A Day Without a Map
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| The Mom and I |
Today was such a day, and it was so full of brilliance and simple beauty that now that I'm home in said PJs it's hard to fathom that it actually happened. I play tennis every morning when I'm not working. This morning I set off to find the courts at each of my favorite spots jam packed with weekend warriors. As I gave up and headed toward Dunkin for my morning latte, I noticed that I was passing an inordinate amount of yard sale signs. Now, I'd tell you typically that I'm not a yard saler, but, despite this protestation, I seem to spend a good three or four days a year going to them. Typically when The Mom and I hit the sales it's on one of those weekends that feature some variation of the "The World's Largest, Bestest, Most Amazingest Yard Sale in the Known Universe". I mean, who can pass that up? But, this was not one of those weekends.
However, this morning I was a little bummed about my lack of court time, and I was also thinking about the reality that my summer vacation is fast coming to an abrupt end. While I love my job, the end of countless days filled with whatever I want to fill them with always leaves me a little melancholy. Seeing as I had nothing planned for the last Saturday of the fabled summer vacation, I decided to collect The Mom and head out to nowhere in particular looking for as many random yard sales as we could find. I had zero clue that it would be the best decisions I've made all summer.
Typically when we head out for a day of, usually well planned, adventure, she and I always eat first. It's just what we do. A gal and her momma have to have energy! Today we decided to skip the food and just let the car eventually lead us without a stop for culinary delights. We quickly found three or four sales just in our neighborhood. Five dollars, a magazine rack, some quilt batting, and a cake pan later, we found ourselves traveling a road out toward Hebron that we'd not previously explored.
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| Today's yard sale scores! |
Soon enough we came to a multi family sale ran by a very cordial older gentleman. Keep in mind, we're maybe eight miles from our humble abode. The Mom proceeds to tell the man that we don't hail from these parts and asks him to recommend a great place to eat. He kindly mentions Washington Square, just a few miles away. I smile and walk away to keep from dying on the spot as mom nods eagerly and says we will have to try it. My impending death from laughter is due to the fact that we have visited this particular restaurant on multiple occasions. I honestly, at this point, don't know if Mamma Betty is being intentionally cheeky or if she truly believes we are beings from a distant land unfamiliar with the local customs and watering holes. As I walk away, I hear him ask, "So, where are you all from?" She happily advises him we're from Florence (again, a handful of miles away, tops). The look on his face was a priceless treasure of which few have ever experienced the glory. When I mentioned the interaction in the car, after finishing browsing and meeting an exceptionally nice dog (if you know me, you know this in itself is a rarity) she said, "Well! I have never been here before." Truthfully, I still don't know if she was messing with him or if she was serious. That's The Mom.
We'd been on the road for an hour or so at this point. The Mom has made it a point to read voraciously this summer, so I worried she might be wanting to return home to continue her read of Cold Mountain. The post Civil War era is full of romance, intrigue, and beautiful prose. I didn't know if this impromptu day on the road was anywhere near as captivating. I however, was having the most peaceful and enjoyable day I've experienced in a long time. Having finally made our way to roads we hadn't explored yet, made it all the more wonderful to me. I asked as neutrally as I could muster if she wanted to trek on or head home. "Trek on!" she replied, and so we did.
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| A short break from trekking |
We spent the next half an hour finding more and more yard sales, exploring beautiful little communities, and just driving where the road took us. Before long we were on River Rd (Kentucky side). We quickly came across a small riverside park. Of course, we had to take a quick hike down the beautiful well kept path and stand by the river. A few minutes listening to the water lap against the shore is salve for any soul.
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| Giles Conrad Park |
At this point, we were getting seriously hungry, people. I thought about heading back toward more familiar roads where we could find a convenient place to eat. I mentioned this, and The Mom said, "I have a feeling we should just keep going." Without hesitation, I got back on the road heading toward the unknown. Within a few miles, I realized we were heading into Ludlow.
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| Amazing swing overlooking the Ohio in Ludlow, Kentucky |
Ludlow holds a special place in my heart. My dad's mom lived in Ludlow from around the time I was born until I was about five years old. I have fond memories of days spent in her small Ludlow apartment watching Cardinals feast in her back yard. I recall her picking me up on the weekends from my parents home in Norwood. Our first stop was always a little corner deli in Ludlow that sliced the best lunch meat and homemade Goetta. Occasionally, she would take me to this little riverfront park that was book ended by an amazing, to a four year old, red metal fire truck play fixture, and a gigantic, tetanus shot invoking solid metal slide. One of my earliest memories is zooming down this pipping hot slide at what seemed to be a hundred miles an hour. My poor Ma-Maw, who was very protective, almost had a heart attack on the spot. Despite being so young, I still remember this with the clarity of all the most special moments of my life. We recently lost my Ma-Maw at 92 years old. I had been thinking of this park and those sweet memories recently. I knew it was in the Ludlow area, but I figured the firetruck and old, dangerous slide were many years gone and replaced with plastic, eco friendly play things. I knew without these fixtures, there was no way I'd ever find and truly know for sure I'd found the park of my toddler days.
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| Ma-Maw McGuire and me. Christmas 2017 |
As we drove into Ludlow today, I had that feeling of a date with destiny. Look, I know that sounds incredibly dramatic. I know it maybe even hurts my credibility as a reliable narrator, but all I can do is share my experience, and I just knew I was supposed to be there, at that place, at that moment. As we drove the streets of this quaint little Northern Kentucky town, I was telling my mom about the park and how I had just recently been thinking I'd like to try to find it. Keep in mind, I've not stepped foot in Ludlow since my Ma-Maw moved away in 1985. Just as these words left my mouth, I looked to the left, and there it was... the firetruck still gleaming in the sunshine, only surely with a much newer much less lead based coat of paint, and behold, the giant metal demon slide. I can't tell you the last time I've seen a play area that still included these type of 70s and 80s style toys, but sure enough, they still stand in this beautiful little slice of land like something plucked directly from my memories. I was absolutely speechless. Speechless and in awe (true awe) to the point that The Mom softly says, "Delena, the light is green." I came back to the here and now and realized that I had come to a full stop at a perfectly green traffic light. My only regret from the day is that I did not stop and get pictures. I think it felt too much like a dream. In fact, not getting pictures and the reality that I cannot find one picture of this place online makes me wonder if it might not have been a dream after all.
As I gathered my wits about me, I noticed a sign pointing down a side street advertising "Farmer's Market Today!" We've covered this. I had to go! Sadly, I didn't get the name of the little store we came across. I'll have to go back another day and update that bit of information (update: the name of the market is Reeve's Produce), but we came across the neatest little store selling mostly locally grown produce. In this little slice of hipster heaven, I found and fell in love with the plumagranate. I had never heard of such a bastardization, but there it was. All the heartiness of a good plum with the taste of a pomegranate. Not only that, but we got to ask the lady running the store about the deli my Ma-Maw used to take me to (closed) and the best place to eat in the neighborhood.
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| Farmer's Market finds |
She recommended the Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club. We'd driven past this place and made note of the giant shark adorning the entrance, but we'd not paid it much mind. Sadly, we still didn't consider it a viable option as we left the store. We weren't feeling it. I used my GPS (Audrey) to try to find another place to eat. I followed two of her recommendations and both were closed. As we drove around aimlessly, we came back across the Yacht Club. Destiny had brought us this far. Why not give it a try?
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| Entrance to the Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club |
I'm so pleased we did. It seems we're the last people on earth to hear about this lively, good timing, bar and grill on the Ohio river. The Mom has a fear of boats, so I worried as we stepped onto the floating eatery and I could clearly feel the wake shifting the structure underneath us. However, the sun soaked ambiance of the moored boats, the happy, shiny people, and the swings where you can sit and enjoy the river kept us on board. We split an appetizer sampler that included tasty boneless wings with a "just spicy enough" mild sauce, passable cheese sticks, and fried mushrooms that I'd bet my bottom dollar were from Sysco Food Systems. That was a clincher for us, as The Mom and I both have fond memories from Norwood's Country Kitchen that include these tasty fried treats. We also split some tater tots with cheese because when the option is tots or no tots, always go tots!!
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| I always forget to snap a picture before we dig in. |
As we finished our meal, made note of the dance floor and an upcoming festival in town (plans to be made, precisely timed, and followed through upon), it felt like the day was finished. The magic of the day was loosing its luster just like the waning power of the summer sun, so we made the decisions to point our little Nissan toward home.
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| Trying not to have a nervous breakdown in the rocking restaurant |
I recently refused a date because of lack of sufficient planning on the other parties behalf. I am and always will be a person that likes order, a schedule, and a fully formed plan. However, it is my hope for myself that I never forget to occasionally break form and step out into the unknown. Today wasn't life changing. I'm not a different person for it, but it was beautiful in a quiet and unforgettable way. You can't pencil that in on a calendar, my friends.
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