I got a call last week saying I needed to go to Marion KY to sign closing documents to sell one of the rental properties dad owned. Marion is quite a drive from where I live (over 60 miles away). I had to sign the documents as executor, so I had no choice. So, I left work Wednesday about 11:00am and started my journey.
I first had to get the keys to the home from our realtor's office (even though I had to go, she did not). Then, I had to make a decision on which way to go. I could go through Paducah or up the Interstate. I chose unwisely and went with the Interstate. I had forgotten that I-24 was one lane all the way to the exit I wanted to get off on. It ended up taking about 20 minutes to go seven miles. The trip after that was fine. I ended up taking Highway 60 and going through Livingston County to get to Marion (in Crittenden County).
It had been years since I'd been to Crittenden County. I remember going twice in 2001 to watch Ballard Memorial win a regular season and playoff game at Crittenden County. I remember they had practically no bleacher space for visitors so you either sat on the ground or stood around the field the whole game. I remember driving there to watch Jonathan's 8th grade team win in 2002. However, I never drove past the high school so I didn't know what we in the actual city limits. My destination was Farmers Bank so I would get to see what was actually in the city.
I found the bank with no problem (it's right next to the courthouse). Marion reminded me of other small towns in Kentucky that I've visited (and always enjoy seeing). I went in and met with the young lady handling the loan for the people buying the house. She was very nice and we got through the paperwork very easily (less then 10 minutes). She introduced me to her boss and we had a very nice conversation. We laughed about the seeming reluctance of the Realtors to come to their city. I finally asked them where I should go for lunch. They mentioned a new Italian restaurant and a Mexican restaurant. I'm not big on Italian and I had a dentist appointment afterwards and I didn't think Mexican would be a good plan before that. They also mentioned a McDonalds. I was surprised to find a McDonalds (and a Subway, Dairy Queen, and Pizza Hut) in Marion given it's population (a little over 3,000). But I wanted to go somewhere different. I had looked at TripAdvisor and the top rated place in town was the Marion Cafe. So I decided to try that.
It was the next block over, so getting there wasn't a problem. As I entered, I saw what I expected. It was a basic home town cafe. They did have wi-fi though. I seated myself and a young man came to my table to get my drink order. He asked about my new phone I was looking at (my new Blackberry Z10 from USEC) so we discussed that and the future of USEC (I have no idea). I looked at the menu and ended up ordering an open-faced roast beef. It was excellent. It wasn't just shaved roast beef, it was real pieces from a roast. The mashed potatoes and bread were good as well. I had a little room for dessert so I looked at the dessert list. There was a cake called HoHo so I had to ask about that. The lady who asked for my dessert order told me they made a chocolate layer cake with cream filling between each layer and chilled it overnight. They then poured hot fudge on top so that it solidified. So, it was kind of like a HoHo (or it's Little Debbie counterpart I love - the Swiss Cake Roll). I had to try that. It did not disappoint, it was fabulous. As I prepared to pay for my order at the table, I asked the young man for a little more tea, he offered to fix one that I could take with me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I decided to take 641 back to the Interstate this time. It went through Fredonia which is famous for the two things. One is this store. The other is the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex. I actually have a memory from there and it's not as an inmate. Years ago (in the 80's), I played for the WKYX/WKYQ softball "Some-Stars". The very first games I ever played for them were there. I remember a bunch of us riding over in the station van. It was hot and we played a doubleheader against their B and A teams getting whipped each time. I caught both games and I remember my legs were sore for days afterwards.
The rest of the trip (through Eddyville to I-24 and finally to my dentist) was uneventful
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