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Follow me every step of my journey across America, 'wwoofing' on ranches and farms to explore what life is like for those who choose to live a little bit different than we do.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Tennessee, Here I Come!

So my time has come to an end here in Kentucky. I am sad to see it go because the scenery is so beautiful here and it is so peaceful out in the country, but I am very excited to start working with horses and learning so much about them. Tomorrow I am going to leave here around 7am, drive to Atlanta, Georgia to see the famous aquarium there, then head back up to Nashville for a bit, then head over to my ranch in Hohenwald. They are an hour behind, so I will have that working for me as well. I am really excited to see the Georgia aquarium because it is one of the biggest in the world! And I am definitely looking forward to Nashville! I just hope it doesn't disappoint me, but I doubt it will. I am also looking forward to meeting my new hosts. They seem so nice on the phone, so I can't wait to meet them and see the ranch.


Yesterday I spent the day in Louisville and Lexington. It was a 2.5 hour drive to Louisville, but the weather was nice for a change so it was my only chance to go. I went to all of the huge malls there, saw Churchill Downs, Old Historic Louisville, Thoroughbred Retirement Centers, the Louisville Slugger Factory, Fourth Street Live, and Franklin Avenue. Franklin Avenue is a great place where all the locals hang out. There are tons of different types of restaurants and really cool dive bars. Fourth Street Live is a tourist trap. There is the quintessential Hard Rock Cafe, TGI Friday's, and other typical restaurants that attract tourist crowds. Churchill Downs was beautiful, but there was a race that afternoon, so I couldn't go inside or anything. Plus it was very crowded so I didn't want to mess with the crowds. Historic Louisville is beautiful, and all the houses are so old and traditional. There is a lot of gothic architecture, but it fit the scene well and all the houses were very nice. However, downtown is very ghetto and I was not impressed at all. I left early because I just wanted to get out of that town after that point. I then headed down to Lexington, where I had planned on checking out other parks and malls, and then I planned on going line dancing at a country bar I found online. So I checked out all the cool sights and parks, ate dinner at a restaurant in the University of Kentucky village, explored UK and then went over to the bar. It was after 10pm by this time, so I figured it would be nicely crowded by then.......I was very mistaken. It was essentially a ghost town, but the bar was very nice. There was a nice dance floor, nice tables and the decor looked new. There were a few guys, all in boots and cowboy hats, and a few girls with them, all in boots as well. But that was it. So I talked to the bartenders for a bit to see what the situation was. Apparently they do not line dance there, but they play a few country songs. They play mostly 'top 40' music and no one dances when they play country. So basically they just dress up country and sit around waiting for Britney Spears to play; at least that is what I got from the description. I was extremely bummed out. I asked the bartenders if there were other bars around where I could line dance, and they said that there aren't any in that city at all. And none in Louisville either. What a let down!! I guess it was strange of me to think that by coming to the country, I would be able to find places to country dance. How erroneous of me....


So besides the failure of not dancing like I was so excited about, the day was really fun. I loved Lexington, but would not go back to Louisville. Lexington was like any other major city, but with a Southern accent on everything. I decided that the best part of Kentucky is the country. If you do want to come here, come for the country and not the city.

So today was my last day working on the farm, and it was a very relaxed day. I weeded some garlic, covered strawberry and blueberry beds with nets and picked some asparagus. We had a nice dinner, and now I am trying to get to bed early so I can get up early.

I will see you all in Tennessee!!!!!

-Samantha


University of Kentucky, in Lexington

UK is on the left and right. The center is a walkway to get to the buildings

UK Pharmacy School, and other classrooms behind in the other building

Churchill Downs from the street

Churchill Downs

Front View

The back, when you are driving up towards it. It appears out of nowhere

Whole Foods Louisville. Huntington is better ;)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Rain, Rain Go Away

Hello All,

So it has been raining almost everyday here lately, but it has still been really hot. Usually in the 80's, but with a huge storm that blows in every day. It is very strange weather out here, and I am definitely not used to it. We usually just have enough time to go out and do some yard work, then a storm will come in and we cant go out and work for the rest of the day. It is supposed to rain for the rest of my time here, but I guess that will be okay, because it is so hot outside anyway. I am still planning on going into Louisville and Lexington this Friday, and if it rains a little bit that will still be okay. I am going line dancing in Lexington Friday night, so I am really excited about that.

Yesterday, Bobbett and I visited the Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto. It was about 2 hours away. When we got there, we parked and walked up for the tour. The tour is free, and there were a lot of people in our group. We started in the founder of the distillery, Mr. Samuels, home. It was a very nice home, and there were so many actual documents that were used during the original days of the distillery. Maker's Mark is different than all other bourbons because it is made with soft winter wheat instead of rye grain, so it is much softer to drink. (I guess, I wouldn't know because I don't drink, but thats what everyone says....) After we toured the home, we walked to the room where the wheat and grain is delivered, inspected and ground up. Then it is added to yeast in humongous vats, where it would sit for a few days. The yeast vats were enormous, and the room they were in was extremely hot and humid, and smelled really bad. It smelled like rotten beer or bread; like it had that yeast-like rotten smell. Everyone was allowed to dip their finger in the vat and taste the yeast mixture, but I didnt want to because it smelled so bad. And judging by everyone else's facial expressions, I assume it didn't taste good at all. After we left that room, we went to the barrel room where we got to see all the barrels of Maker's Mark that were in different stages of aging. The barrels sit in that room for 6 years before they are bottled and sold. The room we saw held about 600 barrels, while the other warehouse held over 1000 barrels of bourbon. That room was really cool, and we got to walk through the aisles of barrels. Some of the barrels had names on them, and that is because Maker's Mark has a program where the public can sign up to be an ambassador. If you sign up, you can have your name put in a registry, you will be assigned a batch of bourbon, and after 6 years, when it is ready, you can come back and purchase 2 bottles of that special blend of bourbon, and your name will be on the bottle. And you can dip the bottles yourself. It seems really cool if you like Maker's Mark and want to come back every 6 years to get it. After the barrel room, we got to go into the lounge in the gift shop where we were each handed a glass with a small sip of Maker's Mark, and Maker's 46 in it. I didnt want to taste them, so I just sat there. But everyone else got to taste the bourbon, and we all got truffles with the bourbon in them. I didnt want the truffle either, because it smelled like alcohol. But I did purchase a bottle of the grain that is used to make Maker's Mark, and I got to dip my own bottle in the red wax. It was so cool, and I would never drink the alcohol, so it was nice that they had an alternative to purchasing the alcohol. It was really fun dipping my bottle, and now I have an awsome souvenir from my trip. After the Maker's Mark tour, we drove over to the Shaker Village. We got to take tours of the original buildings that the Shaker's lived in and worked in. I also got to see the barn, tapestry room, worship halls, kitchen, and bedrooms. There were goats, horses, cows, and sheep too. The tour was really interesting, and I enjoyed the day very much.

After the Shaker Village, we drove over to the major city to eat dinner and get a few things from the store. Bobbett took me to Cracker Barrel and it was really good! I have never been to one before, and it was very crowded. I, of course, got a big breakfast plate of french toast with cherries on top, and a ton of sides. And I had sweet peach tea! It was really good, and everyone was really nice and friendly. Cracker Barrel is definitely a good place to eat in the South.

So that is about all that has happened so far. I have my next part of my trip planned. I am going to leave here next week, either Monday or Tuesday. Then I am going to drive to Georgia to go to an aquarium. It is the world's biggest in some aspect, so I am extremely excited to see it. Then I am going to drive back up to Nashville, where hopefully I can take a tour of Vanderbilt, and check out downtown Nashville. Then I am going to my new ranch. I might be interested in transferring to Vanderbilt if I end up liking Nashville, so I wanted to meet with someone and take a tour. It seems like a nice location and it is a great college. I am so excited to get to my new ranch and play with horses and ride them and take care of them! And I am so excited to learn all I can about them as well.

I will let you all (or y'all) know what my plans are, and update with pictures too! Miss you guys.


Love,
Sam



2 kids riding horses down the road...only in Kentucky

Maker's Mark Distillery buildings





Where the grains and yeast are mixed with water to ferment

Where the grains are stored after they are delivered

The giant vats of yeast and grain that will be made into the bourbon

I didn't try it, but others did. 


Personalized barrels of bourbon

The barrel room. All those barrels are filled with bourbon at different stages of aging. 


The taster glasses

Dipping my bottle!



It was so much fun! The safety glasses made it extra special....


Shaker Village interpreter

The dining room for the elder Shakers, who were in charge of the community

The bath house, where the rain water was held in this large tub. 

Carpenter

Miscellaneous craft and tools room. They made their own brooms, and the brooms were actually for sale. 

Monday, May 16, 2011

Rainy Day

Hi!!!

Today, as well as this whole week, are going to be very rainy so we can't do any work outdoors. Bobbett is taking me to a movie in town, because we have nothing else to do. We are going to see Thor, and I am really excited about that! Tomorrow we are going to the Mammoth Caves to go spelunking and see all the cool underground caverns and water pools. It is far away, but I am really excited to go. We are going to an afternoon movie today, but we have to go outside right now while it isn't raining and pick garlic scapes. You guys should look up a recipe for garlic scapes and try to find some to eat. They are really good, and not as intense as garlic. Sort of like a mix between an onion and a garlic clove. We used some in our bruchetta last night, and they were  very good!

Okay, gotta go pick scapes now! I will post again later. I have very exciting news to share!!!


Love you all,

Sam

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Derby Days

Hi Guys,

Really quick, I wanted to share a few pictures I have taken over the weekend. We had been very busy picking asparagus and such, and today it started pouring while we were on our way to town to do our shopping for the rest of the month. It is supposed to rain for the rest of the week, so I think we are stuck indoors for a while. Enjoy the pictures! I will be sure to take more when I can.

this is a normal sized asparagus

this is our sized asparagus!!!

look! it's my kentucky derby horse...

Friday, May 13, 2011

It's Raining

Hi All,

So I woke up and got all ready for a day of heat, humidity and weeding in the sunshine. Right before I walked outside, I started to hear loud, LOUD thunder. I figured that it was probably storming in a neighboring county, because it was still sunny here and usually storms can pass right over the house and not hit us even though it is dark and stormy all around us. But, as soon as I walked outside, it started pouring, with more lightening and thunder, so I got to come back inside and figure out what I am going to do until the storm passes. Bobbett and I decided to make homemade tortillas, bread and biscuits for the day. Right now it is still raining, but it is lightening up. It will probably rain for the rest of the day, so we are stuck inside.

Yesterday I got to make homemade strawberry jam. I mixed the strawberries and canned them in a water bath. The jam is very good, and I am excited to use it!

After we made jam, I realized I was out of sunscreen so we had to make a trip into town to go get some for me. A trip to town consists of driving 25 minutes to the town, which is the nearest form of civilization. Outside of town there are no stores anywhere so going to town is the only way to get things you need. We went to town to get me sunscreen, then we went to a few other stores to look at things. Bobbett took me to a few dollar stores, and they were really interesting places. They are different than our 0.99 cent stores, and they have cool things sometimes. I ended up buying a ton of candy (of course!). Then we had to drive all the way home and make dinner. We had fresh asparagus from the garden and pasta with olive oil. I also got to go swimming yesterday. We worked for a long time in the sun and got really hot, then we jumped into the pool with our clothes on so we could cool off as we dried. The pool was cold, but it felt so refreshing after we had just sweat our butts off weeding all day. We swam for a while, then got out and did some chores around the house. Then we went to town.

Today we will be inside for most of the day, and tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day again. We are thinking of going to some antique stores or maybe doing our grocery shopping for the week. Tomorrow night I am taking Bobbett to a country bar that I found out in the backwoods. There was a big red barn somewhere in the middle of nowhere on a back road, and a sign that said 'Country Music' so I looked it up and they play live country music Friday and Saturday nights and line dance too. I am excited to go and check it out, but I dont expect it to be great. I am sure it is just a bunch of locals who have nothing better to do on a Saturday night. Casey County is a dry county, so there is no alcohol served anywhere, so at least I dont have to worry about any strange drunks or anything. Bobbett isnt going to dance, but she will sit there and enjoy the music with me. I will dance if I know the dances, but I highly doubt that they do the same line dances that we do in California. At least it will be an adventure!


I will update later when I figure out what we are going to do tomorrow.

Miss you all!

-Sam

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

It is SO hot here!

Hi Guys,

It was in the high 80's today, but still no rain. It is very hot and humid, but I think I must be adjusting well because it really doesn't bother me too much. I am drenched in sweat after 5 minutes outside, but I don't feel like I am overheating or anything. The forecast says high 80's, then rain this weekend. I think tomorrow I might jump in the pool no matter how hot or cold I feel. I think it will be fun and a nice way to cool off. The pool is not heated, so it is still very cold from the winter. It will probably warm up by the end of summer, but I won't be here so I have to jump in a lot while I am here.

Today Bobbett and I weeded a few more raspberry rows, redid some wire to keep the bushes up because they have long arms that fall down on the ground if they aren't secured, and weeded a few more rows of her garlic crop. If the berry bushes fall on the ground, the animals will come and eat all the berries before we can pick them, so we have to keep all the bushes tied up high on the wires that support them. The animals don't go after strawberries, and we have those under a mesh net anyway, so we are just waiting for them to ripen up. They should be ready to pick by next week or the week after. Today we went over to the Martin's, who are a very large Mennonite family with a ton of land, and bought some fresh strawberries. One of the older daughters was there while her younger siblings were at the schoolhouse. She sold us the berries, and they had a few extra baskets full, so we bought them too because I LOVE strawberries. I already ate a few and they were so delicious! It is so nice to be able to eat fresh, organic fruit that was picked from your neighbor's backyard that morning. I think it was fairly priced as well; $12 for a gallon of berries. But when ours are ripe, we can eat all we want!

Usually we work for about an hour around 12pm, then we take a break, then work for just a little longer. Then we come in during the hottest part of the afternoon or lounge by the pool, or I sit under shade trees and read. Then we wait until about 4 or 5 and go back out to finish working when it has cooled off a bit. Then we come inside and make dinner. I usually eat a big salad every night because there is so much organic lettuce growing that I can eat all I want and still have more left, and all the salad that I make is all organic and natural from the garden. It is really good. Sometimes I sautee spinach from the garden with fresh garlic from the garden, or I make asparagus that we picked that day. I have all the garlic I want as well. And there is an entire freezer full of frozen fruit from Bobbett's crops last year, so I eat raspberries, blackberries, elderberries, and all kinds of fruit.

I really am enjoying myself here and there is always something fun to do. It is very hot, but it feels good to be outside working in the sun. I feel like I have accomplished something at the end of the day.

This weekend when it rains, Bobbett and I are going into town to do more grocery shopping, antique shopping and I think we are going to see a movie. Movies here are only $4, and those are the new ones! It is so different living in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Everything is much slower paced, everyone is nicer, and things are more peaceful. I hear birds, crickets and frogs every night outside my windows, and I have beautiful views of the forest and fields from my upstairs window. Plus, I can go in the jacuzzi after dark and look up and see billions of stars in the sky. There are no lights around from cars or the city or other houses, so there is no light pollution. Plus there are completely clear skies here, so stars are visible. We also have bats at night, and frogs and birds that come out to eat the bugs. Birds are great pest control for crops, so almost everyone around town here has bird houses made out of gourds to encourage birds to live in their fields and eat the bugs.

Tomorrow I will do some more weeding, and we have nothing else planned after that. The days pass by slow, but it is all moving so fast at the same time. I will be leaving here in a couple weeks, but I feel like I just got here. It is kind of nice not knowing what day it is or what time it is. I get to just focus on the scenery and nature. I still need to go exploring some more and find rivers and ponds to walk through. I will do that another day, but I have to wear pants because poison ivy is everywhere here! I haven't touched it yet, and I am determined to stay away from it!

Gotta go now, Bobbett is making homemade lemon ice- like sorbetto- and we are going to make tortillas from scratch later.


Love you all, stay cool for me!

-Sam

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Rain is a good thing

Not much new is happening around here. I have been weeding a ton of different plants, but mostly garlic and raspberries and blackberries. And strawberries. The strawberries are coming up in the hundreds but they are still green, so we have about another week before we start picking them. The raspberries and blackberries are producing tiny berries already, but they are still very green. They wont be ripe while I am here, but they look delicious! The garlic is doing really well, it is growing so fast. The beans are growing the fastest; it seems like everyday they gain at least a few inches. And the lettuces are the fastest growing! We cant eat enough of it to catch up with the plants. We eat salad or sauteed spinach or greens almost every night and we still cant eat enough. There is so much of it. Also, radishes are coming up all over the place. And asparagus is growing like crazy. Asparagus thrives in the heat, so we can almost cut it twice a day and it will still give us plenty of stalk. The stalks can grow about 8 inches per day on the hottest days. Right now it is in the high 80's and sunny! We are holding out and hoping for rain, because if not we have to connect about 8 different hoses from the house to the field so we can water corn. If we dont water the corn, it wont come up so we are just waiting a little bit longer to see if it will rain. Weather has been saying it is going to rain any day now, and it feels like it, but it hasnt come yet. There is a country song that talks about how rain is a good thing and farmer's are the ones that appreciate rain, and after living out here I can definitely see why they say that. Rain is the best out here because it is so dang hot and we really need it for the crops to grow. Plus, when it rains we get to stay inside and make delicious breads, tortillas and jams from scratch. Tomorrow we are going into a town to get antibiotics for Bobbett's cat, and hit up a few stores for some more farming supplies, like posts and wire and things like that. Next week we are going into the biggest town around the house to go to the main grocery stores, the mall and maybe the movies since we dont get out much and work very hard all day. I am excited to see the town, and I am going to try to go to a few antique stores to see what they have.

We opened the pool up yesterday and have been cleaning it every day since in hopes that we can jump in this week if it stays hot. It is supposed to stay into the upper 80's all week, and if it doesnt rain I am jumping in the pool for sure! It isnt heated so it is cold, but after bending over and weeding all day in direct sunlight, it will feel refreshing. I am usually drenched with sweat after an hour and we come inside often to cool off and rehydrate, but being outside feels wonderful, no matter how hot it is. I definitely like California's dry heat the most, but I love that the humidity here brings out so many beautiful colors in the flowers and trees.

We went to a Mennonite-run greenhouse today and they sell tomato plant starters for $1 for a pack of 6! That is so inexpensive! They have hundreds of different types of fruit and veggie plants and they sell seeds of any type of fruit and veggie you can imagine. All the Mennonite women were really excited to meet someone from California, and one loved telling me about her trip to San Diego one time. They are such nice and polite people and they are really interesting to talk to. I have been inside a few Mennonite homes, and they are always busy doing something. They milk their cows, can foods, homeschool their kids, plant crops, fix tools, cut wood and build all kinds of things. No wonder they need so many kids; just for the help alone! And it is always fun to see them riding alongside the road on their buggy pulled by their horses. Almost any store we pull up to has a buggy and horse parked outside, so that still takes time for me to get used to seeing. But they are very nice people, and if the civilized world ended tomorrow, they would know how to survive just fine. So we should start paying attention to them!

So those are the only plans we have for the rest of this week. Just waiting for rain and weeding all our fruit patches. I will update later when we do something different. I am still really loving it here, and working with Bobbett is so much fun! She is so funny and laid back. I really enjoy her company. We get along really well.

Ill post again when we make more bread and tortillas and jam.

Love you guys, be home soon!

-Sam

Friday, May 6, 2011

Mulching and Mexican Food

Hi All,

Today was a nice day outside. We got to work outside today because it stopped raining, but it was still really cold. We only had a few chores to do, which included mulching one of the crop beds that had potatoes and garlic, as well as attaching new wire to fence posts to use as guides for the blackberry and raspberry bushes. We used old, moldy hay from Bobbett's neighbor as mulch and placed it very thick on top of the weeds so it would suffocate them and let the potatoes and garlic continue to grow. We also attached new wire to a few posts, and that was our day. It did take a while to gather all the old hay and spread it as mulch, but it was crisp out so we didnt get too hot. Then we came in and rested for a while before we made dinner. Tonight we had Mexican themed food that included guacamole, beans, rice, salsa, and toppings for our burritos and tacos. Then I went on a nice little walk around the fields and through a small bit of the forest and found a nice little stream and beautiful scenery!

The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday and I really want to go, but tickets are around $300, about $25 if you want standing room only where you cant even see the track and you are almost standing outside the park. I feel like it is more of a socially elite gathering rather than a sporting event, so I wont go. I dont even have a big floppy hat to wear, so I will pass. It would have been really cool to go though. Plus it is 3 hours away, so I dont want to drive that far. But I did look up a line dancing bar in Lexington called Austin City Saloon, so I will try to get up there to check it out next Friday or Saturday night. This Friday night, weather permitting, I am going to a 'truck pull.' It is some hillbilly event where trucks pull each other or tractors or something, but its down the road and it sounds like something cowboys and farmers do so I think it will be really fun to go see. Hopefully I see something interesting and a ton of cowboys and farmers.

Yesterday it rained a lot so Bobbett and I made a ton of cherry jam and a cherry pie. We also made homemade bread from scratch and just spent the day cooking. It was really fun and educational.The jams and pie and fresh vegetables are delicious. I am also really excited to come home and start my own garden. I have a ton of different ideas for what types of veggies I want to plant, and I also know what can and cannot grow in our climate. We, Costa Mesa, have one of the hottest climates so it can be difficult to grow some veggies, but also more favorable to grow fruits and veggies that no one else can grow. We cannot grow cherries or apples because they like frost, but we will get a ton of asparagus because they really like heat. We can also grow avocados, tropical fruits, pomegranates and other things that almost all other regions cannot grow. So we are lucky but unlucky in some ways.

Bobbett and I tried to go to a truck pull tonight, but it turns out it was scheduled for tomorrow night instead. I saw a small sign advertising a truck pull last Friday as I was driving up here, but I didnt remember the town name or where it was, so I just told Bobbett that we would just drive back down the way I came up until we found it. So we found it, but it said it was scheduled for tomorrow night instead. So we went to Wal-Mart since we were already so far from home and so close to town, then we decided we would go back tomorrow night. As we drove back by the sign, we were able to get a name, so we googled it. We found a website and they said that due to the probability of rain, it would mess up the field so they are rescheduling it for another night. I just hope they can redo it for sometime in May so I can go! If not, I am sure I will find a truck pull somewhere in Tennessee. It seems like the kind of event that is popular in Southern states with the country folk, so I am bound to find another one. I had a true glimpse of the Kentucky folk here at the Wal-Mart. They had mullets, no teeth, shirts that were too small so their bellies hung out of the bottom, and the shirt usually had some random, strange patriotic message or something redneck to it, and they all just stood around and stared at me as I walked in. It was awkward, yet amazing at the same time. My jaw dropped because I was so dumbfounded at how country and strange these people were. Bobbett, however, did not even notice them. I told her if I was bored on a Saturday night I was going back to that Wal-Mart so I can 'people watch.' It was the highlight of my week, by far.

Besides all that action, nothing new has been going on here. We had good weather today, so we were able to hoe a field, plant corn, beans and artichoke, and weed one of the garlic beds. That took up most of our afternoon, and then we went inside to relax before we headed out to town. That is usually how our days go around here. We wake up and try to get out the door by noon, then weed for a bit, plant some crops, walk around the fields, maybe mow something or replant something, then we go inside and relax, cook dinner and I go in the jacuzzi. Then we relax some more after that with iced sweet tea, and then go to bed. Its pretty rough around here, but I think I can get used to it.

Bobbett's father, Walter, has a riding lawn mower that he uses frequently. Yesterday, I noticed that he had been gone a long time, and I commented on it to Bobbett. She told me a funny story about how he ran out of gas at the bottom of their very long driveway once, and had to wait until she noticed he was missing. He sat out there for hours, then got tired of waiting so he walked up the driveway. Its all uphill and took him about an hour to get up to the house. We laughed, then went back to weeding. Not even 2 minutes later, a lady drove up the driveway and came up to me. She informed me that "Mr. Walter was ran out of gas and was sitting on his riding lawn mower at the bottom of the hill. He would like someone to bring him more gas." I guess Mr. Walter did not want to walk up the hill again, so he waited down there by the side of the road for us to notice the lack of sounds of the lawn mower. I guess a lady was driving by and stopped to see if he needed help, so he asked her to drive up and find us so we could bring him more gas. Bobbett rode her riding lawn mower down the hill to give him gas, and then they both rode their lawn mowers back up the hill. It was quite entertaining. Who knows how long Walter actually sat at the bottom of the driveway. But I guess he is used to doing that by now.

I have pictures and a few videos, but it still doesn't compare to seeing this place for yourself. Rent is cheap if anyone is interested......


Love and miss ya'll!!

Sam






Monday, May 2, 2011

Visiting Liberty

Hi Everyone,

Today Bobbett took me to the actual town of Liberty, Kentucky. It rained on and off all day, and the rain really poured down this morning so it was too wet to work in the garden. We went into town to get all our running around done for the week because we had nothing else to do today. Their little town is really cute and simple. There is one main building that holds their DMV along with any other official services. They have a courthouse and a jail and one library. There is a supermarket, gas station, and restaurant. We also went to a few Mennonite stores, because there is a HUGE Mennonite and Amish population here. All the produce stores, lumber yards, mechanics and greenhouses are run by the Mennonite. They all wear their specific clothes, bonnets, hats and suspenders and still get around town by horse and buggy. You can tell you are passing a Mennonite home because they have enough clothes on their laundry line for 10 kids. They have no electricity, telephones, TV or outside influences. They are actually extremely nice people and welcome all outsiders. They dont reject or shun anyone who isnt Mennonite. So we went to their stores to get certain sugars, agave nectar, yeast and seeds to plant in the garden. Their prices are very cheap and they are so polite and nice! We also went to a Mennonite dairy where Bobbett picked up a half gallon of raw milk for $1. Raw milk is legal to buy here in KY, but usually illegal in all other states. Raw milk means it is not heated, pasteurized, or processed to get rid of bacteria in any way. We had to go to the Mennonite home to get the milk and the mother had 5 children, ran a dairy, and a lumberyard and she was so nice! She gave me a tour of her home and showed me how they live day to day. They have a wood burning stove that doesnt require gas or electricity, an outhouse and she sews all of the clothes for all 5 children and her husband. She also home schools all the children, so she is very busy all day. They had a few buggies as well as horses that they used for work. They also have a type of treadmill that a horse walks on that they attach to a cog so they can power machines for use because they cannot use electricity. They are very crafty and live a very peaceful life. Their houses are usually all in the forests and mountains and they use their rivers and waterfalls for water. They really do live a nice peaceful life and I am sure they are content and dont miss any material things that we treasure. They also call us 'English.' Im not sure why, but I think it comes from their old language and beliefs. Its not insulting, just different.

When we got home from errands, we bumped up more seedlings, made dinner and prepared bread that we are going to bake tomorrow. The bread recipe from scratch was very easy and only took 5 minutes to prepare. We are going to bake it tomorrow to try to use for bruchetta. I am eating very well here because Barbara and Bobbett cook a lot of food, and it is all healthy, delicious veggies from the garden! Walter and I usually sit and talk about the old days or sports or what life is like out here. They are a wonderful family and I am already learning too much from Bobbett! I am going to have to write everything down.

Tomorrow night Bobbett and I are making a Mexican dinner all from scratch. We are using all her organically grown veggies and making spanish rice from scratch as well. We will also make guacamole and salsa using her organic tomatoes, onions, and garlic and spices. It is going to rain again tomorrow so we are staying in and making bread and canning cherries. We will also make a cherry pie if we have enough cherries left over.

So that is my life around here. Mostly relaxing, sharing great conversation and learning a ton. Plus I get to look at beautiful scenery all day so I am definitely relaxed and very happy here.

Miss you all, and wish you could see this place!

Love,
Sam

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Hey Y'all!

Hi Everyone,

Yes, I made it to Kentucky alive. It was a rough 3 day drive, doing about 12 hours per day. I slept in my truck's spacious backseat in the parking lot of various Walmart's across America, and it was very comfortable. It was also easy because I could just hop up in the morning, use Walmart's bathroom to freshen up and brush my teeth, then get back on the road again. I thought I would end up in KY on Friday afternoon, but I didnt know to factor in the time changes- I had about 3- so I ended up getting here late Friday night, around 9pm. I also accidentally stopped in Indianapolis, and intentionally stopped in Lexington. The first 2 days I drove for about 12 hours each day, and stopped only to use restrooms and get gas. I stopped in Wall, South Dakota because there is a famous drugstore there and I wanted to see it. I walked around for less than an hour, and left again. This drugstore is famous because it is one of the original in the USA and it is the biggest continuous drugstore. Every store connects, so you can walk through to each other one. They sold a ton of Native American things, and some cowboy boots, but since I just got a beautiful pair of new ones, I didnt need any more. I thought it was a peculiar town, but not enough to hang around for a long time. It was just nice to stretch my legs. I made it from Montana into the far East end of Sioux Falls, South Dakota on the first day. I even stopped in Sturgis, South Dakota and that was a really cool little town. Even though the biker rally isnt until August, the biker bars are open all year round. They were really cool, and the town is very small and old as well. I really liked it there. I also tried to go see Mt. Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, but the weather decided to hail, snow, lightning, rain and thunder just above the mountain so there was no way I could get to the top to see the monument. Everywhere else in the entire state was sunny and hot, but just above the mountain there was a huge storm that almost made me hydroplane off the road, so I had to turn around and keep going. I was bummed by that because I will probably not ever go back to S.D. so I wont see Mt. Rushmore. So that first day I went through Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Then the next day I went through Iowa, Nebraska and stopped in Champaign, Illinois for the evening. I stopped in Omaha, Nebraska because I have always wanted to go there, and it was an incredible town! The downtown area was just like downtown LA, which I didnt expect because it is in the middle of corn fields, but the buildings are beautiful old ones that are slowly falling apart, mixed in with brand new buildings. That was a very nice city, and I would visit again. I also stopped at the 'world's largest truck stop' in Iowa. Apparently this place has been all over travel specials on TV, so I stopped in and looked around. There were more tourists than truckers, but it was an enormous place. They have a spa and gym for the truckers, a store with anything one could ever think they would need while on the road- things like TVs, DVDs, anything you can think of, as well as 4 different restaurants just inside the truck stop. And there was enough room around back to park hundreds and hundreds of big rigs, and all the spots were full. It was very crowded in there, so I just looked around and got back on the road. I passed through Peoria, Illinois and realized I have a few old speech teammates that are now on the speech and debate team at Bradley University in Peoria, so I tried to call them to see if they wanted to meet up, but they didnt respond so I kept driving. That would have been a nice surprise for them though, considering I just saw them at New Years and I hadnt planned on leaving then. So I kept driving because my goal was to stop in Champaign, because I had already researched their 24 hour Walmart, and I left my mom an itinerary of where I was staying with contact info of that store, so I wanted to stick to that plan. There were quite a few other car campers in that parking lot, and I slept just fine that night. The next morning I set out again, and this time drove through Indiana and most of KY to get here. I wanted to stop at this old medical museum in Indiana, but my GPS ended up taking me to Indianapolis instead. I didnt realize it until I was in the middle of the city, and it was so overwhelming and crowded that I parked somewhere not realizing it was valet only. So I already parked which meant I had to pay no matter how long I stayed, so I decided to walk around a bit since I was already there. This city was so overcrowded and loud that I was really freaked out. All the buildings are skyscrapers and there are cars and taxis everywhere and so many people walking around. I asked some guy at an ATM if there was some sort of celebration because of all the people, and he just said 'Yeah, this is a normal Friday." So I was definitely surprised that downtown Indianapolis could party so hard on a Friday afternoon. All the men and boys wore suits and all the women were over 6 feet tall. Maybe its something in the water, but it was a strange place to end up. I walked around for a little bit, then tried to find the medical museum and where it was is now just a large field so I deduced that it was no longer open. That bummed me out, so I ended up back on the road so I could get to Lexington in time to see everything. I ended up sitting in traffic on some random highway for over an hour in Indiana, then the traffic jammed from the Indiana border into Louisville, KY so I ended up sitting in traffic there for over an hour, which set me 2 hours back, plus the 2 time changes, which set me 2 more hours back. I didnt even have time to tour Louisville, except for what I saw sitting on the bridge, but it looked like a really cool place to me. I really wanted to go to Churchill Downs, the stadium where the KY Derby is held, but I was pressed for time because I didnt want to drive after dark, so I just kept driving. I did make it into Lexington however, and cruised around downtown for a while. I talked to a girl and she laughed and told me I was a long way from home, and this place is 100% different than California. She was nice, but could tell I looked out of place. Lexington is cool, but I like Louisville better I think.

So I still had to drive 1.5 hours from Lexington to Liberty, where I will be staying for the next month. By the time I made it to what I thought was the last road to take me to the new place, it was after 8pm. I still thought I would make it before dark, but I didnt know that the last road to this house was miles and miles long up a mountain, so I didnt reach the house until around 9:15pm. I found the house fine, but it is in the Appalachian mountains, so all the roads are narrow and winding. The drive through KY was the most beautiful one I have ever been on, and I can easily say this state is the most gorgeous state I have ever seen. The green here is a different shade of green that we will never see in California. Everything is emerald green and bright lime green. There are trees and rivers, and vines growing up trees, and moss hanging off everything, and everywhere you look there are bright green pastures, wild turkeys, horses, cows and off in the distance is an old abandoned barn with trees and vines growing through it. This state is so beautiful, it feels like you are in a tropical paradise. All you can hear is the chirping of crickets, bullfrogs and the occasional cow.

I finally pulled up to Bobbett's house, and it was so gorgeous that I couldnt even believe that I get to stay here and live on this property for a month. I feel like I am living in a jungle/forest paradise. Bobbett is very nice, and her retired parents live here as well. The house is a very old, large farm house. Her parents have their own suite on their own side of the house, so they only share a kitchen. Bobbett has a bedroom and bathroom upstairs on one end of the house, and I have the huge bedroom on the other side of 2nd story of the house. My windows overlook the pool and forest on one side, and the cherry trees and blackberry bushes and peach orchard on the other side. Bobbett, and her parents Barbara and Walter, are extremely kind and generous. They had all the foods that I like to eat all ready for me, and made me feel at home instantly. Bobbett is extremely knowledgeable in organic gardening and she has already taught me so much! I am so excited to get my garden started when I get home. The day after I got here, Saturday, it was sunny and hot so we had plenty of time to garden and learn. First we hoed and weeded the bean patch and garlic patches. Then we dug up all the weeds around the electric fence so that the weeds wouldnt short out the fence if they grew into it, then we dug up a bunch of raspberry bushes because they had a disease called 'orange rust' that cannot be removed and will kill her entire crop if she leaves it. Those bushes had thorns and we had to sterilize everything we touched after handling them because the orange dust is contagious to all other crops, and she could wipe out everything she grows if we werent careful. Then we had to go and dump all those bushes over a cliff on her friends property so the spores wouldnt blow back over her crops. Then we went to the lumberyard down the road and loaded up barrels of sawdust because that can be used for mulch as well as compost material. Then we were done for the day! Just a few hours of work that wasnt really work, and we got to relax for the rest of the day. This morning I was invited to church with Barbara and Walter, so I went because I was hoping to see some sort of show. I know the southern churches get really into their prayers and singing and I thought I would get to see some good stuff. But it was only about 15 people in total, and most of them were elderly white folks, so there was no singing and shouting like I hoped. But it was cool, and I wanted to show an interest in their activities. Then Bobbett and I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out one of her barns where she cans all her produce. Bobbett's friend from down the road called her after that to see if I had made it here that Friday night, and to tell her about a problem she had been having with a goat that just had a baby. The mother goat was rejecting her kid, and since I happen to know a thing or two about goats and kids now, I offered to show them a few ways to fix that problem. So we went down the road to the other side of the pasture and met that family. The parents were raised Amish, but they are not Amish now. They are just very plain and still adopt most Amish beliefs. They do not have TV, but they do have a phone and a truck. They home school their 5 children and live off their land. They were incredibly nice and polite people, and they were very interesting to talk to. I explained to them about the goat situation and how to force her to accept her kid, and I actually got the mom to let her kid suck on her right away, so they were really impressed by that. They were very grateful for the advice, as they are brand new to raising goats and dont really know what they are doing. They are just winging things for now, so I showed them what to do in different situations and now they should feel more comfortable around the newborn kids and their moms. They were so nice, and I really enjoyed visiting with them and observing the way they live so plain. It really is a lot of work to live that way, and I have a ton of respect for them for living so pure and simple. They will be better people for it, and their children will be raised much better that way. That took up most of the afternoon, but we didnt have anything else to do so we just went home after that. We then went inside and she showed me how to 'bump up' plants from one pot to another. Her plants were not growing anymore because their pots were too small, so we put them in bigger pots with more dirt so they have more room to establish a bigger root system. She has been explaining all kinds of organic means of gardening, and I really am learning a lot. I feel like this might be harder than the work I did in Montana, only because working with animals comes naturally to me and makes sense, but these gardening tricks are difficult to understand at first. So this will take a lot more time to understand for me. After we bumped up the plants, we made dinner, ate all together, and then I went into the jacuzzi for a bit. After that Bobbett and I hung out in the entertainment room, and then I went upstairs, where I am now. I know Bobbett doesnt want to overwork me, but we just relax and do a bit of gardening, and she ends up teaching me so much in such a short amount of time. She also has a ton of cats, so I am learning more about them as well. I am not a fan of cats, but as a vet I will have to handle them, so I might as well learn about them while I can.

It is going to rain for the next few days, and we cannot garden when it rains, so Bobbett is going to show me around town and teach me how to make bread from scratch. Then we are going to make some jams from fruit she grew and she is going to show me how to can using the water-bath method. I am very excited about the canning process, and hopefully we can make a delicious cherry pie.

So as you can tell, my life is incredibly hard and stressful here, with all the work we do ;).

I am actually still pretty tired from driving and all the time changes. I dont know what time or day it is most of the time. I can already tell I am falling in love with this place and dont want to leave. It really is amazing here, and I would consider living out here someday. You guys should look into it for retirement. It is a paradise out here.

I have pictures, and I will take more as I get them

Love and miss you all,

Sam

this is KY's version of a honey bee..... the thing is ENORMOUS

koi pond in the backyard

the house

some large tree that their driveway wraps around

one of the barns. doesnt my truck look like it belongs right there?

the barn. its abandoned, but can still be used for some sort of storage

the other barn that is really abandoned and cannot be used


one section of orchards and blackberry and raspberry bushes


berry bushes

another berry orchard


different part of the backyard


the left part of the house is Barbara and Walter's suite


highways in KY are in the middle of mountains and forests

all the scenery looks like this

small random town on a deserted highway

old school gas station that still works


rolling pastures in KY


bridge from Indiana into Louisville, KY

that is Louisville, KY

State Capital building in Indianapolis, IN

Hard Rock Cafe Indianapolis

center of downtown Indianapolis

monument in the center of Indianapolis

world's largest truck stop, Iowa

the back side of the truck stop

abandoned apartment building, downtown Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

the inside of one part of Wall Drugstore, Wall, South Dakota

inside street inside the drugstore, Wall, South Dakota

'The Knuckle' biker bar in Sturgis, SD

another biker bar in Sturgis, SD

this is the middle of one biker bar. you can drive your Harley up to the bar

the Knuckle Trading Post biker bar, Sturgis, SD

Similar to Hollywood, right?