There's a place in the hills of eastern Kentucky where the three forks of the Kentucky River come together. Back in 1851 someone had the bright idea to put a town there and for better or worse there's been one there ever since.
Originally called Beatty, it goes by Beattyville these days. A few other things have changed since then but some days it's hard to tell. Closest thing I have to a hometown, grew up thirteen miles outside of it.
Haven't lived down that way since 2004 and somehow managed to've not taken any photos of town, ever I think. Finally managed to remedy that this past Memorial Day weekend.
It was good to see the town just as hale and hearty as when I'd left. They'd rerouted one of the main roads a while back, cost the town a traffic light. Now there's only two places in town that you can run a red light, so they seem to be making big strides on the public safety front as well.
Beattyville's really made the big time, even got itself a town square and everything. Growing up, we never even realized how deprived we were not having a town square, sure glad the town can finally scratch that off its list of pressing issues. Suddenly I'm real curious who got paid to build this.
Three years ago, all this was underwater. (Photo is of someone else's photo in a shop window.)
Which makes the notion of the late 'River Side RV Park' seem even more amusing. Quixotic? This bears the fingerprints of a certain Wile E. Coyote of a small town grocer if I'm not mistaken.
Ever seen a topless mountain? It's kind of obscene. Around here they call it strip mining but there's no pole involved, just lots of explosives. Sorry about the mess, but we had to blow up the mountain to save the coal.
God, guns, and your hair done, now that's one stop shopping if anything is. Think the surplus ran out before I was born but nobody's quite ready to admit it yet.
This here is what they call 'French Style'. The dressing that is, not sure what's going on with the rest of it.
Tired yet? If not, H & H might have just the thing for you. As for me, I'm tired of this town, at least for tonight.