Category: Kentucky

Here and There, Then and Now

After 42 years in Asia, I returned home to Kentucky. But it isn’t the home I left. Things I saw THEN are different NOW. Life HERE is different from life THERE. Here is another sample of the differences.

THERE
I had really good friends in Cambodia, even though for the group above I was their boss. They went out of their way to get together with me for lunch when I visited Phnom Penh in April.
HERE
Today I had lunch with a group of guys who were with me at St. Thomas Seminary in Louisville in the early 1960s. Some of them I didn’t know so well because they were three, four, five years ahead of me. But we all shared the common experience of a minor seminary pre-Vatican II. That created an enduring bond that brought us together 65+years later. And overlaying that was the common language, the experience of living together away from home for years, a common goal in our youth, and the shared studies, meals, sports, and pillow fights in the dorm. That all makes these friendships significantly different from those of Cambodia.

Here and There, Then and Now

After 42 years in Asia, I returned home to Kentucky. But it isn’t the home I left. Things I saw THEN are different NOW. Life HERE is different from life THERE. Here is another sample of the differences.

THEN

Back in the 1970s when I was bicycling in Louisville, I don’t think there were any dedicated bike lanes or routes THEN.

NOW

I was greatly and pleasantly surprised to see many bike paths, routes, and lanes as part of the Louisville roadway system when I returned. And now Google Maps and Apple Maps indicate the official bike ways or direct me to less busy, less dangerous streets when on a bicycle.

Rainy Week (not season)

This is the rainy season in Cambodia (i.e., lots of rain every day) but Kentucky has also had its share of precipitation this week. This is a back road near my sister’s house and the rain ended an hour ago, but a little creek there is still pouring lots of water onto the low-lying road. It was a bit deeper than I wanted to navigate on an ELECTRIC bike so I turned around and detoured.

Caring for all of creation

I hope to get out everyday on my bicycle. On the days when I’m not going to mass or to a meeting, I often ride in Louisville’s beautiful Cherokee Park. On the scenic loop around the park I noticed that there are not only water fountains for me but that they incorporate a watering bowl for dogs and other pets. That is really important this Fourth of July week when the U.S. is expecting record temperatures especially east of the Mississippi.

Clifton Community Council

Today the Clifton Community Council held a quarterly public meeting and it was quite a demonstration of nitty-gritty grassroots neighborhood community organizing. Fr. Roy Stiles and I attended and Nazareth Home Clifton’s new director was there also.

Two council members, one a representative in the Kentucky House and the other in the Kentucky Senate, talked about the current session and some of the quirks and dynamics of being in the legislature.
A large part of the agenda was a tribute to Mike O’Leary who is stepping down as president of the Clifton Council. He has been very energetic and dynamic in that role and will genuinely be missed. Here he is presented with an award of recognition by the City of Louisville Metro Council.

Memorial Day

I try to ride my bike as much as I can and when I had a holiday today, I took advantage of it and took off through our famous Cherokee Park’s 400 acres. Hogan’s Fountain is a Louisville fixture that everyone knows and Beargrass Creek is a safe place for families to explore and then there are the miles of roads and bike paths to traverse.