Nomad Life - Day 49

Thankfully, I slept well again and was teleworking from Michael and Camille's home by 0600.  During an early break, I got some breakfast downstairs (with both Camille and Michael).  Once I'd resumed teleworking, I continued online (meetings), with only minor breaks, until 1245.  I ate lunch (chicken soup and home-made bread) with Camille (she was working from home too) and then got back to work - the rest of the day was filled with lots of meetings and pop up technical discussions.  At a few intervals in the afternoon, I had a chance to confirm plans (for Thursday evening and Friday) with Michael, Steve/Donna and Jennifer M. (who I'd met on my Antarctica Cruise (see FEB 2024). After finishing my longest work day of the week, I started getting ready for the evening and departed Shelbyville (1630). My destination was the nearby town of Fisherville, where some Notre Dame alumni I'd met on my Danube River Cruise (see AUG 2024) lived.  To reach my friends' home, I used US-60, KY-1848, KY-1399, KY-148 and some back roads.  The temperatures were already dropping by the time I arrived at Steve and Donna's (1700).  I was amazed to see their beautiful home nestled among farm fields and tree lined pastures.  Steve later told me he that he had added the biggest feature - a large fishing pond - himself.  During our planning, he'd hinted that he wanted us to go fishing but after I got inside, he said he thought it was too hot to sit outside.  Instead, he showed me how to make is "famous" old fashioned; it included four kinds of bitters, some special sugar and various other ingredients that (even while he was mixing) I could tell would make the drink taste very good.  When he wrapped up with two fingers of Elijah Craig Small Batch and some huge ice cubes, I was very eager to taste the concoction.  It was everything I expected - and more!  As we were drinking, Steve and Donna showed me around their spacious home, which they'd constructed on eight acres almost 20 years before.  They had at least four bedrooms, a wonderfully large deck, a three car garage and a huge family/living area.  Everything was custom made, beautifully decorated and very functional.  This last fact got me and Steve talking about our engineering backgrounds - we figured out we'd worked on similar projects over the years and that kept our conversation going.  Meanwhile, Donna was putting together the basis for our upcoming meal.  At about 1830, Steve got the grill going and put about three pounds of seasoned salmon (along with some buttered asparagus) on to cook.  We continued visiting until the food was ready and then sat down to eat in one of Steve and Donna's dining areas (they had several).  Our wonderful conversation (about the cruise, mutual friends, Notre Dame and my Nomad Life) continued while we ate the delicious dinner and I got to sample some good Pinot Noir with the food.  Before we knew it, the clock was striking 2100 and I reluctantly excused myself from the company of my gracious hosts.  It was completely dark by that time so I took my time during the drive (reverse directions from earlier in the day).  Steve had warned me about the numerous deer, narrow and winding roads and other potential hazards to safe driving.  I was very careful and thought I was home free as I approached KY-1848.  Sadly, that's when I encountered one of the longest trains I've seen in many years - it seemed like it was crossing forever!  By the time it finally cleared the crossing, I'd lost about 10 minutes on the (normally) relatively shot drive.  As a result, I didn't get to Michael and Camille's home until they had already gone to bed (2155).  For my part, I was quite tired and decided to forgo reading for the evening - instead, I had the lights turned off by 2215 (the earliest evening I've had in a while).  What a great visit with wonderful friends!