Cross-country Moving to North Carolina 2021

Our friends took us on a nice driving tour along part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stopped at the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Folk Art Center, which was part museum and part shop. Fabulous. The photo of a hand carved carousel -- beautifully done, but with whimsical characters including Elvis, Teddy Roosevelt and others. Gorgeous woodwork, textiles, pottery, glass... We did manage to escape without buying anything, at least partly because there was too much beautiful stuff.

Visited the botanical garden in Knoxville before heading through the Smoky Mountains to Asheville. Beautiful drive! Dripping green, which is quite a change from the west. Lovely dinner with our friends Bob and Ulana, followed by an attempt to go to Shindig on the Green. We only got too hear a few groups before a rousing thunderstorm persuaded is that we should go home and eat Ulana's let lime pie before we drowned.

Decided to visit The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's "farm". It's really a plantation, but he apparently called it a farm. We were happy to see some attempt to deal with his slave-holding. It wasn't glossed over or ignored. Jackson clearly bought into the whole manifest destiny thing, but it seems he was genuinely trying to do what he thought best for the country. It didn't make his ideas or actions re slavery or native Americans ok, of course, but at least it wasn't coming only from his own self interest. We're definitely "back east" and south  now. The mountains are green (though they still have big rocks :)) and there's even kudzu and y'all is definitely the proper plural for you.

The day started with exciting news: we can move into our new home on Aug. 10! Don't know yet if we can have our furniture delivered that day, but it'll be close! The porch won't be finished yet, but they're letting us go ahead and move in. OK: back to the regularly scheduled program. Started with a walking tour that was about the history of Nashville including, of course, important places related to country music but not limited to that. Women's suffrage passed by 1 vote after one state representative changed his vote to spruce it after being lobbied by his mother. Bike racks and bus stops have musical motifs. We visited both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the new National Museum of African-American Music. The latter was dealing with the whole history of African-American music from slave times to the present. The Country Music museum was mostly about the headliners (and the wild costumes and sometimes instruments), but had a special exhibit about Boud...

Squeezed in another walking tour on Louisville before heading for Nashville. This one's purported to be about bourbon, and it was, but it was also savor history and architecture in the the downtown area. This city office building, for example, has heads of pigs, cows, horses and mules representing the city's agricultural past. You can see them over the windows in the photo.  Bourbon distilling really got started in the 1780's and eventually standards were established that define what can be called bourbon. These include that it must be at least 51% corn, and nothing in it other than corn, water, and other grains. It can't be more than 160 proof, and it must be aged in a new oak barrel (charred on the inside). No colors or flavorings can be added. Dinner tonight at an Uzbekistani restaurant. Yum!

Busy day! Started with an 8:30 tour of Churchill Downs. It was worth it! The house was a local who hasn't missed the Derby since he first week be when he was 16. We guess he's "our age"--knew all the basic stuff, but also lots of fun details. E.g., having a seat doesn't mean you can see the race--even those in expensive seats. The horses only run when they are three years old. Unfortunately, no horses were there before cause they're doing done renovations. All bets are in cash, and so are payouts. Next was a walking tour of historic Louisville. Lots of old mansions. Many were made into apartment buildings, but are being restore and returned to single family him homes. Most were mixed architectural styles--if Mrs. So-and-so wanted a turret, she got one whether it "fit" or not. There were also beautiful walking paths which many of the houses faced, so it was the back door that faced a street. Plus, Louisville dinner. This time pulled pork, properly coo...