In Kentucky

My cousin's wedding was wonderful and unconventional. It was held in an historic mansion (a really big house for the area). Two flower girls came down the steps dropping rose petals. Then the couple descended after them. They stood in the front entranceway and we stood in parlors on either side. Each of the couple stated their intentions by telling their side of the joint story. When it came time for personal vows the officiant read them in the form of a question and both of them answered with a strong yes. The whole ceremony was about 15 minutes.

Supper was also in the mansion. Each downstairs room had tables for perhaps 8 to 16 people. I sat with my brother, sister-in-law, and a few cousins. The people in each room went to the buffet line together. I declined the beef because it looked too rare and the carver didn't have a well done end piece. So I took the tuna steak. Only when I was back at my seat and trying to add a little extra butter did I find out the tuna steak was cold and mostly raw. I managed to eat about half of it with lots of sauce from the vegetable lasagna.

I had a good time talking to various cousins about what they are doing these days and swapping stories about the older generations.

As the evening was wrapping up a cousin warned me the traffic for the drive south could get a bit thick with people heading to the eclipse. It wasn't too bad...

As I was approaching Cincinnati the traffic warning signs said I-75 was down to one lane, so would add an extra hour. I-71 also had construction, so would also be slow. So I took I-275 around the city. Which was great -- until I tried to rejoin I-75 in Kentucky. That was a 15 minute backup due to construction on the ramp from one highway to the other. That wasn't mentioned in the traffic report.

I'm now in Corbin, Kentucky. I'm about two hours from the total eclipse zone, if traffic is normal. It probably won't be. I got on my little netbook computer to check cloud cover. Neither of the two big weather websites would load. I turned on the Weather Channel, but it showed stories about surviving tough situations in bad weather. I did see a map that indicated viewing should be good from souteastern Tennessee. The guy at the hotel desk confirmed the forcast for tomorrow will be sunny.

I'm thinking of buying a lunch when I buy breakfast tomorrow with the assumption that restaurants and even fast food places farther into the zone will be overwhelmed. Which leaves one question -- what might I do for a bathroom? Amazingly, there is only one rest stop along the entire 160 mile stretch of I-75 in Tennessee and that one is south of where I am considering getting off the highway.

While talking to the desk clerk about tomorrow a couple came in looking for a room. This hotel and all the ones around it are full. They were in Florida and heading north to home and job, unable to spare the time to see the eclipse. Through the totality zone they saw many signs along the highway saying not to stop on the shoulder to view the eclipse.

It could get a bit crazy tomorrow.