07 Sept 2019

After a couple of days at the Kentucky Horse Park it was time to dismount and head towards home. Showers and tank dumping were taken care of before leaving at 1010.

By lunch time we were parked at the Kentucky Folk Art Center  in Morehead, Kentucky.  There was no charge to park or explore the galleries.

Inside, paintings and whimsical automotive toys were fun to peruse.

Wooden animal carvings, especially these pigs, were some of my favorites in the exhibits.

Colorfully quail and (maybe?) a guinea fowl contrasted with the unpainted pigs. 

Robert Morgan transformed recycled materials into an oversized insect.

String bass and sax jazz musicians would be great additions to a music room.

Just about anything can be used as a sculpture medium Proof lies in unique figure sculpture created from lady bugs. 

After contemplating this piece we decided it was time to get back on the road. We appreciate Morehead State University for providing the Folk Art Center. It is a fine place to stretch your legs and imagination.

At 1518 we were 175 miles closer to home, boondocking at Tamarack in Beckley, West Virginia where it was a pleasant 75° F. Tamarack was open seven days a week when we visited, but check this link for hours during the pandemic.

Inside there are shops, galleries, and a restaurant all featuring goods created in West Virginia.

These hand made ceiling lamps are the work of Joseph Elbert, furniture creator and Pulitzer prize winning photo journalist. The simple, elegant lines would nicely compliment our teak dining set!

Photo lithography was part of the process used to make this unique quilt on display in the Tamarack Gallery.

Tamarack has four working studios with viewing windows.  We were drawn to one where John DesMeules formed molten glass into colorful objects.

Beth has wanted to try glass blowing for years and John had an opening in his schedule. It didn’t take much convincing for her to agree to make a vase.

She picked out the colors to roll into the clear hot glass.

Jon was a great coach keeping the glass (mostly) round as Beth blew to increase the interior volume.

Teacher and budding student showed off the finished vase before placing it into an oven to cool overnight.

After emerging from the studio, there was time to view one last quilt from the gallery.

We were impressed by the amount of stitching in each unique quilt flower.

Only one other van was taking advantage of the free overnight boondocking beside the building.

The Beckley Travel Plaza is a short walk down a long stairway. We counted more than fifty trucks idling in the lot. The noise helped us appreciate the quiet of the upper parking area.

Amenities in the Plaza include a dedicated shower building. Showers were $5.00 or $7.50 with a towel, soap, shampoo and a washcloth.