A Special Father's Day

Last year Alison and I tried to fit a trip to Ohio into our travel plans. Despite our best efforts, we could not justify the cost or the time. Reluctantly we shelved the trip. This year Alison is working with a client in Columbus, Ohio. With her work paying for one of our plane tickets it became a much more cost-effective trip. We were also able to fit it into one weekend so neither of us would need to take extra time off of work.

We left Friday night and flew to Cincinnati. We arrived late at night. After we landed we picked up our rental car and drove 90 minutes to Louisville, Kentucky. Cincinnati is on the Ohio/Kentucky border. Neither, Alison nor I have ever visited Kentucky. This seemed like a good opportunity to visit a new state, especially considering this is the 44th state Alison has visited! We arrived at our hotel around 12:30 am and immediately called it a night.

The Cincinnati airport is full of random items of interest - like this mammoth skeleton

Our first stop the next day was the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. We added this to our itinerary because we are baseball fans and because it is one of the top things to do in Louisville. Honestly, we did not have too high of expectations. It was a very enjoyable experience. The experience started with a factory tour. They manufacture all of the Louisville slugger bats at this location. The trees are cut and processed at a separate facility, near the forest land they own, before the billets are sent to this factory where they are processed into finished baseball bats. One of the first rooms we entered contained cubbyholes with billets selected by Major League Ball players to be used in the next order they place with Louisville Slugger. For example, we got to inspect some of the billets one of our favorite Yankees, Didi Gregorius, selected. The players select billets they like by inspecting billets via text (billets are judged by the wood grain and other factors). Back in the day ball players, such as Ted Williams, would have to visit the factory to hand-select the billets they wanted. The average MLB player will order at least 100 bats per season, all of which are paid for by their ball club. Each MLB bat is handcrafted to the player's specifications. They have two large machines that store the thousands of player templates and precision engineers each bat to the specified pattern. After the bat is shaped it goes through sanding, branding, staining, and varnishing processes. We got to watch part of these processes as we toured the factory. The machines they use are impressive. Most of the machines, excluding the two large machines that shape the bats used by Major League ballplayers, were surprisingly low-tech. Throughout the tour, we got to see and handle bats created for various players such as Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yellich, Bryce Harper, and others. At the end of the factory tour, we were each given a small souvenir bat. These will make perfect gifts for Skylee and Holly.

Piles of billets waiting to be crafted into baseball bats

After the factory tour, we wandered through the museum. The museum is a good mix of the history of the baseball bat operation in Louisville and general baseball history. They have exhibits celebrating great baseball players, both past and present. They also had an exhibit where you could hold and swing game-used bats. We got to try out bats used by Giancarlo Stanton, Jorge Posada, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and Hank Aaron. The bat used by Roger Maris was quite heavy compared to most of the other bats. It was interesting to swing his bat and then compare it to other bats.

This baseball bat was used in games by Giancarlo Stanton

This baseball bat was used in games by Roger Maris

Another exhibit we enjoyed contained the bats of current players. This particular exhibit had information about the composition of each player's bat and also noted how many bats the player has ordered in their professional career. One player in particular stood out - Evan Longoria who now plays for the Giants, but used to play for the Rays. He ordered 1,595 bats during the period 2006-2018. His high-order numbers have got to be at least partly attributable to the many times he had to face Mariano Rivera.

We finished exploring the museum and stepped outside to enjoy the sunny weather. We wandered up and down the street. This was a beautiful portion of Louisville.

Monument commemorating the founding of Louisville in 1780

The next stop on our agenda was lunch. While doing research for this trip I came across a little place called Shirley Mae’s Cafe. It is a soul food restaurant located in an old red brick building tucked away on a nondescript street. The inside looked pretty grungy and was somewhat cramped. As we entered they told us to find a seat anywhere. We were the first people to arrive for lunch, causing us to briefly question what we were getting ourselves into. By the time we left the restaurant was packed. The restaurant appears to be a family affair. Shirley Mae does the cooking and her husband and mother or mother-in-law take orders and provide the service. The food was incredibly delicious. We had a feast of giant fried chicken wings, ribs, cornbread (not just any cornbread, but the most delicious cornbread we have ever had), Mac and cheese, potato salad, and green beans. I initially wasn’t going to get green beans, but Howard, our waiter, convinced me. He considers himself a green vegetable advocate and wanted to see if he could get me to try either their green beans or turnip greens. I like veggies and appreciated his suggestion. For dessert, we had a peach cobbler with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was divine. I would 100% eat here again. The food is world-class.

Large fried chicken wings and cornbread

Ribs and cornbread

Green beans, mac and cheese, and potato salad

Peach cobbler with ice cream

We had one final stop planned in Louisville - Churchill Downs. We could not come all the way to Louisville without visiting arguably the most famous race track in the United States. Every year we watch the Kentucky Derby on television. Visiting this race track brought all of those experiences to life. We began our visit at the Kentucky Derby Museum with a tour of the Churchill Downs race track. The tour guide was very passionate and knowledgeable about the Kentucky Derby. It was clear that it is an important part of his life. He was also able to answer many random questions such as how many fillies have won the Kentucky Derby just off the top of his head. We got to visit the paddock and the track and learn about the history of many Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winners.

Alison, of course, had to try on a derby hat

We also toured the museum. Our favorite exhibits were about some of the triple crown winners - Secretariat, American Pharaoh, and Justify. There was also a simulator where you could try out being a jockey and a really engaging 360-degree video presentation about the Kentucky Derby. The entire museum experience was very interactive and engaging.

In the afternoon, we drove back to Cincinnati to catch a Cincinnati Reds game. We stopped at our hotel to freshen up. As we were walking toward the stadium it started to pour. We only made it halfway to the stadium before we had to head back to the hotel to change clothes, fix my contact, and get a new umbrella. After our false start, we were back on our way to the stadium. By the time we arrived, the rain stopped. I was so glad. The last time we went to an MLB game this year it was rained out and we had to go another day. When we saw the forecast and then when started pouring I was beginning to think we might be cursed. My fears were unfounded as the rain did not impact the game. Thank goodness.

Kurt and Jenny were waiting for us at the ballpark. The main reason we wanted to visit Ohio is because Kurt and Jenny moved to Ohio a few years ago. We thought it would be fun to visit them. We were so happy they would meet us in Cincinnati and join us for the game. This was our first time visiting the Great American ballpark. It is the 12th MLB stadium we have visited. We really enjoyed the stadium. It is beautiful and built right on the river. Our seats allowed us to take in the beauty of the surroundings while we enjoyed the game. We sat way up at the top because these seats were under cover and still provided a great view of the game. With the rain, we were not about to take any chances. The stadium was fairly empty. The Reds are not very good this year. They signed some free agents and tried to put together a winning team, but it has not worked out for them. Tanner Roark pitched for the Reds. He was not particularly sharp. He gave up a lot of loud contact and two runs in the first and two more in the fourth. Cincinnati made it more of a game when Puig came up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth. I don’t particularly care for Puig. I think he can be a bit abrasive, but Alison likes his energy and style. He is having a bit of a down year in 2019. When he came up to the plate I bet Alison he would strike out. She in turn bet me he would hit a home run. She called it Puig hit a two-run shot! It was one of the more memorable moments in the game - Alison could not have been happier. The Reds catcher, Casali would also hit a home run a couple of innings later, but that is all the offense the Reds could muster. The rain started up again during the 8th inning. It was coming down. They must have really wanted to finish the game, especially since it was close. They made it through all nine innings. It was great fun to be at the game with Kurt and Jenny.

The next morning we drove out to Dublin, Ohio where we met up with Kurt and Jenny and their daughters, Sara and Emily for brunch. It was a lot of fun to see the girls. Sarah has moved out and is living on her own and Emily is in high school. It is fun now that they are older and we have more in common with them. I don't know what it was about this particular trip, but I was more aware of the similarities they share with me (they are my half-sisters) than I ever had before. It was really nice to catch up with them and to see that they are happy and doing well.

When we planned this trip it was a coincidence it lined up with Father’s Day. Initially, I thought Alison would be working out in Columbus a week earlier, which would have been great because we could have seen the Yankees play in Cleveland. This was the first Father’s Day that Kurt and I spent together in a very long time. I have written about our relationship here before. We spent most of my childhood estranged. We rekindled the relationship a few years ago and have spent that time working to understand our relationship. Navigating family relationships can be hard. Divorce makes it even harder. Trying to work through the hurt and pain is complicated. I very much appreciate that Kurt does not have expectations and does not try to force the relationship. We cannot bring back the years we lost. Those are gone and sometimes that hurts. I largely grew up without a father. Sure I had numerous outstanding father figures, but it is not the same thing. For a long time, I wasn’t sure I needed or wanted to have a father in my life. In my mind, I was doing just fine. In fact, I was angry, and justifiably so. There were times the anger consumed me. Until one day I let it go. I chose to forgive, unconditionally. It was the best decision I could have made. Not only did I feel much better, but it also allowed me to develop a relationship with Kurt. It gave us a new beginning. Not that having a new beginning makes it easy. Our interactions have often felt somewhat awkward like neither of us knows what to do. This weekend was a wonderful representation because it was not awkward. It was just fun. I never really thought I would go to an MLB game with my dad. That happened on Saturday night. We sat there and took in a game together. Then on Sunday, we had a great time celebrating Father's Day with Kurt. I am grateful on this Father's Day for second chances. It may have been a coincidence this trip fell on Father's Day, but I am glad it did because it really was a special Father’s Day.