Wow - it's All Saints Day already. The year is flying by.
I'm doing a relay race with a group of co-workers next Friday. There are 6 of us and the race is from Chattanooga to Nashville. I did it last year but we did it as a team of 12. The idea of running in a smaller group seemed like fun when we thought of it last December. Now I'm not so sure. The distance from C'nooga to N'ville is 197 miles. We start on Friday morning. Each of us does 3 legs for a total of about 34 miles. My sections are 14,10 and 10. My last leg starts around 2:30 on Saturday morning. I got lost last year in the dark and fog and did a few extra miles. urgghhh. We'll finish early Saturday afternoon, drink some beer and eat some pizza. Please don't call me on Sunday - I'll be sleeping. Mercy.
I've been in Tennessee for nearly two years so I felt it was time to make my pilgrimage to the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg this week. I don't think I've ever had Jack Daniel's so I can't say if it's a smooth drinking whiskey or not. It just seems like such a part of Tennessee lore that I had to make the trip.
The leaves have started to turn so the drive was really pretty. I went on Monday and the place was packed. There were 35 in my tour group and they were from all over the country as well as from overseas. The tour was quick but it was interesting. One part was in the fermenting room. There were many vats that were 3 stories high and about 18 ft across. Each one was full of a mash made up of rye, corn, barley, water and yeast. The mash was bubbling as carbon dioxide escaped. The tour guide opened a vat cover and let us take a big whiff. Legend has it that a 6 yr old boy stuck his head in the vat and proclaimed "it smells like grandma's breath." Priceless.
The first radio station that I found in middle Tennessee was WSM. I actually picked it up in Arkansas on the drive up here. It's famous because of its history with The Grand Ole Opry. The second station I found was WPLN which is the public radio station out of Nashville. The radio station started broadcasting in 1962 from the public library. That's where the call letters come from - W Public Library of Nashville. After nearly 2 years of loyal listening, I became a new member of the radio station last week. I got a nifty "Go Public" bumper sticker. In appreciation of my financial contribution, I got to pick out a free gift. I eagerly await the delivery of my $120 coffee mug. giggle
