Gateway Arch, St. Louis
On the fifth day of our road trip across the United States, my travel buddy and I drove from Kentucky, through Indiana and Illinois, to St. Louis near the eastern edge of Missouri. We stopped near downtown St Louis and…
Ancestral Shaker Connection?
After visiting Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Kentucky, a surprising connection was found. A few items on exhibit in the Shaker heritage village mentioned Shakers with my surname, Burnett. One is a drawing of a man named Micajah Burnett…
Shaker Culture
Shaker customs were in part unusual and surprisingly progressive. In a time of great civil unrest, women were considered equals to men and those of African heritage were considered free. Working together within the community allowed Shakers to accumulate and…
Shaker Village Friendlies
Shaker Village teems with life, including resident cats, horses, cattle, visiting geese and small birds, as well as a cacophony of insects day and night (mostly at night). The black and white cat is Boomer, who showed up regularly during…
Kentucky Riverboat Cruise
Shaker Village hosts an hour-long riverboat cruise down the Kentucky River and back. It’s a relaxing way to spend an hour, learn more about the area and enjoy the lush and wild landscape. About a 5 minute drive from the…
Visit to Pleasant Hill, Kentucky (haiku)
My traveling companion wrote this lovely haiku during our trip across the United States. Visit to Pleasant Hill, Kentucky hawks high in a Kentucky sky—the shuttle cock makes a design called “open book” train over the river deep note, rumbling…
Bourbon, Lemon Pie & Fireflies
Ninety-five percent of the world’s bourbon is produced in Kentucky distilleries and it’s production is rooted deeply in Kentucky heritage, so I convinced Susanne to try some with me at Shaker Village. We tried a Woodford Reserve I’d heard good…
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky
Shaker Village is located near Harrodsburg, in the heart of Kentucky. It represents a step back in time, echoing the intriguing life of the Shakers, a community that thrived in the raw and uncertain 1800’s. Today, it’s a peaceful haven…
Glen Ferris, West Virginia
Route 60 out of Babcock State Park took us alongside the Kanawha, the most prominent river in West Virginia. The small town of Glen Ferris lays along a broad arc of the river, between Gauley Bridge on the left of…
Vermin, Babcock Park Sentinel
My vermin found a home! What is a vermin you ask? Well, it’s a 4-inch ceramic figure created as part of a worldwide art installation by Jamie Burmeister …and I get to participate! I received my personal vermin as a…
Babcock State Park, West Virginia
On our drive through the Appalachian region, stretching from Virginia into Kentucky, we visited Babcock State Park in West Virginia. There are extensive hikes and vistas in the park, but being short on time kept us close to the entrance.…
Montpelier Estate, Virginia
Montpelier is the sprawling plantation estate of our fourth president, James Madison. Without time to enjoy the house tour, we ambled through the garden and around the grounds. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.