Sunday, August 31, 2008

Franklin Jazz Festival



We spent about 4 hours at the Franklin Jazz Festival last night, held on the historic square in downtown Franklin.  The two-day (evening, really) festival features a number of jazz musicians on two stages, as well as food, drinks, and a number of informational and craft booths.  

The music started at 5:00 PM, and attendees sat on lawn chairs (their own), benches, curbs, grass, etc. to listen to a number of musical acts including Cissy Crutcher and her band (above), Corazon, Buckwheat Zydeco, and the Storm Kings.  Money raised from admission fees ($5/person) benefits the Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and West Tennessee.

While it was pretty hot and humid here today, it was not too uncomfortable once the sun went down.  (The sno cone booth stayed busy the entire evening!)  Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought that since thousands of people showed up for the event.  

The Festival continues this evening, starting at 5 PM, again.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Inside Story on Milk




Yesterday, I showed you the outside of my brother-in-law's milking parlor, and today I'll take you on a bit of a tour.

Tom breeds and milks Holstein cows, a black and white breed that originated in  The Netherlands almost 2000 years ago.  Of the six main dairy breeds, the Holsteins, on average, produce the most milk.  They eat almost constantly so that they produce enough milk for their twice-daily milkings.

Before they go into the milking parlor, they gather in the holding pen right outside the parlor (Above).  Note the cow's full udder.

Tom milks 40 cows twice each day - once in the morning, and once in the early evening.  There are six milking machines in his milking parlor, three on each side.  Once the cows enter the parlor, Tom disinfects their udders, attaches the machine to them, and turns on the machine (Below).   Note the cows in the holding pen outside the back door.

The milking machine automatically milks the cows and sends the milk to a stainless steel, refrigerated tank (Below).

A "milk man" picks up the fresh, raw milk from the dairy farm to a plant where it's pasteurized, bottled and sold to the public.

Yesterday, I asked if anyone could guess the range of how many pounds Tom gets from his cows in the average day.  Guesses ranged from five to 10 gallons daily.  A gallon weighs about eight pounds, so that would be from 40 to 100 pounds of milk per day.

Close!  Tom says that, on the low end, one cow may produce only 17 pounds per day while another may produce 134 pounds per day.  Yikes!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Skywatch Friday: Sky Over the Milking Parlor


Last weekend, we had to go to Ohio for a few days, and we had the opportunity to visit with both of our brothers.  Mine lives in Youngstown, and Michael's is a dairy farmer in Plain City.  While we were at the farm Monday, Tom started the evening milking (He milks 40 cows.), and I noticed the sky above the milking parlor.  Tom and Sue's two dogs (Paulie and Lacy- left and right) had to get in the photo, too.

A question for you:  We asked Tom how much milk he could get out of the average cow each day (2 milkings).  He gave us his high/low amounts.  Can you guess the range of how many pounds he can get from a cow in a day?  Tune in tomorrow for the answer.

Today is SkyWatch Friday, and as usual, blogs all over the world are participating.  When I signed up, I was number 243.  Click here to get links to other participating blogs.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Democrats Make It Official

The Democratic Convention is almost over, and with his official nomination, Barack Obama is no longer the presumptive nominee.  I have seen Obama bumper stickers like the one above on cars all over the mid-state area in recent weeks.  During the last presidential election, I saw very few bumper stickers.  Over the next few weeks, we'll see if more stickers find their way to car bumpers.

What Is It Wednesday? Revealed

Yesterday's WIIW? was the skeleton of a modern home being built on the west side of Nashville.  The homes have a very modern look with angled walls, flat roofs, glass, steel, and more.  The home shown above is on the lot next to the one I showed yesterday.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

What Is It Wednesday?


If you live in Nashville, you can't play this round of WIIW? as you probably know what this is. . . .

It might be easier than I think, but I wonder if *you* can tell me exactly what this is. . . .

Tune in tomorrow for the revelation!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

TWANG!


I showed you the guitar outside of Books-A-Million yesterday.  About 50-feet away from that guitar is another one with a little more "twang" to it. . . It must be more country.  ;-)

Monday, August 25, 2008

Guitar on Guard


Yesterday, I showed you a fiberglass catfish that graces the deck at Rock Harbor Marina.  The huge fiberglass guitar shown above stands guard outside of Books-A-Million in Nashville West, a life-style center on the westside (of course) of Nashville.  I particularly like the keyboard swirling around the guitar.

A few years after the catfish were auctioned off, there was another fundraiser for which artists decorated fiberglass guitars.  Businesses that bought them put them on display.  Most of them are gone now, too, although there are four outside of stores at Nashville West.  Tomorrow, I'll show you one with a little "twang."

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Marina Catfish

On the deck at Rock Harbor Marine, you'll find this great catfish.  

About 10 years ago, local artists had the opportunity to decorate the fiberglass catfish which were then auctioned to local businesses.  For a year or two, the catfish were on display around Nashville.  Most are gone now, although this guy still stands guard at the marina.

Tomorrow, I'll show you something a little more melodic than the catfish.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Boat Lift at the Marina


If you want to get your boat out of the river,  you can't just pick it up and move it.  What do you do?  Use a boat lift!  The lift is lowered into the water so that the boat can ride over the straps.  Once the boat's secured in place, the lift elevates it.  Cool, eh?

Friday, August 22, 2008

SkyWatch Friday: tRock Harbor Marina


The other day, I featured Bentley, the American Lab, on his boat at Rock Harbor Marina.  Today's SkyWatch is a shot of some of the the slips at the marina.  Of course, the star of the photo is the sky, a brilliant blue that turned the brown Cumberland River into a sapphire jewel Sunday afternoon.

Each Friday, between 200 and 400 photo bloggers around the world celebrate the SKY.  To get links to the other SkyWatch blogs, click here.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Pasta Time - What Is It Wednesday Revealed


Yesterday's What Is It Wednesday? was a bit difficult for people to guess. The metal appliance is actually a pasta machine, and I used it Sunday to make fresh pasta for dinner. My mother was one of 11 children of Italian immigrants, so I watched her, my grandmother, my aunts and even an uncle make pasta from the time I was very young. There is nothing like fresh, homemade pasta.

I'm guessing most people don't make pasta these days, so I'll give you a bit of a pasta-making lesson.

1)
You basically need flour and eggs (and a *tiny* bit of water) to make pasta. I don't measure, but I remember my mother once saying that you basically need one egg for each cup of flour. I guess that I had about two cups of flour (above) and two eggs. Some people add salt. I do not.

Mix the flour and eggs together. Once they start to stick together, I wet my hands a little and mix them together a little more.

2.
Once the dough forms, knead it together for a few minutes.

3.
Roll the dough into a ball and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes. We always put it under a bowl so the outside doesn't dry out.

4.

Slice the dough to prepare it for the pasta machine.

5.
Flour the outside of each roll and roll it through on the machine's widest setting. (Above) Lightly flour both sides of the dough out and lay it out. Repeat with all slices. (Below)
6.
Roll the dough through the machine again, using a setting that is less wide. Repeat until you get the dough as thin as you want it. I start at #8 width (First photo above) and end usually make about 4 passes through the roller, ending at either #2 or #3 width. You can tell by the two photos that the thinner the width, the longer the dough gets.

7.
Roll each long slice through either the pasta or fettucine cutter. I usually make spaghetti (above).

8.
Lay the spaghetti on clean towels and sprinkle with a little flour so that the strands don't stick together (above). Depending on how much you make, you can let it dry and store for later use, or you can cook immediately.

9.
Bring water to a boil, add pasta, and watch carefully. Fresh pasta doesn't take more than 3-5 minutes to cook (depending on its thickness). (Note: I do not add salt to the water, either.)

10.
Drain and serve with your favorite sauce and cheese (Top photo). I usually make my sauce from either diced or crushed tomatoes and top with Asiago or Romano (or Parmesan) cheese. I also add mushrooms and spinach to my own plate, which you can see in the photo.

I don't usually add meat to my sauce. My mom and most of her family made meatballs (mixing pork and veal or beef) or used sausage or another pork.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

What ls It Wednesday?


Today is Wednesday, so it's time for What Is It Wednesday?  I'm interested in seeing if anyone knows what today's  item is.

So, WHAT IS IT?

Tune in tomorrow to see if  you were right!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Dog Day Afternoon



While enjoying a nice Sunday drive, Michael and I dropped by Rock Harbor, a marina on the Cumberland River.  We found Bentley sunning himself on this boat and waiting patiently for his owner who was in Blue Lagoon Restaurant in the marina.  While we walked along the dock, Bentley stayed in the same place on the boat, sitting up only once to change positions (Below).

Just before we left, Bentley's owner came out of the restaurant called the dog over.  He told me that Bentley is an American Lab, hence his chest and paws are larger than and English-bred Lab.  He also told me that Bentley loves boating, the water, and duck hunting.

Rock Harbor is about 10 minutes (by car) from downtown Nashville.  It has 155 covered wet slips for  25'-55' boats.  Electricity and water are included in the slip rental, but cable TV is extra (Ok.  I'm at a loss for that one!).

Monday, August 18, 2008

Saturday In The Park



As I told you yesterday, the Nashville Humane Society sponsored a Woof-L Ball Tournament at Centennial Park Saturday (Below left). Unfortunately, there were not a lot of dogs there while we were there. I also don't know what I expected, but the humans were the ones playing Woof-L (wiffle) ball, not the dogs. Hmmm.

While we were at Centennial Park, though, we noticed quite a few people out just enjoying the day by relaxing under the trees (Above). What a wonderful way to enjoy a beautiful Saturday morning!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Woof! Woof!

Yesterday,  the Nashville Humane Society held a Woof-L Ball Tournament at Centennial Park.  The humans got to play wiffle ball, tug-o-war and corn hole and enjoy a slip-n-slide.  The dogs that were lucky enough to be there had to sit and watch.

The Humane Society holds a number of events throughout the year and are dedicated to controlling the pet population, finding homes for pets in need, and for eradicating mistreatment of animals.  (They place about 2500 animals each year.)  Humane Society volunteers brought these two dogs to the park today in hopes of finding homes for them.  Oscar (left) 
is a 3- or 4-year old Jack Russell and Chihuahua mix.  Pepe (right) is a 2-year old Cocker mix.  Both dogs were very friendly and quiet.  I hope someone adopted them.

A note of interest regarding the Humane Society:  Founded in 1887, the Nashville Humane Society is one of the oldest service organizations in the city.  Originally, the NHS fought to protect children and draft horses from mistreatment.

Up next for the Humane Society is Dog Days and The Mutt Strutt on September 20.


Saturday, August 16, 2008

More Construction Cranes


The other night I showed you a few construction cranes at night.  This is a crane at Rolling Mill Hill, which I showed you a bit ago (Click here.)  The mixed-use community is on the site of the old Metro General Hospital south of the downtown business district.  What amazes me is how HUGE this crane is.

Friday, August 15, 2008

SkyWatch Friday: Sunset

Clouds come floating into my life, 
no longer to carry rain or usher storm, 
but to add color to my sunset sky.
~ Rabindranath Tragore

Almost every house we've ever owned has had a backyard that faced west.  If you have a house with a west-facing backyard, you know how uncomfortable it can be in the afternoon when the hot sun shines through the windows and on the patio or deck.  The good news, of course, is that you get to see beautiful sunsets almost every day.

Over 200 people had signed up for SkyWatch Friday when I signed on today.  To get links to their sites, click here.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Dandy Sites


All around the United States, developing towers full of condominiums. Nashville is no different, and I've shown you a few of them at different times. The two towers above are in the SoBro area of downtown Nashville. (The SoBro area is south of Broadway, a main street downtown.) Both of the condos shown above are near the symphony.

Yesterday's What is it Wednesday? was a dandelion. Good job to those who guessed it correctly!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

What ls It Wednesday?

I found this a few weeks ago and thought it might make a good What Is It Wednesday?  I think it's pretty easy, but I'm not too sure. . . .

What Is It?

Find out tomorrow!  Same blog time. . .Same blog channel!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Summer Reds and Greens

If you like peppers, head to the Nashville Farmers' Market right away!  The place is filled with red, green, yellow and purple peppers.  (You did read that correctly:  PURPLE peppers.)  We don't actually eat peppers, but I do love to photograph them.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Railroad Bridge

While we were out shooting one evening, I noticed how nice the this bridge is lit at night.  The bridge supports a very busy railroad track, and during the day, I hardly notice it.  It's amazing how the night lighting brings out the artistic aspects of the bridge.

This bridge is, by the way, on the south side of Bicentennial Mall.  I'm standing on a plaza that contains a huge map of Tennessee.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

The Capitol from Bicentennial Mall


I took this photo of the state capitol from the north end of Bicentennial Mall the same evening I took the skyline photo.  What amazed me about the evening was how clear the night sky was.   There was not a cloud in sight.

For reference. . . As you look at this photo, the Cumberland River is a few blocks to the left, which would be east, and the stadium is a few blocks southeast.  I took the photos that I posted August 2  from a spot near there, and that's why you don't see the capitol in those photos.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Nashville Shore?

Nashville is pretty landlocked, even though we do have a number of bodies of water around here.  I have yet to see any shells on the shores of any of them, though.  

We decided to take a short drive (13 hours. . .UGH) south to visit our son in Ft. Myers this weekend.  I found these shells and sponge on a beach on Sanibel Island and thought I would share them with you.  Sanibel Island is one of the most famous places to find shells of all kinds.  Supposedly, people flock to the beaches in the morning to collect them, and their bent-over posture has been called the "Sanibel Stoop."

By the way, there is a waterpark in Nashville called Nashville Shores.  I haven't been, but the daughter of a good friend was a lifeguard there for years, and the place is really nice. . . .It just doesn't have sea shells!

Friday, August 8, 2008

SkyWatch Friday: Just After the Sun Sets

Softly the evening came.
The sun from the western horizon
like a magician extended his golden wand over the landscape. . .

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I shot this beautiful sky about a week ago just after the sun set behind the little hill in the distance.

When I signed on, there were almost 200 other bloggers participating in SkyWatch Friday. Last week, over 3oo eventually signed up! You can check out the sky around the world by clicking here.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

What ls It Wednesday? Revealed: "Ain't I Sweet?"


Wow.  I thought that yesterday's photo was quite obvious!  As you probably can tell by today's photo, it was a close-up (macro) of Decker's nose/nostril.  He saw me with the camera the other day, and being the HUGE ham that he is, he came over and posed.  The dog is a camera hound (No pun intended. . .HA!).  So, Abe Lincoln was correct in his guess!

I do want to point out that the dog's nose is quite amazing.   Until I took the close-up of Decker's nose, I had not noticed the white spots on it.  Decker loves to sunbathe, and most mornings, he'll find where the sunlight comes through the windows and fall asleep in the sun.  His nose, as you may have noticed, is quite dark.  Kasey, our female, is not wild about sleeping in the sun, and her nose is quite a bit lighter.

(Side note:  As I write this, we are watching The Great American Dog.  I think they missed a good one [See photo above. ;-)].)

By the way, Decker was a little insulted that people thought his nose a slimy creature. He insists that he's a superior being!  :-)

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

What ls It Wednesday?


It's Wednesday, so that means it's another "What Is It Wednesday?" quiz.  I think this one is pretty obvious, but my husband doesn't think it is.  So, we'll see who's right!

I will say that it took some time for me to get this photo right.  What is it?

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Ghost Ballet at Night



Continuing with some night views from around Nashville, I thought I would take another look at Ghost Ballet for the East Bank Machineworks.  You may remember that it was the first of what will hopefully be many commissioned by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission.

I first showed you this sculpture in February and March.  I took this photo from a position about 20 feet to the right of where I took the February photo.  Amazing how just a few feet will change perspective, no?

Monday, August 4, 2008

Tennessee Capitol at Night

The Tennessee State Capitol is a beautiful building, especially at night.  I showed you a photo of it earlier (Click here to see the original post and to read a little more of the history.), and thought you might enjoy seeing it at night.  Completed in 1853, the capitol is fashioned after a Greek temple.  This is the back of the capitol (same view as the original), and it overlooks Bicentennial Mall.

In 1996, the United States Postal Service celebrated Tennessee's bicentennial by issuing a 32-cent stamp that featured the capitol.  One of the guys who works the counter at our local post office told me that Tennessee residents were able to buy stamps that had a photo of the capitol on it, but that other stamps with a drawing of the capitol went to other states.  Since I live in Tennessee, I'm not sure if that's true or not.

A note about yesterday's post and tax-free weekend:  I forgot to mention this, but Tennessee is having a lot of financial difficulties, as are other states, of course.  About 2400 state employees have been offered buy-outs to help alleviate the budget shortfall.  As of Friday, only about 1600 have accepted, and that is causing quite a bit of concern.

The governor is a bit concerned, of course, and he mentioned that having a tax-free weekend is going to hurt the state.  The state legislature has made the August tax-free weekend a law, so they cannot do away with it, but the April one exists at the discretion of the legislature, so I figure we'll have only one tax-free weekend in 2009.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Tax-Free Weekend, Part Deux


This weekend is the second tax-free weekend (August 1-3) of the year, and you may recall that I featured the first one back in April.  As you may also recall, the state legislature decided to  allow two tax-free weekends per year to spur sales of school supplies and clothing since Tennessee has the highest sales tax in the country  (9.25-9.75% depending on the county).  Exempt items include clothing ($100 or less per item), school supplies, art supplies for school, computers (less than $1500 per item).  You can see a complete list of items by clicking here if you are interested. 

Friday afternoon, we went to the mall to check something out, and I noticed the line of customers waiting to get into the Apple Store (above).  From what I understand, if you didn't make a personal shopping appointment in advance, you had to wait in line to go in and buy a computer.  In the hour we were at the mall (1:00 - 2:00 PM), the line never decreased in size.  Consider, though, that the savings on a computer could be $100 or more depending on the model.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Happy Birthday to us! Nashville Daily Photo Celebrates 1 Year


Whatever with the past has gone,
The best is always yet to come.
~ Lucy Larcom

One year ago today, Nashville Daily Photo officially joined hundreds of daily photo bloggers. I shot that first photo, the downtown skyline, from the east bank of the Cumberland River early one morning.  I decided that today's "birthday" shot should be the skyline at night, shot from about the same spot.  We just happened to be on the shore when the General Jackson Showboat passed by, and since everyone on board seemed to be having a party, I have included them in our celebration.

A note about the blog's birthday:  Before I committed to doing the blog, I debated whether I could actually post a photo every, single day, and I didn't want to commit unless I was going to do so.  I finally decided that I wanted to share Nashville with the world, so I signed on.  Gail's Man and Kate were the first to comment on my blog.  That first week, Ackworth Born and Abe Lincoln encouraged me to stay at it longer than the original Nashville Daily, which died after one month.  As the days flew by, more and more people have either commented or emailed me privately to tell me that they look forward to seeing this blog.  You do not know how much that meant - and continues to mean - to me.  I have made a lot of cyber-friends and have even been able to meet some of you because of this blog.  More importantly, though, it has introduce me to my own city as I share it with you.  For all of that, I am grateful, and I thank you.

Now!  On to the business of the day: The current General Jackson was christened in the mid-80s.  The four-deck paddlewheel riverboat cruises the Cumberland River daily both at midday and in the evening.  In addition, the boat does special cruises, including Titans Tailgate Cruises when the Tennessee Titans play home games.  (Note:  LP Field, home of the Titans, is behind where I stood when taking today's photo.)  In addition to meals, cruisers are able to relax and enjoy entertainment the cruises.  Prices vary, and cruise-only, cruise/meal-only, and cruise/meal/entertainment tickets are available.

Named for the first steamboat that traveled the Cumberland River (and for Andrew Jackson), the riverboat holds about 1200 passengers and over 150 crew members.  It is about 300 feet long, and the paddlewheel is 36-feet wide and 24-feet in diameter.  The General Jackson travels at an average speed of 4-8 mph, and its top speed is 13 mph.  The roundtrip cruise from the boat's dock at Gaylord Opryland is about 14 miles.

I remember taking an evening cruise on the Gen. Jackson's predecessor the first time we visited Nashville in 1978.  We had the meal, and I remember having fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, salad, and sweet iced tea.  It was the first time I had ever had sweet tea and sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows.

If you're interested in learning more about the General Jackson, click here.

Friday, August 1, 2008

THEME DAY: Metal


 
Bringing beauty to space to lift up spirits.
~ Brother Mel

Being the first day of the month, today is THEME DAY in the City Daily Photo world.  Since this month's theme is METAL, I thought it appropriate to post these huge metal guitars for Music City!

On display at The Arts Company in downtown Nashville, these two guitars are the work of Brother Mel, a brother in the Society of Marianists for more than 50 years.  Brother Mel started out teaching years ago, but the Society decided that his true calling was art, and they gave him carte blanche to create. . . and create he has!  He works in watercolor and metal as well as other mediums.  His work is featured in hospitals and parks in St. Louis, at the headquarters of Monsanto and Adam's Mark Hotels, and at the St. Louis International Airport.  The Arts Company has a number of his pieces, and you can see some of his work by clicking here.  You can also see a catalog celebrating his 80th birthday by clicking here.

Theme days are fun days for us as we all interpret the theme differently. 
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants