Nashville Weather

I am convinced that the weather people on TV are hired just because they are pretty, because they know nothing about the weather.  I don't believe they are anywhere near the places they are reporting on (I bet they are sitting in a studio in Hollywood, California).  The weathergirls are probably blowing out their perfect hair and primping in front of the mirror.  And, the weathermen are whitening their teeth, and also primping in front of the mirror.  They should go outside and see what the weather really is.

Case in point.  I am in Nashville.  The weather report for today is gloom and doom.  Raining, cold, more rain, misty rain, cold, rain, clouds, gray day.  I am wondering how I am going to get my luggage and myself into my car without getting soaked in all that rain!!  I step outside to this beautiful day!   Not a cloud in sight!  (I am NOT making this up - the photos don't lie!)

 

Some beautiful fall color.

 

I am OUTTA here - traffic is too horrible in Nashville!

 

 

I disagree.  We can have both, because we have both now.  And, hopefully, on November 6th, we'll have both for another 4 years!

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


My beloved cat, Shooie, was always a good sport!

NICE!
 

A sad  pumpkin!

 

Civil Rights

These are two very important sites in the Civil Rights Movement, only 135 miles apart.  Both places are very much worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Little Rock, Arkansas, or Memphis, Tennessee.

LITTLE ROCK NINE

(Little Rock, Arkansas)

September 25, 1957, became a historic day when nine students risked their lives to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Confronted by a hostile crowd and escorted by the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne, they shouldered the burden of integrating a then-segregated public school system. Although the Supreme Court’s Landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education struck down racial segregation in public schools, it was the courageous actions of these nine young champions of school integration that tested the strength of that decision.   Their actions not only mobilized a nation to insure that access to a quality education was granted to all Americans, but they helped to define the civil rights movement. They became known as the Little Rock Nine.

This is a statue of the Little Rock Nine in front of the Capitol Building in Little Rock, Arkansas, and  a photo of Central High School as it is today.

 

Central High School is still a working high school.  There is a great Civil Rights Museum run by the National Park Service across the street from it.  It is free of charge.

LORRAINE MOTEL

(Memphis, Tennessee)

 

The Lorraine Motel (now The National Civil Rights Museum) in Memphis, Tennessee, was the assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on April 4, 1968.

Below are photographs of the Lorraine Motel (unchanged since the day Dr. King was assassinated), and the balcony by room 306, the site of Dr. King's murder.  His Cadillacs are still parked in front of the motel.  This is probably the best Civil Rights Museum I have ever been in.

Civil Rights Museum website:  http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

Whooping Cranes ? (Probably not)

I saw a bunch of different migrating birds this morning while driving in Arkansas.  I saw this flock, which I was convinced were endangered Whooping Cranes.  Whooping Cranes fly in small "families" not big flocks, so this many probably would not be Whooping Cranes.  More likely, they would be Wood Storks.  But, nonetheless, it was a nice sighting.  (And, they might still be Whooping Cranes - who knows, maybe it was a BIG family!)

These were some other flocks, but I know for sure they weren't cranes.

Arkansas

I can't believe I am in Arkansas!

 

 

 

OMG, an amazing sunrise over Little Rock, Arkansas.

 

 

 

That's it.  No other pictures!

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

In 2009, I visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.  I visited the Memorial again today. I am posting a couple photos from today, then, below, posting my original photos from the first time I visited here. 

Memorial Website:  http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/index.php

 

When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building blew up, it damaged this building (The Journal Record Building).  The decision was made to not fix the damage to this building, but leave it as is. This building is now the museum.

 

Survivor Tree

 

This photograph, on a postcard at the museum, has a very special meaning to me.

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MAY, 2009

On April 19, 1995, at 9:02 a.m., an explosion ripped through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 men, women and children.  I was honored to visit this memorial for the 168 victims, the survivors, and the rescuers. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND that if anyone is any where near Oklahoma City, OK, that they visit the memorial and museum.  It is run by the National Park Service.

This is one of the most beautiful and gut-wrenching memorials I have ever visited.

 

This is the entrance. The inscription reads: "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."

 

The east gate represents 9:01 a.m., before the bombing. It signifies that the city was quiet, peaceful, and it was a beautiful day.

 

The west gate is inscribed with 9:03 when Oklahoma City was forever changed. There is a reflecting pool inbetween the two gates.

 

These chairs represent the 168 dead victims of the bombing (19 were children); each chair has a victim's name on the front. The ones for children are smaller.

 

This small one was particularly hard to look at. It belongs to a baby named Baylee. Her tiny, charred body being carried by a firefighter was pictured in newspapers all over the world.

 

 

 

The black granite to the left lists names of survivors of the bombing. The pathway was made from granite from the original building.

 

When they finally leveled the building, it was a mistake that this wall was left standing. But, they decided to use it in the memorial (a park ranger told me that).

 

This is the Survivor Tree. It is a 90-year-old American elm. Before the federal building was built, the area was a residential neighborhood. The tree survived the bombing and is a part of the memorial now.
 

 

Rescuers' Orchard. These trees surround the Survivor Tree. They are a thank you to the thousands of rescuers and volunteers who helped.

 

These beautiful words by Team 5 are written on the outside of the Memorial Museum.

 

A church across the street was damaged. Instead of rebuilding it, the church created this "weeping Jesus". His back is to the memorial.

 

This is a fence around the building. For years people who visit the memorial have left their momentos.

 

Children's area. This wall was created from hand-painted tiles made by children from all over and sent to Oklahoma City.

Chalkboards on the walkway - children can come and draw and share their feelings.

The memorial takes on an entirely different look at night. The chairs and the east and west walls are lit up. It is beautiful.