Music City - Nashville, TN

To say I loved Nashville would be an understatement. What a cool place. Rich history and unbelievable music around every corner. Even the musicians on the street (homeless?) were pretty incredible. I loved 2nd street where we discovered Tootsies, The Stage, Wild Horse Saloon etc. to name a few. What really got to me was the first time we walked into a bar in the early afternoon and listened to a kick ass band. We're not talking about a guy strumming quietly by the door - these were full bands....strings, horns, piano - rocking and playing their brains out - in DAYLIGHT!! You can hear the music from the sidewalks because the bands are setup right by the door. You peek in at them and they are looking out on the sidewalk at you. It's a fun atmosphere.

Nashville is my new favorite place in the U.S. Can't wait to get back!

Click to enlarge

Bridge over the Cumberland River - taken from riverboat we were on.

Nashville riverside

inside the Ryman Theater

windows of the Ryman

view of Nashville from the river

Dinner on the General Jackson river boat
(Kay is looking at the camera)

the band kept us dancing

very talented guitar player who connected with the crowd,
and my camera.

This building is called the Batman by the locals

A sculpture on the Cumberland river

a sign outside the Ryman Theater

A guitar player in one of the little downtown bars - He can play AND work the crowd

A day in the park...

I played on this same merry-go-round when I was a little girl.
Madison 8 (in pink), Lauren 6 (in pink hat)

Wally gets to wear the hat awhile

Madison shows us how the fireman slide down the pole.

Face painting is serious business

Words for a Wednesday

Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. 

It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; 

it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it.

--Margaret Thatcher

The statues of Taliesin

Nature at Taliesin

I took these pictures just outside the home of Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin. It was a beautiful day and everything was blooming and beautiful. These were taken with my macro lens - the flowers are tiny bleeding hearts.

incidentally, they are not very friendly either....

The houses are close together in my neighborhood, which was attractive to me when I purchased my home a few years ago. Tiny yards are great as I firmly believe that life is too short to spend all summer mowing and doing yard work. However, this past Sunday morning my neighbors put on a show for me that makes me to want to slit my eyelids and kill off the remaining brain cells that are retaining that memory and image. Yep, it was that bad. This couple, who by the way are NOT young and NOT cute (even with clothes on) decided to take advantage of an open window shade at my house. They put on a little performance right in front of their window which happens to be directly across from my living room. Do I think they know this? Well...maybe they are completely blind. This unfortunate (and ugly) scene was brought to my attention by my sister who was visiting from Chicago and starting her morning in my living room with the news on the TV. Suddenly she is making little gasping noises and asking me about the people next door. First she sees an elbow, then a wrist and next thing you know a full, naked back. I casually stroll to the front door to take a sideways glance and sure enough...they are putting on a little choreographed act, which appears to be for our benefit. It must have been quite a challenge for them to stand, squarely in front of their window, to put on this show.

At my house, all you have to do is pull up the blinds and voila' free porn! That is if you can stomach an out-of shape, middle-aged couple with bad skin. Minutes after I pulled the blind in disgust my doorbell rang and I almost jumped right out of my jammies. It was a different neighbor coming to say hi to my sister. She wanted a peek but it seems as soon as we closed the blind the show was over.

Storms and Sunsets

so wash your hands....

When public health officials start talking about 'standard operating procedures' it makes me a little nervous. Swine flu is in the beginning stages having killed 100 people in Mexico and with outbreaks already discovered in the U.S. and Canada. While they have yet to create a vaccine to deal with this new strain, there is website offering advice to those concerned. Contact with anyone that has been in Mexico tops the list, along with staying home if you feel ill and covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough.

I've had the good ole American kind of flu. It was the sickest I have ever been. Deep fatigue and severe body aches are the symptoms I most remember - that along with being home for over 8 days and sleeping around the clock. It was awful. You forgot what feeling good feels like.

While I don't like to worry, I will heed the advice of those health officials.

Five hands

Mother's Day is coming up...

http://www.mrsongmillinery.com/

I would really like, just once in my life, to have the occassion to wear a hat like this (other than Halloween). Apparently Mother's Day is the big day for Mr. Song, the creator of the Aretha hat. I'm thinking I would look fetching in a small brimmed, crystal lined hat with a flapper bow. We could then do brunch...

A walk through Walker Sculpture Garden

Are we the Art?

Strange looking creatures in the glass...

The Walking Man and Me.

John wonders if this is a giant molecule of some kind??

Still better....

Lily is exploring the old Carlson Kiln near Barn Bluff

I've gone to 'manual' on my Nikon d80 and the pictures
are continuing to improve. These are fall leaves found
in the spring on Barn Bluff.

Bay Point Park - Mississippi river

I used photoshop to enhance this picture and add a spotlight effect.  Still learning photoshop too.