It is always fun to get away for a few days and even better when you return and appreciate home.  Last week we traveled to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to visit Michael's son Mark and his family.  I enjoyed spending time with them and seeing Kentucky. 

I heard about the terrible ice storm they had this past winter but until I saw the devastation it caused I didn't understand the impact.  Kentucky is trees; almost every road is cut through a forest of trees or rolling green hills surrounded by trees.  Almost every one of those trees was damaged.  Now you see broken limbs jutting out in odd directions or piled high on the ground.  The cleanup is going to take a long time and the effects will be seen for many years to come. 

We did do some work on the Bourbon Trail and I enjoyed that but they need to learn from California wineries how to do tastings!  I am not much of a bourbon drinker so was interested in learning what I tasted and why I enjoyed one more than another.  Hard to do when you drive for 30 minutes and get one sip.

The real estate market where I was in Northern Kentucky or "Kentuckyanna" is doing alright.  They didn't have the huge run-up in the early 2000's so have not seen the kind of large price declines we have had here in the Sacramento area.  Interestingly, people there seem to take a longer view of real estate and their home values.  They are not as concerned about the value today, because they, on average, live in the same house longer than we do in California.