A Staycation Day

Rather than give you the second half of “Rip Off’s” right now, I thought I’d share some thoughts on a more upbeat topic—a delightful day we recently spent.

The temperature was 61 degrees when we woke, with a high predicted in the low 70’s. The sky was crystal blue with big fluffy-“The Simpsons” cartoon-clouds dotting the sky. Too nice to be believable.

This is August in Louisville.  When you expect triple-digit highs and sticky humidity that makes the heat index climb to an official category of “Miserable”.  If this is what climate change foretells for Kentucky all I can say is we have really lucked out. The only downside for us seems to be that the tomato plants are not as productive, nor are they as sweet as when the heat is miserable. But that’s a small trade off for perfect weather.

To celebrate this gorgeous weather we drove to a neighboring county to wander through Yew Dell Botanical Gardens. Yew Dell started as 33 acres of farmland and now is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Preservation Project of the Garden Conservancy. You can see more online at http://www.yewdellgardens.org.

The vistas were beautiful in the Garden and the flowering plants were in glorious, riotous bloom. We did not confine ourselves to the paths but hiked a mile-and-a-half trail that was described as relatively easy with occasional rough and wet spots. Spotting Queen’s Anne Lace and other flowers on the trail and a variety of trees, the trail lived up to its billing.

After a few hours of hiking as well as moseying around, I felt the peace and seclusion you sometimes find in nature. We could have traveled a long distance to experience this much solitude and delight for a short ride and the modest admission fee ($7 for adults; $5 for seniors over 55). 

Note if you choose a similar excursion, a little planning can make it even better. If you want to hike the trails, hiking boots or at least sneakers and insect repellent would be wise to pack along. Thinking we were staying on the paths I had worn walking sandals which at one point became mired in a mud patch. Cleaning my feet and sandals later in a restroom, and then cleaning the restroom of all the mud I spread around, was a bit of a chore. And my husband acquired a few chigger bites. But the mud and “itchies” were well worth the taste of peace and tranquility.

We then ate lunch outside at the Village Anchor. The food was good, the service friendly and the atmosphere perfect. If I’d had a glass of wine I could have stayed all afternoon. But I didn't  so we came home feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. And that’s what a vacation is all about. Even if you don’t go far from home.