"Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf"

So now I've been to Kentucky.

Colleen has a number of cousins in Kentucky, one of whom turned 30. The family had planned a surprise get together for her; and Colleen drug me 500 miles to meet people that she hadn't seen in years. The Birthday surprise was in three parts. One: Birthday Girl was sent to the airport to pick up a missionary from India; who turned out to be her cousin from Pennsylvania. Two: Colleen was staying at the same bed and breakfast as the now surprised Birthday Girl and mutual cousin, so we would surprise them at Breakfast. Three: about 30 family members from PA, KY and VA were in town to celebrate, and Birthday Girl didn't have a clue. I am so glad we went.

Colleen and I left on Friday and about two hours after we left her neighborhood, finally hit the highway. We had some errands to run. And we are slow people. But our trek began nonetheless. Google was our guide, and suggested we hit Frederick MD by way of US15 and then head West to Hagerstown and follow 68 along the MD PA border. After crossing into WV we got on 79 and stayed on it until Charleston. Then 64 west into Kentucky. We took an extra long dinner, and got lost, so we were on the road for about 12 hours. Thankfully, the innkeepers at the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at were very cool about our after 9pm arrival. They showed us to our room and we collapsed on the comfortable bed.


















The next day at Breakfast (sweet potato pancakes, IHOP eat your heart out) Colleen's cousins came down and their was much squealing and catching up as part two of the surprise was sprung. We headed out after breakfast, got lost again, and finally arrived at the location for the surprise.

Now let me be brutally honest here. I liked this family, I liked their house. It was great, and they were hospitable, so the next thing I have to say should not be seen as mean spirited, it is just so that you may get a glimpse into my mind. We visited people who live past the middle of nowhere. I mean if you go through the middle of nowhere, turn right, and go another hour, you get to the far end of nowhere, keep going a little ways and you can get to their house. On the plus side, these are some of the views off of their property.





Gorgeous right? And that's in January folks. Those of us who rarely leave the coasts save for vacations often forget how big the country is.


Anyway, we got to the party, and I met cousins and Aunt's and Uncles and Second Cousins and babies and dogs and all in all had a great time. We ate well, talked a lot, and celebrated with Birthday cake and presents. I also got to pick a little banjo, and let me say that I am not naturally talented at that particular instrument.

We got back late that night, and I went to bed an hour or so later. Colleen and Birthday Cousin and surprise number one cousin from PA stayed up until close to five AM. We got up, had breakfast (individual quiches no cheese on mine thank you very much), took some pictures and headed east.













The trip back let us see more of Kentucky during the day. We drove through Bourbon County on the way back, but I saw no distillery tour signs. I almost ran us out of gas in West Virginia, and we didn't see traffic until we were north of Harrisonburg on 81.

Another long trip for us, and we enjoyed it, so expect more travelogues once it warms up and we have money.

"Theme From a Summer Place"

I really want a Better Blue than Red shirt.

"Kokomo"

I've seen two new commercials for tourism in Aruba. They feature Lewis Black. Apparently there are nine new videos. I wish I was going on vacation soon, I'd go to Aruba just because they hired Lewis Black.

"Welcome Home"

The Acadmey Award nominated short film 9 is being adapted as a feature length film. The trailer hit on Christmas Day.



It's been so long since I've done his, I forget how to embed videos. But it's worth taking a second to check out the links.

"Baby Elephant Walk"

It was funnier when I wrote it.



Once Again, Pop Candy Gives me an idea, and I run with it. Not very far mind you, but still.

Jaman.com I don't know what they do, but I wasted an hour on the site.

"Tanti Auguri "

Happy Birthday Jeff. I know you won't read this for a while, but Happy Birthday anyway.

I'm OK with 4.0, there is a lot to read over, but what I am happiest about is the fact that I was able to reuse the end of the Pirate Joke strip as the end of this strip!

"I Keep it Under My Hat"

Thank you all for playing. Fantastic answers from everyone.

1 is a Bearskin, way to go Dave. Called a Bearskin because that is what they are actually made of to this day. There have been calls for changing to something other than bear skins for over 100 years, but nothing has been done so far. I can find only apocryphal trivia as to why the hat is shaped the way it is, but I like it, so I'll allow it. People say, that the hat was designed like it is, so that elite foot soldiers like grenadiers and fusiliers had some protection against the swords of mounted cavalry.

2 is indeed a top hat. Top hats are now made of silk, but used to be made of felt. They were made of felt because it was close to the feel of beaver pelts, which is what the previously popular hat style: the Beaver Hat, was made out of. They are virtually identical visually.

3 is a Kippah or Yarmulke. Kippah is the Hebrew word for dome, and Yarmulke is the Yiddish word for cap. Way to go everyone.

4 is a Fez. Originally worn in Ancient Greece, their use spread to what was the Ottoman empire. The Fez became part of the uniform of the "Shriner" since the organization's inception in the 1870s. The group was an offshoot of Freemasons that took a Middle Eastern theme, and the red Fez continues to be part of their image today.

5 is a Deerstalker, thank you Dave! The hat was an outdoorsmen hat, used by hunters and the like. The original Holmes stories do not mention a deerstalker at all, but early illustrations put him in one. In fact, Holmes never would have worn a deerstalker hat in the city, only in the country, but modern takes on the legend always include the hat, and the wearing of it, regardless of the setting.

6 is a Pork Pie Hat, way to go Jeff. The Pork pie hat is like a Fedora, but with a flat top. Often associated with jazz music, there is a great Charles Mingus tune called "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" that is dedicated to Lester Young

7 is a Boater, also called a Skimmer or Basher. These hats are made of straw, but a "straw hat" is not really a kind of hat. It's like saying a "felt hat" or "leather hat". Straw is just a material, not a style in this case. Like I said, nowadays you only see the cheap ones at conventions, but I think I want to get one of these for the summer. Apparently the were almost "uniform" for the FBI in the days before WWII. Mush like our next hat after the war.

8 is a Fedora. Related to the Trilby and the Homburg, this classic hat is made of felt, other styles made of other materials are technically not Fedoras, we just call them that. Apparently, Jughead from Archie comics, and Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show are wearing a modified Fedora style that was popular among young boys between the wars.

9 is a Bowler hat. It's also called a Derby hat. I can't find evidence to claim that they are different hats. Hard topped hats, with enough shape to give a little protection, they were popular in cities across England and America.

10 is a Kepi. Dave got real close with Shako, but they are taller. Still full points for naming a French Military hat with similar style! Mark also came close, but Bell Boy hats do not have brims. The current US Army Patrol Cap is most likely a direct decedent of the French Kepi.

11 is a Tam O'shanter. They sold them by the bucket at the Highland Games.

12 is a Campaign Hat. Ranger hat is another name for them, much like drill instructor hat, but if you want the quartermaster to sit up and take notice when you order one, call it a Campaign Hat.

13 is an Ushanka. OK that was a little hard, sorry! I had to look that one up myself, I always called them ear flap hats.

14 is a Chupalla. They are from Chile. Flat top, made of straw, wide brim.

15 Correct answers! Yeah, you can call them Newsboy caps, Gatsby caps, Fisherman's caps... I think we call them Newsie caps b/c Jeff's sister watched that movie so much it was on all the time when we came over to visit.

16 is a Montera or Bull Fighters hat. I can find no etymology for the word. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a region of Spain, but I've got nothing to back this up. Multiple sites agree that it is called a Montera hat, but none say why.

17 is a Beret. Good job everyone.

18 is a Trucker Hat. I just finished William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties. The people of that America use the slang term meshback instead of redneck. It all stems from their hats.

19 is a Toque Blanche. Yeah, I know, it means white hat. Still, it's got a certain... I don't know what, wouldn't you say?

20 is a Pith Helmet.

Thank you everyone, nice job Jeff and hemisphire getting answers done within 30 minutes of each other, and within 2 hours of my posting. Thanks go to Dave for finishing up many of the missing pieces. Mark made me laugh during a long day at work with his answers, so my thanks to him as well.

Hope you all had a great weekend, I hope I'll have pictures of mine soon.