Tourist of the Nashville Skyline

One of my early favorite albums was Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline released in 1969.  It has taken me awhile, but I finally made out to the idyllic country landscape of the Nashville Skyline.  Reaching back to circa 1969, I'll put into play a common word from that era, "vibe".  As in, 'sometimes a particular city will give you a good vibe'.  So it is with San Antonio, San Diego, Fort Worth and now Nashville.  I drove into town to meet my wife who was flying in that afternoon for her cousin's wedding.  I coasted down the western escarpment of Tennessee's capitol city, folded charmingly into rolling limestone bluffs enveloped in late Spring greens easily navigated with wide, sweeping braids of the interstate highway system [thank you President Eisenhower].

Later in the evening we picked up Sue's cousin Carol flying in from Denver as part of cousin John Mott's and bride Ashley's wedding guests.  A scheduled IHOP breakfast with bride and groom started the following day, and for Carol and Sue it allowed time to get reacquaint with the Tennessee Mott's after 30+ years.  After breakfast the schedule diplomatically invited all of us out-of-towners to "play tourist" for the remainder of the Friday afternoon.   Given many options, we choose to visit the heart of Music City.

After returning to brush our teeth at the motel, were were decked out as camera toting touri and headed for the action in the heart of Nashville.

Carol and Sue check the Nashville
Attractions on the tourist map

Sue and Carol
Ready to see the sites!

This being "Music City", I quickly throw together a band and audition for a record contract.  The band, Sune and his Chesapeake Baying Beauties, is short-lived, we were not signed, but it was fun while it lasted.

My Music City Debut as Band Leader: 
Sune and  his Chesapeake Baying Beauties
A hastily gathered all-girl band from Maryland

Closing duet with me and lead vocalist
We left 'em wanting no more.

Sue & Carol
Main Street, Nashville

Well, I 'm all shook up. Posing with the King
Deep inside I think my wife may really be enjoying herself (?)

We order the largest Ice Cream Cone in the South

There was music coming out of every 4th door along the avenue, several solo acts playing on the street corners, one with a cat perched on top of his guitar.  I make the comment that the cat will come in handy if the soloist breaks a string -- a moment later Carol understands the implication of my joke.  My wife just says, "ignore him while we're in public".

We see lots of leather shops, boots and cowboy stuff, but wait, were down South.  This is Texas stuff, how many cowboys come from Tennessee?  Not many, but really this is about perception, tourists and show biz.  WE make it down to the Tennessee River, see historic warehouses and historical founding buildings and then walk back up the other side of the street.

We pull up to the capitol building and wander the grounds looking for the Al Gore (inventor of the internet) statue - but we are disappointed not to locate it.  We see Ol' Hickory [Andy Jackson] and some rebel spy who was justly hanged during the Civil War and then ring the bell from the USS Tennessee. 

We walk all over town in the late May heat, which I figure makes us Tennessee Walkers; that being the case, I lead our group to water and end up making everybody drink (who said it can't be done?)

We part from all of the action and go get ready for the evening's prenuptial dinner.

Tennessee State Capitol
-we can't find a statue of Al Gore anywhere