BNAWTK

Last year we posted a story right around this time called DWTK - Disney Without The Kids - our weekend get away to Orlando without the boys while they were at camp.  This year we went to Nashville, TN, for the long 4th of July weekend.

I really like Nashville, Tennessee.  I really like it when I can go there with Lisa without the responsibility of keeping the kids engaged/entertained. Nashville is a grown-ups town.  This year's trip without the kids took us to Nashville because Betty had not seen her sister, Janet, in several years.  It just made good sense to have all of us go together so the sisters could catch up on their genealogy and family heirlooms and Lisa and I could go out on the town.

Lisa found us a 5k race in downtown Nashville. On Thursday morning there was every flavor of U.S.A. and Red, White, and Blue in the race from tutus to face paint to socks warming up to run.  Once again, I could not help myself at the start line.  I yelled my line, "Run, run, get some!" and took off at a dash past the bulk of the crowd.   I don't know why, but I feel the need to push myself in these races. I noticed that the race was going down hill for a long, long time. We ran long the famous Music Row where all of the major country music recording offices and studios are and then started the loop back.  What goes down must go back up and the long two mile down hill portion of the race meant that the one mile back to the finish was all up hill!  I strained my hamstring (again) because I pushed hard - hard enough to finish 3rd Place in my age group! Lisa even finished 17th out of 70 in her age group!

We spent a good part of the day walking around Broadway, which was shut down to vehicle traffic for the day. We hit boot shops, hat stores, and souvenir shops while we waited for the midday rain to pass. Who wore it best? Lisa, of course.

That evening we headed to Broadway, home of famous honky-tonk bars like Nudie's, Tootsie's, the Whiskey Bent and other.  Every bar was at least three floors and each floor had it's own band. The windows were open onto the streets and the music poured out on the crowds. I love live music when it is loud and rowdy.  This was sensory overload.  There is so much music that if your don't like the sound of particular band then you just change bars (or floors) like changing the dial on a radio and bam there is a new sound! Some places were packed to the rafters and others only had a few people listening. Lisa and I just floated from one place to another.

The 4th of July ended with us going down to the Cumberland River and watching what is probably the biggest fireworks display in the country. For 30 minutes without pause the sky over Nashville exploded.  They even managed to have fireworks in the water! The noise was deafening and you felt every concussion reverberate in your bones.  It was an amazing experience - one that I would bring the kids to see someday. 

On Saturday we visited Franklin, TN - a small, turn of the 20th century town just south of Nashville.  One of the things I love about these towns is how much they are alike, no matter where you go. Yes, Franklin definitely has a Southern flare and charm - but the architecture and feel of Main Street is the same as Skaneateles, NY, or Asheville, NC, or Morgantown, WV.  Franklin had some great shops - including a spice shop where we bought about $25 in different spices, rubs, and 'toppings'. 

While I like  my live music loud and rowdy, like likes hers "unplugged" and intimate. She got us tickets to The Listening Room, a small venue for up-and-coming artists to play short sets.  Three very talented singer-song writers provided a great evening of love songs, fun songs, and heart break songs. Who knows, maybe Bonner Black, Katie Mae Smith, and AJ Kross will make it big someday and we can say we saw them before they were famous!  This was definitely a good way to end our visit to Nashville's night life.

Our trip was complete with a visit to the Loveless Café and Motel - a Nashville staple for good, home cooked food and laidback atmosphere.  The Loveless Café is a time capsule of memorabilia from a time when people didn't have Hampton Inns, Panera Bread, and Chik-fil-A to go to.  Truly amazing biscuits.

It was good to spend time with Janet and Bob and Betty to got through the family history; family Bibles, furniture, photos - all ties to Lisa's ancestry.  Lisa got a copy from her grandparent's honeymoon trip - with a "sassy" Grandma Grimley waving to the camera. Both sisters are so into genealogy that there are terabytes of data for their children to go through for years. And like those items from decades or centuries ago, this journal helps tell the story of this family in the 21st century.

My travel partner to destinations like Nashville and Orlando is my partner in this wonderful life we share.  I could not have enjoyed this trip without Lisa.