A different dimension
We start every trip with 'the picture.'
I write this from the comfort of a beautiful condo within Printer’s Alley in downtown Nashville. We discovered this place during our family trip in May and decided to come back, just the two of us, to celebrate our 20th anniversary. That was a most excellent call as we needed this time together. Our lives are changing.
This trip has been a bit slower but still magical. We arrived on Friday and headed directly to Rippy’s — hungry for a pulled chicken sandwich and in high hopes that Tom Stewart and Lyle Nordby would be playing. This has become an unspoken tradition of ”stop one” as we stumbled up Rippy’s, the food, and their incredible musicianship on our first trip.
As we entered with sun in our eyes, we heard them and smiled. But then something caused me to smile even bigger, laugh out loud and grab Dave’s hand. Sitting between Tom and Lyle was Jake Maurer. By now, you know that we also discovered Jake on our first trip down and have been following him ever since. It was so perfect given the circumstance. The three guys we love to hear, together, in a bar that provided seating and much less ruckus. Jake was just as surprised as we were. We had an incredible ‘Cheers’ moment. And yes, they played Prine for us along with Tom’s favorite John Hartford tune, ‘Gentle On My Mind.’ Later we learned that Jake had just met Tom & Lyle that day. They had never played together before. I took great pause with this. Things happen for a reason. It was so good for us. Serendipity.
After dinner and some music we decided that we needed to get some rest. The trip was a bit rough on Dave and he was achy. We bought a deck of cards at the Legends Gift Shop across the way and settled in for an evening of bad movies and Gin Rummy. Yes, folks. This is us.
Saturday dawned beautiful and blue. I discovered the H.G. Hill Urban Market and picked up some breakfast. Oh, the similarities to our early days in Boston. I could live here. And we hope to down the line.
We had never ventured into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and very much wanted to on this trip. The pace was perfect and the timing just right. Over the past two years our appreciation for the bluegrass, country and roots genres has blossomed. We were better able to relate to the history in front of us. And, I know someone who wants an internship in the archive room!
After hours of wandering and gazing, we bypassed busy Broadway for lunch back at the condo and the UT / LSU football game. (An awful ending!) More cards, more quiet more getting ready for things coming our way. We set out in the early evening to check on the garden project we assisted with in May. Traffic near Vandy got us to the B.E.L.L. a little later than planned but again, all things happen for a reason. The work had been done for the day but one of the garden’s caretakers was still on the site. She walked us through the plot and quietly told us about all the growth that took place during the hot, dry summer. She also showed us the new plantings that just went in including raspberries and blueberries. Standing there in the dark, it felt good to have been a piece of that project. We’ve rooted a bit of ourselves in this place. We helped people create something that can sustain many for a very long time. Four months had passed since that laborious day in the sun and many things have happened. But life continues, right?
And that leads me to where I am now. Watching the sun rise over the city, listening to Dave sleep and mentally preparing for the next journey. This one is going to be tough. It is going to be a fight. It will test us like nothing else we have encountered but it will not win. We will. And you know the first place we are going to go to celebrate.
I am now turning this space over to documenting our travels into territory unknown. I will state the facts, chart the progress and knowing me, therapeutically rant. (I can filter those!) Being able to start this part of the blogstream in Nashville — a place that has come to mean so much — and to celebrate, question and adjust is a nod to universal design.
Namaste. We begin.
Reconnect.
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Too long, really. And sadly, it’s been about that long since we’ve piled into the car and set out for an adventure. Let’s just say the past 18 months have been interesting — a journey in and of itself. I’m sure you’ve had stretches in life like that as well.
But today is different. We’re moving forward AND hitting the road for a short trip to Nashville. For many reasons.
The flood of middle Tennessee earlier this month touched all of us in many ways. The news — true need– was obscured in the media by other things, namely the Gulf Oil Spill (which is still a mess!) and the attempted bombing of Times Square. Throw in a bunch of other world grief and you can see how coverage of Tennessee underwater escaped many. Frankly, it wasn’t “sexy.”
But for us, the situation struck a chord. And we, as a family, decided we wanted to help. Not just “send money to an organization” kind of help, but really help.
So we kept tabs on the news feeds and discovered a great agency, Hands On Nashville, who was organizing a people’s movement to get jobs done. Their passion and communication via their website, Facebook and Twitter, has been phenomenal. I’m not sure who is the acting voice for the organization in these spaces, but as a communications person who believes in the power of social media, I tip my hat.
Through HON,we’re signed up to help rebuild a sustainable garden project at a local middle school that was destroyed as the waters rose in West Nashville. We’ll be there first thing Saturday morning picking, pulling, planting and building. When the work is done, we plan to introduce the kids to both Tootsies and our music pal, Jake Mauer. The full moon is aligned as Jake is playing at 2:00 in the afternoon and the kids will be able to experience a little honky-tonkin’ good time. They’ll get to see the history, experience some great music, and learn the economy of the passed pickle bucket. We also plan to take them to our other fave spots including Hatch and Gruhn Guitars.
We’re not exactly sure what we will see or who we will meet when we are down there. But we need to go. This is our chance to give back to a place that makes us happy and simply extend a little kindness.
May this be the start of many more jaunts and journeys this summer. ~ Jacqui
Road Trips
We’re married. We’re parents of three great kids. We both work outside of the home to earn our keep. We’ve been in lockstep for the past two decades, building something that is safe, comfortable, solid and seemingly natural. At least to us. We’re grateful for all of these things. But… (there’s always a ‘but’, isn’t there?) we recognize there are times when we need to get out. Escape. Run away from the circus to join the reality, if only for 48 hours.
When we can, we now plot a road trip. Even if just on paper, the road trip is letting us become a bit more creative in how we approach our day-to-day as well as shape our future. Ever since our groundbreaking excursion to Nashville in 2008, we’ve become two kids in cahoots — scheming, dreaming, trying to figure out when in Sam’s Hell we can break away, where it is we’d like to go and more importantly — why.
Many of our trips are still in the fantasy stage. Current family life, responsibilities and outside schedules tend to keep us grounded. And contrary to the ‘expected American norm’ our thoughts are not of romantic beaches, ski chalets and golf courses. Together, we realized we want to discover the common bits of Americana in the hopes of honing the true nuggets of our selves. As we currently do everything scripted post college graduation, we now wrestle the expectation to conquer and succeed with the desire to just live and simplify. Dusty roads. Humble meals. Genuine conversations with people. Laughter. Wholeness. These are the things scribbled on the coffee-stained road map. And when opportunity allows, the things we gratefully experience, savor and share. — Jacqui
Nashville or Bust 