Antiques Roadshow…and Lovin’ Louisville

After a wonderful trip to Edisto Beach, SC, Helen (adorable wife) and I drove back to Tennessee with plans to spend two days at home then hook up Gracey once again and go north to Louisville, Kentucky for a week full of fun. Those plans looked to be in serious jeopardy when we were within 30 miles of home. Bert (truck) suffered a broken wheel bearing causing us to limp down the interstate at 30 miles an hour with our caution lights flashing and an unbearable crunching sound coming from the left front wheel.

The next morning we had Bert towed to the repair shop while Helen canceled our reservation at Camp Carlson on Fort Knox and obtained a room at the IHG Holiday Inn Express on the same military base. We were fortunate because we got the last room available.  Suddenly, our trip was back on, and things were looking up.

The original purpose of our trip was to attend Antiques Roadshow, the very popular television show broadcast on NPR.  The race track at Churchill Downs was the site of the production. We have attended Antiques Roadshow twice previously, once in Knoxville, and once in Myrtle Beach and although we don’t have antiques of great value, the trips are always fun, and the people you meet are delightful.

Tickets to Antiques Roadshow are not obtained easily. Anyone wishing to attend must apply well in advance and be fortunate enough to have their name drawn in a lottery.  Our names were not selected, but our daughter-in-law also submitted an application, and it was her lucky day. We attended on her tickets. Our appointed time slot was 1:00 pm.

We took four things with us to have appraised. Helen had an old bowl of unknown origin and a commemorative hand-blown bottle produced when the Tennessee Valley Authority completed the first hydroelectric dam in the system.  The bottle featured an etching of Franklin Roosevelt and was believed to be the only glass etching of the former President.

I took two maps. One, printed in 1812 showing the states and territories in North America as they existed at the time, and another map of the State of Tennessee. The only thing I knew about the Tennessee map was that it appeared old. I also took a Rolex watch that I purchased in the mid-70’s and still had the original purchase receipt and certifications. 

Most of the early morning attendees had departed by the time we arrived which made it easy to move around. We watched as the cameras rolled on some lucky attendees who had brought treasures along for appraisal.  I saw one of the lucky ones scream “Oh Wow”! as the host let her know that her item was worth well beyond anything she imagined.

Just as we suspected, our items did not make the cut for show segments.  Helen’s bottle surprisingly was valued at around $500, but her bowl received only the comment of “interesting.” My map of North America came in at $100, but my Tennessee map was only a reproduction of the original. The value of the Rolex was in line with my estimate.

As we passed the appraising booths, we notice Lark Mason sitting in one of them.  Lark is one of the regular appraisers on the Roadshow and is also a graduate of the University of Tennessee.  We stopped to say hello and spent a few minutes chatting with him.  Lark was very generous with his time and agreed to have his picture taken with us.

Like the past Roadshows we attended, we didn’t leave rich, but we did leave with some great memories, and that was treasure enough.

Kentucky is well known for a lot of things, and Bourbon is one of them.  Helen and I thought it would be both fun and interesting to take a tour of a Bourbon distillery while in the area and, for me, it had to be Maker’s Mark about an hour away in Loretto, Kentucky. It was a beautiful day for a drive.

 

 

Maker’s Mark Distillery sits on Star Hill Farm, a lush, green and manicured setting which is also the site of two previous distilleries before Maker’s Mark, founded in the early 1950’s. The distillery offers several tours a day, and we had about twelve to fifteen people accompany us on our tour, led by a very energetic tour guide named Courtney. Courtney loved her job and entertained us with a great sense of humor. We learned a lot about the manufacturing process. I was very impressed with the attention to detail required to produce a consistent product and learned that the water found in the area is the key ingredient. Some of those along on tour seemed eager for the tasting that came at the end. I had to agree that this was the best part.

Included in our original plans for the last night in Louisville was to take our newfound riches from the Antiques Roadshow and then double our fortune on race night at Churchill Downs. Since that plan did not work out as we intended, we decided that we would stick to the two dollar window and carefully scrutinize our choice for each race. That plan also went awry when Helen decided that she would bet on Number Four in each race. So much for plans.

Robin and Mary, two Louisvillians and great friends, were our hosts for the evening, accompanied by two of their sons and daughters-in-law. Robin had arranged entry to the Turf Club through the generosity of a friend which meant we had box seats near the finish line as well as a bar and scrumptious buffet to our rear. This Tennessee country couple was living large.

Before I placed a bet, I combed through the Racing Form searching for clues that would lead me to the victorious horse in each of the six races. I started out with a modest degree of luck, but in the end, I stood fifty cents ahead—still better than losing. Helen, on the other hand, giggled away at the rest of us while continuing to bet on Number Four in each race…and walked away with $75. Go figure!

Honestly speaking, we both hit the jackpot in Louisville.  Livin’ large and lovin’ life while havin’ fun with friends is delightful time spent…Easin’ Along.