Louisville Update

Hi Everyone,



Louisville is a very fun city. I just love it here. But, since I live downtown and since there is always so much to do and see (especially while the weather is still good), I haven't spent much time keeping in touch and I do apologize. I also have only been spending time taking pictures and not fixing them for email purposes. So for now, I don't have much to show for my time here. The following pictures are of the many bike racks in downtown Louisville. They are so great, although I haven't seen many bikes attached to them.

I work in the outpatient surgery department at Jewish Hospital. It's a big complex, with 4 hospital buildings in a circle and several more throughout the outlying areas. Jewish is world known for their hand surgeries, being the first in our country for doing a successful hand re-implant. There's a heart and lung hospital, a neuroscience center, the general hospital and then mine.

I'm working 10-hour days, 6:30-5:00 p.m. and like these hours. I have Wednesdays off, so I can sleep in, do some sightseeing, be lazy.... We run 8 rooms, 20-25 cases/day. Not all of our surgeries are outpatient, as we also do a lot of total joints, mid-size general cases, and gyn that need to stay. Plus, some pretty nasty oral surgeries cases. We don't do kids very often, since there is a Shriner's Children's Hospital next door, but we see a bunch on Tuesdays when we put ear tubes in. I love it! The little ones are so cute and you can carry them back to the room.

I walk the 3/4 mile to work. Our 'ghetto' Kroger (with armed police) is 2 blocks away as is the main library. The river front with it's open air concerts and river boats is about a mile from me...an easy 15 minute walk if I don't stop to take pictures. 4th Street Live, with it's outdoor bands on the weekends and restaurants and pubs, is a 10 minute walk (sober), 35 minutes (tipsy). There's literally a church on every block; all old, all magnificant.

I do have the most eclectic group of neighbors you'd ever find. There's an hippy-style rocket scientist, several nurses, a world class hydro-boat racer, my good friend, Todd the chef (I know how to pick them), a sweet older couple next door, an elf of a young girl, and wonderful apartment managers. I'm getting a 3-week extension of my contract until the end of the year so that I can be here for the apartment complex Christmas party. I'll take pictures.

The weather has been beautiful (except when Karen came to visit), 60's and I haven't had to turn the heat on yet. Hope all is well with you. Missing you. Come visit!

Love,

Nancy Jo

Good By Houston, Hello Louisville

One week ago, I left the best group of co-workers one could ever hope to work with. Each and every one of them made my day sparkle and I love them dearly. (And I didn't even have to lock my locker!)

These are only a few of the great people I worked with in Houston.

A beautiful cake for my last day.

After driving for 1050 miles, I reached Louisville, KY last Sunday. It was a beautiful drive. Kentucky is green and gorgeous and has much cooler temperatures. I have to say, just the change in heat, helped my spirits. It was hard to leave Houston; not only was I leaving such a nice place to work, but I was also leaving my dog behind.

I am now living in the best apartment complex in history, though. It is a converted motel and my apartment is twice as big as the other two that I've had. I love all this extra space! And I already count 9 people and 5 dogs as my friends here. This setup is just so much more conducive to meeting and knowing people. I listen to the fountain, smell the rose bushes and sit outside at some of the rod-iron tables. It's gated and I feel entirely safe.

Sista Good-Luck, family pictures (Sue, I need new ones), musical snowball from my sweet cousins...what more could I want?

Beer is food.

View of Fourth Street Live which is walking distance from my apartment.

Yesterday, I was driving to a state park near Louisville, when I stopped at a Visitor Center and was told about the Kentucky Bourbon festival in a nearby town. So I went. Barrel racing takes on a whole new meaning here in Kentucky.

And the accents! One of my neighbors was telling me about this "rod-Kintucky" website. I stared at him blankly (not uncommon for me) and said..."I don't get it. What does rod mean?" (I figured out the "kin" part.) He looked at me blankly (not uncommon for him) and said, "Rod. You know, rod." I stared again. (Our conversations take much longer down here.) And then it dawned on me, "Ride."

O.K. Here's another one. I actually know a very intelligent nurse who calls it "see'-ment". I always ask her to repeat it, because it sounds so funny to me. And really, why can't they say "I" instead of "ah-ah"? That's why conversations take so long down here....they add so many extra syllables to their sentences. I'm practicing to say "ah-ah" but I just don't have it right, yet.

I love it here. The sights, the sounds, the music, the magic. Come see me, y'all. I'll git us some Derby pa-ah.

Love,

Nancy Jo (you're suppose to have 2 names down here)

Terra Cotta Warriors

About a month ago I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to see the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit that will only be on display in 4 cities in the U.S. It's next and last stop is in Washington D.C. starting in November for those who are able to make it there.

Photography was not allowed in the museum, but I was also lucky enough to see replications of these incredible figures in the Forbidden Gardens in nearby Katy.

In 1974, while drilling for a well in China, some local farmers discovered one of the burial pits of the First Emperor who died in 210 BC. Since then, 3 other pits have been uncovered and the excavation continues today.

The Forbidden Gardens has replicated to 1/3 of their size about 2,000 warriors. The burial site in
China has over 8,000 warriors plus chariots, muscians, cranes and horses.

Each one of the warriors is different.

It is believed that 700,000 slaves and artisans created the underground palace and army. Notice the detail in the clothing of these 6-6.5 feet tall warriors.

It is also believed, because of the posing of the hands, that most of the warriors were equiped with weapons...weapons that were probably stolen when the site was looted and burned 5 years after the First Emperor's death.

And yes, it was hot!

Love, Nancy

Butterfly Museum

Just pictures....I don't know any of their names. It was magical!