Through it All

"Hold on, hold tight
If I'm out of your sight
And everything keeps moving on, moving on" -"Breathe in Breath Out" Mat Kearney

me & my quilt 'Shattered Chaos'

 I'm really enjoying the new apartment and am slowly getting things put where I want them and where they'll work best.  I have yet to put anything on the walls aside from hanging one of my quilts by the front door - it makes me smile every time I come through the door. 

 One thing I love about the apartment is the balcony!  I can sit outside and stare out at the parking lot & other building.  haha.  Though true, it's not so depressing - there are trees and greenery around.  It's also fairly quiet which is rare for apartments.  Some of my neighbors have wind chimes that make the most gorgeous tones.  On particularly windy days the chimes are reminiscent of the Harry Potter theme.  Other times they sound just like those in the movie August Rush.  It cooled off some last week and I could open the windows and listen to the chimes at night. *happysigh*

There are also a number of hummingbirds out here - many balconies/porches have a feeder out.  They just zipp around, occasionally hovering within arms' reach, and are fun to watch.  One Saturday morning was overcast and rainy so I went out to sit and watch/listen to the rain and spotted a brave hummingbird flitting through the rain from one tree to the next.

While I'm all moved in, I have no washer/dryer in the unit.  There is a closet with the hookups which mocks me, but so far no actual laundry facility included.  This meant I got to trek out to the laundromat and re-live the college days of lugging laundry & quarters to the machines.  Oddly enough, I enjoy laundromats and come prepared with book, iPod and trusty camera.  

at least it's festive - though I doubt people actually claim these items!

It's fun to watch other people wait for laundry and it was sort of nice to just have to sit and wait for my clothes to finish.  I couldn't rush off anywhere else and could enjoy sitting with my book.  In the background was the VH1 movie about the Temptations so there was good music as well.  :o)  I waited until everyone else had left before snapping this picture as it hung above the door. I didn't notice until afterwords the security camera was right next to it - oops!  

No pants!

There's not much that can follow that so I'll leave you with this final thought dear reader:

Pants are always optional!!

sing, sing a song....

Here's a fun link for your enjoyment!  Taken from the movie "The Gang's All Here" featuring Benny Goodman (clarinetist!) & Carmen Miranda: a song all about Paducah!!  How crazy is that? 

I never would have guessed that there was a song about Paducah since it isn't exactly a large metropolis of entertainment & fast-paced style like New York, New York or Chicago.  

Never fear dear reader, because this is what you've been missing in your life since I moved away!

                                                        Paducah!

Sun in the morning and the Moon at night

sunbeams through a halo of cloud

In time dear reader, you'll discover that I can't resist snapping pictures of the clouds. I love capturing the colors of the sunset, stormy weather, or any great play of sun & cloud.  With just a normal camera it's difficult to take in the entire sky and so it's become an unceasing thrill to try and catch the moment just right - too early and it's only a normal sky, too late and there's no color left to kiss the clouds.  

Today I stuck to snapping shots of the morning sun across the river and the awesome moon from the other night. I can already tell I'll be hooked on pictures of the river as well the more I explore around the area and find good vantage points.  

3 barges crossing paths

I noticed the orange glow of the almost full moon while coming home from the store and was in awe of the color and size in the sky.  I spent some time chasing the moon from parking lots and sidewalks and ended up with several good shots even without a super-zoom on my camera.
Enjoy!

"someone handed me the moon today"

"you can always go - downtown"

Downtown on a Saturday night is where you want to be in Paducah.  During the summer, every Saturday after 6pm is part of the 'Downtown after Dinner.'  Several of the main streets close down and street performers move in with live music, chalk drawings, clog dancers and more.  Shops stay open and each week seems to have some variety of kids events, concerts, etc.

  

Sunset on the river

It's nice to just sit by the river and watch the boats or barges travel back & forth.  Usually there's a nice breeze as well and people are out with binoculars, picnic dinners & walking the dogs.  Two older gentlemen sat in front of me with loaves of bread and were feeding the birds!  It was really cute to watch them just talk and sit and toss bread pieces.

chocolate w/pineapple - mmmm!

 This week I stopped into the local ice cream factory where the line was almost out the door! It's like a Cold Stone in that they have the cold slab for adding mix-ins, but they have their own names for the ice cream sundaes which include: '37 flood, hog heaven, banana towboat, patchwork & chief paduke parfait.  I went simple to start as I'm sure to visit again (and again...).    :o)

Living statue perfomer

Alongside the balloon animal maker and a local band was this street performer.  She was really good at staying on the bucket and holding her poses. Every once in a while she would release, stretch and re-pose - it was great fun to watch!


I've only been to 2 of these so far but they are fun and enjoyable.  It runs through Labor Day so I'm hoping to catch the next few before the summer ends.

Things I've learned about KY - so far

Bird: Cardinal

Flower: Goldenrod

Fossil: Brachiopod

Fruit: Blackberry

Musical Instrument: Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer

Slogan: Unbridled Spirit

Famous Kentuckians::

James Bowie

Thomas Merton

Mary Todd Lincoln

Carrie Nation

Henry Clay

Steven Curtis Chapman (born in Paducah!)

George Clooney - who knew he was born in KY?!

Johnny  Depp

Loretta Lynn

Muhammad Ali

Diane Sawyer

Weekends

I've done a bit of exploring during the weekends and scouting out what's around in the entertainment department.


 Last weekend I went to the woman's roller derby bout!  One of my coworkers' daughter-in-law-to-be is on the team and so I went to help cheer her on and experience the derby for the first time.  On the way, all I could think about was the Psych episode "Talk Derby to Me" - which was entertaining because that wasn't quite what happened at the bout - no detective work necessary except to add up the points from each jam.  My team was the Radioactive City Atomics!

The Atomics are in black & green

 This was the 'idiot's guide' to the world of roller derby.  Here the girls hold up signs that point out the key players.  I won't try to explain the working of scoring points as it is hard to understand without seeing it in action. 

Track side seating on the floor for the super-fans!  Several skaters did crash into them but I guess that's part of the thrill.





 

 Derby in action! Fast paced, quick skating & chaotic at times to keep track of what was going on in each jam.






Lots of refs are needed to pay attention to every detail, but my favorite was 'M.C. Ninja' - just in time for a Night of Stealth & Elegance back in VA!

Sadly, our team lost to the Vette City Vixens but the bout was still exciting.  I will definitely go again - but only as a spectator!

Around Town

So far the explorations of Paducah have been limited to grocery shopping @ Wal Mart, driving to & from work and walking around the neighborhood.
 Major accomplishments around the house include hanging up clothes in my wonderful walk-in closet.  While useful and satisfying in a settled-in way, this is hardly enough to excite anyone other than myself so I'll continue onto the the fun parts!

As the museum is close to the Ohio & Tennessee Rivers, I can eat lunch outside at picnic table and watch the barges & boats.  This week the butterflies have also been out and about, dancing through the flowers as I eat.  :o)

Lunchbreak view - Across the river is IL

With several of the passing rain showers, I've already seen a gorgeous full rainbow across the water. Sadly, I couldn't get a complete shot of it.




Before the summer intern left, we went out to Flamingo Row which is where the locals go to eat. I'm all ready blending in!

Flamingo Row Restaurant

  It was sort of like a Cheeseburger in Paradise, but better - due to the name alone!  Each menu item has a fun name - I tried the Sunset Pier #12. 






And lastly for now, but most decidedly not the least is a billboard that pretty much sums it up. Snaps - this one's for you!

KY vs. MD :: Round 1

 First of all, let's state the obvious: West KY is in a different time zone from East Coast America.  Which makes it (almost) never too late to for friends to call me. *hinthint*  I'm sure one I hook up the cable that I'll be missing all my favorite shows by an hour until I figure it out!

Now for the not so obvious: People here run red lights like crazy!  

I was certainly not expecting this to be part of the KY atmosphere really.  Sure, I've seen it happen a hundred times and have come close to doing it myself on occasion. Out here, it's more noticeable & every time I sit in my car and think, what an idiot!

Mind you, this isn't limited to a light that is yellow and turns red as the car or two goes through the intersection. Oh no.  This is watching a car squeak through that yellow/red light and then watching the next 2-3 cars drive on through the red without so much as tapping on their brakes.  It's a bit nerve wracking to watch & you better believe that I will be checking those intersections before jumping at the next green light!

Numero Dos

Tonight marks the end of week 2 and I'd like to state for the record: T G I F like whoa!  

Starting a new job had it's own set of pitfalls and frustrations that linger for the first several weeks.  I spent the first few days working with the summer intern & Curator to prep & hang the new exhibit which was, in a word, fantastic!  I had some time to learn my way around the office and acquaint myself with the layout of the museum. This was stage 1 of the new job - where I didn't have email or specific things to do quite yet.  
  Stages 2-5 came quickly after as I hit the ground running with managing workshops (and the obligatory snafus), staff meetings, shopping trips, learning names and rearranging the desk.  Also, I now have email so I can really get into contacting people regarding workshop registrations and event planning.


  This week I have been hopping like crazy to be introduced to all sorts of co-workers, volunteers, workshop participants and board members.  I've been earning my stripes in how to run a workshop from name tag creation to snack carts to fielding questions about the shop, all while watching the participants create beautiful projects.  Today in particular was a back 'n forth, up 'n down the hall kind of day as I am in the transitions from learning to fully-responsible.


   It seems as though I'll be busy all the time with the upcoming events & learning the ropes.  On the flip side, that means I'll be working some longer days & Saturdays too.  Hopefully I won't have to give up all my Saturdays because that would be tragic! All in all, I am enjoying the job and the museum and the people immensely and am looking forward to being a part of the museum!

Welcome!

So you've found my blog - congratulations!  

This, dear reader, is an experiment of epic proportions to chronicle all sorts of new adventures & discoveries in the wilds of Kentucky.  :oD

In lieu of recent changes and shifts in job & home, I thought about starting a blog.  At first I found myself a little wary of the vastness of the internet, yet intrigued at the possibilities. Then, even though I was busy packing everything I own into boxes and several weeks later unpacking it all, I started writing new posts in my head - things that might seem interesting to friends back home and a way to share all the exciting new things I'd be doing.

Bring me that horizon & stay tuned for more - same bat time, same bat channel!