Tokyo, Tennessee

We had the day to make our own. To savor the flavors Nashville had to offer our curious spirits. Without any specific activity in mind, I found myself googling "top 10 things to do in Nashville". Not exactly the stuff of Hunter S. Thompson adventures are made of, but oh well. It got the job done. I found the website for the Cheekwood Botannical Garden and Art Museum. The admission price was harmonious to our budget, and it boasted a sensational sculpture garden. With the weather behaving beautifully, we were convinced. So, with a GPS by our side, and pop-hits of the 90's pouring out of the car stereo-J and I were off. 

The Cheekwood Estate is basically the house that Maxwell Coffee built (mmm- good to the last drop). It's comprised of a sprawling mansion (in the Art-Deco tradition), a series of wooded trails, gardens, and an art gallery within the mansion. I must say, timing is everything. And we hit the nail on the head with this particular outing. The heavy sun warmed our backs, the whipping wind kept us moving, and the autumn leaves stunned our senses. It was perfect wandering weather, and perfect is hard to come by. We learned about southern hospitality, pineapples, and stetson hats. Perusing the 19th century artwork, we marveled at the days when people were built with a pinch more grit under their nails. Their rough and tumble existence never ceases to amaze me; it presents such a stark contrast to the pampered life of modernity I lead.  

But the highpoint of the day came while crunching through the fallen leaves of the Japanese garden. Trudging along, we turned a corner and- bam! We had unconsciously meandered into a lush bamboo forest! Who would have thought we could found a little piece of Asia, tucked away in the hills of Nashville!? This is why I love travel- it offers an endless supply of the unexpected. It's when I'm the naive traveler, that I'm able to experience things with slightly wider eyes. I can humbly let the universe unfold around me. 

Pardon the dust bunnies

I feel like my blog has developed cobwebs and dust bunnies in my absence. Frankly, I simply haven't felt very editorial or creative. Writing is funny; she has a mind of her own - and she certainly will not visit a stubborn or unreceptive mind. These last several weeks have found my brain extremely immovable and unyielding to the creative process (oh that mysterious and ever-unfolding creative process). However, I have undergone a much needed change of scenery in the last few days. My pal J and I, bid our dearest Ann Arbor adieu in the sleepy hours of last saturday morning. We planned this trip  with the sole intention of shimmying the cobwebs from our hair and the dust off our boots. We wanted to leave behind the routines and responsibilities of our day to day existence. Though Ann Arbor is a lovely motherland, it's always good to venture out and remember why we love her in the first place. Due to economic constraints, as well as a sense of adventure, we opted for the megabus mode of transportation. This option required a short stop-over in Chicago in order to catch another bus to Tennessee. We chose Tennessee as our final destination because my darling big brother resides in Nashville, and is always up for house-guests.

 After a fabulously fun, 24 hour stay in Chicago, we were headed for the honky tonk scene- good 'ole Nashville, Tennessee. Yee-haw! My brother Ry,  scooped us up from a Memphis bus stop (at an extremely uncivilized hour) and took home two very tired, and bus-weary girls. The next morning found us bouncing on a vacation bubble. The unfamiliar setting, the deviation from normal routine, and the balmy climate, had us riding a giddy train. I'm hoping for this to translate into a creative breakthrough... stay tuned...