Carl Casper Auto Show

Last Friday, I took the family to the Carl Casper Auto Show at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky. I know very little about cars, but I had a friend who is a mechanic to explain some things. Plus, I heard the A-Team van was there.

And here it is! I love it when a plan comes together. The A-Team was a cool TV show, despite the incredibly bad aim the team was with guns. I pity the fool who doesn't like the A-Team van.

I do not think I have ever watched a full episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard." I think the premise of the show is a couple of good ole boys with good intentions racked up a long list of felony arrest warrants for fleeing and evading the police. I am certain that General Lee, a devout Christian man, hardly approves.

This paddy wagon makes good timing from the crime scene to the jail.

The original Batmobile! Amazing technicolor, corny jokes from Adam West, and  onomatopoeic words exploding on the screen during fight scenes made this classic TV show a hit.

Let's face it, though. Michael Keaton is the real Batman, and this is the real Batmobile. I don't know how possible it is to control a car with a jet engine in the rear, but I wouldn't turn down a test drive!

Detailing the history of rum-running cars like this one is an interesting part of American history. Perhaps the paddy wagon above could outrun this bootlegger?

I don't really know what all I am looking at, but injecting nitrous oxide (NOS) into the intake manifold apparently is so dangerous, straps are placed around the engine to keep it together if it explodes. This doesn't sound wise to me.

K.I.T.T. is a talking car that drives itself. If I had a talking car, I'm sure it would be moody.

This Pontiac has swivel chairs in the front that turn around to face the curved bench seat in the back. This is a swell car to have for family picnics.

The original Bigfoot. My brother and I rode this once when we were little down a straight-a-way near the old Louisville Motor Speedway. Bigfoot used to crush cars. Now he spends his retirement on display at car shows.

Ecto-1! Well, okay, it's not the original. But still, this brings back childhood memories of sticking vacuum hoses through my backpack to capture ghosts around the house!

An example of what primitive man in the 1960's thought we would be driving today ("the future").

This 1948 Ford has a Chevy engine and claims to have once been owned by Elvis Presley. The farm truck in the back is pink. Interesting...

Here is something I do not understand. Apparently, some take old cars (I have been told "G Bodies") then put hydraulics on it and use a remote control to jump the car around. The entertainment of this is lost on me.

Best I can explain the event is something like bull-riding a very athletic bull, except the bull-rider has a leash on the bull off to the side instead of sitting in the saddle.

A Walk in the Woods after a Fresh Snow

There is a deep sense of untainted wilderness
                                                    when walking in the woods after a fresh snow.
Barren boughs stretch to the heavens,
                                         which answers with an affable yet penetrating breeze.

Limbs oppressed by mounting snow burden 

                        evergreens to gracefully bow.

The snow drifts are like a Winter amphitheater for the distant chatter of birds Autumn

                                                  has left behind.

 

Hedge branches pervade a pristine 

                                                trail, 

outstretched as if to greet me.

A secluded hollow summons my 
soul to rest within her soft, 
                              snowy embrace.

A resting pause, a calm invitation, a moment’s portion 

                                                              is my only payment –

for I must endure through this snow-banked trail 

                                               to gently touch its supernal end.

Where the eastward breeze shall lose her bite, 

                                              snow surrenders into tiny droplets.

Then Winter's ethereal beauty shades Spring no longer, 

                                                        hope will birth Dawn eternal.

Henry County Harvest Showcase

The Henry County Harvest Showcase is a free annual event at the Henry County Fairgrounds near New Castle. The Showcase is a celebration of local meat, produce, craft, and culture. This year, Patrick Henry Hughes played the music under the tent that many gathered to enjoy local eats.

There is a petting zoo featuring chickens, cows, llamas, and even alpacas! This is a great event for families. There are booths for local artisans and farmers to display and sell products. This is a grand opportunity to buy local.

My boys love the display to milk cows. Water shoots from the utter into a pale. The petting zoo area presents much information about local livestock farming, including an opportunity to buy some animals and start your own!

Antique tractors are also on display. The owners are gracious and allow children to pretend to drive. The tractor owners have a lot of knowledge of the history of machinery in agriculture.

There is a nice play area for children to ride peddle tractors and play in a corn box (sand box filled with corn). There are volunteers that face paint and give out candy to children to sugar them up with energy to walk the fairgrounds.

Playing in corn is apparently as much fun as playing in a sandbox. The volunteers provide toy tractors, construction equipment, as well as the classic shovel and pale.

Lastly, there is a large tent regarding politics and local groups such as charities, law enforcement, and conservation efforts. This is a good opportunity to get involved in local efforts and learn about local politics. It is not at all like fancy farm; the politicians put on their most polished face for this event.

Bring your family to the Henry County Harvest Showcase near New Castle, Kentucky, at the Henry County Fairgrounds. I highly recommend it!

Kentucky Fudge Company

In the midst of charming downtown Harrodsburg, Kentucky, the Kentucky Fudge Company resides in an old drug store. Simply walking in breathes the sentimental air of a bygone era when drug stores were also soda fountains. The delightful atmosphere is complete with detailed ceilings, antique toys and signs, and antique pharmaceutical cabinets original to the building.



The menu is filled with comfort food: deli and hot sandwiches, soups, and an assortment of coffees. The Fudge Company, also offers ice cream and, of course, fudge made in house. I enjoyed a hot tuna melt sandwich with tomato bisque. The sandwich tasted fresh and the bread toasted to perfection. The bisque was a creamy and most pleasing side to the sandwich, complementing a satisfying meal.

The great attraction to this place is the delectating atmosphere. The Fudge Company is housed in the old Smith and Dedman Drug Store, which was established around the time of the Civil War. The cabinetry still has the original handles labeling various herbs and drugs. The furniture still boasts a cherry finish. The tables are fashionably arranged suitable for conversation and meeting new people.

Next door is another seating area complete with a piano. This end of the Fudge Company is a cozy spot for coffee shop style live music; yet, the air is not an overwhelming bravado, but tastefully performed in such a way as one might either enjoy the music or continue in conversation.

The prices are compatible to any locally owned deli or ice cream shop. The cost to feed my hungry family of four was in the mid-$20's. I had to pay a little extra for an irresistible chunk of fudge! The servers are warm and supplement the enjoyable atmosphere with an openness but not "in your face."

The Kentucky Fudge Company is a great destination. If you are a traveler in central Kentucky or on the upcoming 127 Yard Sale, you simply must treat yourself to the Kentucky Fudge Company.