Those of you who've matriculated through Kos in the past year would've had to have been sleeping to have missed all the crazy associated with BP's continuing (never-ending, it seems) disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. During all of that, I was driving from where I live now, in Western Kentucky, to my childhood home in south Mississippi, to help clean up beaches and to visit family and friends.
During that time, I posted a lot of pictures from home. Let's face it, I've always found the ocean and pine vistas of my childhood pretty wonderful. In the past seven years, though, I've also been charmed by the part of the country I now call 'home'.
Even, it must be mentioned, the not-so-photogenic bits:
House, Downtown Hopkinsville, KY
There's no shortage of barns here. In the autumn and early winter, they smoke for days - for flue-cured tobacco.
Barn, Gracey, KY
I'm becoming one of "those people" again. I love to run. I'm addicted to endorphins. And while Kentucky roads aren't all that generous to walkers, runners, or cyclists, I've gotten pretty good at finding trails to run. Just watch out for our zillions of critters, like ticks.
Trail, Gracey, Kentucky
Jobs in this area of the state are declining, rapidly. Just like everywhere else, I guess. And agriculturally, we're in the solid three-crop rotation: corn, soy, and wheat. Our only difference is the aforementioned tobacco, and our apparently considerable non-legal crop. Corn is what I see most of this year, and after all of our spring flooding, several farmers have come back quite well. Hopefully, the current dry weather won't hurt them.
Corn Field, Cadiz, Kentucky
During the school year, I'd ride to work while my husband, my dear Thomas, drove. Most days, I'd hang out the window taking pictures along our commute:
Marker on HWY 68/80, Cerulean, Kentucky
And one going the other way:
68/80, Trigg County, Kentucky
And a Western Kentucky sunrise, too:
Sunrise, Cadiz, KY
Okay, I lied. This one's not from Western Kentucky. I took a trip up to Louisville earlier in the year and got very lucky with this one. I held the phone way up on the dashboard and just hit the 'shutter' button a score of times.
Carroll C. Cropper Bridge, Louisville, KY
Those of you who've visited or lived in the area know that we have a considerable Mennonite and Amish population. This time of year is a little dangerous on the back roads, as they're trying to get fields planted, too. Even on main stretches, you have to be alert for their black carriages in the breakdown lane:
If you grew up in the south, chances are, you've had biscuits made with Sunflour. I flipped out when I saw this not long after we moved here:
Sunflour Mills, Hopkinsville, KY
Kentuckians are known far and wide for some of their culinary contributions: Kentucky hams, the hot brown sandwich, and my personal favorite: bourbon. One local place that likes to pretend to a far higher station than it deserves is Ferrell's Hamburgers (Home of the Special Breakfast) in Hopkinsville. There's also one in Cadiz. I've never gone, and don't intend to. One day, I'll get a picture of their grease trap - it's the height of their building.
Ferrell's Hamburgers, Hopkinsville, KY
That's all for this visit, my friends. I hope you enjoyed the 'trip'. Since it's summer, I'm reasonably sure my next set will be from baseball games. We haven't been to Chicago to get our heart broken by the Cubs in person this year, but we'll go eventually. I'll make sure you all get to come along with me - just bring extra Old Style and Kleenex.
PS - All of these photos were taken with an iPhone 4 and edited with photo apps on that platform. I'm a member of the photography community Instagram, and so they're also old news to my fellow IG addicts. If you'd like to find me there, I'm 'kwittman,' and though I don't talk politics there, I'm always pleased to find another brother or sister of the Orange.