Pictures from Miracle, Kentucky

My husband Daniel and I took a brief Fourth of July getaway weekend and toured Miracle, Kentucky (or “Merkel” as the locals say). It’s a rural area south of Stanford. To get there, we drove down a steep, winding two-lane highway. My ears actually popped. To me, Miracle looks like a basin of pastures surrounded by the foothills of the Appalachians. It’s very peaceful and its residents are kind and helpful — especially to lost tourists.

But I’ll let my character, Meg, tell you more about it. She just moved there from Chicago to teach school in Stanford. Everything my character describes (see pictures below) is in my story.

Will love find her in Miracle, Kentucky?

This is the Bayers’ place in Stanford.

Here’s Grams’ house in Miracle. I love the wrap-around porch and the magnolia tree.

This is the view of my grandmother’s property in Miracle.

This is Tom’s place. He’s my grandmother’s neighbor and best friend.

This is what my dad’s house looks like in Miracle.

Like so many people in Kentucky, my dad owns horses.

This picture is overlooking Cedar Creek Lake at dusk and after thunderstorms rolled through the area. The lake is located between Miracle/Stanford and Crab Orchard. The Owens’ farm is nearby and it was at a picnic on the farm that Vance and I got acquainted.

Here’s the Depot Restaurant where Grams and Tom like to eat every Friday night and this is where I met Vance and Cammy Bayer for the first time. On the menu: deep fried catfish, deep fried shrimp, sweet potato fries and cornbread that’s shaped like pancakes.

Grams’ quilts (as well as other crafts) are on display and for sale at the Depot Restaurant.

It’s only a 5 mile drive into Stanford, but it seems longer because of the steep, winding roads leading in and out of Miracle. Just out of town, there’s a Wal-Mart, a Food Lion, and a 24-hr McDonalds — among other businesses.

This is the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington (about 45 minutes from Miracle) where Vance and I took Cammy for an evaluation to see if she’s a candidate for an experimental surgery that could enable her to walk.