Les Jones

Where’s he flying? The pelican ain’t telican

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 | Photos, Travel | Permalink | 4 Comments |

Couple photography notes. That last picture is interesting. It works in spite of the fact that most of the bird is out of focus, and the reason it works is because the eyes are in focus, and the eyes are what counts. It’s like Tom Geisler said - for pictures of people and animals make sure the eyes are in focus because that’s the first thing our brains are hard-wired to look at.

The other interesting thing is that I was shooting with a polarizing filter. It pretty much lives on my 70-300 zoom lens. I never take it off. As I was panning across the sky to shoot the pelican the polarizer’s angle relative to the sun was changing, which meant that the degree of polarization was changing. That’s why the blue of the sky looks different across the frames. If I ever set out to shoot a sequence like this again I’ll need to remember to remove the polarizer.

Urchin you to enjoy your family vacation

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 | Travel | Permalink | 3 Comments |

Fish you were here

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 | Travel | Permalink | 2 Comments |

Bleg: Where’s a Good Place to Stay in the St. Petersburg Area?

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 | Travel | Permalink | 5 Comments |

My wife is planning a summer beach vacation with my outlaws. St. Petersburg is this year’s destination. She’s having trouble finding a place she likes. The basic criteria is an oceanfront, kid-friendly condo, beach house, or suite between Clearwater and Sarasota..

Any advice?

Li’l Taste of Europe

Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 | Travel | Permalink | No Comments |

Music videos from Chris Byrne and a curry wurst recipe from Marko Kloos.

Destin, FL 2007

Monday, August 27th, 2007 | Home Life, Travel | Permalink | 3 Comments |

This year we took our family vacation in Destin, FL. Katie was here two years ago, though she was too young to remember it.

Click any picture to enlarge and enter the slideshow.

Katie, who’s almost three this time, liked the beach, but was a little afraid of the ocean. Natalie was fearless, as one year olds tend to be. Katie has become afraid of some things (like Santa Claus) that didn’t bother her before. I think it’s a phase she’ll grow out of and soon she’ll be back to her fearless self.

Destin has nice sand and beaches, and we could walk out of our condo right onto the beach, so the girls got to go to the water three times a day. It’s a clean town, and very quiet. A little boring, to be honest, but for a trip with kids that’s not a bad thing. Melissa’s parents and aunt came with us and stayed in a condo on the same floor, so everyone got to spend some time with the kids.

Destin is pretty generic. Judging from the few original buildings that are left, Destin obviously used to be this quaint little beachtown. Then money poured in, all of the original property owners sold out, and now it’s miles of immaculately-manicured brick and concrete chainstores and franchises. It’s a place that looks like it was built last week. It’s the story of a lot of Florida towns.

We’re looking for another beachy town for next year. Something with more character, more places to walk, maybe a boardwalk. Any ideas? It doesn’t have to be in Florida as long as there’s good beach access for the kids.

Also, I always thought it was crazy to go to Florida in July and August, and this trip didn’t change my mind a bit. It was hot, bubba. The heat wasn’t too terrible mornings and evenings (and it was actually cooler there than in Knoxville), but it discouraged you from wandering far from the swimming pool.

There’s also the potential hurricane problem, which is more acute in those months. Because of Hurricane Dean we went down two days early and came back two days early to avoid any problems. Next year we’re shooting for a May trip.

Note to Self

Sunday, July 22nd, 2007 | Travel | Permalink | 4 Comments |

Note to self. When you’re groggy in the morning and you reach into the shaving kit remember that the can of shaving cream looks an awful lot like the can of deodorant.

P.S. - I just realized what a nice word deodorant is, relative to the possibilities. We could all be using destinkifying spray or armpit cream. Deodorant actually has a nice ring to it, all things considered.

Study Links Air Travel, Flu Spread

Wednesday, September 13th, 2006 | Science, Travel | Permalink | No Comments |

New study:

Scientists have found what they call the first real evidence that restricting air travel can delay the spread of flu — a finding that could influence government plans for battling the next influenza pandemic.

Air travel has long been suspected of playing a role in flu’s gradual spread around the globe each year, but yesterday, Boston researchers said they finally have documented it: The drop in air travel after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks seemed to delay that winter’s flu season by about two weeks.

“This is the first time that a study has been able to show a direct link between the numbers of people traveling and the rate of spread of a virus,” said John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Children’s Hospital of Boston, who led the research.

I haven’t read the study, but I tend to believe it based on the number of times I’ve gotten sick immediately after flying.

Four Broadway Shows: Chicago, The Color Purple, Doubt, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Sunday, June 11th, 2006 | A&E, Best Of, Travel | Permalink | 3 Comments |

While Melissa and I were in Manhattan this spring it occurred to us that for the first time ever we’d have a reason to watch the Tonies. I’m finishing this post while we watch the Tony Awards on TV.

The Color Purple

Winner of five Tonys including Best Musical, “Oprah Winfrey Presents the Color Purple” is a big name, big stage production at the gorgeous Broadway Theather (which has the most comfy seats of any theater we nestled our butts in). Disclaimer: I knew nothing about the story, but Melissa had read the book and seen the movie. She said it differed quite a bit from the movie and was closer to the book.

It’s a complex story that spans a lifetime, from adolescence to old age. The lead actress, LaChanze, does an amazing job of managing the role at all of the character’s ages, and is an energetic fireball. (Tragically, her husband, a bond trader, was killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center while she was pregnant with their second child.) LaChanze won two Tonys, for Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical Favorite Diva Performance.

Chicago

The cast featured big name draws John O’Hurley (best known for his role as J. Pederman on Seinfeld) and Robin Givens (best known for her role as Mike Tyson’s ex-wife). We loved the movie so much we bought the DVD when it came out, but this production was the one disappointment of our trip.

The cast wasn’t up the challenge. Amra-Faye Wright as Velma was the only lead with star power. O’Hurley and Givens were OK, but this was the Broadway debut for both of them and they haven’t magnifed their mannerisms for the stage. Speaking of scale, the Ambassador Theater’s stage seemed too cramped for this show. I was shocked to discover the show has had four thousand performances at the Ambassador. It can’t be that hard to find theater space in a decade’s time.

Even with a different theater and cast, the production had too many big musical numbers, each with a beginning, middle, and end. All the pause for applause kneecapped the momentum.

Doubt

A young priest (Ron Eldard) shows too much interest in a young boy, and draws the attention of the hard-nosed nun (Eileen Atkins) who runs the school. She’s suspicious of him and nis new ways, but as a nun she doesn’t have standing to question a priest. This was a compact drama, with only four cast members, and with a stunning performance by Eileen Atkins.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Starring Jonathan Pryce and Norbert Leo Butz. This was our favorite play, and Melissa thought it had the best music of any of the shows we saw (with Color of Purple having the best singing). The show’s a knee slapper, and is even funnier than the movie.

The set was easily the best of the four, and I was disappointed it wasn’t nominated. There were big elements, but the small elements were especially impressive. In an early scene a croupier rides a bicycle with a roulette table for a front wheel. Combined with two smaller pieces it becomes the centerpiece for a casino scene. The scenery was expansive, but airy, as if two stagehands could pack the important parts of the set in a tractor trailer in a couple of hours and put the show on the road.

The New Sunglass Hotness in Manhattan

Tuesday, April 4th, 2006 | Travel | Permalink | 1 Comment |

Everywhere we went in Manhattan women were wearing these sunglasses with big lenses and thick frames, Breakfast at Tiffany’s style.

Checkout

Sunday, April 2nd, 2006 | Travel | Permalink | No Comments |

We’re packing our bags for checkout. The plan is Central Park and maybe the Guggenheim, then back here to get our luggage and then a cab to Laguardia for a late flight home. More pictures this week.

Friday Night After the B2B Conference

Saturday, April 1st, 2006 | Travel | Permalink | No Comments |

I was too tired to post this last night. The conference was very good. I learned quite a bit and have a long list of changes I want to make in our Web site and marketing. One of the surprising things Nielsen-Norman found in their research is that business buyers want to see prices on Web sites - in fact prices are the number one feature they want on a Web site - but they don’t necessarily expect to pay those prices. They’ve learned that they can negotiate better prices, particularly when they buy multiple items.

After the conference we took a local’s advice and went across the street to Caroline’s Comedy Club to see SNL’s Darrell Hammond. The 8:00 show we went to was surprisingly easy to get into on short notice, but the 10:30 show looked to be packed. Hammond put on a good show and we had a good time, so much so that I wouldn’t mind going to another comedy show tonight. (We’ve got matinee tickets today for “Doubt,” which is supposed to be a bit of a downer. We may need a good laugh tonight! LATER: Saw the play. It was great, and not depressing at all - just a good drama.)

Later we walked to Rockefeller Center and took the express elevator from the ground to the 65th floor Rainbow Room, with views of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings. The Rainbow Room is a place that’s beautiful and elegant in a way that makes you feel beautiful and elegant. We struck up nice converstions with a couple from Orange County, California and a gray-haired gentleman from Philadelphia. (I gave him the address of the blog. Maybe he’ll read this.)

People were skating in Rockefeller Plaza. Those pictures didn’t turn out, but there was this lovely statue and fountain that came out pretty well. Night photography is tough, bubba.

At the B2B Conference Today

Friday, March 31st, 2006 | Travel | Permalink | No Comments |

Light blogging today. I’m at the Nielsen-Norman Group B2B e-commerce conference this morning. Yesterday we walked Chelsea and Chinatown and spent some time on the red double decker tour bus. Melissa’s going to get back on the bus this morning and go sightseeing while I’m at the conference.

Morning eye candy: the Empire State Building from below.

Checking in From the Theater District in NYC

Wednesday, March 29th, 2006 | Travel | Permalink | 1 Comment |

We made it in fine. Early day. Got up at 3:30 AM. Touched down at Laguardia at 7:36. Had theater tickets by 10:30.

The conscierge has killer tickets. The new Julia Roberts play (”it’s so hot right now” she tells us), “The Jersey Boys” (”everyone says it’s going to get the Tony”), “Wicked” (”one of my very favorites”). It’s great she has them, but they’re going for $200 a pop.

Instead we got tickets at the Times Square TKTS discount ticket booth, which is a block from our hotel. Melissa picked “The Color Purple.” They were hundred dollar tickets for fifty bucks, and were good seats - row P in center orchestra. It was a good show. We just got back. When we go out for dinner we’re going to see what matinees are available tomorrow. If you want to see a drama rather than a musical you don’t even have to stand in line. You can walk right up to the ticket window and buy tickets for any show marked with a P (for “play”) on the electronic sign.

IMPORTANT: The TKTS booth is cash only. Take folding green stuff. Tickets run $40 to $100 per.

Two pictures from 46th street and Broadway.

Because LA doesn’t have a monopoly on nutty actors who join goofball religions that involve aliens and hydrogen bombs.

Coming in 2007: Dianetics - the Broadway Musical.

Bonus! Encore! - And now, Deep Thoughts, with Jack Handey. “One difference between a Broadway musical and a Van Halen concert is that no matter how long you clap the cast won’t come back out and sing ‘Happy Trails’.”

Meet Us in Manhattan Next Week

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 | Travel | Permalink | 5 Comments |

Melissa and I are going to Manhattan next week for a Nielsen-Norman conference on e-commerce. We’re hoping to meet a few people while we’re there. If you’re a blogger or regular commenter in New York and want to put a name to a face, drop me a line. The conference is Friday during the day, but we’re pretty much wide open other than that. We’re staying in mid-town. Let’s get together for a meal or a drink.

We’re also looking for ideas for where to go. We’ve been to Manhattan once before for our honeymoon and did all of the usual tourist stuff on the New York Pass - Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, U.S.S. Intrepid, the Met, the MOMA, the Museum of Natural History, etc.

What else should we do? We’re interested in places, neighborhoods, and restaurants.

We’d like to see another play, but can’t find tickets for any big name shows. We might wind up at the last minute ticket booth near Times Square. Any good off-Broadway stuff we should see that isn’t dark and disturbing?

One limit we’ve got is that Melissa will be eight months pregnant, so we don’t plan on a lot of walking. We’re thinking about taking the double decker bus tour again for one of the days.

Buckhorn Inn in Gatlinburg

Saturday, December 10th, 2005 | East Tennessee, Travel | Permalink | No Comments |

Just saw this on Tennessee Crossroads. The Buckhorn Inn in Gatlinburg is Tennessee’s oldest inn still in operation, and is one of Fodor’s top 20 recommended inns in the world. From the video on Tennessee Crossroads the interior and the setting were beautiful. The inn is a mile outside of the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Greenbrier/Pittman Center area.

Bonus Yesterday’s NY Times real estate section has an article about Gatlinburg. Via Michael Silence.

Katie’s First Trip to the Beach

Friday, November 4th, 2005 | Best Of, Home Life, Travel | Permalink | No Comments |

Katie got to go to Destin, Florida this summer with Melissa and her parents. She loved it. Photo credit to Melissa.

LATER: I really like the sequences below that Melissa took. I didn’t appreciate them until I saw them together on a Web page.

Defunct Amusement Parks

Sunday, September 25th, 2005 | Travel | Permalink | 16 Comments |

Cool. A directory of closed amusement parks. Some are simply gone, but in some cases buildings and even rides remain. Via James Rummel, who writes:

It’s the roller coasters that do it. Once thundering thrill rides that would wrench a scream out of even the hardiest teen desperate to impress his date, now just wooden bones poking up out of the forest. For some reason I’m reminded of Ozymandius. “Look upon my Wild Mouse Ride, ye day pass holders, and despair!”

There’s an index by state. Here’s Tennessee. There’s none listed for Knoxville, but there are a bunch in the Nashville area.

Hwy 27, Part 2: Stinging Fork Pocket Wilderness

Thursday, July 7th, 2005 | East Tennessee, Travel | Permalink | 3 Comments |

Read Part 1, our trip to Dayton, Tennessee, home of the Scopes monkey trial.

“Pocket wilderness” seems to be a term of art of the Bowater paper mills. They’re small, privately-owned nature preserves that were so pretty even the timber beasts of the paper mill couldn’t bear to log them. I’ve been to Honey Creek Pocket Wilderness and Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness, both of which are also on the Cumberland Plateau, and they were two of the best hikes I’ve ever experienced.

As part of our trip to Dayton we had originally planned to do an eight mile hike at North Chickamauga Pocket Wilderness, which is south of Dayton on US27. Time was slipping away, and there was a threat of thunderstorms. The idea of getting caught out in a thunderstorm late in the day on an eight mile hike didn’t appeal to us, so we checked our map and book and decided to hike the three mile Stinging Fork Pocket Wilderness.

The Stinging Fork Pocket Wilderness wasn’t on the map and there were no signs on the highway. I found it listed in Russ Manning and Sondra Jamieson’s book, Tennessee’s South Cumberland. Since it isn’t on any of the maps I had, I’ll include the driving directions. From Dayton, travel north on US27 to Spring City. At Spring City turn right onto 68 North towards Crossville. Go 1.4 miles and turn left onto Shut-in Gap Road. The trailhead is on the right at 4.9 miles. The Cumberland Trail Web site has a map and directions.

Spring City and especially Shut-in Gap Road are what you might call economically depressed. As Jay joked, “How many meth labs do you think there are in a five mile radius?”

When we left the car we locked everything in the trunk. The one time my car has ever been broken into was on an overnight hike at the Fiery Gizzard Trail, which was another destination in Manning and Jamieson’s South Cumberland book. While I was at it, I slipped a .38 in my pocket. I have a Tennessee handgun carry permit, and since this isn’t a park (where carry isn’t allowed in Tennessee) and there wasn’t a sign prohibiting carry, I figured I was legally in the clear to pack. And if not - ha! ha!! I’m just kidding about the .38, Johnny Law.

Manning and Jamieson’s trail description begins “Enter the woods to the left of the pocket wilderness sign and walk through a planted pine forest along a moss-lined trail trimmed with mountain laurel.” The book was published in 1994. Between then and now the area along the road had been logged. Here’s what it looks like now.

The first part of the trail was bordered by delicious blackberries that were just coming into season. At what the book says is the one mile mark (less, in our opinion), the trail comes to a junction. We took the left turn to Indian Point. It’s supposedly an overlook, but in the summer at least there’s too much foliage to see the water, so back the other way we went to the falls. The trail is well-marked with white paint blazes and blue or green metal blazes.

 

The falls are a long series of shelves composed of layered stone. As the falls curl around the gorge, they descend and you can see the layers stacked on top of one another.

Other waterfall hikes in the area

Stinging Falls was fine, but there are better waterfalls in safer areas nearby. Just a few miles north towards Crossville is the town of Piney Flats. Follow the signs at the elementary school to Piney Falls. Manning and Jamieson list the mileage as 0.7 miles, and I do remember it being a short hike. The biggest challenge was driving to the trailhead. I used an old Toyota Corolla I didn’t care anything about, but a four wheel drive would be better. If you don’t have a 4WD and you like your car, consider hiking all or part of the one mile access road to the trailhead.

The trail to Piney Falls comes to an intersection. The left branch goes to the top of the lower falls where there’s a scenic overlook. The right branch goes to the bottom of the upper falls where there’s an excellent pool for swimming.

Ozone Falls is an even shorter hike just off of I-40 at exit 338. Drive south on Highway 299 to US70, turn right, and go 4.4 miles to the town of Ozone. You probably won’t even need those directions. As I recall the route is well-marked with road signs. The walk is just a quarter mile and the falls are extremely pretty.

Bonus - Rich Stevenson’s Tennessee waterfall photos are absolutely stunning. He has pictures of the Upper and Lower Piney Falls, Ozone Falls, and many others on the plateau and in the Smokies. After seeing his picture below of Burgess Falls I’m on a mission to visit Burgess Falls State Park in Sparta.

Hwy 27, Part 1: Dayton, Tennessee

Wednesday, July 6th, 2005 | East Tennessee, Travel | Permalink | 6 Comments |

Tuesday was the last day of my five day vacation. Jay and I used the opportunity to get in a hike and visit Dayton, Tennessee, the setting for the Scopes monkey trial. The trial was the test case for the Butler Act, passed just four months earlier by the state legislature. The Butlet Act banned the teaching of evolution in public schools, and in particular teaching that man descended from lower orders of animals. A local school teacher named John Scopes agreed to be the test case, though it’s doubtful he ever actually taught evolution.

The American Civil Liberties Union had offered to defend anyone accused of teaching evolution in defiance of the law. A group of businessmen in Dayton, Tennessee, then a town of 1,800, thought that the controversy of such a trial would put Dayton on the map. They approached 24-year old John T. Scopes, who was the high school’s football coach and who had substituted for the principal in a science class. Scopes pointed out that while the Butler Act prohibited the teaching of evolution, the state required teachers to use a textbook, in this case Hunter’s Civic Biology, which explicitly taught evolution. Scopes argued that teachers were essentially required to break the law. When asked about the test case Scopes told the group gathered in Robinson’s Drugstore, “If you can prove that I’ve taught evolution and that I can qualify as a defendant, then I’ll be willing to stand trial.”

Dayton is about an hour from Knoxville. We arranged our schedule so we could eat in the city. After a quick automobile reconnoiter through downtown and peeking in a couple of restaurant windows, we decided that the locals were going to Jacob Myer’s Deli, so that’s where we went. The food was good, and we struck up a conversation with the folks at the next table and asked where we could find something about the Scopes trial. It turned out they weren’t locals - they were insurance agents from Knoxville in town to meet clients. Still, the woman recalled that the courthouse had a Scopes display of some sort.

 

Rhea County’s current courthouse is the same one that was the setting for the Scopes trial in 1925 when Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan argued their cases. There was a farmer’s market in the courthouse parking lot the day we were there.

 

Continue reading the rest of this post ›››

Goofiest Trip Yet

Saturday, July 2nd, 2005 | Travel | Permalink | 1 Comment |

It’s hard to even describe today’s trip down Highway 11. I need to think about how to explain it. It ended up - totally unexpectedly - at a BBQ joint and I wound up riding an electric scooter around Cleveland, Tennessee. More later.

Goofy Trips To-Do List

Wednesday, June 29th, 2005 | Best Of, East Tennessee, Travel | Permalink | 4 Comments |

Goofy trips are what Melissa and I call little day trips and weekend trips within a couple hours of Knoxville. When we first moved in together we made a list of different things we wanted to do. Some of them were things neither of us had done and some of them one of us had done, but we wanted to do them together.

With a long weekend coming up we’ve been thinking about goofy trips. I used to keep this list in Excel on my computer, but I’m moving it to the blog. This is the list we’ll look at when we have a free weekend day and need something to do.

Things To Do

All cities are in Tennessee unless they’re not.

- Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia
- Sharp’s Chapel ferry ride
- Whitewater rafting on the Ocoee
- Scottish Games and Festival in Gatlinburg
- Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) in NC (Memorial or Labor Day)
- Parkway Drive-in Movie Theater in Maryville
- Abbingdon, Virginia theater and antiques
- Visit Mark in Bristol
- Kings Island theme park, Ohio
- Visit Tammy in Atlanta, Georgia
- Hot Springs, North Carolina weekend trip
- Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburgh
- Smokies baseball game at the new stadium in Kodak
- National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough
- Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg
- Gethsemani Monastery in Bardstown, Kentucky
- Jefferson Co. Fair (July/early August)
- Rent a boat on Douglas Lake
- Alvin C. York birthplace (could combine this with the next two, which are in the same area)
- Historic Rugby
- Northrup Falls hike at Colditz Cove State Natural Area
- Jack Daniels BBQ Festival in October
- Lake Lure, NC

Trip Reports and Pictures

Some of these were on the list, too.

- Alleghany Falls and Alleghany Springs Hotel in Maryville (Blount County), Tennessee
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Athens, Tennessee
- Boone and Banner Elk, North Carolina ski trip
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Cades Cove, Tennessee (Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Crossville, Tennessee
- Dayton, Tennessee, part 1: Scopes Trial Museum and Downtown
- Dayton, Tennessee, part 2: Stinging Falls Pocket Wilderness
- Dandridge, TN and Tennessee’s Covered Bridges
- Eintstein Simplified (Knoxville improv/sketch comedy group)
- Elkmont Synchronized Lightning Bugs (2nd week of June in the Smokies)
- Grainger County Tomato Festival
- Gregory’s Bald Azalea Backpacking Trip Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Hwy. 30 - Mayfield Dairy Tour, Etowah’s L&N Depot, Reliance, Ocoee River Whitewater
- Horse Racing at Keeneland in Kentucky
- Jonesborough, Tennessee
- Jonesborough, Tennessee Fifth Wedding Anniversary Trip
- Kephart Shelter Backpacking Trip, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Knoxville Zoo
- Ladies night at the pistol range
- Millennium Manor in Alcoa (Memorial Day)
- Morristown, TN and Its Unusual Downtown Walkways
- Mt Airy, North Carolina
- Mt. Cammerer Firetower Hike, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Tennessee Valley Fair
- Townsend and Walland, Tennessee
- Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness Backpacking Trip, Middle Tennessee-
- Waynesville and Sylva, NC
- World’s Longest Yard Sale on Hwy. 127

Links to some other things we did on our list:

- Knoxville homes tour at Christmastime
- Foothills Fall Festival in Maryville
- Teddy’s play
- Palace Theater concert in Maryville
- Turkey dinner in Georgia
- Etowah antiques shopping
- Valleyfest Film Festival (now defunct)
- Pleasant Hill, Kentucky Shaker Village
- Crossville/Muddy Pond
- Steve Kaufman Guitar Camp Concerts at Maryville College

Friday Night Blogger Meetup Notes

Saturday, May 7th, 2005 | Travel | Permalink | 7 Comments |

Wrap-up from last night.

One of the first people to arrive was Kevin of Seriously Good, a Knoxville-based food blog. While we waited for other people to arrive I got his advice on kitchen knives. He really likes the Hustof Japanese-inspired knives.

I talked to Chris Wage of My Quiet Life more than anyone else. Chris is as nice and easy-going as I had guessed he’d be.

Mr. Roboto of Thursday Night Fever is a total character.

Met Chris Muir, the Day by Day cartoonist. I expect cartoonists to be disheveled, unkempt, and discombobulated, but he was sheveled, kempt, and combobulated. Very smooth guy.

Right after that I ran into Melissa at the bar and told her that I’d met Muir, and that cartoonists Cox and Forkum were around somewhere. It turns out she had been talking to Cox for about 15 minutes. I met Forkum right after that. He and Chris Wage were talking about blog comments and how hard it was for Cox and Forkum to keep up with them (which is why they mostly keep them turned off). Cox’s day job is with a specialty auto industry paper in Nashville. Forkum sketched Muir and Reynolds during the party.

Got a chance to briefly speak to Henry Copeland of BlogAds. I’m looking forward to dinner with him tonight.

Met Eric Schieie of Classical Values. That was an unexpected pleasure. Had no idea he’d be there. I always thought he lived in California, but though he’s from there and visits a lot, he lives in Philadelphia. Glenn Reynolds has a picture of him at the party here.

At that same link Glenn also has a picture of Hossein Derakshan of Hoder.com. I met him briefly, but didn’t really know who he was at the time. It turns out he’s a pioneering Iranian blogger. He flew into BlogNashville from Toronto.

Melissa had a good time talking to Andi of Andi’s World. Glenn Reynolds has a picture of her (third from the bottom in the pink sweater).

We briefly met Donald and Cathy Sensing for One Hand Clapping and talked about an appearance he did on Fox News that I had seen.

Eric Janssen of the Quixtar Blog is hilarious. He also the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s tech blogger. The Appeal has a ton of other blogs, too.

Saw Glenn Reynolds of you-know-where, but didn’t make it over to talk with him. He came late after his talk and left early to do this morning’s opening talk. I’ll probably see him today at Belmont.

Pat Hughes at Paulding.com has an interesting site. It’s a catch-all site for Paulding County, Georgia. His traffic ranks him in the top 9,000 sites on the Internet, which ain’t an easy thing to do anymore.

Met Blake from NashvilleFiles, and ran into him today at the conference.

It was a fun time. Very warm bunch of people, and very little political talk.

UPDATE: I’m reading other people’s wrapups and remembering more people. I met Fishkite and ran into him again at the conference, and met Busy Mom and Rex Hammock. I may have forgotten to mention someone else, and if so I apologize. I was very glad to meet everyone.

Friday in Nashville

Friday, May 6th, 2005 | Travel | Permalink | 5 Comments |

We slept late today and had a great brunch at a deli around the corner called Noshville. Then we went to the Nashville Zoo where I snapped these macaws. I got some great pictures of the meerkats, too. Cute little guys. I’ll post those some time later.

We’re about to head out the door to the blogger meetup at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Look forward to meeting everyone.

There are “Food for Thought” dinners tomorrow night after the conference. Melissa and I signed up for Henry Copeland’s dinner at Granite Falls, which is also right around the corner. Copeland - the founder of BlogAds - is someone I’ve emailed back and forth, and he responded to some of my skepticism about blog advertising in a very professional way. Looking forward to meeting him.

Guitar Town

Friday, May 6th, 2005 | Photos, Travel | Permalink | 6 Comments |

We spent the day wondering around downtown Nashville and Music Row. Went to Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop and bought a copy of John Hartford’s RCA Recordings. Good stuff. Talked to the people at the shop. The clerk is a guitar major at Belmont University named Justin Schafer.

Tubb’s has a great set of autographed photographs of country legends, and I told Justin about Roy’s Record Shop in Maryville and their collection of autographed pictures of country music stars from Dolly Parton to Freda Parton. Roy has an autographed photo of John Hartford that Roy told me he got when Hartford was at the Musuem of Appalachia in Norris. Hartford had truly beautiful calligraphy, BTW. He was really an amazing guy.

Slideshow of our Nashville rambling below. Guitars, Cadillacs, etc., etc. UPDATE: Added captions at Countertop’s request. Mouseover the pictures below for a description and comments. Click on any picture to enlage it. We found out why there was such a big line around the Wild Horse. American Idol contestant Josh Gracin was playing there.