Cincinnati -- Visit with Ryan and Kaelyn and Kids

 I LOVE coming into Cincinnati from the south, as you cross the river you immediately see Paycor Stadium, home of the Bengals Football Team.  As you take the turn of the Interstate you quickly come upon Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds.  And next to it is Heritage Bank Center, home of the minor league Cincinnati Cyclones Hockey Team.

As a kid I remember seeing the Oakland Raiders Frank Youell Field from I-80, where they played from 1962–1965 until the Oakland Colosseum opened in 1966.  Or seeing Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium from the Interstate in Independence Missouri where the Chief's Football Team and the Royal's Baseball Team play.

 

The reason to come through Cincinnati was to visit with my son Ryan, wife Kaelyn and meet the three adorable girls that they have been fostering for the past 8 months.  Due to foster rules, I cannot show pictures or even mention names online.  Let's just say that these three girls are doing so well under Ryan and Kaelyn's control...we hope that one day the word "Foster" changes to "Adopted".  

Above is the house they literally moved into about a week ago.  Plenty of room for the expansion of the family.  Due to their 9 hour drive from Kansas City to Cincinnati yesterday, and the disorder that comes from moving, we only stayed for 3-4 hours, and then got out of their way.  The girls all got a kick out of me when I said, "What?  Didn't Aunt Stephanie tell you that her and Ryan's daddy looks like Santa Claus?"

Staying at another Cracker Barrel, this one at the boarder of Indiana and Ohio.  Had a thunder storm roll through, which was refreshing and it helped to clean some of the bugs off the van.   

Horse Farms -- Lexington, KY

 

Kentucky River

 

Entering Lexington.  We only had 150 miles to travel today, so we decided to drive around the west end of Lexington, and drive down Old Frankfort Pike, a Historic Scenic Byway which has a number of Thoroughbred Farms along the road.  You start the drive with one of the most famous horses of all time...

 

Yes, Secretariat.  American Triple Crown winner, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three of its constituent races.  What follows are just a few of the pictures we got along the route.

We continued our way to the Cracker Barrel in Florence, KY.  Unlike the other Cracker Barrel we have stayed out so far, this one is in a more congested area...right near a Hospital.  Since our arrival around 2 pm, we have heard/seen at least a dozen ambulances, a couple of fire trucks, and a few police cars...all with sirens blazing.  

So this is our 5th of 7 nights of our trip, and 5 of them have been overnights at Cracker Barrel.  We have had dinner each night, followed with eating the dinner biscuits with our coffee the next morning, which was our breakfast.  So, what have I had to eat???  It has been the same thing each night...the Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie.  Pot roast and gravy with carrots, peas, onions, celery, and mashed potatoes. Topped with a hashbrown casserole crust and sour cream. Served with Biscuits.  Marcia had fish the first two nights, then saw what I was having and had the Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie the past three times.  It is so good...

Tomorrow we see Ryan and Kaelyn and meet the three kids they are fostering.