Tennesee...family, horses AND The Kentucky Derby!

TENNESSEE FAMILY

We left the next morning for Paris, Tennessee where we'd be joined by Perry's sister and brother-in-law, (Patty and Don) who flew in from Texas.   We always have fun together and this time was no different.  We were staying in an RV park not far from family and Don and Patty rented a cute cabin across from us.

We all got together with Perry's niece's and nephew for a small family reunion in the small town of Paris, a part of Tennessee where some of Perry and Patty's family is from.   It's always fun to hear family stories realizing just how important family is! We were all treated to a delightful dinner out, enjoying the best catfish. Afterwards, we joined Perry's niece and her husband (who is Chief of Police in Paris) at the annual Paris Catfish Fry followed by a rodeo. 

 After spending a few days with family, we left for the town of Shelbyville, Kentucky. There weren't full hook-ups meaning Kaylyn and I had to shower in the bathhouse!  Definitely an inconvenience before the derby but Perry swears it all balances out since our unique spot was surrounded by families of geese and a rare type of fishing boat that lights up at night. Another cute but small town with not a lot to do, we took this opportunity to show Kaylyn how we seek out small, unassuming places.  We found a small restaurant that happened to be offering karaoke that afternoon.  I couldn't resist surprising Kaylyn by putting her name on the list  and she sung her old time favorite "I'm a Red Neck Woman".  Thankfully, she wasn't angry with me for being bold but somehow must have realized how much I've missed her and her singing…..and I have!

Family get together

A night at the local rodeo!

Rodeo in Paris, Tn.

Some of the Tennessee Family members

Horses, more horses and while in Kentucky……visit a Distillery!

Kaylyn has loved horses since she was a small girl (recently acquired her own"Bandit"), and prior to the Kentucky Derby wanted to tour thoroughbred farms.  We did this over a period of two days touring the most beautiful Kentucky countryside.  There were many colts on the farms that were as young as a day old and we saw offspring of the Triple Crown Winner, American Pharaoh.  The stature of these beautiful colts were evident they were from royalty, displaying a muscular build and athletic ability.  The next farm we visited was a stud farm.  I was fascinated by the process of breeding a thoroughbred and the money it takes to invest in one of the these beautiful animals.  This particular stud farm was not only stunning to look at but I was impressed by its' cleanliness.  On our tour, we were shown how four workers place a male and female thoroughbred together in a small arena where they mate. Stud fees for racehorses can be as high as $20,000.  I don't know much about horses, but my overall observations were it's a business for investors who have a great deal of money.  The grounds and buildings are meticulous and well manicured and the horses are spectacular looking with their athletic and muscular builds. 

Entrance to one of the Thoroughbred Farms

The grounds

The size, muscles and build!!

Worth Tens of Thousands

Triple Crown winner "American Pharoah"'s offspring

"The connection"

Kentucky has a lot of history to it and we decided to take a side trip to Frankfurt (state Capitol)  where we stopped at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.  We missed the last tour of this historic place but while in line buying souvenirs, an employee who had just gotten off work offered to take us around.   An old brick building of the early 1800's stored many floors stacked with barrels of aging whiskey.  On the bottom floor was the packaging room where employees hurriedly filled and packed bottles.  The employee took us to a place not offered on a tour, where a recently uncovered room revealed the original Buffalo Trace Distillery of the late 1700's.  We couldn't have thanked this young, married family man enough who took time after work to show us around. 

Floors of aging whiskey

The bottling and packaging line

Whiskey storage tank

Entrance to the Distillery

The Kentucky Oaks and Derby

Kaylyn and I had a short amount of time to prepare for the derby so we headed out for a much needed mother/daughter shopping trip.  This included buying dresses, shoes and hats (we were making our own), a trip to Michael's where we purchased feathers, ribbons and netting.  Together we decorated our derby hats, keeping mine on the conservative side (later wishing I had done more) while Kaylyn opted for a decorative headband. 

The weather was predicted to be rainy and cold. Kaylyn and I had gone into many stores looking for rain ponchos but were informed that were all sold to someone who sells them at the Derby for a profit.  Restrictions applied to what you couldn't bring in and of course the one thing…..umbrellas! The day of the Oaks (day prior to the Derby), I couldn't wear my cute, comfortable sandals because of the rain so I wore boots.  Kaylyn didn't have the option and wore sandals.

Churchill Downs Entrance

A cold rainy day at The Kentucky Oaks

We couldn't resist the "selfie"

Definitely, one of the most exciting things we've done!

           The Kentucky Oaks             

The Kentucky Oaks is an event for 3-year old fillies always held prior to the Derby. We were so excited to be going to Churchill Downs even if we had to drive over an hour and through nasty weather to get there.   A shuttle bus took us to the entrance of Churchill Downs and the three of us were so excited (despite the cold and rain).  Going through the entrances you couldn't help but notice hundreds of umbrellas that were given up prior to entering.  First, we toured the muddy racetrack, bought mint juleps and headed towards our Grandstand seats. The people behind us were from California and offered us extra ponchos.  They honestly saved us from the wet seats where we weathered the cold.    This day,( because of the weather) the event was not packed with people and we shivered through the races.  It was fun and memorable but the best was yet to come……..

The Kentucky Derby

By our experiences of the Oaks, we had an idea of what to expect at the Derby.  The vibe was entirely different, however.  The Derby is a rare "breed" (no pun intended) in itself with lots of fancy hats and outfits for guys and girls. There were a lot more people, more mint juleps and cigars (Perry bought both) being offered and the level of excitement was unmatched.  Thankfully, the sun was shining and it was slightly warmer day.   Kaylyn brought us to the paddock area where you can view the horses and jockeys prior to entering the track.  Here, we cheered them on while taking pictures with the National Anthem being sung by Harry Conick, jr. , everyone singing "My Old Kentucky Home", and the bugler playing the song prior to the race.  The race was about to begin!  We were close to the muddy racetrack and I still marveled at these beautiful racehorses.  The actual Derby race lasted only a few minutes and prior to this, Perry and Kaylyn had stood in line to wager bets.  Kaylyn placed a small bet on the first-place winner, "Always Dreaming" and I was ecstatic she had won.  It was an epic, long, memorable day and we were all exhausted!

Derby Prep

It was cold but worth it!

Paddock area for jockeys and their horses

Cold Derby weather

And........they're off!

Happy Faces....like the beret?

Sharing these wonderful moments at the Derby with Kaylyn was the best.  I couldn't be happier to have spent this time with her and was sad to see her go back to California.  This long-awaited part of our journey was coming to a close with hugs and many tears.  Time to venture on……