Kentucky Family, Fish and Hush Puppies

We were a couple of hours late leaving Carol's in Murfreesboro on Monday morning because we needed to find a route that would take us around the flooded Nashville area and into Kentucky. Carol's house had no leaks or any other problems from the heavy flooding that Nashville experienced, but lots of other folks in the Nashville area were not that lucky. When Jack and I looked online at the Dept of Transportation maps for the Nashville area all we saw were dark blue lines which indicated flooded roads. We took a detour route around Nashville and saw many people dealing with the clean-up required for flooded stores and houses.

Jack's sister, Carol, sent us some pictures to show what the Opryland Hotel looked like after the flooding that it experienced. It's hard to believe that the beautiful hotel we saw with all of the gorgeous plants and its "disneyland-like" features was the same ruined interior that we saw in the flood pictures.

Our drive to Kentucky was another beautiful trip. We arrived in Louisville in plenty of time to visit for awhile with Aunt Bobbie before all of my cousins and their families arrived for a potluck dinner. Aunt Bobbie is my Dad's sister-in-law. She was married to my Dad's only brother, Ray. Uncle Ray died a few years ago, but the memory of his easy smile and twinkling eyes will always be a part of my childhood. My Kentucky cousins all live within a few miles of each other. It was great to see all of them as well as their spouses and children. (We only missed seeing George, the son of my cousin, Ronnie, and her husband, Joe). The rest of the Kentucky Reinerts were all present and accounted for.

Dad and Cubby stayed with Aunt Bobbie, Mary & Margaret. Jack, Mom W and I stayed with my cousin Carol and her husband, Rodney. The 2 houses are just a few blocks from one another. We had a great visit with everyone. The only trouble we experienced was when little Cubby decided to chase after a rabbit during a 4 a.m. potty break and Dad couldn't locate him. It turned out that Cubby was safely with the newspaper carrier, who returned him to the house later in the day. In the meantime, Dad and others in the family spent some anxious hours looking for him and worrying. Dad was wandering the street in his pjs, robe and slippers. His hair was uncombed and he was carrying a water glass while calling Cubby's name. (The water glass was because his throat was so dry from calling for Cubby as he went up and down the street....) Needless to say, some of the neighbors got an eyeful and were probably wondering if it was Dad or Cubby who was lost. Cubby was very glad to be back with Dad after his big adventure. Cubby...the prodigal dog.

On Tuesday night most of the family went to The Kingfish Restaurant on the Ohio River for visiting and really good seafood. We were served big baskets of hush puppies when we arrived and they were yummy. We sat at an outside covered area with a great view of the Ohio River and we saw several barges that were going up and down the river. Kentucky had experienced some heavy rains before our arrival and the river had overflowed somewhat onto the restaurant property, flooding some of the picnic tables and part of the children's playground area, but the restaurant itself and the area where we were sitting were on high ground and were not affected. It was fun to reconnect with all of the Kentucky family and to go with them to a restaurant that they enjoy several times during the year. Thank you Joe & Ronnie for treating all of us....we were a bunch and a half!!

Aunt Bobbie has a lilac bush in her yard and Jack picked a lilac, which is a real favorite of Mom's, for her to have in the back seat. The fragrance filled the car and we all enjoyed it. The neighborhood that Aunt Bobbie and Carol/Rodney live in is beautiful. The lots are good-sized with big trees and a country setting that makes for a small-town feeling. We enjoyed seeing lots of older family pictures and recounted some stories from South Elgin when Dad and Uncle Ray were young boys. It was good to relive those memories....for us and for all of Uncle Ray's children.

We mentioned before we left Louisville, and we say again to all of our wonderful Kentucky family that you are all welcome to join us in the Seattle area for a visit....we would love to have you. Thank you for making us feel so welcome. You showed us lots of good old-fashioned Southern hospitality that we enjoyed.

Pictures show the family....Aunt Bobbie/ Tim/ Mary/ Margaret/ Carol & Rodney/ Charlie, Jaynie and their daughter Faith/ Ronnie, Joe and their daughter Kimberly/ and Judy, John and their children Ella Ruth, Cora and James. Also pictures of the Ohio River, Mom's lilac, a basket of hush puppies and how Mom W and Dad R look with Cubby when they are traveling in the back seat.