My Uncle Ronnie looks like a dignified Sean Connery. And, he loves baseball. He still coaches little league teams even though his own son is an adult.
On Thursday, our second day in Indiana, my Aunt Terry surprised us with a treat she called "going home." Going home meant going south to Kentucky, where my mom lived until she was 17-years-old. Our first stop of the day was the Indiana's Baseball Hall of Fame in Jasper.
We also saw a grand looking courthouse in Boonsville, Indiana.
We meandered through Madisonville, Kentucky and saw the old grocery store where my mom got chocolate ice-cream as a child.
For me, the highlight of the day was arriving at the picturesque Good Hope Cemetery where my Mamma is buried. I guess I am related to almost every person resting in that quiet little grove in Kentucky. But, dear to my heart is my Mamma. An angel. A sweet, sweet lady. It was a special moment when my Pappa offered a prayer in that sacred spot.
Then we drove by my Great Mamma's house. Or, at least what was left of it. My mom described a majestic wooden home with a wrap around porch, frilly decor, old fashioned wallpaper, a wooden staircase that led to the second level where she liked to play in the cozy corners created by the bumped out windows at either end. I had never been to the house before, but what we found was a dilapidated mess, literally falling down, behind a mess of tall weeds.
It seemed to reinforce the temporary state of our mortality.
The end of the day brought my mom's best surprise. My Aunt Terry had coordinated with a huge group of my mom's aunts, uncles and cousins to meet us at the Country Cupboard, a restaurant in Kentucky for dinner. She even tracked down my mom's best friend from her childhood (they lost touch about 15 years ago).
The food. Again with the food. I gained five pounds on that trip. How do I even describe the food? It was an amazing buffet of every southern dish imaginable. The dessert bar was unprecedented with every kind of homemade cake, and pies beautifully topped with meringue six-inches high.
No comments:
Post a Comment