Cathy writes:
The kids and I took a much-needed vacation during the week before Christmas, the start of their winter break from school. Our destination was Nashville, also known as Music City. I’ve
been there before, but it was the first visit for Chris and Steph - and hopefully not their last.
On our way there we stopped at
Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.
There are literally hundreds of miles of caves underground, some of which were discovered in the 1800s. We took a ranger-led tour that lasted nearly two hours and covered approximately two miles through the oldest, most historic sections of the famous caverns. Some sections had ceilings less than 4 feet high and passageways no wider than your hips, so it was a challenging trek. Despite the difficulties, it is quite breathtaking to witness - and to imagine visitors from past centuries being there. Chris and Steph really enjoyed Mammoth Caves.
That evening, we had dinner at the famous Loveless Café, just outside Nashville. It started out as a motel back in the 1950’s. Now it's a restaurant known for its homemade biscuits. Our dinner there was delicious.
The next day began with rain showers, but we didn’t let that deter us. We ventured downtown, which was just a few blocks from our hotel, We purchased visitor passes at the city’s visitor center, next door to the Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators NHL team.
From there it was only a block's walk to the
Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. Besides the permanent exhibits about the history of Country Music, there was a special display featuring Patsy Cline. The photo at right shows Chris in the Hall where the plaques of all the Hall of Fame members are displayed.
Just outside the Museum is the Walk of Fame, which honors artists from all musical genres that have contributed to the music industry within Nashville. We passed through there on our way to Broadway to have lunch at Roberts Western World, one of the many honky-tonks at the heart of the city. Afterwards we grabbed dessert at the Hard Rock Café, located near the Riverfront Park area where concerts are often held in the summer.
Here is where we next boarded the Music City Trolley to tour many sights around town. You can hop on and off the trolley at a variety of locations around town. Our tour guide was a young aspiring musician filled with lots of facts about the locations we saw along the way. Highlights of the tour included Bicentennial Park, Antique Archeology (featured on the TV show “American Pickers”) and Music Row.
Click the image above (or click here) to see all Cathy's photos, and click below to read the rest of her account.)
We are sorry to report the passing of Joan, maternal grandmother of Marie, Danny and Ozzie and great-grandmother of Xander. She is also survived by her daughter Anne Marie, five sons, 12 other grandchildren and 11 other great-grandchildren.
The Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School Concert Band performed George Gershwin's "Summertime," among other numbers, in the school's winter concert Jan. 17.
Dolores and Hugh arrived at their lakeside condo on Thursday (Dec. 27) and found 18-20 inches of snow on the ground. "Over the weekend, we had another 10 inches," Dolores writes. "Just thought you would like to know that we are still above the piles.
In the New York area Christmas Eve brought a dusting of snow quite appropriate to the occasion.
Tish writes: We celebrated Christmas on the Cape a little early with Angela and Gerrit. Now the three of us are in Charleston for some vacation time. This photo of Lizzie was taken at the Grill 225 Restaurant at the Market Pavilion Hotel. We had our Christmas dinner there Tuesday evening.
Vivien and her boyfriend, CJ, had a Very New York Christmas Eve. After checking out the tree at Rockefeller Center, they attended Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Do you know any members (or close friends) of our extended family who are not aware of the Birch Street Web and all its fabulous features? Please clue them in so they can join in the communal experience. Help us all keep in touch!
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