Photo Favorite: Ryman Auditorium Alley

Another photo from the "Great Christmas Road Trip of 2009" - yes, I promise to tell you the story, soon! - this time, in Nashville, TN. This is the alley between Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (on the right) and the historic Ryman Auditorium. Why the alley? This is probably one of the most historic alleys in America - if not, the world. The list of legends that have crossed this alley from Tootsie's to get on stage at the Ryman is staggering! I just had to stop and take the shot.
Copyright 2010 Mark C. Osborne, III. All rights reserved.

Photo Favorite: Old Country Store, Jackson, TN

In honor of my trip this week to Gatlinburg, TN to attend a week-long woodturning workshop at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, I wanted to post some pictures that were taken during the "Great Christmas Road Trip of 2009" - a story for another day! Above is the Old Country Store in Jackson, Tennessee, just off Interstate 40. There is a lot to see inside. You can eat at the buffet or at the grill/takeout. I got some great catfish and okra for the road! In addition to the country store, there is a steam engine and house that tells the story of Casey Jones. There are also several other shops on the property; all "old-timey."

(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the Old Country Store, in any way, and have received no compensation for posting this information.) Photo Copyright 2010 Mark C. Osborne, III. All rights reserved.

One More "Whatcha Doin'?"

I come naturally by my love of road trips; of just getting out and seeing what lies over the hill or around the bend. As an Air Force family, we moved quite often. Before I was four we had lived in Mississippi, New York and Colorado. There are many stories of the family traveling the highways – my dad in his Volkswagon bus, mom in her VW Bug – on our way to the next base. Once we settled in Houston, we would take day trips to Galveston or into East Texas. Several times, we made the trek back to Colorado to visit my grandmother before she passed. But it was in the past 10 years or so that my mother and I became regular traveling companions.

We always seemed to live not far from each other – anywhere from a few blocks to a few miles. In recent years, I would be up on a Saturday morning enjoying a cup of coffee and a rest from working, when the phone would ring. It was usually my mother. She would let out with a cheery, “Good morning!” and then, the inevitable question – “Whatcha doin’?” This was my signal that road trip was in order that day. She would declare that the walls were closing in on her and that she just needed to get out for awhile. Well, “getting out for awhile” could mean a short ride to one of her favorite East Texas towns – Edom, Jefferson, Palestine or Mineola – or it could mean we could plan on not being back until late in the evening. You see, we might have a destination in mind, but once there and finished looking around or having lunch, I would look at her and say, “Could you go a little farther?” She usually said, “Sure!” and off we would go on down some back road or to the next little town. Once we drove from Fort Worth to Marble Falls (about 180 miles one way) just enjoying the scenery, telling stories, stopping at little towns to look around and having some great conversations. You could be sure that if there were great old homes, antique shops or a historic cemetery, we would be stopping. We also made overnight trips wandering around Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. If we ever got “lost,” she would play navigator and pull out the map to help get me back to a main highway. Pure fun! I came to understand that these road trips were our way of decompressing and relieving stress – me from work, her from worries about family (which she swore she wouldn’t do but inevitably did anyway!).

Tomorrow, I’ll be heading out on another big road trip from Houston to Gatlinburg, TN to Arlington, VA and back to Houston. (I’m not sure what route to take home, yet!) This time, however, my mother – my navigator, my travel companion, my friend – won’t be coming with me. After battling and surviving breast cancer, and living most of her life with the pain of arthritis, she passed away this past March after a bout of pneumonia and the toll it took on her lungs. It happened suddenly. She had been in and out of the hospital for a couple of months, but every indication was that while her life would be spent with oxygen always nearby and that long, wandering road trips would be a thing of the past, there would still be many opportunities to take short drives to her favorite spots in East Texas. (Before she was hospitalized, we had talked about driving to Florida this summer.) What I wouldn't give to get one more Saturday morning phone call asking, "Whatcha doin'?" Even though that won't happen, I know I have one of the best heavenly co-pilots I could ask for watching over my upcoming travels.

Thanks, Momma.

Movie Monday: The Road to San Felipe - Part 3

Still at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site. Thought I would try my hand at a longer, narrated piece - and an extreme close-up!
Copyright 2010 Mark C. Osborne, III. All rights reserved.

Movie Monday: The Road to Sealy - Part 2

Just a quick video about the well that is on the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site grounds. Plus, it's a "talkie"! Copyright 2010 Mark C. Osborne, III. All rights reserved.