KEENELAND

Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, Ky. The sights and sounds are unique that's for sure, with a dress code that covers everything from high society to the rest of us.
The cashiers were very patient with novice betters like myself.
Let see, to place a bet you need the track name, the type of bet, the number of the horse, and the number of the race,and it's got to be in the right order. It was a big surprise to the four of us that we didn't loose it all. Much to our amazement we actually all either broke even or came out ahead, unless you add in the bourbon consumed and the valet parking.


Over all it was a lot of fun. It was a mild day sunny but breezy making it feel a bit on the cool side. The shaded grand stand made it that much cooler as you might imagine. On the other hand the bourbon warmed us from the inside. After cashing in our bet slips and getting our truck from the valet we headed TO Lee's Chicken for a quick bite for dinner. Lee's Chicken is a southern franchise that really serves up great fried chicken. Lee's was first discovered by Tony in Rolla, MS off interstate 44 just west of St. Louis. If you love your fried chicken you need to give them a try.

After dinner we returned to our rooms and started putting our toga tying skills to the test in preparation for the Makers Mark toga party that night. I cheated a bit and wore a costume after having a fabric malfunction a toga party years ago ..... apparently it takes a bit more than a twin sheet to tie a toga around a barn, who knew? Sure it's funny now but going to a toga party dressed like a sumo wrestler is a real character builder.

MAKERS MARK WEEKEND

After a few days visiting our friends Jane and Tony at their beautiful new home over looking Bull Shoals Lake, Flippin, Arkansas, the four of us went on a pilgrimage of all things bourbon. During the weekend of April 11th Makers Mark held the 22nd running of the Makers Mark Mile complete with a reception / Toga party the evening of the race. The race was held at the Keeneland race track in Lexington, Ky. about ten hours drive from Flippin, Ar.

The ambassadors reception / Toga party was right in downtown Lexington about a half a block from our hotel. I'm guessing that nearly half of the 800 to 1000 people wore their togas with gusto. I think more people would have but the night temperatures dipped down into the upper 30's. It's a good thing bourbon has a warming affect.

On that Saturday we loaded up and headed west to Loretto, Ky. to tour the the Makers Mark Distillery, drink samples, and dip our bottles in the trademark red wax. The tour was interesting but there were lines every where we went because so many ambassadors were in the area for the weekend.


With our freshly dipped bottles in hand we got back on the road to Paduach, Ky. to rest up for the drive home. If your ever in Paduach and looking for a great steak you half to try Logan's. just a couple blocks west from interstate 24 on Hwy. 61.

ARKANSAS

Fishing the White river just below the dam at Bull Shoals Arkansas with Tony. We had a great time on the river and guessed that we hauled in about 40 to 50 Rainbow trout while out for a half day trip.


We booked a local guide to put us on the fish and he did. We were fishing with Tim "Hotdawg" Curtis of www.hotdawgguideservice.com. Please check out his web site to see some really amazing fish.

We caught our trout on a single hook rigged with a power egg and a few pieces of canned corn. A number 8 egg sinker was just enough to get our rigs down to the bottom where the fish were tucked in out of the fast current. We would drift over a stretch of water with gravel bars on the bottom to pick up our fish. Most of the fish were 14 to 16 inches.