The Tipsy Butterflies in Nashville, Tennessee

I've just returned from a wonderful week in Nashville with a girlfriend group called the Tipsy Butterflies.  This is a motley crew of women pulled together by my cousin.  Although most of us used to live in the Los Angeles area, at this point we are scattered all across the U.S.  To stay connected we play Mexican Train online every Saturday, and once a year Cuzzy plans a trip for us all, during which we spend some in touristing, but mostly laughing and talking and eating and playing games and laughing some more.

One year one of us, who always brings presents, brought everyone a large rhinestone brooch.  When we pinned them on our blouses, they were so heavy they tipped over at crazy angles, and thus the collective name of the Tipsy Butterflies (more often referred to as the Tipsy Butts) was born.

Sweet Hubby was born and raised (mostly) in Nashville, and his mother lived there most of her life, so I'd accompanied him on a few trips there to meet her and some of his good friends.  However, we had never taken in any of the sights and sounds - definitely sounds! - for which this city is famous, so the Tipsy Butts events were all new to me.  One evening we strolled down Broadway, the heart of the city, passing honky tonk after bar after club after restaurant, and in every one of those places, someone was singin' about good ol' boys or lost love or the glories of the country.  We had dinner (not very good - the cornbread was dry and the collards tasted off) at Garth Brooks' restaurant Friends in Low Places.  And there, too, a trio was singing the whole time, good but too noisy for conversation to be possible. 

After that we went to Ryman Auditorium, the second most famous performing venue in Nashville.  There we saw the opening act: a female singer whose name I never did catch, who was quite good but wearing a distractingly YELLOW flowy dress.  Then came the main attraction, the Steep Canyon Rangers.  They are spectacular, good enough that I stopped thinking about how uncomfortable the seats are (wooden pews) and just had a rousing, foot-stomping good time.  These guys are absolutely terrific; every one of them has a bright light to shine.

Our other venture-out-of-the-air-conditioned-house event was a visit to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's preserved estate.  I learned a lot more about Jackson than I had previously known (for example, he was 6'4" and weighed 140 pounds; he must have been a stick figure), got to see how people lived in his time (no bathrooms or running water), and took the opportunity to walk through some of the vast grounds.  I appreciated that the available information didn't shy away from acknowledging his Indian removals and slave ownership.  It was too hot and muggy to stay out long, so after that some of us went to a mall so that two of us could do some walking without subjecting ourselves to heatstroke.  I've lived in hot places before, but I've grown unused to the heat after 20+ years in the Pacific Northwest, and although I've been toying with the idea of possibly moving back to Southern California to be closer to family, this trip strengthened my resolve to stay right where I am, thank you very much.

Our other big event out was a family-style meal at Paula Deen's restaurant: fried chicken, meatloaf, ribs, pork chops, creamed corn, creamed potatoes, and, in a nod to wholesomeness, green beans and salad.  Excellent.

The rest of the time was spent as described in the first paragraph.  I always laugh my ass off when we're all together, with conversation, wry observations, jokes, and stories flying fast and furious among us.  All in all, it was a most satisfying vacation, spent in an interesting place with women I cherish.  And now I am so so glad to be home with SH and the kitties.

High tea in Spokane

Sweet Hubby and I have just returned from a few days in Spokane, WA, where we had gone to see a new short play of mine in a festival.  (My play won the judges award, yay!)  Besides enjoying the festival performances, we also made good use of our time, exploring some of the best Spokane has to offer.

We stayed in a hotel near the festival theater, and also across a river and through a beautiful, big park from downtown.  We spent time in the park, including taking skyrides along the river, and seeing the Garbage Goat (a sculpture) and the Red Wagon, which is, indeed, an oversized red wagon with the handle made into a slide.  We visited the Historic Davenport Hotel, a hundred year old hotel which has been restored to its former grandeur.  While at the hotel, SH noticed they serve High Tea on Sundays, and surprised me by suggesting we attend.  That experience became a cornerstone of this vacation.

After we were seated at our table (white tablecloth, of course), we were given time to sniff our way through a flight of the teas that were offered, each of which was described in a menu with the detail and poetry usually found in descriptions of wines.  I chose the Davenport Peach Berry ("Sweet ripe peaches, bold and  bright berries with delicate white leaves brew a stunning cup, slightly sweet and lightly caffeinated."), while SH had the Davenport Cherry Blossom Blend ("A vibrant blend of dark, yet delicate and robust cherries, rose hips, rose petals and blackberry leaf for a caffeine free cup of beauty and tradition.")  Mine was hands down the best cut of tea I've ever tasted.  Sugar cubes were offered but not needed.  I'm not really much of a hot tea drinker, but I loved loved loved this tea, which was served in a little glass pot, to be poured through a strainer.  Each place setting included a triple timer, with 1, 3, and 5 minute capsules of different colored sands so that one could brew the tea to exactly one's taste.  Superb.

We were also, naturally, served a tower of both sweet and savory bites: the traditional cucumber/watercress sandwiches with the crusts cut off, small eclairs filled with huckleberry cream, coriander chicken salad on white bread, scones accompanied by Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and cherry marmalade, and other delights.  Altogether it was a delightful afternoon, elegant but not the least bit stuffy.

Our entire time in Spokane was lovely, including as it did a chance to see 3 performances of my play and hear the robust audience response, as well as to reconnect with some of the members of the local theater community, several of whom greeted me as either a long-lost friend or a well-respected colleague, even though I'd only been there once before, in 2019 when a different play of mine was part of this yearly festival.  I'm so glad to have been able to attend, and gladder still that SH was there to share this glorious experience.

 

New island, new town, new music, new restaurant (if it can be called that)

Due to a combination of inertia and busy-ness, I haven't posted in quite a while, although I'm still always on a search for new experiences.  Here are some of the latest Somethings New, described as succinctly as I can manage:

A best friend and I went took a trip to two of the gorgeous San Juan Islands.  One of them I was familiar with, and was able to guide us to an alpaca ranch and a 20 acre outdoor sculpture garden.  The other island was new to me, so we had a lovely, relaxed time exploring, hiking, and eating.  My one big disappointment is that I missed seeing the Northern Lights, which apparently were incredibly bright the first night we were on the island.  There we were with almost no ambient light, and I missed seeing what was described as magenta fireworks exploding.  I am still kicking myself for not being sure to look out the window all night long.

The new town is one I've known about since I moved here but for some reason had never visited.  I went with a friend recently and met two other friends there for lunch.  A charming town, the kind with one main street chockablock with stores full of locally made and handmade goods, an art museum which was just the right size for seeing every artwork at a leisurely pace, and some restaurants and taverns.  There is a walkway along the river that borders the town, but it was raining that day so we we satisfied ourselves with a good meal, a great conversation, and some art and shopping.  A truly lovely day.

The new music is part of my ongoing commitment to become familiar with more recent singers.  I tend, of course, to be drawn to the music I already know (Beatles, anyone?), and for a long time Adele was my most current recording artist.  Then I found Ed Sheeran, and then Taylor Swift, as well as slightly less known singers such as boygenius and Sufjan Stevens.  Most most recently, I bought CDs by Black Keys, a duo my niece recommended, and Justin Bieber, who has had a long and successful enough career that I figured he must have something special going for him.  I have only listened to each disc once so am not sure how much I like them, but I'm awfully happy to be discovering new music.  It helps keep me from feeling as though I'm becoming stodgy, although I recognize I'm a mile or two from hip.

The new restaurant is one which opened quite recently near my favorite grocery store.  Sweet Hubby was amenable to giving it a try today for lunch.  The main menu items are variations of fried chicken sandwiches.  Not bad, but not terribly healthsome.  There is a slaw on the menu, but it has cilantro in it, which is the only food I absolutely will not eat, because even the slightest flake ruins any dish for me.  For this place, once may be enough.

So there you have it, some of my recent explorations into the world of the unfamiliar.  Cheers!