October 29, 2009 – We’re in Bluegrass Country.

For some reason, it has been difficult to keep up with my writing over the past few days. Everything seems to be written several days after the fact and this is no exception. So I’m going to not be as wordy or descriptive and just try to hit the high spots as we catch up.

Martinsville, the Sprint Cup race. The race was good. We took the truck and left the dog to guard the RV. We arrived a couple of hours prior to the start of the race and wandered around teams/sponsors trailers where you can shop for items that identify you as a fan. As race time neared, we grabbed a couple of BBQ sandwiches (highly recommended if you ever go) and went to our seats. Martinsville allows six-pack coolers and smoking. Very strange. The couple next to me smoked in alternating shifts. The two guys in front of Carol just smoked. It bothers Carol much more then me, both we didn’t allow it to detract from the race. The most interesting to see was a middle aged woman, a bit chunky and a bit buxom. She was wearing a black sweat shirt and a black hat, both embroidered in pink. The sweat shirt was emblazoned with “Save the Ta-Tas” and a pink breast cancer ribbon; the hat had just the ribbon. Once settled in, she lit up the first of many cigarettes she smoked during the race. It that a mixed message or just irony?

Fate. We had discussed going back towards Elkins, WV for one more visit. We really had not spent time in the Elkins area, just drove through and Carol thought it might be good to spend a couple of days to get the flavor of the town. (Note: if you really want to find out about a small town, just spend a couple of hours watching the customers at the WalMart.) I figured that we weren’t going to waste any realtor’s time, we were going to buy anything and we would probably come and visit again once we were more committed. I suggested we just head west and perhaps visit my brother Dave in Cincinnati. Carol acquiesced and suggested we call Dave and Judy first. Point taken, I called. Judy said that she and Dave would not be home as they needed to be in Elkins the following day. OK then, how about we meet you there? And so we did.

The Visit. Davis and Elkins College hosts several forums each year, most notable is Augusta, a five week session of music, dance and folk art. Over the years, Dave has attended several sessions at Augusta and has become their official photographer. Hence, he was back to photograph classes in fiddle, some jam sessions and the “old time fiddlers” reunion. We had dinner together on Monday evening at a Venezuelan restaurant. It was a surprise to find a Venezuelan restaurant in little old Elkins and it was surprisingly good. The next day, Judy met us at D&E and gave us a tour of some of the old homes on campus. The houses have been renovated and serve the college, providing administrative/meeting facilities and as a small hotel. We met Dave for lunch and then went to a mini concert highlighting various fiddle styles. It was very entertaining as a collection of fiddlers played, sometimes with a guitar accompaniment. Carol and I left to look at some property. Dave was busy the rest of the day, but Judy surprised us by dropping by our RV at the campground. We had a great visit with her.

When Dave and Judy first came by on Monday afternoon, they brought a couple of “gifts”. Dave has help move a cousin of ours into a nursing home. As he went about cleaning out her home, he found several items of pottery that our Aunt Ibby had thrown. So he brought a few to us. The best gift was a photograph of our dad at age 12 or 13. I don’t think I have ever seen a photo of him at that young an age. It’s really special.

Wednesday morning we packed everything up and headed out once more. Just for grins, we headed a bit north through the town of Philippi before turning west to the I-79 south. 350 some miles later, we pulled into the campground just outside of Lexington, KY.