Just because I sound so happy to be living in London (one of the coolest cities in the world) when you talk to me doesn't mean that I still don't have a tad bit of homesickness for my beloved Tennessee from time to time. I mean after all, it is Nashville, TN, how could you not miss that charming piece of the great USA from time to time...
Where am I going with this? you ask... well...
While walking with the iPod on shuffle the other day this song came on ( Tennessee Line by Daughtry featuring Vince Gill ) and tears started welling up and I was like "WHAT IN THE WORLD" where did this come from???!!! Trust me, it came out of no where. So I quickly had to choose a new song... something safe like this Jessie's Girl...
My point of the story is: Be careful when using "shuffle" on your iPod.
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Nashville Honky Tonks!
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| Broadway...downtown Nashville, TN... Tootsies is the purple building... |
Ever wonder what the inside of a honky tonk bar in Nashville, TN aka "Music City" looks like? what goes on? how's the music scene? Especially inside Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge! Its a place started by a lady who went by the nickname "Tootsie" and her husband and son over 50 years ago when Nashville barely even had 9 songwriters and the Ryman (a music venue that I hold near and dear to my heart). Nashville's Lower Broad area was to say the least dingy. Not anymore. Broadway is alive! Full of neon, great music, cowboy hats, boots, and the stench of bud light (kindda kiddin' bout' the last part..but not really)... Even if you aren't a fan of country music you will love a night hanging out in the honky tonk bars. My favorites are Tootsie's, The Stage, Roberts Western World (they serve fabulous hamburgers and grilled cheeses...they also sell boots) it's not much bigger than a walk in closet though, oh yeah and I also like the Second Fiddle.
Tootsie's was/is the place for any musician wanting to hit it big the likes of Mel Tillis, Wille Nelson, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Kid Rock, Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline and the list goes on and on have walked through their purple doors. The walls are lined with pictures telling the bars history. Kris Kristofferson at one time lived in the apartment upstairs and there's a rumor that Willie Nelson wrote his "Hello Walls" song inside Tootsies... According to www.toostsies.net, Willie Nelson received his first songwriting gig after singing at Tootsie's. Speaking of stars... while we were there Kellie Pickler (American Idol alum) was listening to the band downstairs.
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| Tootsie's |
We arrived around 10ish pm on a Friday night and both the upstairs and downstairs bands were in full force and so were the crowds. At around 2 a.m. the place started clearing out and this made me sad... bars in Nashville close around 2-230 a.m. I had a great time. There is not a better city with live music scene than Nashville in my opinion. Honky Tonk bars never charge a cover. Never! The bands work on tips only so when the tip jar goes around make sure you throw something in.
Here are some pictures from our recent Tootsie's visit:
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| Upstairs band |
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| upstairs crowd |
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| downstairs crowd |
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| downstairs |
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| upstairs |
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| upstairs |
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| downstairs... |
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Marche`
When living in Nashville, Mike and I would eat at this place in East Nashville called "Marche" almost every week... great dinners... great brunch! menu changes all the time... interesting meals... cool casual vibe... great staff... we just love it there! I'm pretty sure they thought we lived in the neighborhood and didn't drive 20 minutes to get there as much as we use to be in there...
Marche Artison Foods:
Open Tue-Fri 7am-7pm; Sat 8am-5pm; Sun 9am-4pm
While we were home last week I scheduled one dinner and one Saturday brunch there. It's one of my top 2 brunch places in Nashville so having brunch there was a MUST! I couldn't decide between the egg and succotash dish or the crepe dish so I said to hell with it and ordered BOTH. They looked like this:
Marche Artison Foods:
Open Tue-Fri 7am-7pm; Sat 8am-5pm; Sun 9am-4pm
While we were home last week I scheduled one dinner and one Saturday brunch there. It's one of my top 2 brunch places in Nashville so having brunch there was a MUST! I couldn't decide between the egg and succotash dish or the crepe dish so I said to hell with it and ordered BOTH. They looked like this:
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| Marche |
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| Marche crepe with spinach, ricotta and roasted rep pepper pesto |
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| Marche Two eggs over lima bean, corn and tomato succotash with some kind of delicious sauce |
after I was finished eating they looked like this:
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| That's right! I ate every bite. I would have drank that sauce had I been home. Delicious! |
I miss you already Marche! See you in December!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
While we were in Nashville last week, we drove to see my grandparents (about 1.5 hours away) in Tennessee Ridge, TN. When looking up the population of TN Ridge just now I found this:
| Estimated Population: | 1,927 | |||||
| White Population: | 1,902 | |||||
| Black Population: | 6 | |||||
| Hispanic Population: | 13 | |||||
| Asian Population: | 4 | |||||
| Hawaiian Population: | 0 | |||||
| Indian Population: | 0 | |||||
| Other Population: | 7 | |||||
| So much for diversity... | ||||||
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Anniversary: Year 7
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| That cute chapel is where we got married. This was the family chapel that President Andrew Jackson built on his property "The Hermitage" for his family and staff. There is even a cute plaque stating where he sat. |
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| Happy Anniversary!! |
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| What I wouldn't give to wear that dress again. I love it!! |
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| Always laughing... |
What do the McCooey's do on their anniversary?
Well... so far we either go eat at The Palm or take a trip.
For year 7 we are headed to China.
Beijing and Hong Kong here we come!
These Tennessee born and breed feet (mine not Mikes) will soon be standing on the GREAT WALL OF CHINA! Boo-yah!!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
White Nose Syndrome
White Nose Syndrome seems to be serious. No, I'm not talking about accidentally getting your nose to close to your cappuccino foam. I'm talking about Bats. I don't like bats, but this story has to do with my Alma Mater so I wanted to share.
Dr. Andrew Barrass, Associate Professor of Biology at Austin Peay State University, is the Project Manager and Principal Investigator working with the APSU Center of Excellence for Field Biology to monitor the potential spread of WNS (White Nose Syndrome) in the state of Tennessee. Fellow researchers, Graduate student Morgan Kurz, and undergraduate student Seth McCormick, are studying bats using transect monitors at Dunbar Cave and Land Between The Lakes. The APSU research team is also developing a microscale GIS map of Dunbar Cave to help aid in the understanding of bat habitation. APSU is currently the only university asked by the state to monitor and develop research concerning the White Nose outbreak.
In February 2006 some 40 miles west of Albany, N.Y., a caver photographed hibernating bats with an unusual white substance on their muzzles. He noticed several dead bats. The following winter, bats behaving erratically, bats with white noses and a few hundred dead bats in several caves came to the attention of New York Department of Environmental Conservation biologists, who documented white-nose syndrome in January 2007. Hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats have died since. Biologists with state and federal agencies and organizations across the country are still trying to find the answer to this deadly mystery.
Welcome to the "Bat Project"
Bat Photography
Bat Project Students:
Seth McCormick and Morgan KurzIn February 2006 some 40 miles west of Albany, N.Y., a caver photographed hibernating bats with an unusual white substance on their muzzles. He noticed several dead bats. The following winter, bats behaving erratically, bats with white noses and a few hundred dead bats in several caves came to the attention of New York Department of Environmental Conservation biologists, who documented white-nose syndrome in January 2007. Hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats have died since. Biologists with state and federal agencies and organizations across the country are still trying to find the answer to this deadly mystery.
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