I was in Nashville to see Mr. and Mrs. Mix and, of course, two of my favorite dogs, Penny and Daisy. Gale also went so she could reminisce about bowling with the Mixes and make sure we visited a Sonic. I have the magic touch with Penny, the most non-Rottweiler of all the Rottweilers. She tries to be stealthy sometimes, and it is funny to watch, but I guess she doesn't realize how big she is. Daisy is not crazy and remains as fun as I remember from my last visit.

Speaking of Sonic, I loved the fact we tortured Mr. Mix by taking 10-15 minutes to decide what food and drink we wanted, after we pulled up at the drive-in. I'm sure the wait staff thought we were prepping our lines and disguises for a robbery, but we were there only to make life difficult for "Dad". BTW, I heartily recommend the banana shake, especially after drinking Old Grand-Dad upon arriving in town.

Nashville itself is really a cool place. Get the countrified crap out of your head. The airport is so efficient they actually have 10-minute free parking by the baggage claim, so you can be picked up easily and without being told to move along. That's great for locals and visitors alike. And it was where we saw our only celebrity of the trip, Eddie George, on Sunday. It's a nice blend of the Old South with a college vibe mainly from Vanderbilt, and of course, a diverse music scene. I mean Widespread Panic was in town for three days at the Ryman, while we there. The goal, I guess, is to become the new Atlanta some day and they are on their way, it seems.

BTW, Tennessee's new smoking law went into effect on October 1, and this place may have actually got it right. In effect, if you are at a place open to all ages, there is no smoking. Think Applebee's. However, if you congregate at a place where adults hang out, like, oh, at a bar, it's OK to light up. (BTW, I actually saw a guy field a grounder on a Downtown street Friday evening.) Plus, smoking is OK on outdoor patios. This solves the issue that currently plagues Ohio smokers. Some patios allow smoking and others do not, because of how they are constructed. Tennessee says anything outside is fine.

The last time I was in Nashville, I was held hostage at the Opryland Hotel. This is the kind of scenery you get inside this venue.

















Oh, it's quite the nutty place, because it is so big. And, of course, it's humid. And many people get married at this gazebo.

















Couldn't find the onsite divorce lawyer, but we found the sports bar there Friday afternoon, where I continued my newfound habit of completely botching Central Time. Having major troubles with the concept of being an hour behind lately. Thank God they take American money there.

Since my last visit was mainly confined to being indoors, we visited the Parthenon on Friday. The Parthenon is an exact replica of the Parthenon in Athens. Why in Nashville, you ask? Well, some dude a long time ago insisted that with all of the institutes of higher learning, Nashville should be known as the "Athens of the South". Not sure if Athens is the "Nashville of Europe". But a wooden Parthenon was constructed for a centennial celebration in 1897 or thereabouts. It proved unbelievably popular, so in 1921, they opted to build a permanent replica, using stone, and that was finished in 1931.

















A relatively new feature of the Parthenon is this bigass statue of Athena.

















The Parthenon also has a gallery inside, which you can view for five bucks. The current exhibit was a mixed media presentation from the artist, Maureen McCabe. I really liked it because it was extremely quirky, while incorporating many themes of mythology. And she used some interesting items to place into her art. I was impressed.

I was also impressed at our lunch spot on Friday. Yes, Chicago Dogs at Hot Diggity Dogs in Nashville.


















I found this via Chowhound and it really hit the spot. Only open from 11:00 to 4:00, so it can't be a late night stop. For lunch though, it was good. Lots of care in construction of said dogs, as well. I had two Chicagos and on that patio, it felt like it was 40 degrees, as the sun did not make an appearance until Saturday afternoon down there.

Friday evening, we got a taste of Downtown Nashville. Lots of country bars are open and these are "pass the hat" kind of joints for the bands. We took in a few songs each at world famous Tootsie's and also at The Stage on Broadway. The Stage had a cool painting of The Outlaws that I wanted to confiscate. Anyhow, both places were fun, but unfortunately, when you hear that phrase "original song", you give it a shot and then leave fairly quickly.

Nashville is also the home of many brewpubs. Many are located Downtown, but we ate at Boscos, which is located in the Hillsboro Village neighborhood of Nashville, near Vanderbilt. This place exudes a pretty cool vibe and I went for the Gorgonzola Pear Salad, which I thought was terrific.

On Saturday, we headed to Lynchburg, Tennessee for the 19th Annual World Championship of Barbecue.

















A neat event, this matches winners of BBQ competitions around the world in a unique, invitation-only event. Lynchburg is located in a dry country (and there were liquor busts there on Saturday!), so there is no alcohol allowed. But the sun came out, just in time for some lemonade. And for some pickin' and grinnin' from the younger hip-hop crowd.

















It is also unique, because there is no admission fee. You can park at the high school for free and take a shuttle or walk to the distillery. When you arrive, there are a few booths selling food. Typically, three bones for $6, and associated half-slabs and full slabs; chicken, brisket, or pulled pork sammies; and other stuff. However, the competitors are there to compete, not to sell. So, you go from booth to booth scouting out free samples. It took us a while to figure that out, but once we did, it was very nice! For instance, hard to believe, but we had brisket from Germany that was outstanding. All in all, that was a great place to spend a day and view victory lane with Mini-Jack. Man, these statues were all over the place. Did you know Jack Daniel had size 4 shoes? But, he's a tall man in the world of spirits.

















And there was also time to cram in some World Series games, because they take forever to play, and some Ohio State-Penn State action, as well. So, that meant pizza time from a chain called NYPD Pizza. Don't be put off by the theme or name, this stuff is very good.

There you have it, an action-packed few days in Nashville to unwind for a bit. Only an hour and 20 minutes away by plane. Cannot beat it and plan to do it again. Maybe the RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle.

Meal of Links

Since I had still had some time off today, I snuck over to the Regal Beagle at Crocker to see Wes Anderson's latest movie, "The Darjeeling Limited". Sparse crowd of 6 in attendance. I liked this movie very much. How can you not like a movie on a train? Especially in India. The movie stars Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson as brothers. Real subtle humor and it shows how some families can get along one minute and not the next. Oddly enough, it was preceded by a 15-minute short film by Anderson that set up some of the background of the main movie, which lasted about 90 minutes. I think this was tacked onto the release this week. Not sure why this was not included in the feature or it was conceived as a promo for the film, but they showed Natalie Portman's ass and that's not a bad thing. The movie and the short are definitely worth seeing.

The great thing about crowning a World Series champ lies in the immediate aftermath of the final out. The emotions come pouring out and it's like everyone is a little kid again, regardless of the millions they make. I don't think you could smile any wider than Jacoby (or it now "Tacoby", because of the Taco Bell stolen base giveaway?) Ellsbury running in from left field. Then reality sets in and each player tries to come to grips with what they just accomplished. Captain Jason Varitek having trouble maintaining his composure. Jonathan Papelbon seemingly in a fog, not quite comprehending what happened. Even Manny running from the dugout and enjoying things in a rather calm way. It's quite a sight. And the Red Sox are who we thought they were.

While I was in Nashville, "The Office" Convention was in Scranton. No wonder we didn't see Al Roker eating.

Exercise Yard

Can we do the impossible? Mention the dreaded "P" word for Browns Version 2.3? I have tried not to look ahead at the schedule, but there are a few winnable games out there, as the Browns now stand 4-3 after yesterday. Come on, the Jets, Bills, Texans, 49ers lie ahead. A tough Seattle team and three division games on the road also loom. OK, I won't mention the "P" word, especially after giving up 400 yards to the Rams, of all teams. But, I am thinking about it.

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28 Across: Gary of "CSI:NY" (6 letters) Answer: Sinise