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.