Yesterday I drove from Lexington to Louisville along the Bluegrass Parkway. It was mile after mile of picturesque, bucolic, pastoral scenery, on what had to be the most beautiful day of the year. It is impossible to have gloomy thoughts while making this drive on a day like that.
Utterly impossible.
How can one ponder the human condition when the day is perfect?
How can a writer let his imagination wander to the struggles of mankind when the grass is so green?
Writers need the the grit of the dark alley.
Writers need the longing promise of the empty train platform.
Writers at least need some rain, or run-down barns, or the crusty old farm hand thinking about his past.
There’s another part of Kentucky – eastern Kentucky – that’s ripe for stories. But not this stretch of highway.
No way.
Photo Credit: Walt Roycraft. The photo is the property of GRW, my employer. The architects of GRW design, among other things, equine facilities. This is the site of one of our projects, the Adena Springs Horse Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Very much like the scenery I passed on my way to Louisville.
Joseph E Bird 
May 10, 2018 at 9:25 am
You shouldn’t assume that if the scene isn’t gritty or depressing, there is no drama or story. Jane Austen spent her career writing about people who lived on rather grand spreads not too dissimilar to what you see on your way to Lexington and Louisville. Plenty of human interest there; real morals to the stories. In fact, her books are still (after 250 years) selling like hotcakes.
There is this grand house I know of in Saint Albans that someone should write a story about . . . .
LikeLike
May 10, 2018 at 11:53 am
This is all true.
LikeLike
May 10, 2018 at 2:31 pm
Some of my favorite books growing up were set in horse country.
LikeLike
May 10, 2018 at 2:47 pm
my friend, flicka. national velvet. those are horse stories, right?
LikeLike
May 10, 2018 at 11:39 pm
I read about the lives of horses like Man O’ War, and then a book based on a little horse farm that against all odds produced a champion. Can’t remember if it was about a real horse.
LikeLike
May 11, 2018 at 5:41 pm
The scenery reminds me a bit of Uruguay! Maybe a bit greener, but then I’m only there in winter so I guess it looks the same in spring.
Love the contradiction in this post, you can obviously work like this, too 😀 and thank you for the link, it was interesting to see that you can see potential inspiration in the photos. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person