Kentucky

Twist and Shout is an annual convention geared toward balloon artists. This year, it was held in Kentucky, a state I'd never previously visited. Hell, it's known for fried chicken, bourbon, baseball and, according to one of our Uber drivers, bad roads. Nothing to see here, at least for a vegetarian non-drinker who has no interest in sportsball. Add to that, it's where Mitch McConnell lurks, and you have a recipe for avoidance.

I'm always open for new experiences though. Jeanine and Eva left for the convention on Tuesday, and after more or less completing my work week, I followed on Friday.

I used to take a travel journal with me whenever I flew anywhere, a habit that has since fallen to the shoulder of the hectic freeway of life. For this trip, I attempted to resurrect it. I completed one journal entry sometime on Saturday:

Out the window, barren trees reach for a gray sky. They border the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza hotel. Beyond them is the freeway. I'm not sure which one.

Around half an hour ago, feather-light drifts of snow danced down, seeming to dart anxiously, as if afraid of the beckoning blacktop.

I'm at the Twist and Shout convention in Louisville, KY. First time in this state. Umpteenth time at Twist and Shout. I elected not to pay the $145 for a day pass, and instead have been reading and wandering. I went out to look for birds earlier, but didn't see anything I haven't also seen in California - Robins, Starlings, Northern Mockingbird, Song Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and perhaps some Golden-crowned Sparrows (who flew away as if McConnell himself was after them). There was a large raptor in the aforementioned trees this morning, but I only saw it through the hotel window and, as if it felt my gaze upon it, it swooped down and away.

Eva woke up recently, probably around 3:30 or so, got ready, and left to see if any of her friends were awake yet. She stayed up all night, reporting that it was snowing heavily at 6:00 AM. Jeanine and I had a late breakfast this morning, buffet style. The waitress was talkative and friendly, complaining about being forced to take breaks.

Yesterday, my trip was uneventful (Jeanine and Eva got here on Tuesday, but I worked through Thursday), although there was a 45 minute delay at Midway as airline employees struggled to find a passenger's wayward luggage. I arrived around midnight and joined Jeanine in the jam room. At this point, I recognize a lot of people at these conventions, but Jeanine says there are definitely a lot of new faces this year.

Tonight is the gala banquet. In the meantime, I think I'll go back outside and wander around. Being in the jam room would be fun too, but perhaps not $145 fun.

Tomorrow, after the convention ends, we're going to go explore.

The gala banquet featured an excellent vegetarian option in the form of a pastry shell stuffed with tomatoes, leafy greens, and feta cheese. The entertainment was of the usual high quality, but there seemed to be less of it this year. I got a chance to see the competition pieces, especially enjoying the Alien versus Predator and the Ghost Rider pieces. But then again I would. At the end of it all, they announced that next year's convention was going to be held in Reykjavik. Just kidding. Southern California.

Explore we did. After another buffet-style hotel breakfast (this time the "special" eggs didn't have bacon in them. Yay!), we set out for Cave Hill Cemetery, eternal home of Col. Sanders and Muhammad Ali, as well as lots of other dead people. I brought along my camera. I didn't feel like lugging my 600mm lens with me, so made do with a 300mm one instead, which is like the old one I broke last year, except that it likes giving me "lens error" messages, especially when I'm trying to take pictures of nervous birds.

Never let it be said that the goose family plot goes unvisited.

The cemetery was a vast expanse of greenery, pockmarked by monuments of all sizes and descriptions. We set out without a map, pausing to admire various striking markers and sculptures. The first birds I saw were Canada Geese, and then a very cooperative Cooper's Hawk. I would have gotten some excellent photos if I'd bothered to bring the right lens for the job.

Eventually, we found some birds we couldn't see at home. Cardinals! The first one I saw was a female, but then Jeanine spotted a patch of red in a a tree near the pond. I took some poor photos.

We found Muhammad Ali before we found the Colonel. His grave site features a depression into which people have through coins. Not sure why. After a longish walk to the other side of the cemetery, we found the Colonel. There was another cardinal near his grave.

Winding our way back to the entrance, we planned our next move. There was a vegan restaurant that came highly recommended by a variety of non-vegans, so we figured we'd give it a go. Upon arrival, we discovered it was closed on Sunday. Fortunately, the record store across the street wasn't. I ended up buying a Steeleye Span cd, mostly because it was cheap and because I always try to support record stores.

Back at the hotel, we joined a number of other convention-goers for a trip to a nearby restaurant for the traditional non-latex dinner (during which people who mention balloons have to contribute money to a jar which goes toward tipping the wait-staff). I got a jalapeno and onion pizza, which was long in coming due to the fact that were ended up being a party of 40 plus.

Then it was back to the hotel. We flew out together in the morning.

Eva made her first balloon dress during the convention. I made a tardigrade. Jeanine made lots of stuff, being that she is the professional in our family. She placed third in this year's Broken Balloon Pump competition. She also finally has her own trading card.

Currently listening to: Panopticon "Kentucky" (of course)