DERBY, DOG WALK, DON'S AND DUKE
The Kentucky Derby
Of course, the 'mac daddy' of all sporting events in Kentucky (with the possible exception of any UK men's basketball game, especially at this time of year), the Kentucky Derby. Since 1925, the Derby has also been known as "The Run for the Roses", when the term was used by a New York sports reporter. From the Derby site:
Each year, a garland of more than 400 red roses is sewn into a green satin backing with the seal of the Commonwealth on one end and the Twin Spires and number of the race’s current renewal on the other. Each garland is also adorned with a "crown" of roses, green fern and ribbon. The "crown," a single rose pointing upward in the center of the garland, symbolizes the struggle and heart necessary to reach the Derby Winner’s Circle.
Ladies attempt to outdo each other by wearing the most fantastical hats. I haven't seen one that is as wide as the wearer is tall, but I wouldn't put it past some of the fashionable attendees. The ladies here can give the British Royal Family's ladies' hats (worn for important social or religious occasions) a run for their money
(picture from thereandbackagain.com travel site)
~~~oOo~~~
Dog Walk & Don's
'Dog Walk' is (as far as I can tell) a local name for the rural neighborhood in which we live. Don's Country Market is the only brick-and-mortar store in this area. Just about every morning, from 7:00 am on, there is a regular crowd of farmers and other folk sitting in the little dining area, drinking coffee, gossiping and eating biscuits and gravy (and other breakfast buys) made on site.
Don's is where I first heard that my father-in-law had bought a second house. One of the owners asked me, knowing that I was family. I had to tell her that that was the first I had heard of the news. (Turns out it was true.) Ah, I love a small, tightly-knit community.
~~~oOo~~~
Duke
My female MC, JC Hatfield, has a hound dog named Duke (after the old dog on The Beverly Hillbillies). JC gave the dog (as a puppy) to her father, who liked to hunt. The father passed on, which was the impetus for JC to return to Troublesome Springs (the closest town to the house). Duke misses his human, but proves to be a faithful and protective companion to JC.
