We left Cincinnati on Wednesday and traveled to Ashland, KY, enjoying overcast skies, bridges, rivers, and a piece of the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which hugs alongside the Ohio River.
I love this face!
We stopped by the sporting store, where Shad's friend Lincoln works as a gun salesman. The kids are always excited to go to gun stores! We visited and looked around while we waited for Lincoln to get off work, then we followed him home through all the winding, hilly Kentucky mountain back roads. It is those roads that have provided us a sympathetic understanding of why the South seems to be incapable of driving in the winter. Imagine snow and ice on those! Impossible.
Lincoln Hurt was a sick companion of Shad's on their mission in Ventura, California. They were both sick, so they spent two weeks in the apartment together while their companions went out and did missionary work. I've heard soooo many stories from those two weeks: bowling with Gatorade bottles; the time they found Nair and decided to use it on Lincoln's back; the time when, after Lincoln had a pack of ice on his back for an hour, they decided to let Shad towel whip Lincoln, and the towel wrapped around Lincoln's back and struck in a part that wasn't numb; how Lincoln hid in the laundry closet to scare Shad, and Shad tied the doors shut. It goes on and on. Lincoln is a gun enthusiast. He grew up eating what he could shoot, so he became a good shot. He wins almost any competition he enters. Lincoln has great admiration for WWII veterans. Any time he meets one, he offers to buy lunch, on the condition that war stories be told. Many of these veterans give their war guns and souvenirs to Lincoln, whether directly, or by writing him into their wills. Lincoln's gun collection is awe inspiring, and why I didn't take a picture of it still nags at me. I'll have to have Lincoln send me some pictures himself. Regardless, there are some 70 handguns and rifles in Lincoln's attic, and that's not even half of what Lincoln owns. There are stories behind most of them that could send shivers through your body, and I can hardly remember them. Anyway, this was my first time meeting Lincoln in person, though we've talked and texted much over the 5 years I've been married to Shad. It was also our first time to meet Ashley, Lincoln's wife. They got married 2 years ago and Ashley is pregnant with twins. She was 7 months pregnant when we were there in mid-April.
Thursday was a wondrous rainy day. Lincoln was at work, Ashley was sleeping from her 12 hour shift at the hospital that ended at 6 am, the rain poured steadily and gently, and we all cuddled under blankets and enjoyed a morning of relaxing and Netflix. It was a wonderful way to recharge after the fun chaos that the bustling city of Cincinnati provided.
Tom and Katie spent most of their waking hours outside in the yard. They enjoyed climbing in the Ann Magnolia tree in the front, shaking the branches to cause a shower of purple petals.
Because of the high speeds on the road out front, Dancy wasn't allowed to be outside unless an adult was out there with her. So she occasionally looked like this:
I call this one "Wishing".
"...and hoping"
Lincoln's mother made us a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy, with fried apples, and a couple of cakes that she had from something. These kids were spoiled with all the desserts:)
Dancy devouring her chocolate cake.
At one point, she was finished with her cake and passed her plate over to me. As she did so, she saw a large crumb that had fallen on the table. The way her face lit up and she exclamed, "Oh! Found it!" was priceless. She stuffed it into her mouth and mumbled, "Yum!"
Shad and I commented over and over that we felt like we were camping with all the rain, the mountain feel, the trickling stream across the front yard, and the chill of being in an old house without insulation or central heat. This talk of camping soaked into Tommy's mind, so on Friday morning, he declared that we needed to build a fire to have s'mores. He spent all morning collecting sticks for firewood, and stones to go under them (maybe for fire containment?). He even adventurously jumped into the stream to collect his supplies.
The pile of firewood.
We went to the grocery store and Tommy picked out all of his ingredients and checked out by himself. He wouldn't let anyone else carry the grocery bag. After lunch, Lincoln's mom came over to babysit the kids while Ashley took us up to the family property. Although the property (some 30 acres or more) is just a short hike up the hill behind Lincoln's house, it isn't safe to go that way, due to a (certifiably) crazy cousin who may shoot you. So we went the long way around--a 15 minute drive around the mountainside. Even so, Ashley brought a gun with us, just in case. We were met at the gate by Lincoln's dad, who showed us around. We saw his beehives, the 3 horses that run loose on the land and no one in the family really knows who they belong to, the wild raspberry and blackberry bushes, the best hiding spot for hunting deer, and the family cemetery. It was delightful!
When we came back to the house, the kids were all passed out.
That night after dinner, Lincoln showed Tommy how to build a fire. Then we roasted our s'mores.
We borrowed Momma Hurt's cotton candy maker. You drop hard candy into it, and it spins out candy floss. What better way to follow up s'mores? Pris, don't be surprised if you get one of these for a gift some day. We think it's an excellent appliance for Nana's house.
And then suddenly it was Saturday morning and time for us to take a bunch of pictures and hit the road.
Lincoln and Ashley Hurt
Shad and Lincoln
View from the front door
Looking to the left--garden, shed, grape arbor, and the stream marks the property line (Lincoln's house, which was his grandmother's, is on 7 or 17 acres. I can't remember). That red house and shed are the closest neighbor. She's in her 90s, and there's oil and natural gas on her property.
Still looking left.
Looking right
The stream across the street
The house
The porch on the side of the house, which serves as Lincoln's shooting range. He spends about half an hour after work shooting, daily. We got to shoot with him Thursday and Friday. Lincoln gave us one rule, and one rule only: just don't shoot my railing. My first shot nailed the railing and send splinters flying. Several of my following shots looked similar. Turns out that I'm just short enough that my aim just couldn't avoid the rail. At least from the same standing point as Shad and Lincoln.
