It seemed to be real like before on the last day of June 1934

The Last Day Of June 1934:

by Al Stewart

Land Between the Lakes

We took a day of our vacation to go over to the Land Between the Lakes. We went to the Golden Pond Visitor Center first, where there is a history display we went through:

and a planetarium show we didn't get to come back for. After this we headed north a short distance to go to the Elk and Bison Prairie:

There were interpretive signs throughout:

We saw no elk at all, sadly, as they seem to be more visible during the early morning or the evening hours. We did see bison. Many bison.

The Younger Son took video:

They are impressive animals.

After we finally left here, we headed to the north end of the area to go to a restaurant named Patti's for lunch, and I took so many pictures there that it'll have to be a separate post. This was a delightful side-trip!

Land Between the Lakes

We took a day of our vacation to go over to the Land Between the Lakes. We went to the Golden Pond Visitor Center first, where there is a history display we went through:

and a planetarium show we didn't get to come back for. After this we headed north a short distance to go to the Elk and Bison Prairie:

There were interpretive signs throughout:

We saw no elk at all, sadly, as they seem to be more visible during the early morning or the evening hours. We did see bison. Many bison.

The Younger Son took video:

They are impressive animals.

After we finally left here, we headed to the north end of the area to go to a restaurant named Patti's for lunch, and I took so many pictures there that it'll have to be a separate post. This was a delightful side-trip!

Lake Barkley Lodge Restaurant

We ate at this restaurant on site three times during our trip and enjoyed it each time. We were always seated by a window, with a view of the covered deck and lake:

I couldn't resist the fried catfish for our first meal and wasn't disappointed. I had pinto beans, onion rings, and -of course- hush puppies. Very tasty:

The next time, I had the club sandwich:

And we ate breakfast there before checking out on our last day:

Afterwards, we spent some time rocking on the deck and enjoying the scenery one last time before our departure:

You can see the trails I walked here and here, and you can see photos of the bison from our Land Between the Lakes side trip tomorrow. We did have a fun time, but then we always have a fun time. We agree with Dr. Seuss: "It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how." Wherever you are, there's fun to be had.

Please join the T Tuesday gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth and share a drink with us.

Days of Youth

Days of Youth is a 1929 Yasujiro Ozu film. A silent comedy film, it tells the story of 2 young men, college friends, who court the same young woman. This is the earliest known of his films to survive. I liked it but found myself distracted so decided to put it aside for another time. Of course, once I went back to it Hulu didn't have it available.

via Youtube:

DVD Talk says, "The picture is quite enjoyable, easy to follow and influenced by Hollywood comedies" and concludes, "Days of Youth is an enjoyable and accessible if somewhat overlong comedy that exemplifies Ozu's early career."

I've also blogged these other of his films:

Late Spring (1949)
Tokyo Story (1953)

Lake Barkley State Park, Blue Spring Trail

This trail, like the other one I walked, began in the lodge area but went in the opposite direction. You follow the signs to the Fitness Center/Tennis Courts/Indoor Pool:

and cross that road above to get to the beginning of the trail:

There were several interpretive signs:

It was in this area that I saw the deer:

There's a sweet resting spot, but I didn't stop:

Just a bit past the swing, I saw a turkey family. I must've startled them, because she made her alarm gobble and a couple of babies headed up into the trees. I did stop then, because how can you resist watching a family of turkeys?

The second trail head is here:

I saw another family of animals in the brush, and I showed this photo to the park staff who identified it as a groundhog. They said there are a lot of them around there:

The park literature directs you not to walk the trails alone, which is sad. If I had taken their advice I'd have missed the trails entirely, since The Younger Son likes trails but not in the heat and The Husband has health issues which make trail walking impossible. These are short, easy walks; my cell phone was working fine; and my family knew where I was. It didn't seem like a risky choice at all to do this.

Lake Barkley State Park

Last week we went to Lake Barkley State Park in Kentucky for a vacation. It was a peaceful time away. The rooms in the lodge have balconies that look out over the lake:

We saw a lot of Great Blue Herons and Egrets, but this was the only picture I got:

Here's the view from the bed:

I love a place with trails, and I walked 2 short trails while I was there. This one starts at the back of the building where our room was:

There were critter signs:

but the only big critter I saw on this walk was a deer.

There's a swinging bridge:

The trail loops back to the lodge area, and these were taken from the concrete walkway that runs between the lake and the lodge complex:

You can see the building where our room was on the left:

What a beautiful place! I'll show the other trail in a separate post.