Hot Time, Summer in the City!

For those masochistic souls who insist on beating their brows over this belabored discourse, here is more drivel to ponder. Not very much! Just a little pondering....

Both Anne and I recently passed another milestone in our journey. She received a chair for hers and I, one of those new GPS devices. It works wonderfully well, a Garmin nuvi 250w.

Granddaughter Katy is now UP and ABOUT. She has mastered crawling to the point where she apparently reminds her mother of that cartoon figure, the Roadrunner! And she pulls herself up and will take several steps with a little help from Momma. Philadelphia is just too far away.

We continue to be enamored of Chattanooga. At my birthday dinner out, the waitress brought us an ice cream sundae with a little candle on it. I had made it clear -- none of that singing stuff! But when people nearby saw it the whole place began singing, several offering best wishes. Our grocery offers $25 gift cards for gasoline. When you collect seven coupons by spending a certain amount or buying certain things, they give you a prepaid debit card for gas. the coupon redemption date happened to be a few days after the day we did our grocerying. We were one coupon short. At the deli we wanted 1/2 pound of pastrami -- if we bought TWO pounds we could get that last coupon. But we had no need for two pounds of deli meat. We had mentioned to the clerk that we were trying to get that last coupon. Not a big deal so we forgot it. Twenty minutes later on the other side of the store, here comes that clerk to give us one of HER coupons! It seems people have, or take, the time to be warm and friendly. The folks at the marina are a close-knit family and keep an eye out for each other, even keeping us supplied in fresh frozen crappie, trout, and catfish.

Speaking of catfish, have you seen one of those TV shows about "noodling"? Whoa, not for me! You crawl along the muddy banks of a lake or river searching for big holes underneath the surface. When you find one, you go underwater and stick your hands back in the hole, hoping that a big catfish will chomp down on your hand so you can grab it by the mouth and drag it out! Once you get it out of the hole, you wrestle it to the surface, usually two people, and to the bank! Now don't that sound like fun? Often the catfish will weigh 30 to 60 pounds! Well just sign me right up!

And speaking of other "can't do without info", take a look at this. Anne and I are going to try this soon! Thanks Jimmy J for sharing.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/24/how-to-peel-hard-boiled-eggs-without-peeling.aspx?source=nl

Our recent outing to Dayton, TN, for the Scopes trial "reenactment" was quite a disappointment. It seems, after twenty years, that most of the local townfolk have tired of putting it on, so this year, it was just a 90-minute dissertation by a talented guy who goes around the country impersonating U.S. Grant, Napoleon, Churchill and, in this case, William Jennings Bryan. I'll bet his calendar is full, you think? He did do an admirable job, but it was not what we went for. One of those summer festivals that all towns feel obligated to have. But this one is slowly but surely coming to an end.

If you are reading this trivial bit of drivel, drop me a short note and let me know that someone out there gets an occasional chuckle from it. Otherwise, I am going to have to raise my rates for those who do visit often....

Hasta la vista and dos passos to all!

Chattanooga, The Crossroads of Dixie

Just in case anyone is contemplating a visit or vacation to The Scenic City, here is a list of websites of interesting things to see and do.

Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map & Museum

The Real Chattanooga Choo Choo

The Restored Tivoli Theatre

Chattanooga Tours

Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park

Creative Discovery Museum

George Dickel Whiskey Distillery

Hunter Museum of American Art

Jack Daniels Whiskey Distillery

Point Park on Lookout Mountain

Ruby Falls

See Rock City

Southern Belle Dixieland Dinner Cruise

Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX theatre

Tennessee River Gorge Explorer

Tennessee Aquarium Visitor Info

Chattanooga WW II Ducks

Explore Chattanooga

The Chattanooga Farmers' Market

Chattanooga's Coolidge Park Carousel

Lookout Mountain

The Book Corner

For fans of The War Between The States, one of the best books I have read is Jay Winik's "April 1865". He makes a great case for that month being the most determining, decisive, and critical in our country's history. He does a wonderful job of bringing life, and passion, and personality to Lee, Grant, and Lincoln. It's a great book!

For something different, "Forever", by Pete Hamill, is the story of a young Irish boy growing up in the early 1700's, who fate leads to Manhattan. There, as a result of a good deed, he is given eternal life (?) by a shaman as long as he stays in Manhattan. He will die if he ever leaves. It gives us short vignettes of the history of Ireland, but especially Manhattan until 2001. One of those books you hate to see end.

And yet another catch-up

Now it's the middle of July and boy howdy is it hot here -- 90 to 95 every day. Not a complaint, just a remark.

I have to confess that my idea of maintaining a blog is running out of steam a little. I envisioned it as cutting edge repartee and lots of back and forth dialog with the editors of The New Yorker, TIme, GQ, and Vanity Fair. Well, that isn't exactly happening.... So, I am abandoning my original purpose and will simply update life in the Crossroads of Dixie! I have never been much of a fan of those Christmas letters -- one has to be very careful in how they are written. So if I descend into that sort of journalism, will someone please drop me a hint? And hopefully I can avoid this being a diary, but on the other hand, I suspect there aren't enough people reading this that it matters one way or the other!

We had our Haddix Family reunion here the weekend of June 28th. I think we all had a grand time. And I think we ate well. The weather was warm but pleasant. It was so very good to spend more than a couple of hours with family you grew up with. Uncle Joe, Tony, and Jack went to the Chickamauga Battlefield and Lookout Mountain. The next day, Tony and Phyllis, Uncle Bert and Helen and Anne and I went to Lookout Mtn and some rode the Incline Railway and we took a short tour of Rock City and some of the beautiful homes up there. Monday, Uncle Bert and Helen and Anne and I went to the aquarium -- whew, what a day! Then they drove back home that afternoon. Three days later, Erika and Prasanna and our friend and neighbor, Greg and his friend, Diane, came for the weekend. We saw more fireworks than I have ever seen in my entire life! Spent a lot of time on the boat -- even at night while watching fireworks. A great weekend also. As soon as they left Sunday morning, both of us raced back to bed for the afternoon!

The week before the Haddix Reunion Andria, Michael, and Katy were here! I know everyone says it, but what a precious little bundle -- see Andria's Picasa site link elsewhere in this blog and check regularly if you like. We toured Chattanooga. including the North Shore and Coolidge Park -- Katy even got to ride on the carousel there. We also trekked up Lookout Mountain. Katy did not like the boat ride so we cut that very short!

Tomorrow, 7/19, we are going to Dayton, TN, to see a reenactment of the Scopes Trial that occurred there in the summer of 1925. Every year, local law students and a couple of reenactors recreate a shortened version of the trial word-for-word in the courtroom of the original courthouse. William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow were the opposing attorneys. As part of the "festival" weekend, there are two musicians who were featured in the movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" And hopefully lots of junk food! I'm due for an infusion of junk food!

Speaking of food, I think most of us grew up on white Silver Queen corn? And now I think the new Peaches and Cream, or bi-color, is better. BUT, a local produce guy swears by the newest Silver King! 'Says we will never eat anything else! It's due in about another week. We'll see,,,,

Just a reminder to everyone -- we are twenty minutes off I-75 at Exit 4, just north of the Chattanooga exit. If you are passing through, we would be thrilled if you spent some time with us or just call and we will meet you for lunch or dinner if you're in a hurry!

The Never-Ending Catch-up

This post was written obviously in May but never "posted' so it is a little outdated.

It's the first of May already. Since the last post, we have lost our dear cousin Dave Gross. He was the best. He showed courage beyond my comprehension and fought the good fight as well as anyone I have ever known.

Other than his loss, everything has been relatively calm. I had a cold for six weeks, the flu for a month, followed by a current bout of labrinthitis. It's bad stuff and can literally knock you down in a second. 'Not too much to be done except bear it for a few more weeks.

We are currently in the midst of planning a Haddix Reunion the last week of June here in Chattanooga and hope everyone can come.

Boy, the size of the mosquitos here! Two came on the porch the other night and before I knew it dragged me down the stairs into the backyard and stole my billfold! 'Fooled them though -- I only had seven dollars!

A rant on the loose!

OK, folks, this rant is probably VERY politically incorrect, but after reading about trash in Naples, my fuse was lit. Will someone explain to me the reason(s) for the following?

Why, after thousands of years of different civilizations, i.e., China, India, Mexico, all the Latin countries for that matter, all the African countries, all the Middle East countries, Russia, and on and on, is it that it SEEMS to me that only America, England, Australia, Canada, and POSSIBLY France, Germany, Switzerland, have what I consider to be a modern civilization? Naples, Italy, just ran out of a place to put their trash so they haven't picked up any since DECEMBER?? People literally wade through garbage on the sidewalks, water supply is probably contaminated.Can you imagine 5 months of garbage piled up in our city streets? I know an older couple who grew up in Naples during WWII, moved here shortly after, and go "back home" every year. But about fifteen years ago they had to quit their yearly trips because it was too unsafe to go too NAPLES ITALY! Now, their relatives come here for visits.

With the head start other countries had on America, why has America become the most modern, NOT without its serious problems, prosperous country on earth? You think its bad here? Move to any country in Africa, live in a bamboo/cardboard hut in China or Korea, become a member of the nomadic camel herders in Africa, or be a farmer in Russia and have your life depend upon those potatoes growing in the yard. Why have English-speaking countries been so comparatively successful? I truly don't understand it. Is it because we have so many natural resources? Is it because our particular civilization is so young and hasn't had the time to collapse inward? Now, before the apologists rant at me -- there are always exceptions. Not having been there, I suspect Buenos Aires, Madrid, Rome, and a handful of others that escape me right now, are great modern cities. But leave those cities and go to the country and you will find many people living as they did a hundred years ago. Is it because of some mysterious "work ethic" imbued in English-speaking peoples. I doubt it. Is it because we are somewhat "isolated" physically from other countries? Probably not. Is it because we are a paragon of democracy? Is it because we are a Christian nation, but keep government separate? Is it because we are such an innovative country and if so, why are we the most innovative?

Anyone who has traveled will tell of all the things they missed while touring other countries and what they just take for granted. I don't mean to sound provincial; I am honestly looking for rational reasons. So, if you have an opinion, please weigh in and share with everyone.

Nooks and Crannies

Last Monday, Feb 25th, was a beautiful, warm day to ferret out some more nooks and crannies. We got an early start (yes, I was up early) and headed northwest on I-24 toward Nashville. Our destination was the University of the South, also known as Sewanee University in Sewanee, Tn., and to also pay a visit to Jack Daniels. Sewanee is an Episcopalian university established in 1857 by Gen. Leonidas K. Polk and others. For years prior to that, families in the South sent their sons north to receive an education -- there weren't any significant universities in the South. The trouble was their boys "came home filled with all sorts of Yankee ideas"! Gen. Polk and friends donated 10,000 acres (now 13,000 - mostly forest) atop the Cumberland Plateau and began to build their university out of the native sandstone and in the fashion of the old English schools such as Oxford University in England. According to a clerk we conversed with, the enrollment now is around 1,500 students. Anne and I were both simply stunned when we got there and drove around. First of all, it sits high atop a mountain in the middle of nowhere. The buildings are all in the Gothic style with spires rising everywhere. Magnificent! As we drove around between classes we noticed that probably half the boys wore sport coats and ties and about the same amount of girls wearing skirts and dresses. Tradition according to our conversation at the book store. And there were a few of both sexes wearing lightweight black gowns over their clothing. Again, according to our source, tradition, those students with outstanding grades belong to The Order of the Gownsmen and are expected to wear their gowns to class. We saw a lot of happy, smiling students. All Saints Church is undoubtedly the most architecturally significant building on campus.

We were told we could just walk in and look around. Stunning! (For more pictures of the interior, see them posted on our Picasa site.) The stained glass windows and pipe organ just rendered us speechless. Such friendly people and one took us to see the small chapel inside. The beauty here today was just overwhelming. Everyone we talked to was so friendly, kind, helpful, and proud of their school and its history. See more at http://www.sewanee.edu/.

We left about noon hoping to dine at Miss Mary Bobo's in Lynchburg at 1:00 pm, the only seating that day. Miss Mary ran a boarding house in Lynchburg for years that was a favorite of Jack Daniel. (She holds the distinction of being the oldest woman to ever appear in the pages of Playboy magazine. She was ninety-nine years old and appeared in a Jack Daniels advertisement urging people to send her birthday wishes.) It soon became apparent we would not be there in time however. We ended up eating at the only open restaurant in town -- the Bar-B-Que Caboose Cafe! Oh boy, Anne's favorite! :) But it really was good food. The switch from an Episcopalian university to a whiskey distillery was a little jarring, but we had always seen a lot of advertising about visiting "Jack" in Lynchburg. Lynchburg is a small town -- maybe a few hundred people. Having toured distilleries of Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, and Woodford Reserve last summer in Kentucky, we had an idea of what we would see. The major difference being Jack and his charcoal filtering. Anne and Jack standing in front of "THE cave" that provides all of the water for the distillery. Tours are free and we had a guide with a truly dry, but great sense of humor. (Again, there are more pictures on our Picasa site.) For lots more interesting and historical info, visit their website, http://www.jackdaniels.com/.

Along the way, in a small town named Cowan, we saw one of the last remaining houses bought from Sears and Roebuck in the early 1900's and still doing pleasant duty as a private residence.

Stay tuned for more nooks and crannies!

The Inevitable Rant

I suppose anyone who writes a blog cannot avoid touching upon politics. And so it goes....

It seems this year our choices for president are poor, poorer, and poorest. As someone who always thought he believed in the Republican party, John McCain just doesn't do it for me. NOR does the majority of ALL the congressional office holders. They just don't get it. So, knowing that all those people will be searching out my opinion so they know the mood of the country, here are the qualifications or attributes needed to get my vote, in no particular order. Unfortunately, every election, we tend to think the next president will do all the things promised and set the country aright. It never happens. The President must have a Congress who will work together and that NEVER happens. The list below can only come about with both branches of government working together.

Cancel our participation in NAFTA. It is not equal to all countries. Cancel it NOW. Job creation.

Allow drilling for oil in ANWAR. No one wants to do that but it is a tragic necessity. Job creation.

Cancel the NAFTA highway begun in Texas and, in theory, to extend to Canada.

Pardon the two border patrol policemen NOW and give them back their jobs with back pay.

Allow stem cell research on a reasonable basis beyond what ole "W" favors.

Cancel current trade agreements with China and other countries and renegotiate. New agreements must be equal to all concerned. If Japan imposes taxes upon American automobile manufacturers to sell autos in Japan, then we do the same in return. An eye for an eye. A level field of competition. Anyone who thinks Toyota, Nissan, Honda and all the others are now American carmakers are badly fooled. The Japanese government has subsidized their auto makers and others for decades, unlike here in America where the government has nothing but taxes for our manufacturers. Wake up people. Buy American while we can. Job creation.

Overseas importers must insure, not ensure, incoming shipments. ALL shipments must be inspected by American companies responsible only to our government and paid for by the importers. An organization similar in nature to the Coast Guard. Violations must result in swift, and significant fines along with rejection of the shipments. No nonsense, no second chance, no compromising.

Withdraw our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan within 18 months, period. Cease being the policemen for the world. What makes us think we can correct all the world's ills and impose democracy upon nations that have been warring and slaughtering each other since time began? Politicians and pollyannas will scream "Isolationism" -- the world is too small. No it isn't -- we just want to participate on OUR terms. It continually amazes me how politicians campaign upon promises of "listening to their constituents" and "I am with you" and "I will be your voice", but once in office, their attitude is "Well, we know best", or "Trust us" or "You elected me -- I will do what I prefer" -- NO, do what you promised and do what the country wants. "Of course I will still love you in the morning" has no more appropriate application than to our elected representatives. Obviously, there are always exceptions to anything.

Enforce immigration laws already on the books. Establish new immigration policy -- put some Congressmen to work instead of worrying whether Roger Clemens took steroids and HGH. Build the friggin' fence, station our troops from overseas along the border (some will say the Constitutuion prevents that and I say then change the Constitution.) Fine employers heavily for hiring illegal immigrants. EVERYONE must pay taxes, Social Security, be covered by health insurance, and learn to speak English acceptably with one year. "You take a test, you pay the costs, you speak our language, you pay taxes like everyone else. And then you pass a test. Deporting 12 million illegal immigrants is unrealistic, but making them legal immigrants is possible.

Quit arguing over gun control. The right to bear arms is expressly granted in the Constitution. As a matter of fact, encourage "carry" laws with training and proper certification.

Eliminate foreign aid. Use the money and that from the end of the Iraqi war to establish an organization, similar to the old Civilian Conservation Corps, to rebuild our infrastructure Job creation.

Establish tax incentives to ensure companies manufacture in the United States. Job creation.

Establish universal health care. I have no idea how.

Pursue the idea of establishing a federal sales tax and eliminating the annual income tax and the IRS.

Establish "supertaxes" on companies with windfall profits such as health care, oil industry, and pharmaceuticals.

Stand up to the vocal minorities and quit being afraid of offending every single little group of cry babies. We will NEVER be able to satisfy every little sect.

And lastly, we need a president who can pronounce "nuclear"!

Oh, and one last thing -- replace Nancy Pelosi -- the most strident, rabble-rousing, divisive figure in Congress.

So there you have it. Does that make me a Democrat or a Republican? It doesn't matter.... I'll bet it makes me an American.

I solicit and welcome your opinions.

Nooks and Crannies

As opportunities arise, we will share some small "nook or cranny" that we have discovered along the way. The search is as much fun as the actual enjoyment of the nook or cranny! I suspect most will have a historical flavor. Some aren't exactly a nook or cranny, nor unknown....

In November, 2007, when we went to Philadelphia to see our new granddaughter, Kathryn Rose Kaskey, (visit here for lots of pictures) http://picasaweb.google.com/Andria2222

It didn't take her long to become UK's youngest and most precious fan!

We meandered our way back to Chattanooga, with a visit to Gettysburg where we sat at Little Round Top and visited all the sites of that terrible battle and drove the length of the Skyline Drive and visited Lexington, Virginia.Skyline Drive had some very scenic vistas and lots of deer, but having spent almost ten years in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina we weren't too impressed. My dearest friend, Larry Collins, who died in an ultralight aircraft crash in 1998, always told me I had to make that drive. It was one of his favorite trips that he made annually in the fall and I had always promised him someday I would do it.

After coming down the mountain, it was early evening and we decided to check out Lexington, founded in 1777. Goodness, were we surprised! It's a very small, old town that is steeped in history. Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is here








as is Washington and Lee Universityfounded in 1749. We had time for a tour of Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall"Jackson's home, and quickly decided to spend the night and explore more the next day. We saw the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee when he was president of the university after The War and where he died and is buried. It is a very interesting town filled with authentic shops and things to see and do.

The Book Corner

If you read much, you have probably read a Ken Follett book or two. One of my favorite books of anyone is his "Pillars of the Earth." Set in the 12th century in medieval England, it is a wonderful story about a small town and the building of their cathedral and the lives of those involved. One of those books you really hate to finish. I read it many years ago, and just reread it a couple of months ago. Wonderful. And NOW, he has published the sequel, although the setting is a couple of hundred years later. A must read is "World Without End!" Perhaps an even better book. We usually wait for books to come out in paperback, but it was Christmas and Anne knew how I would like it. A BIG gripping saga whose biggest disappointment is that there is an end to it. I miss reading the book. Wonderful story! If you read, don't miss these two books!

"Catching up "

Well, months have passed since my aborted task to become a blogger. Anne and I made the move to Chattanooga (Hixson actually) and we are settled in. My original intent on this blog was to offer my opinions on pressing issues of the day. It was meant to spread my opinions on many subjects -- politics, flying and its risks and reporting on drunken pilots and poor maintenance, and careless mechanics, and general shortcomings we run across in everyday life. BUT, after a couple of reviews from family who thought I was concentrating excessively on the negative aspects of "life" and upon subsequent introspection I have decided they were probably right. I just don't have the "fire in the belly" to concentrate on negative things or ineptitude, or bad manners, or surliness, or the tragedies and bad things in life. So, I shall abandon those crusades and simply report on the more pleasant and positive issues of the day (I hope). No guarantees though. And I labor under no assumptions that this site will be the first thing everyone checks in the morning! More likely, once a year if I'm lucky.

We moved to Chattanooga for a "new adventure." After ten years on the mountaintop in North Carolina, we had seen and done about everything there several times and decided we weren't ready to spend the rest of our time rocking on the porch looking at the Smokies. We wanted the weather to be about the same and to be close to a big lake and a larger city with the usual attractions. Growing up in Flint, Anne still enjoys seeing lots of snow, but I have no such passion! Chattanooga was really the only choice, so we made a few short trips here and were really impressed. The Crossroads of Dixie. Chattanooga sits along a seven-mile bend (Moccasin Bend) in the Tennessee River and the deep ravine here is known as the Grand Canyon of the South.

Lake Chickamauga is three times the size of Lake Fontana, the weather is moderate and still has the four seasons. And real estate prices were surprisingly cheaper. Population of Chattanooga proper is about 160,000 and it touts itself as The Scenic City. No state income tax is great, although offset by a 9 1/4 % sales tax. We moved the end of August and are still truly amazed at how friendly and welcoming every single person has been that we have met. Although we made some wonderful and dear friends in NC, we thought people in general there were a little more clannish and less welcoming to strangers. One of the big issues was all the Floridians with bags of money coming to western NC and driving up real estate prices and thus property taxes that became onerous to those local people.

We wanted a bigger home to hopefully accommodate family and grandchildren in the near future. We found that in a large subdivision in a suburb of Chattanooga (Hixson). Our tree-filled back yard slopes down to a small cove off the lake. Property between our back yard and the lake is owned by TVA and will never be built upon. We can walk to the lake in 5 minutes or drive to the marina in ten. Hospitals and the usual shopping necessities are less than 10 minutes away and the largest mall in Tennessee is about 20 minutes away.

(Some of the following information is thanks to Off The Beaten Path, by Tim O'Brien.)

There are lots of attractions nearby, the most notable probably being Rock City on Lookout Mountain. I have always assumed that was a sort of tourist trap, but it is certainly worth a visit - touristy yes, but beautiful views and an interesting 3/4 mile hike. From Lovers Leap, one can supposedly see seven states. And while on top, don't fail to drive through Fairyland. Lookout Mountain is also home of Ruby Falls. Lookout Mountain was the site of the battle subsequent to Chickamauga and part of the overall Battle of Chattanooga. On top of the mountain is Point Park, site of the crux of the battle and also now has a Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map theatre. Also atop the mountain is Covenant College. The college owns and has restored The Castle in the Clouds resort hotel which is now their main building. Don't forget to ride the mile-long Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, built in 1895, with a 72% grade at the top and the best ice cream in Chattanooga. Signal Mountain is also an interesting drive - it has its own little town or community up on top. A word of warning -- there are about three access roads to Signal Mountain. Erika and Frances will attest to this -- the last trip down the winding turns are SO sharp, while navigating downone particular curve, I plowed right into the back of our own truck! :)

Of course the Chickamauga-Chattanooga Battlefield National Park is here (actually in Georgia) where we found a large monument to Lt. George Washington Landrum of Cincinnati, but that is another story. During the era of WW II, Chattanooga was a heavy industry town -- lots of factories, foundries, metal working plants, and lots of industrial smog and pollution. In the 50's and 60's, those industries moved away and Chattanooga was NOT The Scenic City. Being the home of the first licensed Coca Cola bottling factory, "old money" was plentiful and many of the city's leaders initiated plans to revitalize the city and concentrate upon tourism as a chief means of income for the area. And they have been wonderfully successful. Attractions include a downtown filled with tourists on any good weather day sampling food in all the trendy local restaurants. The Chattanooga Lookouts are a AA farm team of the Cincinnati Reds MLB team and they have a beautiful new stadium. The Tennessee Aquarium is touted as the premier aquarium in the South. Once the only way to cross the river downtown, the Walnut Street Bridge, circa 1891, is considered the longest pedestrian walkway in the world. In 1993, when the new bridge was built, a $4 million renovation turned it into a great place for a stroll and for sightseeing No cars allowed. In late September every year, there is a Wine Over Water Festival held there. Coolidge Park on the far shore is a wonderful grassy place for picnics and sunbathing and for taking a ride on a beautifully restored carousel complete with the calliope. The paddlewheeler, Southern Belle, goes for nightly dinner cruises up and down the river at dusk for a really nominal fee. You can sit up top and watch the city slip by to the accompaniment of another old, original calliope. The North Shore is reminiscent of a "hippie" area (to us old folk) but has great restaurants and is rapidly becoming a most interesting place to visit. And while there, DO NOT miss Frankensteen's -- the best little breakfast nook anywhere -- just don't go on weekends -- too crowded. The Bluffview Art District is a hip, classy little neighborhood of arts and dining. Visitors here must not miss Rembrandt's Coffee House ( wonderful chocolatier and lunches). Housed in a restored classic revival mansion, The Hunter Museum of American Art offers the most complete collection of American art in the Southeast. The area also offers a glass studio, sculpture garden, bed and breakfast, and numerous small, trendy restaurants. And everybody in Chattanooga eats bread from the Bluff View Bakery! Every June, the river here is the site of Riverbend Festival and attracts about half a million people during its nine day run. Five different stages offer top flight music from all genres. A great day trip downtown is the Chattanooga Zoo. The Creative Discovery Museum will entertain children AND adults for several days! Although a big Coca Cola city, Chattanooga is home of the Moon Pie which, along with an RC Cola, has been lunch for many a Southern boy! And yes, there really is a Chattanooga Choo Choo! It sits downtown in the old art deco terminal station (very similar to Union Station in Cincinnati). The 85-foot-tall freestanding brick dome is the largest of its type in the world. Simply awe-inspiring. The site features restored train cars, landscaped gardens, and Victorian-era shops and restaurants. If you want, you can eat dinner in the club car, or dine privately in your own car, or even spend the night in your own luxurious private car. The phrase "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was coined in 1880 when the railroad initiated the first service from Cincinnati to the Crossroads of Dixie and of course, greatly popularized by Glenn Miller. There are other railway points of interest around Chattanooga including multiple places to ride the old steam-driven trains and view railway facilities. And again, for the kids and young at heart, there is Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park nearby. An old-time version of amusement parks as we used to know them.

Also downtown is the old, restored Tivoli Theatre - a beautifully restored movie theatre from days gone by. In the summer time, amphibious WW II "ducks" will take you for a daring ride through downtown straight into the Tennessee River. The Tennessee River, thanks to the TVA and a long series of dams, and thus, among others, created Lake Chickamauga and Watts Bar Lake, allows one to travel by boat to the Gulf of Mexico or to Chicago and beyond. We probably won't be making that trip however on a pontoon boat!

There are simply too many other smaller attractions to mention. Like the tour of the George Dickel whiskey distillery nearby! Or The Lost Sea, 30 minutes up I-75, is a huge underground cavern 300 feet below the surface that has a 4-acre underground lake, with glass-bottomed boat tours, whose depth has yet to be discovered!

Moving out!

Greetings! I heard that this blog's host closed on his/their house today and they are moving out soon! I'm sure he will be innernet challenged for a few days, so I thought I would update his millions of readers.

The Book Corner

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. A fictional account of the time of King Arthur and Camelot. It is unusual because it is told from the perspective of his sister, aunt, and mother, the women in his life. But it's a great read for the guys also! 'One of those big spell-binding books you know you are going to enjoy -- you might even want to save it for cold weather!

Temporary delay in posting

For those millions of readers out there who continue to check futilely here for more of my excellent opinions, I must offer this excuse.

Anne and I are in the process of TRYING to move to Chattanooga, or rather a suburb, named Hixson. We have a contract on our current home and a contract on the home in Hixson. Now as long as our buyers don't back out we will be moving on 8/17. Obviously, in the meantime, we are going to be very busy. I assume we will keep the same e-mail address, so my blog will probably not be very active for a month or so.... We will let you know as things develop.

Thanks to buddy Frank for this bit of irony

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (General Motors) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing. Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3
area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens and a certificate of completion for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower (a reduction in workforce) for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was "out-sourced" to India.. Sadly, the End.

However, sad, but oh so true! Here's something else to think about:

Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages. Toyota has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US. The last quarter's results: Toyota makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads.

The Book Corner

Every week, we will recommend a book that one or both of us have greatly enjoyed. But be aware that my dear wife is pretty dubious of my "blog undertaking" and probably prefers to remain anonymously and quietly in the background! But I know some of her favorite books and authors. As for me, I read mostly history and historical novels and quite a few folklore or "feel good" type books -- Jan Karon's Mitford series I really liked and usually any book about Southern or Appalachian life. So, it goes without saying, Tom Clancy is a real favorite, along with Dan Brown, Robert Ludlum, and many others.

So, the first book on the list is "Cold Sassy Tree." Cold Sassy Tree is a 1984 novel by Olive Ann Burns. Set in a fictional Georgia town called Cold Sassy (and based on the actual city Harmony Grove, now Commerce) during 1905-1906, it follows the life of Will Tweedy, and explores themes such as religion, death, and social taboos. This is a good, funny, heart-warming, sad, poignant tale of a young boy growing up in the South. The sequel to the novel is Leaving Cold Sassy, which was published after Burns' death. Personally, I did not care for the effort and tone of the sequel at all and would not recommend it.

Always give your customer a little more

How many times do we see new endeavors, be it a restaurant, an airlines, a dry cleaners, or a service business, that start off with a big bang in delivery of goods and services only to fall miserably behind as time goes by. A new restaurant, for example, cannot do enough to please their customers, their food is fresh, their service is timely, their surrondings are spotless, and their waitpeople (don't you just hate that word and all it connotes?) just gush with friendliness and turn back-flips to please the customer. The food is always fresh and crisp, arranged meticulously on your plate, portions are impressive, etc. But then go back in a couple of months and the place is filthy, the waitpeople surly, the food stale, the lettuce brown and wilted. And don't even THINK of going into the bathroom! And the even sadder thing is that many reading this will say, "Well, so what's new? That's just the way it is now, get with the new worldly ways!" It's a shame the younger generation has never experienced real customer service people,CLEAN bathrooms, COURTEOUS salespeople, and even quiet, smooth-riding automobiles. They know things as they are today and not how they were in a previous generation.

That's one reason so many small businesses fail -- they cannot deliver the goods on a long-term basis whether it's service or a resale business. They get tired very quickly of the effort required, their customers turn away, the business goes under, and then they eventually think of some other way to make a few quick bucks and the cycle starts anew. In the meantime, their old customers happen upon another new business and rave about it to all their friends and THAT cycle starts anew. Entrepreneurs today think that once they get the business started, they can just sit back and watch the money roll in without any further real effort from them. They don't understand that their work has just begun.

And while we are speaking of customer service or customer relations, did you ever notice two things?

First, the clerk you are having a problem with is invariably named Stephanie, Jennifer (not Jenni), Crystal, Tiffany, or Seychelle.... or Somesuch.

Second, how on earth do desk clerks at a decent hotel learn to be so snooty? You would think they are the queen's child and you are applying to stay in their home at no charge. They don't have a clue as to the difference between efficiency and pomposity and arrogance and, as we say at home, snootiness! You're a desk clerk not the keeper of the queen's palace for goodness sakes!

Don't take my word for it. Just pay attention.

Introductory Post

New subject posts will be added weekly at a minimum on every Wednesday. First of all, let me assure EVERYONE that my main motivation for setting up this blog is to simply see if I can do it and manage it, not to spread my views and solutions to the world's problems. We all know I am much to humble for all that! If you will tolerate an occasional rant, you might find some good books to read and a fact or two that is surprising. Everyone knows that some of my rants will be about commercial flying, jumping off bridges and out of airplanes, and just generally taking what I consider to be unreasonable risks, although I would not classify riding in an airplane as an "unreasonable" risk. And I AM aware that the world must have those risk takers.