This is SO NEAT!! (well, to me, at least...lol). The setting for my book Riding the Thunder
was based on a Once Upon A Time very real spot in Kentucky. It's a love story, but also a ghost story – a
ghost love story, too ― so I suppose a "ghostly" setting that held a
magic only my eyes ever saw was perfect.
The sad place is years gone, made way for Lexington pushing its limits
toward Nicholasville. What few photos I
had of the restaurant, motel, drive-in and swim club from the 1960s were lost
in the house fire. Ever since, I have
tirelessly looked for photos of the old Windmill outside of Lexington, Kentucky
on the net, but alas...I fear, none are about who recognized the dark magic of
the tired old place. It’s long
gone. Few likely remember if, and if
they do in passing, they didn’t understand it truly was a magical place. They would probably laugh at my conviction!
However, last night on eBay, I found one of the very old
linen postcards they must have put out in the 30s-50s era. And it was a buy-it-now-deal from a dealer in
California. YEAH. The postcard was a bit idealized painting
made from a photo. Things are missing,
clearly edited out, and when I knew it, the place was in a very very sad state
of lack of care for decades. This had to
be at the start of its life, not the end.
To me, the odd place had always seemed almost trapped in the time of
late 1950s and early 1960s. . . sort of like the Bates Motel - sans Norman and
Mother.
Still, I found magic in the off-the-beaten-path spot and
harvested those seeds to plant at a later date.
:-D I think my creative soul that
has to "visit" The Windmill from time to time is crying to go visiting
again... see Oooit, Netta, Liam, Jago and Asha. . .wonder what will be playing
at the drive-in??
This evening I just found another postcard. My lucky day, eh?
