Tag Archives: Tennessee

Music

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BonnarooThis is what my hometown of Manchester, Tennessee, looks like right now with the more than 75,000 people there for Bonnaroo. Actually, Manchester proper is to the upper left of this photo — and that’s close enough, most locals would agree. Dear Husband and I had contemplated going this year, especially since some of our favorites (Bruce Springsteen, The Decemberists) were going to be there, but in order for us 50-somethings to enjoy the experience we would have had to have chosen the ultra-deluxe-VIP options ticket-wise, which pushed the costs up to $$$$. So we chose instead to spend our wedding anniversary weekend in nearby Murfreesboro trying to guess which performers were staying at our hotel. http://www.bonnaroo.com

Anniversary

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Fifth anniversaryFriday is our fifth wedding anniversary, which is a pretty amazing thing. My Weddinghusband John Pitts and I first met more than 30 years ago, when we were journalism students at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, his hometown. Our relationship timeline goes something like this: Dating, breakup, dating, breakup, Cathy wants to get married and John doesn’t, Cathy gets married to somebody else (pause here for 16 or so years until Cathy gets divorced), dating, breakup, dating, breakup, John wants to get married and Cathy doesn’t, dating, breakup, dating, breakup and then somehow both of us want to get married at the same time. Success! And the thing is, even Wedding flowersthrough all the breakups (except for the 16-year married-to-somebody-else thing) we’ve been best friends. We argue, we laugh, we edit each other’s copy, he takes out the garbage and I remind him of family birthdays — what a team! Our wedding was so much fun, and I had the best bridesmaids ever in my two daughters. We had started out planning a surprise wedding — inviting folks for a party and then springing a ceremony on them — but the girls wisely talked us out of that idea so we had a wedding sort of squeezed in between two parties: We had a cocktail party first at this wonderful historic home in Bridesmaidsdowntown Murfreesboro and then everybody walked over to the church for the ceremony and then walked back to the home for a reception. Bonus: We stayed in another historic house that was a bed-and-breakfast directly across the street — so convenient. One of my best memories from the wedding was looking out at the congregation and seeing all our dear family and friends gathered there for us. I don’t think younger brides realize how special that is. Or how special it is to marry the person you care about most in the world, the person who makes you laugh and doesn’t mind when you cry at movies and tells you how to make your writing better, even if that person does listen to Rush Limbaugh. Every day.

Travel

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Great Smoky MountainsHappy birthday! The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is 75 years old this month and if you’ve never been, make this the year. For one thing, it’s free. It’s one of the few major national parks that doesn’t charge an entrance fee. For another thing, it’s breathtaking. From ancient mountain ridges that seem to unfold into infinity to the tiniest and most perfect wildflower, nature is giving you her best here — and it would be rude to refuse. The best part is that you can choose how natural you want to go: You can drive through the park and venture out of your car for a few minutes on paved and civilized paths that will invigorate and amaze you. Or, you can strap on the hiking boots and hoist the backpack and immerse yourself in nobody-for-miles wilderness. Your choice. And there’s even a middle-ground: Day hikes where you can start and end in civilization but still feel as if it’s just you and the trees and the pounding sparkling waterfall. Plus, there’s park gateway Gatlinbug, Tennessee — a tiny mountain village turned classic American tourist town where you can ski, buy stuffed black bears and Watch Candy Made By Hand! But, see, I even love all the tacky touristy stuff. It’s part of the experience. I first went to the Smokeis as a mere babe almost 50 years ago (yikes!) and it’s been one of my favorite places ever since. Check it out at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/.

Travel

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Nashville, TennesseeGuess the city! Here are clues: The radio Shelby Street Walking Bridge, Nashville, Tennesseestation WKDF call letters right center, the guitar painted on the side of the brick building on the left and a great view of the waterfront on the Cumberland River. Got it yet? It’s Nashville, Tennessee, shot from the downtown Shelby Street Walking Bridge, one of Nashville’s newest and coolest places to see and be Shelby Street Walking Bridge in Nashville, TennesseeLP Stadium in Nashville, Tennesseeseen. Close to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and restaurants and bars, the bridge shows up in countless country-music videos and is a convenient walkway to the LP Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans NFL team. I was in Tennessee this past weekend with Younger Daughter and my parents, who have season tickets for the Nashville Symphony pops series. They invited YD and I to come along to a Manhattan Transfer concert, which was … uh … well, let’s just say that two-and-a-half hours of doo-wop and jazz hands were plenty, thank you very much, although I could have listened to the symphony play by itself all night. But our pre-concert stroll along the bridge was perfect. If Nashville is on your summer-vacation list, be sure to check it out.

Photography and Writing

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Photo by Mark Wood, Chattanooga, TennesseeMy four-years-younger brother, Mark Wood, of Chattanooga, Photo by Mark Wood, Chattanooga, TennesseeTennessee, is an awesome photographer. He teaches photography and art at Chattanooga (Tennessee) State College and recently was invited to exhibit with the Appalachian Photographers Project, http://appalachianphoto.org. I love that his photos reflect exactly the sort of person he is: A lover of nature and all things outdoors coupled with a belief that people basically are good — sort of. He also has a wry sense of humor and a wonderful eye for detail and line. I wish I could say I taught him everything he knows, but actually the opposite is true — although he probably would not want me to credit him for my photography (non)skills.

Since photography isn’t my forte, it’s a good thing I can at least string a few words together to make at least some sense. Here’s my weekly newspaper column from this past week on how my 1-year-old grandson is all boy, despite my attempts to encourage his inner girly side: http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090410/ARTICLES/904105006. Friends who had both girls and boys say there’s an inherent difference and I’m seeing that in Capt. Adorable. However, there’s a great discussion on this topic at blogher — http://www.blogher.com/your-son-acting-boy-your-daughter-acting-girl — about what “acting like a boy” and “acting like a girl” really means and how this gender stereotyping may be harmful. Check it out and see what you think.

Easter Leftovers

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Easter decorPost-Easter Monday always is filled with getting rid of Easter dinner decorleftovers: Eggs, eggshells, assorted mangled chocolate bunnies and those little foil-wrapped solid chocolate eggs that nobody eats. But I hope this spectacular egg centerpiece carved from a watermelon gets to hang around at least another day or so. It was featured at the Easter Sunday buffet at the Coffee and chocolateManchester-Coffee County (Tennessee) Conference Center, where we gratefully enjoyed ham, prime rib, lamb and all the trimmings after a morning full of rich and inspiring church services. And presents! My brother and sister-in-law, who live on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are some of the best present-givers I know. They gave my mom an Easter basket full of beautiful ready-to-be-transplanted greenery, and I got  Blue Smoke coffee beans (http://bluesmokecoffee.com/) and some of the best toffee ever — less like peanut brittle but still fresh and crunchalicious — from local candymakers Scenic City Toffee (http://www.sceniccitytoffee.com/). And the travel French press coffee mugs from Starbucks? An Easter present from me to … me. I’d been eyeing them for days and finally gave in. I always do French press on lazy mornings when all I have to do is sit and sip — which means I do French-press coffee perhaps about twice a month. Maybe being able to indulge on the run will transfer some of that rare peaceful relaxation to my normal daily routine. All I know is that it’ll take lots of experimentation to find out — the things I do for scientific exploration!

Cupcakes

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CupcakesI don’t know about you, but I could sure use a Sunshine on My Shoulder cupcake right about now. Either that or a Strawbaby Blush or Southern Belle. These yummy confections were at The Clay Cup Cafe on the square in Murfreesboro, Tennessee — my husband’s hometown and the place where we met at college and almost 30 years later got married. (Aw … I know. It’s sweet, isn’t it?) We were there for a couple days this past week while my husband went to a journalism workshop on creating new newsrooms. While he was pondering the fate of newspapers, I got to wander around town — one of my favorite pastimes. Murfreesboro is a wonderful town for Murfreesboro, Tennesseewalking, and in the morning I took my cupcake (it’s a great breakfast food) and cappuccino and strolled the historic-preservation districts. I always am in awe of the Boro’s dedication and commitment to historic authenticity — and I always find something new. For instance, I’d never before noticed this playhouse. I spied the 5-foot-high creation in the backyard of a stately Victorian and was immediately charmed. Isn’t it delightful? I would have loved to have crawled in there with my cupcake (OK, by this time in the walk I was on my second — I couldn’t lie to you!) and coffee and spent the rest of the day. But then my husband would have been left with a roomful of truth-seeking journalists, and I couldn’t do that to him.

Bonnaroo

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bruce_springsteenOh my gosh, y’all. Bruce Springsteen is going to be in my backyard this June. Well, my bonnaroodayparents’ backyard, really. And actually not their backyard at all, but at least in my hometown of Manchester, Tennessee. That’s where the four-day music festival Bonnaroo is on a 700-acre farm every second weekend in June. Bonnaroo started in 2002 as a jam-band gathering and now tens of thousands of fans jam the festival grounds to hear some of music’s best. The first couple years, my dad’s Rotary club helped out with parking. Now, my parents usually head out of town when it’s Bonnaroo time, although the crowds generally don’t overflow to Manchester proper. And I am sort of kind of somewhat seriously thinking of trying maybe to go this year, although tickets are at least $250 (am I the only one who remembers when concert tickets were less than $25???) and it’s hot and that’s my fifth wedding anniversary weekend and I could probably talk my husband into a really nice evening out instead. Hmm …

Newspapers

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sidelines-0011When I worked at my college newspaper some 30 years ago, we sidelines-002were in an office above one of the school cafeterias. We had rickety typewriters and iffy lighting and most days had to steal chairs from other rooms down the hall. Today, my university has a whole new building dedicated to the communication arts. I think I’m jealous. In a good way. Because if the next generation of  journalists is getting support, encouragement and quality training, then I feel better about the future of newspapers. Read more at my column today in the TimesDaily, http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090206/ARTICLES/902060302

Restaurants in Franklin, Tennessee

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sol-archwayAs Liz Lemon says, don’t you “want to go there?” This is Sol, a funky and fun sol-waitingrestaurant on Main Street off the square in Franklin, Tennessee. My husband and I wandered in on a recent late-night meander and instantly were captivated. Only the bar was open so we plopped ourselves down and enjoyed exploring the whimsical Mexican menu — and decor. Both are sort of  casual-cool with an eclectic twist. It’s Frida Kahlo meets Iron Chef and obviously a popular gathering spot for the young and hip. We felt right at home (!) and happily devoured some deliciously fresh nachos washed down with cold beer — one of our favorite meals — and vowed to come back when we could work our way through the dinner menu: salmon wrapped in a banana-leaf, fish tacos and a poblano-potato cake especially looked good. We remember this same space when it was an upscale Italian sort of restaurant and marveled at the transition. Downtown Franklin is a happening place, worthy of a visit just to walk and eat and shop. Check out Sol at http://www.solonmain.com/ (that’s where these photos came from — it was way too dark, in a good way, for pics the night we were there) and learn more about Franklin at http://www.visitwilliamson.com/

nashville-jan-2009-038On that same trip to Franklin, we also ate at Basil Asian Bistro, on nashville-jan-2009-034Carothers Parkway across I-65 from Cool Springs Galleria. If Sol is vibrantly energetic, then Basil is calmly zen. It’s white tablecloths and quiet conversation but with the same appreciation for fresh ingredients and authentically prepared food. The extensive menu offered sushi, pad thai, curry and other classics. Luckily, we were with our friends Ted and Elayne, who had picked Basil for our lunch and steered us to their favorite dishes — and they were right.  My husband and I especially loved the inventive sushi, the crisply cooked vegetables and the strong and fragrant hot tea. Good food and good company can’t be beat. We’ll be back. Go to http://www.basilasianbistro.com for details.