My first trip to the Kentucky Derby was surprisingly uneventful considering I went to the infield when I was 21 and in college. I was too afraid to try to sneak in booze and, after purchasing my ticket, didn’t have any money left to place a bet, let alone buy a mint julep. My second experience far surpassed the first. I lucked into free box seats and witnessed Barbaro’s … [Read more...]
Come this time of year folks' minds turn to dry land fish (also known as morel mushrooms). But these aren't just any mushroom. Much like the truffle in Europe (but much less expensive!) the morel can't be cultivated and can be near impossible to find. You can be standing in a patch of a hundred and swear there are none to be found. Then you blink and they materialize, just like … [Read more...]
I have always been in love with patterns. For the most part, I prefer tone on tone, so the pattern then becomes more textural rather than about the colors themselves. This herringbone floor is a great example. I can’t even explain my feelings about this floor. It is so yummy, it truthfully leaves me somewhat speechless, and that’s hard to do! I just want to slap somebody … [Read more...]
Yesterday, April 22, marked the 16th anniversary of the date when my mother—an only child—lost her sister following a kidney transplant. As a dutiful son, I, along with one of my brothers, visited our aunt’s grave to pay our respects on the anniversary of her death. She is buried in the Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, under a massive rock from an Arizona … [Read more...]
People always ask me about an unexpected place where can they put a little personality or color in their home. Through these conversations, I’ve found that one of the most forgotten places to have a little fun is the staircase. Now I’m not suggesting that you paint your staircase turquoise, unless it makes sense in your home, and we know right off-hand, it would be a very, … [Read more...]
In the ever-evolving world of trends in home decor, there seems to be one almost constant out there: BIRDS! And I mean anything to do with birds—bird cages, feathers, nests. They’re everywhere! I’m not really sure what the deal is with the fascination of birds. Maybe it’s the chirping; maybe they just look cute, but there are birds EVERYWHERE! It’s been interesting to … [Read more...]
There is positively nothing like spring! That is, if you can look past all the allergies for many of us. There is renewed life, new hope! There is nothing like putting on the flip-flops for the first time in the spring. You can identify with that, right? Or is it just me? I can just squeal with excitement the first time I slip them on! Spring brings many things—including real … [Read more...]
I took a spin around the new Distilled Spirits Epicenter in Louisville this week. It's a bit of a hodge podge, with an artisan distillery, a bottling company, a site for research and development, and most interesting to me, a place to learn about the craft of distilling beverages -- for enthusiasts, not necessarily just pros. Moonshine University, I hear, will offer … [Read more...]
This May, we’ll launch our fourth annual edition of “The Food Issue.” With it, we also will introduce a new food column. Food writer Dana McMahan will take readers on a county-by-county journey of Kentucky’s most interesting eats. Since there’s more fabulous fare and stories than we can fit in the magazine, Dana will dish about her travels and fantastic food finds … [Read more...]
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past few days, you’ll know that Kentucky has a lot to celebrate this coming weekend with March Madness! With both the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky men’s basketball teams being in the Final Four—and sadly having to play each other in the semi-finals—there’s going to be a lot of emotion and … [Read more...]
