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So, after not being sure we were going to do anything at all, Mrs. Doc and I managed a short "mini-vacation" in Lexington, KY. As some may recall, Mrs. Doc shows American Quarter Horse competitively. So, vacation this year was supposed to be July 1st through today in Conyers, GA at a very large show there. Unfortunately, due to circumstances well outside our control, that didn't happen and we did not know until the last minute. To be honest, I was incredibly frustrated, because it was to be our first actual vacation that I can recall since 2013. Yes, I'm serious. Add to it the fact that my mental health has been... I'll say somewhat challenged of late for a variety of reasons, and I was particularly unamused. I could write an entirely different post on that issue though. Or maybe that would be less issue and more of a subscription. At any rate, I digress.

 

I searched for things to do, places to go, that didn't involve lots of travel, but on and around the Fourth of July, that is near impossible to do at the last minute. Finally, I started to just look for a hotel in Louisville, and Mrs. Doc suggested finding a "boutique" hotel in Lexington instead. I went online, found one with availability and booked it for four nights--a far cry from what we originally planned, but better than nothing. So we went. No plan, no real agenda or itinerary, and pretty much just winged it. It was certainly relaxing. Did a tour of a small bourbon distillery. Walked the arboretum. Went to the International Museum of the Horse and spent time watching some show jumping at the Kentucky Horse Park.

 

I may have to try to try my hand at crafting an Old Fashioned, as the hotel we stayed at did them quite well. In the past I haven't been a huge fan of bourbon (not that I disliked it, just not what I gravitated toward). Now, perhaps my tastes are changing, or I have found a drink made from it I like. I didn't buy a bottle from the distillery we took the tour from (Bluegrass Distillers) because I wanted to do a bit of research, and perhaps start with less than a Fifth. We'll see. I don't drink often, so who knows.

 

At any rate, it was better than nothing, I got the batteries recharged a little, if not as much as I would have liked. I still have to keep moving forward and see what the future holds. I do have a couple of pics though.

Me and Mrs. Doc in front of our hotel:
image.thumb.jpeg.d6461548a58f89521262f67b430f849b.jpeg

 

And no offense to Chesty Puller, Forty Rod and all the other Marines out there, but me in front of a statue of my favorite Marine:

image.thumb.jpeg.2ae7bbd8fc534bf35db20b3676cdca53.jpeg

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Sgt. Reckless! :wub:

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8 hours ago, Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 said:

Love the sculpture of the horse.  What horse is that?.

 

What Bob said.

https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-staff-sergeant-reckless

 

Quote

This particular United States Marine was a horse. Yes, you read that right. The horse was so valuable to (and loved by) the Marines that she was promoted all the way up to Staff Sergeant.

 

Indeed, she was so well respected that her last promotion was personally given by the Commandant of the entire Marine Corps.

 

“She was no mascot,” one historian writes. “Reckless was the real deal—an actual combat Marine.”

 

I'll let anyone who doesn't know her story read the rest.

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3 minutes ago, Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 said:

Hey Doc, it is clear that you married Way above your Paygrade !

 

Jabez Cowboy 

Heck, I've never met her and knew that! Sorry Doc, couldn't help meself.

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1 hour ago, Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 said:

Hey Doc, it is clear that you married Way above your Paygrade !

 

Jabez Cowboy 

 

1 hour ago, Michigan Slim said:

Heck, I've never met her and knew that! Sorry Doc, couldn't help meself.

 

I've made no secret of that from day one! There's only one explanation for my dumb luck that I have been able to come up with all of these years. When she said she would marry me, a chalked it up as temporary insanity. When she actually said "I do," especially knowing I had just been activated for Desert Shield, I was sure of it. When we hit 25 years in 2015, I had to break the news to her that I was taking the "temporary" label off.

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2 hours ago, Phantom Falcon, SASS # 46139 said:

Reckless was promoted to Staff Sergeant and she damn well earned her stripes! She also earned a Purple Heart or two.

 

PF

 

Sorry I didn't get the full plaque, but the medals are listed, including the two Purple Hearts:
image.thumb.jpeg.3151a63a94b50b9609580587e1e637ae.jpeg
 

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Been to Kentucky Horse Park, loved it!
Delighted you had a good time!
Absolutely pickled tink you posted the Reckless statue!
For any that have not read of Reckless, it's an excellent read!

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14 minutes ago, Phantom Falcon, SASS # 46139 said:

Doc,

 

Thanks for the picture. Where is this statue? I don't think I've seen it before.

 

PF

 

At the Kentucky Horse Park outside Lexington, Kentucky. The same park that has statues of such notables as Man O' War and Secretariat. I'd say she earned her place among them.

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