a business

Feb. 1st-We left Brandon and Joan's house this morning and continued south.  We were deep in thought  as we learned last night that our precious friend and neighbor had gone home to be with the Lord.  How happy we are that he will not have to struggle with cancer anymore but will miss his humor, dignity and presence.                                                                                                                                          , We stopped on a whim at a Thomas Edison historical site in Louisville.  We had not gotten to go to the large national park devoted to him in New Jersey so we thought we would pay homage today.  It turned out to be a great history lesson.  We had the whole museum to ourselves and got a private tour from the very knowledgeable tour guide.

Thomas Edison who was homeschooled by the way by his mother was in Louisville for a brief time working as a telegraph operator.  This experience would prove to be influential to many inventions ie the stock ticker and the vote recorder which though was rejected by Congress at the time is the basis of what we use today.

Janae and Stefan enjoyed writing their names in Morse Code and hearing a couple old phonographs.  It was fun seeing the cylinders. We also enjoyed learning that in addition to the light bulb, phonograph and motion pictures, he invented the first x-ray, synthetic rubber for auto tires, cheaper way of making concrete (part of Panama Canal is his cement), dictating machine, mimeograph machine, first talking doll, electric tatoo gun, flouressent bulb, first movie studio (New Jersey).  All in all, he had over 1000 inventions patented.

Interesting to learn that he started Edison GE Electric in 1892 where he mass produced his inventions.  Henry Ford had been an employee of Thomas Edison and they became best friends.  They both had homes later in life in Ft. Meyers, FL.

It was fun having the guide demonstrate flip movies that he developed in the 1890s.  We learned that the first movies cost 5 cents or 1 nickel thus the Nickelodean theators.  In 1903, he made the first western (Great Train Robbery) in New Jersey of all places.

On the same front page of the newspaper on Oct. 18, 1931, Edison's death was declared as well as Al Capone's convinction and Hitler's taking over Germany.  On the second page was a Tarzan comic strip that Stefan liked and we learned that Tarzan's yodle came from his Austrian mother who was a professional yodeler. 

The guide put it all in perspective when he reminded us that in science at this time was Edison, Bell, Eastman, Firestone, Ford and the Wright Brothers; In literature was Mark Twain, Melville, Charles Dickons and Tolstoy;in medicine: Pastaer, Reed

Mary Day

 Today was Mary Day in Cincinnati.  We started off visiting Mary Bender.  We had a lovely visit, lunch and she spoiled the children with lovely gifts:  a wonderful usa puzzle and a usa card game.

 Mary and I went for coffee while the gang went to the Newport Aquarium.  Cincinnati behind us.

 Lunch at Zeo's, one my old grad school hangouts.

 Next up was Sondra's friend since kindergarten, Mary Macpherson. She took us to the Spring Grove cementary to look at the vegetation and interesting tombs.

 Notice the roots of the trees.

 At dinner Mary shared her incredible beads.  Janae and Stefan were thrilled they got to pick a few for keeps.

Can't remember the name of the restaurant, but the pretzels dipped in cheese sauce were out of this world!

Creation Museum

Monday, Jan. 30th-We were fortunate to visit the Creation Museum today in Northern KY, compliments of Sondra's long time CCM and Eurobrass colleague, Brandon Booth and his wife Joan.  It was a beautiful day and after lunch in the cafe, we enjoyed a stroll to the petting zoo.  Have you ever seen a Zedonk or Zorse?  Gomer the camel was so sweet.

The museum was really quite spectacular and was divided into:
Creation, Coruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consumation.  The life size diarammas accompanied by scripture brought the word to life.  Especially interesting was the concept that the world is much younger ie 6000 years than what we have been indoctrinated with.  Creation scientists believe that the great flood created our canyons and unique formations.  They have found rock from Mammath cave and some rock from the Appalations in the Grand Canyon.   They believe that the Ice Age occured after the great flood.  We all gained a lot of information to think upon and mull over.  We all were blown away by the Planatarium and my spirit was left with just the vastness and beauty of our God.  Earth and our lives are such a small speck in this galaxy and to think that there are more galaxies than we can comprehend is pretty mind boggleing.

Stefan said, "We finally get to go to a museum that talks about God and Janae said,"This is better than the Natural History Smithsonian Museum."

Intended beautiful intimacy

a fossilized fish while eating its prey

Yikes, This guy looked really real!

Stefan our cat whisperer

Our dear friends who graciously opened up their comfortable, beautiful home to us.  We finally got to meet Winston, the infamous Devonshire Rex cat and his new buddy Stormy.  We enjoyed visiting but it was way to brief.  We hope you both know our doors are open in Colorado for a visit.

Old Friends

Got to see Sarah Morrow perform with the Columbus Jazz Arts Group and have dinner with her afterwards.  Wonderful to reconnect. 

Joanie:  Our boys, handsome or what?

Hanging with the Blines.  Some of our favorite people. 

In the cabin, we were snugly and warm.  Outside BIG snowflakes.