Finally Friday - Flight 93 Memorial

On our drive from  my dad's outside  of Philly to Pittsburgh, we stopped in Shanksville, PA the sight of the Flight  93 National Memorial.  We had a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, reminiscent of that  lovely September 11, 2001. Blue skies, sunny. An innocent Tuesday out  in the country. 

The memorial overlooks the flight path of United 93 as the  passengers fought  the terrorists and  knowingly caused the plane to crash and not head into Washington  DC for evil destruction.

A common field  one  day. A  field of honor  forever       These words enshrine the memory of the crew members and passengers - all  heroes on a tragic  day. 

 This Tower of Voices is a unique chime system in memory of those lost. 

I highly recommend driving  the Lincoln Highway through the countryside of PA and  stopping to  honor  the memory  of  that  solemn  day. The Flight 93 National Memorial  is well done and gives one pause to  remember and not forget a turning point  in history. Bring  a tissue. 

Whatever Wednesday- Makers Mark

So, Monday May 15th, Ray and I were drinking Makers Mark at 10:30 am in Loreto Kentucky.  Gorgeous location in the middle of nowhere.  

Wonderful tour.  I loved the barrel cask  room

Grand finale tasting  was quite good

Fabulous facility with a lot of attention to detail.  The amount  of effort to make this product is amazing. So much is locally sourced and they keep it very environmentally friendly.  This history is impressive and the marketing is enviable. 

Oh yeah - Ray got to dip his own bottle. He's a Makers Mark ambassador for life.  We really enjoyed the tour and this part of Kentucky.  A big WOW!
 

Monday Moments - You Hurt My Feelings

 And now an artsy film review.  You Hurt My Feelings is really good. It's an old fashioned  talkie. Not a lot of action. Just  normal folks living life and  showing  emotions.  No,  Ray did not join  me for this one. 

Julia Louis Dreyfus as Beth is  a novelist with a book that's not quite clicking. She's a bit fragile and  she overhears her  husband, Don  (Tobias Menzies) talking  with a friend. He expresses that he's not sold on her  novel and this just cuts her  to the core. He's always  been so supportive and now she's questioning  life, her marriage,  and just everything.  

Poor Don  is not  aware of what  he's done and he's befuddled. What did I say? What did I do?  Their poor teen son, Elliott (Owen Teague) is caught in  the middle and trying to figure how what the heck is happening  in the family dynamics. 

This ninety minute film is  tight with good acting. I won't give it all away, but thankfully, the duo do communicate and figure things out. It's a reassurance about a long time solid marriage that hits a rocky spot.  There's always ups and  downs, but this film touches on the nuances. 

Nicely done. It's a "little film".  

Finally Friday - Guardians 3

 Hey - finally caught up with Guardians  of the Galaxy 3.  It's ridiculous good fun. I won't even pretend to give the plot.  Hey - saving the galaxy again  - the title says it all.  It's irreverent. If you enjoy the Marvel Universe - this is light and very tongue in cheek.  Chris Pratt is great. Zoe Zaldana is always awesome. Dave Bautista cracks me up.  Vin Diesel voices  Groot and that's enough for me. His growl could read me the phone book and  I'm happy. 

Ray and I enjoyed a movie date as we catch up to real life after vacation. Indulge me - ha!

And have a good weekend!

Whatever Wednesday - Corvettes Galore

As  we planned our  May road trip, Ray signed us up to tour  the Corvette Museum in Bowling  Green,  KY.  It  was quite wonderful. 

Lots of car history, beautiful vettes on  display, and various films discussed the design, styles, etc through the  years. 

Here's  the  restored  one millionth vette. It was a victim  of the sinkhole disaster, but was retrieved and put back into its original  glory. 

Ray has  had  a few Corvettes through the years. He's currently a Camaro man, but you never know when he might  decide he needs to  be rayvette again.  He  did say he  would pay for the  museum  delivery service. You get to  come  pick  up  your car, have  time  on  the track, and a full day of attention. Zoom . Zoom

Here's a view into the  famous sinkhole. Kentucky is full of cave systems. Alas, the Skydome area became a victim in 2014 at 5:30 am. The security footage shows part of the room collapse with eight  priceless Corvettes (including  the  1 millionth  and  1.5 millionth.)  Fortunately no one  was there  or  hurt.

Over  the course of time, all cars were retrieved but three were beyond  repair or replacement - just crumpled metal. Five cars were repaired or replaced thanks to donors and are on display now.

Corvettes are a unique vehicle - distinctive, fast, and a lot of bang for the pricey buck. We enjoyed our tour. 
 

Monday Moments

So - back from a two week trip.  Ray and I drove to PA with stops along  the way (those are future posts).  The key was my friend Helen's daughter Katie (age 30). Her marriage to Nick in Allentown PA brought together the gang.   Meanwhile, here's me with dad at  my brother's house.  Dad is 91-1/2.  Oh, he's a mess, but he's  our mess.   Always cold!

Me, Joanie, Mary Ellen, Lisa, Trish,  and Gita

Wedding cake - yum

The ladies again

The gang.  Brian and Lisa, Me and Ray, Joan, Jim, Mary Ellen, Trish, and Helen  and Dan. 

Such a lovely evening.  Beautiful vows and setting.  And then  so many laughs. Our gang is awesome. I have roots!  Ray dressed up and survived!  

Cheers.  Now gird your loins for a lot of travel posts.......are you ready?
 

Finally Friday

John Grisham has a sweeping saga in The Boys From Biloxi. Boyhood friends, Keith and Hugh, bond on baseball fields and become adversaries as adults. 

Biloxi is known for beaches, resorts, and seafood. On a darker front, the Dixie Mafia controlled gambling, prostitution, drugs, and more.  Keith's father Jesse Rudy embarks on a law career that leads him up the ranks to District Attorney. His vow to clean up the Coast is a pain in Hugh's father, Lance's, backside. Lance Malco is a formidable crime boss and Hugh follows in his dad's footsteps. Keith adores his father and follows the law path. 

As adults, after a horrific crime, Hugh and Keith meet in a courtroom for a shocking showdown. 

This story has good bones, but I found it easy to put down. It was written rather passively and did not engage me. I did get The Boys From Biloxi from the library and was glad I had not paid for it. Sorry, Mr. Grisham. I wish you had told the story with more animated dialogue and passion.