Blue Moon, Blue Grass & Burgoo Blog Post

If you’ve read the post titled Progress, then you’ll understand that Jim’s and my respective family stories and histories had been planted in our hearts and tended with love as we grew into young adults. The “Old Farmer’s” approach to life with values of self-sufficiency, tenacity, frugalness, stewardship of the land and dedication to community are embedded in our souls. When we met (while both students at University of Cincinnati - College of Design, Architecture & Art), and started dating, a conversation began about a common desire to own some property where we could experience our own level of this connection to the land.

Jim and I dated continuously starting in October of 1976 - my Freshman year at UC. We were engaged in 1978. Jim graduated from the Architecture program in the Spring of 1979. We were married that Fall. I still had two more years to go in the Interior Design program. When I graduated, in the Spring of 1981, we weren’t sure exactly what we were going to do next. Whether we would stay in Cincinnati or look for opportunities elsewhere.

I went to work with some of the most talented designers I have ever had the pleasure of being associated with - Melinda, Garda and Anne. I don’t actually remember how I found them or what my exact role in the group was but I DO remember a lot of laughs and creativity! Melinda and Garda were older than Anne and me but still just kids at heart. Anne had graduated a year before me from the same Interior Design program at UC. We were both recent grads and recent newlyweds. Our friendship just took off and we soon introduced our husbands to each other.

What happened from there laid the foundation for our dream of having country property.

Anne’s husband, Bill, owned a beautiful piece of country property in Northern Kentucky. He had owned it prior to meeting and marrying Anne. What had been a bachelor’s hideout was making a transition to being a weekend getaway for the newlyweds. Bill wanted Anne to make the place her own. She had begun to clear out, clean up and put her touches on it. She was looking forward to inviting friends to join them there for weekends and special events. Jim and I received repeated invitations to spend time with them there, working on projects big and small - inside and out. We couldn’t have been happier helping these people who we were enjoying getting to know.

After Bill had purchased his farm, he found a V-notch log cabin from the 1800s that was going to be torn down.

He put a plan into action to disassemble it, move it to his property and reassemble it on what had once been the site of an old one room schoolhouse. He engaged the help of Charles McRaven and Charles’ brother, Dan, in the reassembly and restoration process. This double pen (two room) house (shown above), with its two beautiful end fireplaces, was the home we were invited to share on our weekend visits. It was a simple, cozy place that spoke of the many other lives that had been lived in it.

Jim worked with Bill to install trim around the windows in the cabin and then Anne and I painted it. We worked on stone pathways and took horseback rides. Bill and Jim repaired farm equipment and Anne and I made simple suppers of fried chicken and homefries. We went tubing on the river and spent Spring Saturdays in the infields of many of the small horse racing tracks scattered throughout that part of Kentucky.

We were learning first hand that the experiences you could have on a property like this were wonderful and rich but that there was a price to be paid for them in blood, sweat and tears (and $$$).

Owning two properties demanded significant investments of time and money. A lot of premeditated planning was required to have what you needed/wanted at either place. A strong commitment to each place was the only way to keep both of them up to par and ready for the owners and their friends & family to enjoy them to their fullest.

And then, there was The Burgoo.

This was a name for the event, as well as the featured food. Anne and Bill decided to throw a big weekend long party which would include a current day version of an old tradition called a Burgoo.

Burgoo is a stew, originally made in large kettles and served at outdoor gatherings, whose “recipe” many say dates back to before the Civil War. It can be made to serve large groups and be “stretched” by the addition of contributions of wild game brought to the gatherings by attendees.

Burgoo also has an association with horse racing. Early horse races were held as a way to exhibit the value of the horses to be sold. Winners of the races garnered higher purchase prices for their owners. And where there was money on hand for buying livestock, you could also find wealthy people, party people and politicians! Burgoo was an easy food to have at the ready at these gatherings.

Bill wanted to locate a cast iron pot large enough to cook a Burgoo in. Being a master of country networking, Bill found that there was a lady in the area willing to let him use her cauldron. Anne, Bill, Jim and I loaded up in Bill’s truck one Saturday and took off to get the cauldron. After being frighteningly greeted by the lady’s four Dobermans - we got it, loaded it up and hauled it back to the house. Next was the effort to make a tripod out of three trees we had cut down. They were lashed together “teepee” style and the cauldron hung from a chain over a huge hearthstone placed beneath it where the fire would be kept.

The grounds around the house were groomed, a band was engaged for one of the evenings of the weekend and other food planning was done. The guest list was created and invitations sent out. We worked so hard to get it all ready and we were so excited about the event. It lived up to every expectation. People came from far and wide. We ate and drank and danced and laughed and had a GREAT time. We pitched tents in the pasture down from the house and at the end of the evenings we stumbled our way down to them, often slipping in cow pies along the way.

Bill and Anne had a large, diverse network of friends who they delighted in hosting at their farm. They made everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Bill and Anne were good at planning for the projects that needed to be done on the farm and could involve anyone interested in helping in the process. Bill and Anne had great respect for their country neighbors and included the “locals” in any large events they were planning. They lived “lightly” on the land and wanted to leave the place better than they had found it in any ways they could. All of this set a great example for Jim and me as we continued to dream of our own place in the country.

Looking back and considering that Jim and I moved out to the DC area in December of 1982, we actually didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Anne and Bill at their Kentucky farm. But the memories are vivid of what we did while we could. We are forever grateful to them for their friendship and hospitality.

Recollections