Riding to the West

Saturday morning, Jean & I decided to find one of only two cotton patches located in Henry County. I guess cotton patch is really a misnomer, we found 7 fields of cotton, and know we probably didn't see them all. These fields were in the Henry County portion of McKenzie, along State route 140, and it was very beautiful roads we took to get there!

We left home on Guthrie, went south on Market, out the interconnector to Dunlap. We headed south on Dunlap to Hill road, took Cope-Looney road till it dead ended into Gate 3 road, went north about 2 miles, then proceeded southwest on Palestine road. After about five miles we again turned north onto Gum Springs road which we took up to Tyson road, then to Herondale East which turned into Herondale West after crossing Henry-Midway road. We then went south on State route 140 to Radford Lake road, continued south on Dorsey road, continued south on Ben Smith road to Highway 79 south. We took 79 south into Carroll County, went west on 22 back into Henry County, and saw the cotton at highway 140.

We had a very enjoyable ride, but are thinking it will be even more beautiful when we take the same ride, during cotton picking time, in mid October.

St. Louis

I took another fantastic trip, Saturday. Wasn't too much of it in Henry County, but I wanted to write about it, anyway. My destination was St. Louis, Missouri, and it is only a short four and a half hours from Paris. Whether you come up I-55 from Cape Girardeau, or I-24, then I-57 from Paducah, you pass through wine country, with small wineries dotting the very beautiful countryside. Once you get to the City of the Blues, there are lots of entertainment venues for your pleasure, including a free zoo, and a ball team steeped in legend. There is riverboat gambling, beautiful trees and flowers at Shaw Gardens, and every kind of cuisine you could want.
Paris is home to me. It has my home, my wife, my good friends, but it is nice to get away, once in a blue moon. You spend a little time on those freeways, you read about the crime in the papers, you check out some real estate prices, and it makes you real glad to call Paris home, though!!

Ridin' Henry County

Saturday, Jean & I took another beautiful excursion deep into Henry County. We left the house on Guthrie, took 641 south through downtown, and on out the interconnector to 79 south toward McKenzie. We took the Old McKenzie Highway to Bunn School Road, crossed Van Dyck Road, then took a right on Henry-Mansfield Road, stopping to photograph old barns, farm implements, and butterflies along the way. We left Henry-Mansfield Road after going through the small town of Henry, and picked up Henry-Midway Road which carried us through some more beautiful countryside to Highway 54. We turned west on 54 and went through the town of Como, into the counties of Weakley & Obion where we visited friends. We are amazed at how green things still are, and we hope they stay green all the way to October!

Bully!

Last night Jean, nine close friends, and I, had a very enjoyable dinner/theater experience. We went to Murray, Kentucky, ate at the Big Apple Cafe, then went to see T.R. at the Playhouse in the Park. I believe a pleasurable time was had by all.

Jean's and my meal was very good. She had a grilled chicken salad, I had a burger and fries. We topped the meal off with a slice of Key Lime pie that was delicious! The rest of the bunch had Mexican cuisine and not a complaint was heard.

The Playhouse is a very short distance from the restaurant, where we got to see Pete Lancaster portray Theodore Roosevelt, or Teddy, as he liked to be called. The play dealt with his early years, up to the time right before his presidency, and brought back many schoolday memories of our 26th president. "Walk softly and carry a big stick", and the Rough Riders are just two stories that I remember from my youth, that I haven't thought of in a while.

Good friends....good food....good entertainment....life just does not get any better!

Henry County

As I sit here, listening to it thunder and rain, I cannot help but think about how blessed I am. This has been the wettest and coolest July that I can remember, and on the 4th day of August things are still green and beautiful, here in Paris and Henry County. Jean & I made a ride Saturday that was just spectacular. We rode down 79 to the river, came back toward Puryear, on 140, headed south on Shady Grove Road, then west on India Road, to Jackson Drive, then back home on Guthrie Road. The grass is still green, the trees are still green, the fields are still green, the woods are still green. I am 53 and cannot ever remember a summer this perfect. I may not ever see another.....but that is okay.....I have experienced this one!

Hummingbirds

My wife, Jean, my sister, Linda, and I went to the Nature Center, at LBL, Saturday, and saw all things hummingbird. We saw over two hundred birds, watched one get banded and learned a lot about the little fellas.We learned that a nickel weighs more than two adult male hummers. We learned that they fly to the coast and begin eating insects. These insects provide them with stored fat for their 500 mile journey across the ocean. We also learned that they return to the same place, both spring and fall, every year.All in all it was a very interesting, and a very enjoyable day trip, and one we would highly recommend.