Southern Holiday Part One

During the Christmas holidays, when the Aerospace Corporation where we work was having its holiday closure, we flew to Louisville for our vacation in the South. All reservations and travel plans were made in advance, and a "Triptik" was provided by the Automobile Club. The Delta in-flight movie was It Could Happen To You. We gave two thumbs up for the film with Nicholas Cage about sharing lotto winnings with a stranger. On arrival at Standiford Field Airport, we picked up our Hertz rental car which happened to be a brand new Toyota Camry. We had been given an upgrade for a shortage of economy cars, but who was complaining? We spent the first night having a holiday dinner together at the Waffle House, on the north side of the Ohio River in Indiana. "Bert's" chili, a B.L.T., a pecan waffle and country music on the jukebox made for a unique holiday meal.

Later that Christmas Eve, after some picture taking in the downtown area of Louisville, we attended a service at the Episcopal, Christ Church Cathedral, a historic gothic church. The Christmas program included a string quartet, a brass quintet and chorus performing Magnificat, a piece by baroque composer Francesco Durante. Two church sonatas by Mozart were also performed. An impressive church interior, colorful traditional dress, and beautiful singing and music made this a truly classical Christmas program.

On Christmas morning, we drove again to the banks of the Ohio River where we ventured out in the cold weather. We also walked through a red brick residential area of Louisville and stopped into a Baptist church to admire a great stained glass window. Later, at the Cave Hill Cemetery, we noticed that many old headstones were decorated with the same ubiquitous red ribbons we had seen on so many of the brick residences. A flock of wild geese was sighted over the lake at Cave Hill as were a number of turkeys on the grass! After heading the wrong way on Bardstown road for some time, we finally got our bearings, found Highway 64 east and were on our way to Frankfort.

After lunch with the locals at the "Farmer's Restaurant" in Frankfort, our first stop was to see the State Capitol Building which is said to be one of the most beautiful in the country. Also on the grounds is Kentucky's Floral Clock. After some photos here, we went to the nearby Frankfort cemetery to see Daniel Boone's grave, and the overlook of the city and Kentucky River. The Old Capitol building of Frankfort and its main street and old street clock made an interesting photo stop. Since it was Christmas Day, finding an open restaurant for dinner in town would be difficult, so arrangements were made for special sandwiches made to order at a local service station! We were greeted by friendly people there and even treated to coffee and homemade fudge to go with our "dinner".

After spending the night at the Days Inn, we returned to Old Frankfort expecting to find museums, etc. open, but instead, settled for a walk past some historic homes and taking pictures around Liberty Hall. Lunch that day was at Frich's Restaurant; Kentucky's answer to Bob's. A Big Boy hamburger there left something to be desired. We talked about getting an authentic Big Boy upon returning home. Karen took over the wheel as we continued on to Lexington. As we were driving, Karen noticed frost and ice had formed on the trees and we knew that the temperatures were falling. We headed for downtown Lexington to find the Mary Todd Lincoln house closed and wondered, "Was this the right season to be making this trip?" Later at the Kentucky Horse Park, we roamed the fields, saw the race track, and photographed some beautiful horses. Karen liked getting up close and personal with the horses and it made for some nice pictures.

As we walked around the fields and white fences, we noticed that the grounds there were set up for an Xmas light show. We decided to return that night to see it. To pass some time, we visited Victorian Square, a shopping complex housed in an old historic building. We found a shop that specialized in merchandise made of crushed pecan shells, but passed on any gift buying there. Dinner was at Denny's before heading back to Kentucky Horse Park to see "Southern Lights", the South's largest display of Christmas lights. Upon arriving at the entrance to Kentucky Horse Park to see the "Southern Lights" display, we encountered a line of cars, which in this case was reassuring. It indicated that vacationers were in fact out in force, even at this time of year. This drive through display was eye-popping with its many imaginative creations of lights depicting horse racing and Christmas themes. We drove through the display three times, and at one point, I left the car to walk a short distance while taking pictures. Thermal wear and gloves made the walking in the cold night air fairly comfortable.

While gathering information in Lexington on sightseeing in the area, we discovered that to miss the Shaker village at Pleasant Hill would be a shame, since it seemed to offer much in the way of picture appeal and interest. A shift in plans was in order to take in this popular Kentucky attraction. First, an early breakfast at the tiny Waffle House restaurant, where by this time, we had learned how to order our hash browns (scattered, smothered, covered, topped, diced and chunked). Over a pecan waffle and a cheeseburger, we discussed the day's new travel plans. Instead of driving directly from Lexington to Corbin via Highway 75 south past Richmond, a side trip on Man O' War Blvd. then Harrodsburg Rd. into scenic countryside would take us to Pleasant Hill (Shakertown).

We arrived at the Shaker village before the morning fog had lifted and so took advantage of the great atmosphere to photograph some of the original 1805 buildings. Pleasant Hill is America's largest restored Shaker village and contains 33 buildings on 2,700 acres. After a while, it was time to enter and register at the stone Center Family Residence. It was explained by one of the docents that the Shakers, having their beginnings in 18th century New England, were a celibate religious sect. Men and women lived on opposite sides of communal dwellings, and depended on converts and adoptions to sustain their numbers. They got their name from the way "dancing" was incorporated into their worship customs (the shaking Quakers). We attended a demonstration of just how spirited these dances and songs were. The Shakers officially disbanded and ended their venture in 1910.

In nearby Harrodsburg stands a 1774 English settlement in Old Fort Harrod State Park. Within the fort are pioneer cabins and Kentucky's first schoolhouse, with its dirt floor, a fireplace and tiny, hard wooden desks. Except for the watchful eye of a feisty, white tomcat, we wandered around the fort essentially unnoticed. As lunchtime approached, we found a Subway sandwich shop in Harrodsburg where we enjoyed 18 inches of meatball and cold cut treats. Possum stew at the fort never tasted this good, I'm sure!

The drive to Corbin was a lengthy one, and an opportunity was had to listen to some of the cassette tapes we brought along for the trip. It was an eclectic assortment to be sure, with selections by Olivia Newton John, Placido Domingo, Conway Twitty, Brahms and Beethoven. The good scenery began to fade as nightfall was coming on, but we were able to find our Corbin Day's Inn in time for guaranteed late arrival. After checking in and briefly exploring this city in the Cumberland Mountains on a nighttime downtown drive, we decided to dine in our hotel room, courtesy of Dominoes Pizza delivery. Either there were quite a few of those pizza delivery vehicles cruising the parking lot of the Day's Inn, or repeated runs by the same driver made for a busy night.

Breakfast the next morning before heading into the Daniel Boone National Forest was in a local coffee shop. The interior lighting of that restaurant was so bright that we wondered what their electricity bill must be like. I didn't know if we were in a coffee shop or a tanning salon. When a light bulb did blow out, they wasted no time replacing it. It only took one waitress to screw in the bulb. Soon we were on our way to Cumberland Falls; the real reason for overnighting in Corbin.

Cumberland Falls is 120 feet wide and drops 67 feet into the swift flowing, boulder strewn Cumberland River. One would think that it would be almost impossible to miss a spectacle as mighty as this, but we almost did. When I saw a sign in a parking lot marked Cumberland Falls State Resort, I said to Karen, "I'm sure this couldn't be where the waterfall is. It's probably just a lodge or something". As we walked a very short distance, we heard the sound and saw the spray of the falls. "Oh, I guess this is the right place", I said. The ground was very icy and slippery, and soon our hands began to feel numb. With gloves on, we managed to get our pictures before returning to the car and running the heater. We waited at this location for a time to get some different lighting on the falls. When the gift shop opened, we went in to browse and admire some original crafts such as pin cushion candle holders and honeycomb candles.

Leaving the falls and forest area and returning to Corbin, we arrived at Sanders Cafe and museum just in time for lunch. Sanders Cafe is the restaurant where Col. Sanders first served his fried chicken, and once included the Sanders Lodge, a motor hotel on the same property. The Colonel used a shrewd advertising tactic to attract business to the lodge. Inside the restaurant, strategically located next to the ladies washroom is a model guest suite with "modern" conveniences such as a pay telephone and other amenities. He knew that the wives usually make the decision of where to stay for the family. The Colonel's office and original kitchen are inside as well as pressure cookers and "secret" spices, along with photos and memorabilia. We had lunch at the historic cafe (fried chicken, what else?) and really enjoyed making this stop. The leftover pizza from the previous night I finished in the Sanders parking lot, all the while believing it was heresy.

Back on Highway 75, we drove south into Tennessee to arrive in Knoxville in the late afternoon. As I read the map while Karen drove, we navigated through this large city to find one historic home, the Armstrong-Lockett House and Memorial Gardens. Built in 1834, it's one of Knoxville's oldest continuously occupied houses. Photographs weren't allowed inside but we did get pictures of the fancy Italianiate garden terraces that led from the mansion down to the Tennessee River. Knoxville was the site of the World's Fair back in 1982. Some of the structures remain, including a giant glass and steel dome, recognizable as the city's landmark.

Walking around this area, we were dumbstruck by the strange display at the Museum of Art. Mundane housework chores were glamorized in much larger than life, bizarre steel sculptures. Ironing, vacuuming and even toilet bowl cleaning were portrayed by "glamorous" women in an outdoor setting. Still reeling, we wandered into a factory, where we experienced a most wonderful sensation of smell: it was the Knoxville Chocolate Factory, makers of the South's best chocolate fudge. It was hard to resist, but we'd already had our quota of fudge back in Frankfort.

A good picture spot was found on a grassy hill overlooking three Victorian homes, painted pink, yellow, and blue, respectively. From our hotel, we called to Nashville to try to get reserved seats for the Grand Ole Opry. It was easily done with the help of a calling card and a visa charge. Before we had dinner at the wee little Waffle House, across from the Days Inn, we set the camera on a tripod for a picture of its fluorescent glow at twilight. Tomorrow it would be Nashville or bust, and we never guessed that we'd be attending the show at the Opry.

A full breakfast was provided in the hotel lobby this morning. Not just cinnamon rolls and doughnuts this time, but hot and cold cereals, toast, juice and coffee. We were going to visit the Hermitage today, the 625 acre estate of Andrew Jackson, and a fine breakfast was needed to get us off to a good start. When we arrived in the Nashville area at the Hermitage visitor center, I was reminded of Mt. Vernon, home of another famous American president. Missing though were the large crowds of people we had experienced there.

The Hermitage contains original furnishings and all of President Jackson's personal effects. We took pictures of some 1804 log cabins and a stone, spring house which are on the estate. We strolled the paths behind the 1821 mansion where Jackson and his wife are buried in a section of the garden. As we finished our walking tour, Karen returned the audio tour cassette player at the gift shop. Here we bought enough postcards to cover everyone on our postcard mailing list.

Before we continued on to downtown Nashville, a convenient lunch stop was made at the omnipresent Waffle House, its menu by this time indelibly etched in our minds. I was in the mood for a cheeseburger and a bowl of Bert's chili, and Karen was looking forward to a pecan waffle. As we approached the downtown area, I realized that a picture of the Nashville skyline was necessary, if only to capture the essence of a household term made famous by the title of an old Bob Dylan album. This was facilitated by swinging into the yard of an industrial trucking company and quickly taking a couple of pictures with the telephoto lens. The Nashville skyline is dominated by the sleek, futuristic lines of the General Telephone Co. Building.

The next stop on our agenda was to see Fort Nashborough, a re-creation of the 1780 log fort that once withstood Indian attacks. It was my impression that its single function now is the sheltering of some of the city's homeless. It's located downtown, directly across the street from Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe, and not the most photogenic subject. Docked below on the banks of the Cumberland River, however, are brightly painted paddle wheel showboats such as the Music City Queen.

Leaving the river front area, we decided to visit the State Capitol Building and parked at a public parking facility. Before starting off, we took notice of where we were to avoid getting lost. We walked up Church Street and rounded the corner past a Subway Sandwich Shop. After photographing the Capitol Building and an impressive statue of General Andrew Jackson mounted on a rearing horse, we headed back to the parking lot. Knowing that we had parked near the corner of Church and Subway made finding the car a bit easier.

In the middle of Nashville's urban Centennial Park, one can find the Parthenon, a most incongruous sight. A full scale replica of the original classic building in Athens, it was built for Tennessee's 1897 Exposition. After viewing this amazing anomaly, we drove across town to see the Belle Meade Plantation, an 1853 Greek revival mansion which has on its grounds a carriage house, creamery and a smokehouse. There we saw a sight we thought very typical of Southern living: three rocking chairs on the veranda, and on the window behind them, a large Christmas wreath with red felt ribbon. At this time, we needed to find our hotel for the next two nights, and so once again, Karen drove while I read the map. We navigated the city's freeways to find the Days Inn on West Trinity Lane, just north of the Cumberland River.

Dinner that evening was at Shoney's Restaurant. We were enjoying the food and change of scenery, since the Waffle House had become a little too familiar. When one customer was displeased with the service there at Shoney's (the salad bar had run out of soup bowls), he complained, "I knew we should have gone to the Waffle House". We got a good laugh out of that. After dinner, we headed out to the Opryland Hotel to see the Christmas light display.

Our first night in Nashville would prove to be a feast for the eyes. We had heard about the opulence of the Opryland Hotel, but it needed to be seen to be believed. As we approached from a distance, it was hard to know exactly what we were seeing-the lights were so numerous that the entire area with all the trees and decorations seemed to go on without end! Bare, leafless trees were strung with so many thousands of lights that every detail of the trunks and branches was apparent as if the trees themselves were electric! Rows of large, full trees were covered with fine netting, solid with lighting that gave the trees the appearance of being cartoon- like. We took many pictures as we walked around the giant poinsettias and the two story gingerbread house, brightly lit in a fantastic way.

Inside, the decor was just as ostentatious with its four acres of cascades, waterfalls and botanic gardens. We saw a show featuring a pianist playing a concert grand to synchronized dancing waters and colored lights, and watched a D.J. from WSM-AM Radio 650 broadcast from a studio within the hotel. After taking it all in, we were wanting to hear some live country and western music. We left the Opryland Hotel and went to a lounge called the "Broken Spoke" where we had some chablis with baskets of popcorn, and listened to a country band perform. The music was hot and loud. When it was time for the local talent to take the stage, I got out the camera and went up to take some pictures. We left and called it a night as soon as we realized it was nearly 2:00 a.m. Tomorrow, we would get an early start. We needed to pick up our tickets for the Grand Ole Opry!

That Friday morning, Dec. 30, we went to Grassmere Wildlife Park, which features animals indigenous to the state of Tennessee. We spent a fair amount of time there photographing bears, eagles, otters and bison. When we came to the brown bear enclosure at the wildlife compound, we spotted two bears sleeping in the grass behind some logs. A loud roaring sound (made by Randy) got the two bears up, alert, and ready for their close ups. While on the hiking trail, we noticed other photographers setting up to try for pictures of wolves and cougars. We talked to a ranger/docent who sadly told us that because of lack of funds, this wildlife park was to be closed and the animals most likely would be transported to the Nashville Zoo. After a walk through the aviary followed by a cup of coffee, we said goodbye to Grassmere and were on the way to Music Row.

Again, one navigated while the other drove, and in no time, we found ourselves at the George Jones Gift Shop and Mini Museum. We spent some time looking at the displays of photos, guitars and guitar cases, stage costumes, gold records and other George Jones memorabilia. In the gift department, Karen bought a Tennessee belt buckle for her dad, and I wound up with the album, Where Grass Won't Grow and the music video, George Jones, Live in Tennessee. Other country star shops and museums on Music Row include those of Hank Williams Jr., Conway Twitty and Barbara Mandrell. A store that specializes in country music, and a good place to look for hard to find albums is Ernest Tubb's Record Shop. Here I bought a David Houston cassette that could only have been found at such a location.

Earlier, at a Wherehouse Records and Tapes store in Music Valley, I asked a clerk if they had any David Houston tapes. The reply that he gave with a Southern drawl was, "What kind of music does he sing?"....and this was in Nashville! We played the David Houston tape in the car on the way to Opryland. I had told Karen about the quality of David Houston's singing and was glad she could finally hear what I'd been talking about.