Kentucky Horse Park & Kentucky State Capitol Trips

Hi Friend! :) 

I still haven't finished writing about last summer's adventures in Kentucky, so here's another installment. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

 On July 18th, Debby, another coworker, and I drove to the Kentucky State Capitol for a tour. 

This is the only capitol building that has changing lights in the rotunda. They were added in 2010 for the building's 100th anniversary. 

In this room, all the walls are made with marble from Georgia.

This Lincoln statue is made from bronze, as well as Barkley's statue (below). Some interesting facts about Barkley: Barkley was the vice president under President Truman. His nickname was Veep, given by his grandkids. However, he didn't like the title of vice president. 

The above statue is of Henry Clay, who was the author of the 1850 compromise. His goal was to keep the U.S. out of the Civil War for 11 years. 

The details inside are just remarkable.

House of Representatives

Lights were added in this House of Representatives in 1980. 

Postal system

Welcome to the state reception room, which used to be the governor's office. The chairs, which are 120 years old, were hand carved from Russia to match the marble table from Italy.

These are infinity mirrors.

This is a gorgeous setting. The windows open to the balcony and the view is just stunning.

The balcony pillars are made with limestone from Indiana and weigh 36,000 pounds each.

Welcome to the Supreme Court. All the wood in here is mahogany from Honduras. Fun facts: the benches are at least 118 years old and the chandeliers are original brass weighing 1,000 pounds each. 

After visiting all the rooms, we walked down a hallway of displays of all the first ladies. 

This represents the current first lady, Britainy Beshear, and the first dog, Winnie. :) 

In another room, they have statutes and busts of important people. This is a statue of Nettie Depp. She became the 1st superintendent 5 years before she could actually vote. 

I thought it was interesting there was a dragonfly on the back of her hat. 

Colonel Sanders was the owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken, but in 1965, he sold his rights to it to John Brown for 2 million dollars. John Brown then sold it for 282 million, and Sanders never spoke to him again. 

In the hall of 'Kentucky Women Remembered' were many paintings of women who have made outstanding contributions to Kentucky through the years. I found this one interesting. Esther Whitley lived in Lincoln County from 1755-1833. Her biography read: Ester Whitley's life exemplifies Kentucky pioneer woman - strong, adventurous, and spirited. Ms. Whitley and her husband built the first brick home in Kentucky complete with the first "American" race track which horses ran counter-clockwise on an oval track with a clay surface. She was also an accomplishment markswoman and her rife (with engraved initials) is on display at the William Whitley House in Lincoln County. 

This was another neat exhibit with each square embroidered with something about each town in Kentucky.

Franklin has one of the last covered bridges in the state.

I liked the documents that were posted in the hall. 

The Governor's Mansion lies just across the street. It's the state's second governor's residence. Governor James B. McCreary, chair of the Sinking Fund Commission, guided the two-year (1912-1914) $95,000 construction project. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Patterned after Marie Antoinette's villa, the 25- room limestone mansion and it's gardens have been renovated several times. 

After we were done here, we drove to see Daniel Boone's grave. It overlooks the city - so pretty. 

The plague reads: Born 1734. Died 1820. Entered eastern Kentucky 1767. Explored bluegrass region 1769-1771. Guided Transylvania company. Blazed wilderness trail. Built Fort Boonesborough in 1775. Directed defense of the fort, 1778. Emigrated to Missouri, 1799. Reinterred with wife Rebecca in Frankfort cemetery, 1845. 

His wife Rebecca's grave is right beside.

One interesting grave marker in that cemetery was this dog. 

After the cemetery, we ate lunch at the cutest Main Street Diner. 

This building was right across the street. 

We left Frankfort and drove through Georgetown. I loved this little town. 

This was one beautiful building we saw. 

She's a little hard to see but there's Lady Justice. According to a plaque in the capitol, Lady Justice has become a symbol of the fair and equal administration of the law, without corruption, avarice, prejudice, or favor. The blindfold represents that our system of justice is blinded to all prejudices or favor. The scales represent that justice is administered fairly and the sword represents justice that is authoritative. Lady Justice is a symbol of the American system of justice and the ideals it embodies. 

Then on July 29th, I and a few other young summer workers visited the Kentucky Horse Park. 

This steel horse sculpture is quite impressive.

This horse statute contained an interesting story about this horse who was considered a Marine: 

Staff Sergeant Reckless: 1948-1968 - 5th Marine Regiment - 1st Marine Division

SSgt Reckless served valiantly with the United States Marine Corps in the Korean War. During the pivotal five-day Battle of Outpost Vegas in late March 1953, she made 51 round-trips in a single day -- most of them solo -- from the Ammunition Supply Point to the firing sites. She carried 386 rounds of ammunition totaling more than 9,000 pounds, and walked over 35 miles through open rice paddies and up steep mountains, as enemy fire exploded at the rate of 500 rounds per minute. 

Reckless provided a shield for front-line Marines, carried the wounded to safety, and was wounded twice. But she never quit until the mission was complete. 

She earned a lot of military Decorations: Two Purple Hearts; Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal; Presidential Unit Citation; Navy Unit Commendation; National Defense Service Medal; United Nations Service Medal - Korea; Korean Service Medal w/ 3 stars; Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. 

We watched a couple horse shows where riders showcased horses from different time periods in history. This is the Mustang.

Norwegian Horse

This was one of, if not the tallest, horses I've ever seen.

There is such beauty in Kentucky country. The land, the skies. I saw many more rainbows than I have in Florida. 

Looking at the skies reminds me how big God is and how small we are compared to the universe. Since today was the full solar eclipse, I explained it to my 1st graders and talked about the universe. It's amazing to look at pictures of galaxies and to know that we live in one, amidst hundreds of thousands, called the Milky Way, on a small planet called Earth, and yet God thinks about each one of us. Wow. 

 Psalm 8:3-4

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?