What kind of day was it? It was one of those Tennessee days when the air was so thick you could leave a wake behind you as you walked. And the clouds were so heavy the sky would un-zip them and give them a squeeze and the rain would pour down until the clouds would have to take a breath…and sigh. That’s the kind of day it was.
Hubby and I actually had the same day yesterday. Well…sort of. He was home by lunchtime anyway. So we went out. I had a hankering for a fried green tomato BLT, so we went to The Loveless Cafe.
Free biscuit appetizer and they have THE most amazing bacon. It was a great lunch. And then….I thought we should share a piece of pie. One piece of Goo Goo Cluster pie. With two forks.
We fell in and had to eat our way out.
We survived to do it again another day. But not today. I need to rest…
Madison
That was one of the first prefixes for my phone number that I remember. Madison 4. And one of my best friends was a Tennyson 8. And there was Cheney 4. It was harder to remember phone numbers when they switched to all numbers. And now we have area codes we have to remember even for local numbers. If you can get someone to actually answer their phone. Some people I know don’t answer their phone if it rings. But they will look at a text message and text right back. What is up with that? I remember days when I would spend hours (yes…hours) on the phone without getting interrupted with a call waiting beep. There was no call waiting. And you always answered the phone…and never knew who it was. No caller ID either. And I always liked a number with lots of zeros. Those numbers made the most noise with a rotary phone. Irritating, though, when you misdialed one of the last numbers and had to go through all that dialing again. And I always wanted a Princess phone. And that has nothing to do with a Disney character on a phone. And then I wanted one that had push-buttons. Way cool. And a long cord. So I could walk around while I talked. My son continued to walk his “loop” even after we went cordless. Like an elephant and a chain. Phones have always been a pretty big part of my life. I’m of that generation, I guess. And now I want an iPhone. Can’t wait until I have a phone that takes great photos! Maybe I could get it to sound like a rotary phone when I dial. I bet there’s an app for that…
Those that know me know I moved from Western Oregon (the Portland area) to Nashville, Tennessee…Music City. I love music. Most music. I, unfortunately, am not musical. I was never able to learn how to read music. Even private piano lessons were wasted on me. So my parents traded in the used piano they bought (with the intention of me learning to play) for a bicycle. A Stingray…banana seat and all. It was a good trade. And I still love music. My new friend, Kailey, played her violin in Edwin Warner Park for me. She was accompanied by birdsong. It sounded like Heaven…
And THEN…we went for coffee at one of my favorite Nashville coffee places…The Barista Parlor. A wonderful end to a great morning…
This past week-end was Blue and Grey Days at the Carnton Plantation. There was a small battle re-enactment along with soldiers from both sides, hence the Blue and Grey. Even President Lincoln was there! 
I’m excited to be living in a part of the country so full of the history that captured my interest growing up. I’ve taken the Carnton tour twice and it is well worth the time if you are in the area. I’ve also visited the Confederate Cemetery that’s there several times as I have a real love of old cemeteries, and this one has such an interesting history. Also worth checking out.
So I’ve come to Blue and Grey Days to feed my History Jones and take photos. I’m there for 19 minutes (digital time stamping is cool) and my 29th image is of a young Confederate soldier coming from between two trees playing a violin as he walks towards me.
He is playing the most somber, heart-wrenching rendition of When Johnny Comes Marching Home that I have ever heard. Ever. And he’s walking so slowly…and it’s like he’s aware of nothing else around him, until he looks up and sees me taking his photograph. He stops walking, but keeps playing. I had taken a total of four shots and approached him and asked if I could take a close up.
He looked at me with pale, grey eyes and nodded. So I took two quick photos and thanked him. He tipped his head slightly, quietly said, “Thank you, ma’am” and he slowly walked past me toward the smokehouse. I had taken six images in a span of 35 seconds. I was there another 1-1/2 hours and never saw him again. I checked every.single.image after I got home, looking for him. Those mournful strains of When Johnny Comes Marching Home are still echoing in my head…
I’ve heard it said that Carnton Plantation is haunted by a woman in the house. Could there be another spirit that wanders the plantation and the adjoining cemetery…still looking to find a way home? Who am I to say… But the next time I go there, I will be still and listen, straining to hear the notes of that violin…
Shoppping and I have a love/hate relationship. I love to shop when I have purchasing power in my purse. I hate to shop when I don’t. Which means I don’t like to Window Shop. I can remember going out with my mom “window shopping” when I was a girl. If you aren’t shopping for windows, don’t bother window shopping. That’s my thought on that subject. Today I went phone shopping with my daughter. She’s pregnant with her first baby (a girl) and we are missing each other, what with her in Portland, Oregon and me recently re-located to Nashville, Tennessee. Enter…The Smart Phone.
We were able to go to different malls across the country, into the same stores, and look at the same cute, little baby clothes. And Christmas stuff (are you KIDDING?). It wasn’t the same, but we did have fun. Maybe because there were no windows involved…just a messaging back and forth with photos of dresses and sweaters and advent calendars. 
It was nice shopping with her. We’ll do it again. Maybe next time we can have coffee, too.
Ahhhh…vacation. That thing that you take as a break, to get a rest, or even to rejuvenate and do something fun. And then, when you are done with your vacation, you need a vacation to rest up and recover from all of the resting/breaking/rejuvenating and fun that you just finished. I just had a wonderful vacation with a cousin. A photo buddy cousin. We tore up Nashville and the surrounding area taking hundreds (yes, hundreds) of photos each day that she was here. And now I find that my mind is full of images and that they have crowded out my words. So, I am silent on this blog post. I’m waiting for my words to return. But, in the meantime, I am enjoying all of the images running through my mind (and being downloaded to my computer). Until my words find their way back to that place where they reside in my head…I leave you with this. Hahaha…”Leave” you with this. Pardon the semi-lame play on words…maybe they are working their way back already?
(This image taken at Radnor Lake State Park in Nashville, TN)
Curiouser and Curiouser
I’m on my way to Barnes & Noble with a 20% off coupon in-hand. Barnes & Noble is one of my Happy Places. I’m going with something specific in mind today: a book like an address book, but it’s for websites where you have to log in with a user name and password. Who knew that anyone else would want the same user name as me – and want it first! And passwords? You can’t use what you’d remember. You have to use special characters and capitalize in places that make_noSense. Too many now to remember, so I need to buy a Code Book. The first code book I had was in grade school. It told you how to make up codes. It was one of those books you order from a hand-out at school. I think it was Scholastic Books. I used the codes for notes to friends. 🙂 When at Barnes & Noble I don’t spend much time in the Serious parts of the store. You know…business, non-fiction and self-help. I go to Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy and the Children’s section. I was actually writing a Sci-Fi children’s book with my neighbor/BFF the summer between 6th and 7th grades. It remained un-titled (and un-finished), but it kept us out of trouble. We would sit on her bedroom floor, each with a manual typewriter in front of us, and write alternate chapters. She would write evens and I would write odds. Or vice versa. We would just let each other know how our chapter would end so the next chapter would continue in that thread. I learned how to type that summer. Sort of. My two index fingers learned where the keys were anyway. I remember my favorite word was “better”. Because you could type it fast with just one finger. The first book I read that I would consider to be Science Fiction/Fantasy was Alice in Wonderland. It had the “old” illustrations in it. The creepy ones. I.loved.them. Who knew that would be genetic? My daughter is almost done making her first quilt for her first baby. A girl. The quilt has those old Alice in Wonderland illustrations on some of the fabrics. Maybe Alice is where I first fell in love with costuming. You know…the Mad Hatter. The Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit. And Alice. Looking through key holes. Curiouser and curiouser. Which you can’t spell quickly with one finger. That’s why I like better, well…better. Is “curiouser” even a word? I don’t think so. That would be a good reason to use it as a password. I should write that down. It would be better than the one I already have. Much better. Better that I thought of it now. Even now, when I type with two hands, better is still good. No…it’s even better.
A happy and peaceful day on what would have been Mahatma Gandhi’s 143rd birthday.
“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within.”
The still voice….
“We must be the change we wish to see.”
Be the change…
“Speak only if it improves upon the silence.”
Shhhhhh…
So this week I decided to head over to East Nashville to find Barista Parlor, the Coffee Place I found out about via my friend Nadine. Major deal for me because I still don’t know my way around Nashville and I can get lost in a box. Seiously. So, with Smart phone in hand and index finger on the OnStar button I was on my way. And drove right past it. Like I said…lost in a box. How else could I have missed this?!
519B Gallatin Ave.
Nashville, TN
(615) 712-9766
They did not disappoint. From the moment I walked in I knew this was my kind of place.
I guess you could call it urban casual. And cozy, yet roomy. Nice combo.
Like coffee. And chocolate. Cheers…
Did I mention my barista is from Oregon? From Clackamas…a suburb of Portland. The world just gets smaller and smaller. And they serve Portland’s own Stumptown coffee. Sigh…good times. Next time I’m going for breakfast. Or lunch. Maybe I’ll see you there. It’s definitely worth the trip.
Whimsy and Such... 