Travelogue

If you guys ever find yourself up in this direction I'd like to suggest a little place you might want to stop and visit. About half way between Louisville and Indianapolis on Interstate 65 is Columbus, Indiana. Get off I65 there and head west on Stare road 46 toward IU, and about half way to Bloomington you will come across a little town called Nashville. Yep, Nashville, and it even has a Little Opry Theater,

Nashville is in Brown County, and Brown County looks like somebody took a scoop out of the Tennessee foothills around Loudon and dropped it in southern Indiana. It makes me home sick every time we go down there. Spring, summer and fall, it would be tough to tell the two apart. I will grant you that winter would look a little different, but heck, why worry about a little snow? :)

Nashville, Indiana is full of little shops and stores where you can buy anything from clothes to food, and a lot of things you didn't even know you had a use for. Sort of like Gatlinburg, since it's touristy, or artsy, or whatever you want to call it. Actually the video of the sidewalk in front of Tic Toc's that I spoke about in the last post looks a little like Nashville, Indiana too.

Hey, better yet, call me when you get up here and I'll meet you and show you around myself. :)

Changes

The other day I saw a video clip of the sidewalk from the old Richeson's Drug Store to Tic Toc's and I was struck by how... hmmm... different.... it looked. Not in a bad way, just different, and any difference takes some getting used to.

Also, I haven't seen the amphitheater, but we used to run those woods and fields hunting for squirrels and rabbits, so that too would look different. As would the new bridge --- does it have a walkway?

Different is fine. At least it's being kept up and improved. Right?

But along with what's been added, there are things missing. The old grammar school, the old jail, the chair factory and the old bridge come to mind. And so do a lot of people I knew in school. In fact another one passed just the other day.

And we've changed. You and me. A few more pounds here and there (a lot more for me), our hair more gray than any other color, and a host of wrinkles and creases that adorn our face. Say they came from laughing if you want, and I'm sure a lot of them did, but they're there just the same.

So when I come face to face with you guys again, and I will, I'm not going to be surprised about how much you've changed. Okay, maybe a little. :) But you know what? It won't make a damned bit of difference.

Why Didn't You Guys Tell Me?

You can learn a lot, even at my age. :)

I found this on Wikipedia today:
"The University of Tennessee's sports teams, called the "Volunteers" or "Vols," are extremely popular in the surrounding area. In recognition of this popularity, the telephone area code for Knox County and eight adjacent counties is 865 (VOL)."

All this time I've been trying to think of something that would help me remember my sister's phone number... that 865 part was a big stumbling block, especially after it was 615 for so long (and wasn't there another one at one time?) I had to look it up almost every time I called her. Now I know how to remember it. :)

Going Back to School

I guess if I look back at the first week or so of school each year, it wouldn't be so surprising that most of us have lost track with one another.

In an area as small as Loudon, there would be a lot of kids I didn't see over the summer. Granted, I did not move in many circles, but I don't think many people did. We all had our close friends that we saw frequently, then there were those we might bump into a few times over the summer, and then there were those we didn't see at all.

So the first week or so was spent catching up. All the latest gossip. Who was going with who... who had broken up... who got a car... who was taller... the list could be as long as the people in our circle.

In a way, it was almost like learning each other all over again. Some who were boisterous became quiet, and some who were quiet opened up and became more outgoing. Maybe there was more stubble on this or that chin, or this or that girl had a few more curves. In some cases the changes could be dramatic over that short 3 month period.

Past Poll Results

Favorite Male Teacher
Dutton	3	33%
Headlee	3	33%
Arp	2	22%
Ratledge	1	11%
No one else received votes
Favorite Year
Senior	6	86%
Freshman	1	14%
Sophomore	0	0%
Junior	0	0%

The Old Courthouse

Donna sent me this picture of the old courthouse. It has to be taken from somewhere in the 70s since you can see the old jail. When did they move the old Inn into that spot? I'm not very familiar with the positioning of the statue, but can you see it from this angle? I know this is close to the spot where they would put up the old "greazy pole" during a fair of some kind when I was a kid. In fact, almost the entire courthouse lawn was used in some way or another. And finally, wasn't the time capsule buried on this the side?

And The Winner Is.....

Final Poll Results for Favorite Year:

Freshman	1	14%
Sophomore	0	0%
Junior	0	0%
Senior	6	86%

Well... Did It Open?

Janis sent me a link to a story that the high school may not open on time this year due to some violations found by the state fire inspector. (Thanks Janis) I found another couple of stories about it after surfing around a few minutes and I actually thought the Knoxnews.com story was a little funny. It stated that one of the findings was for a door that was needed in a glass wall "in the 40 year old building" I tried to figure out which glass wall they're talking about, but all I kept coming back to was it's 40+ year old and they're just now finding out the wall needs a door??? Good thing none of those cigarette smokers from years ago set the place on fire, especially the ones smoking in the boys room.