How to Build a Sandcastle

* A Friends' Tale Featuring The Sourceress and Integrity Tim *

(If you are unacquainted with the Friends, you can check out some of their previous adventures at "Nick Fury Learns a Lesson" and "Cratering on the Moon").

One morning, back in October, the Friends woke up ready for adventure. "We're going to the beach today!" declared Nick Fury, jumping with excitement. Bulldozer impatiently pushed the blankets off the still drowsy Pikachu and Giraffe. Neither complained too much , even though they are both late sleepers. Prince Eric and Zecora discussed the remaining travel plans. Soon everyone was ready to go.

After hundreds of miles of songs, word games, and emergency bathroom stops, they arrived at the Gulf Coast. For the next week, they'd be enjoying the sun and sand of Dauphin Island, Alabama!

The Friends didn't waste any time getting down to the business of playing at the beach. Holiday spirits were high.

Nick Fury even kept his temper when he was the butt of the classic let's-all-walk-away-and-leave-him-buried prank. (He could be heard grumbling under his breath about it later, however).

The next morning at breakfast, Prince Eric proposed launching an exploration up the coast. Pikachu readily agreed and Zecora nodded her assent. Seeing Zecora was in favor, Nick Fury jumped in. Not wanting to be left behind, Bulldozer and Giraffe began packing lunches. 

Twenty minutes later, they were on the beach, following the call of the horizon.

Time passed pleasantly. The weather was warm without being hot. There were sandpipers to chase and seagulls to scold. The sand was soft with few shells to cut your feet. The waves were playful and nonthreatening. Conditions were ideal and no one was bickering.

Shortly after stopping for snacks, Zecora paused. "What is that?" she asked.

Prince Eric squinted into the distance, "Is that a log...or a person?"

Cautiously making their way towards the strange object, they slowly recognized it as a large piece of driftwood standing vertically in the sand. Laughing at their nervousness, Pikachu and Bulldozer circled the driftwood, speculating on how it came to be standing upright. "It really does look like something!" Nick Fury declared somewhat defensively.

"It looks like a Cat Butler," Giraffe replied frankly. Everyone agreed that Giraffe's comparison was spot on. The log really did look like a Cat Butler standing at the ready!

Still laughing, they turned to leave. Behind them, a voice whispered, "Seek The Sourceress."

Everyone paused. "What the?!" sputtered Pikachu. "Who said that? What sorceress"

"Not sorceress, Sourceress." Now the voice was clearly coming from the still motionless Cat Butler. "Seek The Sourceress."

"I don't like this place anymore," Giraffe whispered, nervously eyeing the Cat Butler. Everyone agreed there was an uncomfortable feeling in the air. Bulldozer and Pikachu left with Giraffe, reassuring her as they walked. Zecora and Prince Eric stayed back to contain Nick Fury. Protective of Giraffe, he was stepping up on the Cat Butler, Yelling threats and waving his guns. Prince Eric tried talking Nick down. Ultimately, Zecora caught his eye an silenced him with just a glance. Still furious, the three ran to catch up with the others.

The Cat Butler, for his part, never moved nor spoke again.

The rest of their excursion passed uneventfully, and the sun was setting by the time the Friends returned. The beach was empty, save for one solitary woman gazing quietly at the sea. For the most part, they'd put the incident with the Cat Butler behind them. However, as darkness approached, Giraffe began to feel unsettled at the memory. Moving closer to Zecora, Giraffe asked meekly, "Do you think their really is a sorceress?"

Before Zecora could respond, the solitary woman turned. "Not sorceress. Sourceress. I am The Sourceress."

Startled, Pikachu blurt out, "You just said the exact same word twice!"

"I absolutely did not. A sorceress can do magic and is entirely fictional. I, on the other hand, am entirely real. I get to the source of problems then source the materials necessary to solve them. Thus, I am The Sourceress." The woman spoke kindly but sounded slightly perturbed. Prince Eric got the impression that she had to give this explanation frequently.

"That makes sense," Pikachu admitted begrudgingly, "but sorceress and Sourceress still sound exactly the same.

The Sourceress sighed. "It's all in how you pronounce the silent U."

Pikachu opened his mouth to protest, but Prince Eric quickly interjected. "You said you find and solve problems. Is their perhaps a problem we can help you with?"

The Sourceress's face lit up as a broad grin stretched across her face. "As a matter of fact I do! There is a huge problem at this very beach in that it is completely without a sandcastle. There are none! How can a beach really be a beach if it doesn't have sandcastle?"

The Friends exchanged sideways glances as The Sourceress continued, "My brother, Integrity Tim, and I have discussed this problem at length. While we have many skills between the two of us, we do not have what it takes to build a sandcastle that will stand the test of time." The Sourceress spread her arms wide in a gesture of inclusion, "But now that you are here, we can do it!"

Baffled by this last comment, Pikachu exclaimed, "What do you mean by that? What makes you think we can build a sandcastle?"

Smiling even wider, The Sourceress replied, "Isn't it obvious? Zecora is brilliant at military strategy. Prince Eric has lived in and visited many castles. No one has more practice with weaponry than Nick Fury. Giraffe knows how to make things safe and comfortable. Bulldozer, well, how can anyone imagine building something without Bulldozer? And you, Pikachu," The Sourceress turned to look at him directly, "you like things to be correct and accurate. The best buildings are always built correctly and accurately."

Pikachu wanted to ask how she knew all this information about them, but for once he knew it was time to stop arguing.

Without missing a beat, The Sourceress continued. "The first step in any project is to gather information. Tomorrow, my brother and I voyage to Fort Morgan. You will join us." Presuming compliance, she turned and walked away.

So, bright and early the next morning, The Sourceress and Integrity Tim caught the ferry to Fort Morgan.

While they agreed to help, the Friends still felt wary of the situation and preferred to take their own boat.

Six hours later, the Friends arrived. The Sourceress and Integrity Tim - whose ferry ride was only 45 minutes - were impatient. "Finally!" exclaimed The Sourceress. "We have made many plans. Come sit. We have much to discuss."

The Sourceress led them to a cafe, sat at the table, and pulled out a checklist. She took a long sip from her colorful, green bean-garnished drink, and then began.

"First, Integrity Tim will take you on a tour of the fort so that you can learn about the integrity of forts. Second, we will create a design, Third, we will find a location. Fourth, we will gather the supplies. Fifth, we will build!"

Pikachu asked, "wouldn't it be better to find a location before designing the castle? How else will you know what it should look like?" Nick Fury sarcastically replied, "How will you know it's the right location if you don't know what you're building?"

After a lively debate (during which Giraffe ate the green beans and Bulldozer muttered that he just wanted to skip to step 5), it was agreed that they would draw preliminary plan, then modify once a location was decided.

That settled, they left The Sourceress behind and were off to Fort Morgan. Integrity Tim went into great detail about the fort's history and pentagonal design. Prince Eric asked many intelligent questions. Zecora was silent but attentive. Nick Fury tried to act attentive to impress Zecora, but kept getting fidgety with the urge to fire the cannons. Pikachu noticed Nick's struggle and kept finding way to mess with him. Bulldozer examined the walls and dry moat carefully, considering how he might duplicate their construction. Giraffe licked salty lichen off the fort's brick walls.

Reconvening at the cafe, the Friends told the Sourceress what they learned. Like Fort Morgan, it was agreed their castle should have five walls, a tunnel, and a moat. Since their building would be a castle and not just a fort, it would also have turrets.

Blueprints drawn, it was time to go home. Although the Friends enjoy steering their own boat, they agreed that given the late hour, a 45 minute ferry ride was preferable. The Sourceress stood towards the bow, eager to get back and begin building.

The group met early to begin scouting for a location. It was agreed Integrity Tim would walk to the nearby village and gather supplies needed for the construction. Once he departed, The Sourceress determinedly strode off down the beach. Having shorter legs, the Friends followed more slowly, examining the beach with care.

As they walked, the Friends found several places that would work, but somehow didn't feel right.

Other locations were easier to eliminate.

Tired of walking, the Friends took to their boat and scoured the coast. Their path brought them to a small inlet. It was perfect.

Prince Eric sounded his bugle, summoning The Sourceress and Integrity Tim. Arriving quickly, they agreed on the perfection of this location.

There was much celebration.

Site selected, the friends quickly got to work, each doing what he or she does best. Integrity Tim oversaw the blueprints, while The Sourceress stayed close, supervising.

Zecora confirmed the height and location of each turret. Giraffe made certain the food storage would remain cool and water-tight.

Nick Fury with his guns and Pikachu with his lightning tested their ability to defend the sandcastle with some light target practice.

Bulldozer dug to his heart's content. Prince Eric completed many small tasks, while telling numerous stories that began, "So at this one castle I visited..."

In no time at all, the sandcastle was finished! Integrity Tim smiled contentedly while his sister danced exuberantly. "Now that the sandcastle is compete, the beach is complete!" The Sourceress sang joyfully as she leapt about. "I am forever grateful to you all!"

As she parted, The Sourceress threw a handful of glitter into the air, covering the Friends. Integrity Tim shrugged apologetically and left with her. The pair disappeared into the distance.

That night, as they picked off flakes of glitter, the Friends watched the sunset, confidently delusional in the belief that upon departing in the morning, they'd be leaving behind a castle destined to survive the centuries.

The End

Scott

As November began, I was in northwest Nebraska. It was my sister-in-law's birthday and Daylight Savings Time was ending. I intended to make full use of my extra hour exploring the western part of the state before turning towards Wyoming for a couple days of mountains. The sun was shining and the air was brisk. It was a good day.

Stopping in at the local Wal-Mart to take advantage of their free WiFi, I was pleased to see I had several messages. I was doubly pleased to see that some were from friends I hadn't heard from in a long time.

Then I read them.

Scott, an old friend, a friend from college, had died. Funeral in St. Louis. Details pending.

Initially I was numb. Other than the odd Facebook message, I hadn't spoken with Scott in at least 15 years. At the same time, he and his wife Megan are among the most important people in my life. They are timeless friends, the kind you know are there regardless of distance.

I left Wal-Mart in a fog, wanting to hike in the nearby national forest & prairie. In my distraction, I got my car hung up on a rut in the dirt road and couldn't drive out on my own. As luck would have it, some locals were nearby shooting old jack-o-lanterns with shot guns. One man had his large, fire department issued pickup truck and was able to get me out with ease. From beginning to end, the whole thing took maybe 20 minutes. However, seeking help and solving a tangible problem was what I needed to wake me up before I got too lost in my head.

Nebraska National Forest(?!?)
The frequent pop-pop-pop of locals shooting pumpkins kept me alert.

I met Scott and Megan early in my freshman year of college. They were the leaders of Campus Crusade for Christ at Wash U. These days I don't talk a whole lot about my involvement with Crusade or church in general for that matter. My feelings about these various institutions are...complicated. A lot positive experiences and relationships are tangled up with a lot of negative.

Scott and Megan most definitely rank among the positive. Encouraging and honest, they welcomed this messy student and many others into their lives and into their homes. Their interest and hospitality laid the foundation for one of the best communities I've had in my life.

The next morning revealed that Scott had "lost his battle with mental health". I'd suspected this might be the case because the earlier messages had an all too familiar vagueness about them. Still, my stomach sank at the confirmation, and my first thought was "Damn. I was really hoping for an aneurysm..."

That day I had the distinct privilege of being in some unique and beautiful places. The strong winds and wildness of the high prairie were the perfect setting to grapple with the gamut of thoughts and emotions. I was sad and angry. I regretted not talking to him more recently. I was excited at the prospect of seeing old friends. I felt guilty for being excited.

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Strong gusts of wind blowing little wooly caterpillars off the path caused
hearty laughter and gave comic relief.

Scott's Bull National Monument
A good place for hollering.

In all this, I kept thinking about how Scott really loved brownies. He would get so excited when someone would bring a tray to a gathering. I distinctly remember one time when his face lit up as he declared, "Brownies are my love language!" He and I both agreed that corner pieces are the best pieces. I recall a couple of occasions when he graciously offered me first pick, however there would be a bit of competitive gleam in his eye as if daring me to pick the one he wanted. Brownies were serious business.

Part of me wishes I though of something more profound about the impact Scott had on my life. Chocolate baked goods were really a very small part of our interactions. However, as I think about it, silly stories like this speak volumes. He was someone I enjoyed and whose friendship meant a lot. The small stories show the substance of things.

There is a lot I could say about the visitation, funeral, and seeing everyone, but I will just summarize by saying it was all very good. And we all absolutely hated the reason.

October Odds and Ends

I like Octobers. It might be my favorite month. While teaching, I found it perpetually frustrating that Octobers were almost too busy to enjoy. When people would comment on how it "must be nice" to have summers off, I would cynically reply, "yeah, but I can't go anywhere in October..." In fact, when imagining my ideal life, being able to travel in October often topped the list.

So, this week I was surprised to discover that October was almost over and I'd traveled for almost its entirety. I was realizing a long-time dream and barely even noticed!

My obliviousness is a testimony to how relaxed October was. I'm getting a hang of being on the road and no longer chased by the same anxieties that followed me as I started out. Also, I had the good fortune spend time with a lot of friends and family. This gave my travels a homey, familiar feel, even as I went new places. Yes, October 2018 was a good month.

I've already told about the month's rousing start in Nashville with the Old Dogs. I've also mentioned visiting Mammoth Caves and a bit about Dauphin Island. As you might imagine, there are many more stories to tell. Since November is officially underway, I've decided to give a brief rundown of the October highlights. I might fill in with some separate blogs later, but I'm afraid of suddenly finding myself in December without having written a thing!

* * * * * * * * * *

My first stop after Nashville and Mammoth Caves was Lexington, KY to see my sister, Marianne, and her family. The big event of the visit came on Sunday, when we all participated in the Raven Run 5k/10k trail run. My brother-in-law, Travis, and I ran the 10k, while Marianne and a friend walked the 5k with their kids in tow. I think they chose the harder option.

Travis killed his first trail run! He was awesome!!
Me? Well, I was inspired to get back in the habit of running more regularly.
However, I can honestly say I ran down the muddy hills with more confidence than most!

Though they walked the whole way together, Marianne's friend ultimately
won at the wire because her baby's bitty booty stuck out further than Marianne's big ol' boobies.

Hanging out at Marianne's also gave time to cook some real food. Monday was dedicated to creating a pumpkin feast. No pumpkin spice, though!

Roasted home-grown pumpkin, a key ingredient for pumpkin, fruit & nut bread
 and jerked pumpkin soup.

Leaving Marianne, Travis, and the Wee Seamus, I had a few days to kill before meeting my friend's family in Dauphin Island. Following the recommendation of a fellow transient, I backpacked for three days in the Sipsey Wilderness. Northwest of Birmingham, it's part of the Bankhead National Forest, and it is gorgeous.

At wetter times of the year, it is full of waterfalls and cascades. Even with it being drier, the Sipsey River was lovely. The rock formations were a lot of fun to explore, and I rather enjoyed the steep and difficult creek crossings. There's something trilling about needed to use tree roots as a ladder.

Sipsey River near campsite #1

Day 2 took me through a 7 mile section that's traveled much less than the other trails.
Being a beautiful weekend, it was the longest I went without seeing other campers.
I was grateful I had a good map.

The end of the rarely-traveled section.
Yes, there is a trail back in there.

I love what rocks and trees can do when they work together!

Day 3: That trickle in the center is the only waterfall I saw.
This place must be spectacular in spring!

Earlier in the day, I encountered a group of well-meaning but clueless men who were
overly courteous in their warnings that there was a snake up ahead.
Clearly, they misread my interests...

Rock rises like this were throughout Sipsey.
It would be nice to go in winter when you can see them without the leaves in the way.

Leaving the wilderness, it was time for the BEACH! I really think Dauphin Island should have its own entry. So with apologies to Michelle and her family for the continued delay, here's a few pretty pictures to tide everyone over:

Live Oak

After the beach, I spent and few days relaxing with my lovely aunt and uncle in Poplar Bluff, MO. I didn't realize how tired I was until they put me in a cool and very dark room for the night. It was way too easy to sleep the day away!

Off the back porch

Next stop was Saint Louis because I actually had to work. For two days, no less! That's as many days as I worked in August and September combined. Don't worry, I won't over do it.

I stayed at my friend Olga's. Her family's house is one of my many homes-away-from-home. Her two daughters are a blast. It tickled me when they introduced to their friends as their roommate. I like hanging out with them and dominating them with my superior hide-and-seek and Just Dance skills.

Elena (left) is the owner of Pikachu.
Zecora (the My Little Pony) belongs to no one, but Sonia commissioned her to join me.

My two days of work for October complete, I headed north towards Iowa. For reasons that are hard to articulate, I think I'll be spending the winter in Des Moines. I wanted to check things out before I decide.

Iowa has been unexpectedly delightful so far. I'll have to tell about that later, however. The pictures on my phone have yet to sync with the cloud, and pictures are important for this tale...

A Series of Fortunate Thursdays

I have had some really good luck come my way lately. While good things happen every day of the week, too, I'm noticing a trend of Thursdays being especially fortuitous.


Thursday, September 20
While en route from Colorado to Farmington, MO, I stopped off in Jefferson City. Despite spending the majority of my adult life in Missouri, I had never visited the capital of our fair state.

It was a slow day - evidently nothing much was in session. I almost had the downtown strip to myself as I strolled along, seeking a place for a late lunch.

After visiting a small organic market, I decided on Yanis Coffee Zone, a cafe with Middle Eastern food. Their menu is posted on the wall and the young man working there noticed I was reading the section where all the hot food is listed. He politely interrupted me to let me know that, unfortunately, the kitchen closed at 2 (it was 2:30). However, all of the cold food and coffee drinks were still available. He was very helpful and accommodating. In the end, I ordered the hummus. I told him to keep the pita. I would use the peppers I'd just bought at the market.

The hummus, beautifully presented, tasted delicious. The friendly and personable waiter apologized again for the limited choices and wanted to make certain I was well taken care of. As I was the only customer as the time, he was free to chat. I asked him a bunch of questions about living and working in a place like Jeff City, with its fluctuating and seasonal population.

Shortly before I left, he said, "since you like peppers, would like some more?" Somebody had given him a bunch from their garden. He had more than he could eat and they couldn't use them in the restaurant. I graciously accepted and left feeling like that was one of the best random stops in my travels so far.

Thursday, September 27
This happened my first evening in the Land Between the Lakes.

I parked my car at a vacant campsite alongside Kentucky Lake. Nearby was a man, perhaps late 50s or early 60s, blasting classic rock and fidgeting with tarps. He had quite the setup; practically a tent city.

Meanwhile, I switched the contents of my car over to sleep-mode and pulled out food for dinner. As I was eating, the man came over to greet me and my friend. He'd assumed I had traveling companion and was quite surprised to learn I travel alone. Upon realizing this, he wanted to reassure me that he and rest of his group would do me no harm. As if in evidence of their safety, he explained that he was a local who visits LBL often. I wanted to say, "If  that's the case, you must know the area really well. The means it'll be harder for me to escape!"

Instead I smiled politely and bit my tongue.

He next told me the rest of the group would be coming later and that they would be squirrel hunting in the morning. He didn't want me to be afraid when I saw the shotguns. I told him I wasn't worried.

He smiled at this and said, "Oh, you carry, too?"

Puzzled, I replied, "No, unless you count bear spray."

"Hair spray?"

It was here I realized that he was a touch hard of hearing.

I clarified about the bear spray. Intrigued, he asked, "So you travel out west? Are you an artist or something?"

He was not expecting me to say I was a science teacher. The poor man didn't quite know how to respond. I didn't fit any of his preconceived notions.

We chatted a little while longer before he left. He came back a few minutes later to offer me some ribs he'd been smoking all day. I graciously accepted, thrilled that back-to-back Thursdays had brought me amusing conversation and free food.

(As an added bonus, this day was the birthday of one of my favorite people. It's hard not to feel fortunate on September 27).


Thursday, October 4
On this day I parted ways with the Old Dogs and headed to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. About halfway between Nashville and my sister's place in Lexington, it was the perfect place to stop.

A cave tour being a must, and I had my eyes set on the Violet City Lantern Tour. Three hours long, it is lit only by kerosene lanterns in order to give it a historical authenticity.

Unfortunately, when I go there, Thursday's tour was sold out. I'd tried to reserve a spot ahead of time, but reservations.gov was down that week for maintenance. Taking it in stride, I asked the ranger at the ticket desk about Friday's availability. Unfortunately, since the site was down, she had no way to see how many tickets were left until the next morning.

As we talked about how early I would need to get there the next morning she suddenly stop. "Wait. Is it just you? There's still one ticket left for today! We marked it sold out because it's rare to sell a single ticket."

Woohoo! I jumped all over that. After the free food of the previous two Thursdays, I'd been on the lookout for something. While not edible, I decided this fit the theme.

Also, the tour was a fun time. I highly recommend checking it out, especially as pictures aren't possible.

During the tour, I met a two brothers and the girlfriend of one.  All three were kayak instructors. The couple came from Alaska, the brother from Michigan, and the entire trio were headed to Florida for the winter. As we exchanged travel stories, one brother recommend the website freecampsites.net, which has proved quite helpful.

They were definitely a good meet.


Thursday, October 11
Thought the Fortunate Thursday trend was broken when I received a parking ticket for parking my car someplace I've parked countless time. Apparently a permit is now required.

But later, I reconnected with a good friend I hadn't seen in six or seven months. Yay! Also, I drank a really yummy hard cider made with hops.

All-in-all, the day was a win. (c:


Thursday, October 18
This ENTIRE week was incredibly freakin' fortunate because I was lucky enough to spend it with my dear friend Michelle and her family at Dauphin Island, AL. The whole trip is worthy of it's own blog entry, but I'm going to tell this story now because it happened on a Thursday. Also, it is hilarious.

The day before, Michelle's parents learned of a shallow sandbar that leads well out into the area where Mobile Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico. Being up for adventure, Michelle, her brother Tim, and I decided to check it out.

The sandbar as seen from our condo.
We walked well out of the range of this photo.

For most of the way, the sandbar was above water. Since few people were around, we came across some large colonies of birds. Some of the gulls were creepy and Hitchcock-esque. Others, like the group of small sandpipers hoping on one foot, apparently just for fun, were a lot more enjoyable. Eventually we reached the end of the sand. Tim elected to stay on shore while Michelle and I waded out into the water.

For the most part, the water was quite calm. However, in certain areas, waves splashed up out of nowhere. This was evidently where the Gulf and Bay came together, forming sandbars like the one we were on. Behind us, the birds were still active, while off in the distance we could see several drilling rigs, tankers, and shrimping boats.

Silent, we paused to take it all in. After several minutes, Michelle pointed out how remarkable it was to be so far out and have the water still below our hips. As I expressed my agreement, I looked in the water to my left. I saw something very large and very close.

"Big fish!" I sputtered as it veered away. Michelle saw it too and we took off running. As we ran, I asked myself, "Was that a shark? I think that was a shark!"

The race back to the beach was long enough for the initial adrenaline to wear off and for us to start laughing. I imagine we looked something like this cat:

via GIPHY

After we calmed down and explained what the hell was going to Tim, we were able to do a little research. We determined that what we likely saw an adult Atlantic Sharpnose Shark. Despite our "flight response", it didn't have much interest in us.

(Although, as an alternative interpretation, a friend suggested the shark swam by to make friends. It only turned away because the yells hurt its feelings. We were shark-shaming).

I don't know how "fortunate" this story is, but like I said before, it happened on a Thursday!

* * * * * * * * 

So there you have it! I've been delayed on this entry several times and I'm glad to be done before another Thursday comes and I'm compelled to think of something else. (c;


Edit - Free Food Thursday struck again on 10/25 in the form of dinner at Drunken Fish!!!!

Old Dogs and Honky Tonks

For the first few days of October, I took a break from my usual backwoods ramblings to join my parents for their annual Old Dogs Reunion. The Old Dogs are a group of long-time colleagues and their spouses from Cabot, the company my dad worked for before retiring. Now they get together once a year in different places around the country. For 2018, their destination was Nashville.

Earlier this summer, when my parents first asked me if I'd like to go, they barely finished asking the question before I said yes. A few of the folks going I've known for decades. Most of the rest I'd never met, however since I've heard stories about them my entire life, their names and personalities were familiar to me. For one woman in particular, while I don't believe I'd previously met her, her son stands out in the collective memory of my siblings and I because he was the only boy babysitter we ever had. We all thought he was pretty cool.

Anyway, glad to be invited, I really looked forward to the trip.

After an evening of welcome cocktails and conversation, the Old Dogs began their first morning in Nashville with a bus tour. Our guide showed us all the sites, dropped lots of names, and gave advice on what to visit later. I enjoyed going along for the ride and taking a break from deciding where to next.

We got off the bus for a tour of the famous Ryman Auditorium.
Our Ryman guide grew up in Magnet Cove, AR, a town just down the road from my mom's hometown.
She also asked an especially cheerful woman in our group to adopt her.

The tall and gaudy Athena statue in the replica Parthenon.
Exactly the type of sculpture one would expect in the "Buckle of the Bible Belt".

That night, everyone piled into cars and we headed to the Grand Ole Opry! The headliner was Rascal Flats, but I liked many of the lesser-known acts better.

There was Dailey and Vincent, a large and lively bluegrass band. The kind where all the members stand around with incredibly chill expressions while playing their instruments insanely fast. Another standout was Stephanie Urbano Jones who performed songs like "Jolene" and "Rose Garden" while accompanied by a mariachi band. Seriously, click the links. She's worth a listen.

My personal favorite was a duo called Striking Matches. In all honesty, I doubt I would've liked them as much if I'd only been listening to a recording, but they were a blast to watch. Both excellent guitar players, they seemed to have had a great time on stage. They did not play this cover of Kanye's "Gold Digger" but the video captures their skill and sense of fun.

The next day, Wednesday, I had mostly to myself. I spent the morning taking a closer look at several places our tour guide had pointed out from the bus and just seeing where my feet would take me.

Getting a little inspiration from Wilma Rudolph at Bicentennial Park.

"We're not walking. We're standing."

Our tour guide advised against Printers' Alley for reasons of shadiness.
I rather like the shade...

A replica of a replica of the fort built by the original settlers.
(All 6 friends are in this one. Good luck!)

View from a pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River.
I watched the kayaker (center) workout for at least half an hour.

That night after the farewell dinner (a lively feast filled with stories, toasts, and plans for the next time), I finally went to visit some of the bars on Broadway. After brief stays at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and a few other places, I ended up spending most of the night at Nudie's Honky Tonk. The band wasn't particularly note-worthy. However, they covered a lot of songs I hadn't heard in ages but know all the words to. While I would have preferred to have found a singer/songwriter playing original music, I had a blast belting out 90's hits while being trod upon by drunk Canadians. The only thing missing was my dear friend Olga. She would have loved the set list.

It was nice to to explore an urban setting for a change. However, I couldn't leave the wilderness too far behind. On my last day in the Land Between the Lakes, I'd managed to numerous chiggers, seed ticks, and who knows what else. I spent my entire time in Nashville with legs that looked like something out of a medieval precautionary tale. Fortunately equipped with plenty of hydrocortisone cream and Gold Bond Powder, I got along just fine.

Lastly, I cannot emphasize enough how nice it was to spend a few days with the Old Dogs. Everyone was friendly and genuinely welcoming. My only regret is that I didn't get to talk with everyone more. I can see why they choose to stay in touch and see each other every year.