Day 24 - Bourbon, Bonnie, and Betsy

After a big day yesterday, an easy morning was welcome. We broke fast and caught up on our blogging (our public are sooo demanding), then headed south toward Nashville to the Jim Beam distillery on the north edge of Bernheim Forest in Bullitt County. A serious volume of hooch is produced here - Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Kessler's, Baker's, Basil Hayden, Booker's, Hardin's Creek, Little Book, Legent, Lineage, Old Tub, Old Crow, Old Overholt - good grief, everything from $8 engine degreaser to $385 gold, if you can find it. (Clue: our engine is shiny, but the car doesn't want to stay on the road.)

Over lunch we tried some of their mixed drinks. Betsy had one called 'She Snapped' with Basil Hayden, snap pea, lemon, balsamic and celery. It was delicious (we all tasted each other's), finishing almost savory instead of sweet. But the name reminded me of the fridge magnet from a housewife to the family, "Gone crazy, supper is on the ceiling!"

Who said Bourbon tours cannot be educational. We learned all kinds of things, including the booze maker's version of a color wheel. 

We ended the day in Betsy's living room with some new blood for our evening entertainment - Frank, a dear friend of Betsy and Dean's. We originally had planned to go to a Bonnie Raitt concert, but Bonnie deferred. Frank had BIG shoes to fill, and he did pretty good. We got a good sense of Louisville and the bridge, golf and pool scenes of the town. Good on ya, Frank - if only you had red hair and played a slide Stratocaster! Stories of pool hall teammates who casually mentioned their time in the Pen gave Louisville a luster that merits another visit. 

License plate count - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arizona Navajo Nation, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Caddo Nation, Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma Chocktaw Nation, Oklahoma Osage Nation, Oklahoma Peoria Nation, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec. And from Mexico - Ciudad de Mexico, Sonora.

Geraldine Brooks' latest book called Horse is as good as all her others. Kentucky 1850, New York 1954, to Washington D.C. 2019. This is a remarkable story about the thoroughbred horse named Lexington. A perfect story to read while thinking about Kentucky.

Sadly, Bonnie Raitt had to postpone her concert at the lovely Palace Theater here in Louisville. We made do with Frank's stories, CDs of Bonnie and sipping a little bourbon at Betsy's. Here you go, the first song I learned to play on my new Martin guitar. The first line is 'I am an old woman...' John Prine's Angel From Montgomery, sung by Bonnie and Jackson Brown in 2022 at the Women in Music concert.

Bonnie Raitt Performs 'Angel From Montgomery' At the 2022 Billboard Women In Music Awards - YouTube.