Wacissa and Watermelon

My hometown is small.  Not small in the sense that there's only one Publix but small in the sense that we don't have a stop light, the Winn Dixie is the "nice" grocery store, and you know someone isn't from around here when they try to go to the bank after 12 o'clock on a Thursday.  It's the county seat of a largely rural north Florida county and according to people in the state for Lovers, we pronounce the name incorrectly.

An old home on the outskirts of town.

A small but very mighty town.  Mighty because in the span on 48 hours during the third weekend of June you can experience some of life's greatest things.  The Wacissa River and the Watermelon Festival.

Festival is actually a two week affair that kicks off with a BBQ dinner and bed races.  This is a real thing and if you've never seen one, you're not living life right.  Strap the smallest (but adult) person in your group onto a twin bed with wheels and barrel down the road.  Pageants, rodeos, and fashion shows follow for the next two weeks.

The third Saturday of June is the culmination event of Festival.  The morning kicks off with a parade that is entertaining no matter your age.  There's a children's play in the historic Opera House that has certainly come into its own since my days of gracing the stage.  Antique cars are just as plentiful as the funnel cakes and carnival games.

The Honorable Mayor (aka Dad) moving the parade along!

Festival at its heart is a celebration of the bounty of the summer season.  It's a time for eating too much the best dang watermelon in the world on your back porch and saying a prayer of thanks it was a beautiful, muggy Florida Saturday.

If parades and funnel cakes aren't your thing, grab a boat and head to the Wacissa River.  A spring fed river home to wild animals and a few wild humans, you're guaranteed to cool off in the heat of summer.  No trip down the river is complete without a swing into Big Blue or at least a jump off the floating dock.  We met the man who put the floating dock on the spring 30 years ago this past trip which was really neat.

Always a refreshing 72 degrees!

The absolute best part about a day on the Wacissa (and I got to spend two!) are the people you see.  Everyone from a baby on the shore to an older couple birding can enjoy the river.  If you grew up within a 30 mile radius, you'll probably run into people you graduated high school with or your middle school computer teacher.  You'll hear a few foreign accents - this past trip it was an Australian couple and German speaking group.  And best of all, you'll be around people who appreciate Wild Florida as much as you.

So if you ever need a break from the big city or hectic life, let me know.  I'd be happy to take a trip and show you my town.

Father's Day trip down the river!

Nashville Top Ten Countdown

10. I-24 between Chattanooga and Nashville. 

Hands down one of the prettiest rides I've ever done. Lots of peaks and valleys. Old farm houses. Two distilleries. The University of the South. 

I've added a weekend trip just in this in-between stretch to my list.

Standstill traffic near Bonnaroo but the views made it okay!

9. The view from Tootsies rooftop.
Saturday night we started our evening here for a quick drink.  It's right on Broadway.  Looking right were Bridgestone Arena and the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Looking left were the lights of Broadway and the Cumberland river.  Willie Nelson sang here before he got his big break.

Summertime is for rooftops!

8. Bakersfield.
Fantastic tostadas made even better by the laughs we had trying to explain what it was to the guys. Tried Yazoo's Hop Project and loved it.  Also it was just nice to get out of the mid-afternoon heat and suck down some water.

7. Aaron Watson, but really his fiddle player. 
Fantastic old school country artist from Texas.  I had never heard his stuff before and loved it.  But really, the fiddle player is what hooked me.  I believe any good country song should have an even better fiddle solo.

6. Zac Brown Band's cover of Bohemian Rhapsody.
WATCH.
I felt like I could die happy.

5. Dancing at Honky Tonk Central.
One of the best parts about friends moving to new places is meeting the great people who take care of them.  Added bonus is when they're generally amazing people and like to dance to any music as much as I do.  After the headliners were done Saturday, we headed here to bust a move.

Loved connecting with these girls!

4. The Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Two things about this bridge.  One : The view of downtown and the river are fantastic. Nashville is so compact compared to Atlanta and I loved being able to take in the majority of the city at once. Two : There's a few spots where when the headliners at CMA Fest were playing you could stand with a beer and just listen.  AKA what we did Friday and Saturday to see Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Zac Brown Band, and more.

Downtown Nashville!

LP Field and the Cumberland River

3. Meeting Andi at Acme Feed & Seed.

Although I'm not a fan of the Bachelorette, meeting her was pretty dang cool.  We were on the rooftop and she just walked up to us and started chatting.  Thank goodness my friend keeps up with her on Twitter! She was down to earth and super chill, just came for the music like the rest of us.

Before Andi moved to NYC, she lived right across the street from me in Atlanta!

2. Singing along to Corey Smith on the river bank.

This may or may not have been the tenth time I've seen him.  21 and If I Could Do It Again bring back so many memories.  Mexico Beach with my Lincoln Ladies, Sky Bar before I was actually 21, and the first time I saw this kickin' performer down at St. George.

So weird seeing him without a ball cap on!

1. Seeing my lady A's.

These two girls mean so much to me, what a treat to spend a weekend in their town.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

For a good portion of my life, Sunday mornings were spent serving as an acolyte, on the volleyball court, or in the Corley computer lab.  And I loved it.  Mainly because the people I spent those mornings with were good friends or family.

Now, most Sunday mornings (except when I'm travelling) consist of a good book, journal time, or NPR program and usually decent cup of coffee.  I luxuriate in the fact that I don't have anywhere to be unless I'm going to make it to church that weekend.   I can have a second cup of coffee or listen to a little more NPR.  There may be a pile of laundry in my closet or the kitchen may need to be cleaned but there's no rush on Sundays lately.

Big cup of coffee and a great book!

 We have a great porch that gets a good breeze - even in these southern summers- and it's hard to pull yourself away sometimes.  I had a lot that needed to get done this past Sunday but from 9:45 until almost 3 in the afternoon, I only moved for a snack.  I had a great book, caught up on my line-a-day journal, and the weather was just right.

Porch view! Excuse the dead plant, still working on the green thumb.

At one point though, I began to think that I really should have gone to church.  With my crazy travelling the past few months, I haven't made it to a Sunday morning service in too long. I miss it but sometimes back porch time is just as spirit filled as a Rite II service.  My thoughts wander more than they can when I'm paying attention to a sermon or reciting the creeds.  I like the wandering.  It's freeing.  It leaves room for God to speak.  And for me to listen.

Sundays are for a lot of things.  For church, for laundry, for lunch prepping.  But mostly they should be for whatever feels right when you roll over in the morning.  It's a day set aside for rest and I'm a firm believer that rest looks different to everyone.  For some, it's not moving from the couch.  For others, it's resting in the tradition of hymns and communion.  And for the crazy ones, it's for calming their mind on long runs.  I'm still working on that perfect Sunday routine but, for now, the occasional day of not moving from my porch is entirely restful and as close to perfect as I could hope.