Starry Nights

Memphis has a huge park called Shelby Farms. It is over 4,500 acres of green space in the city limits, making it more than 5 times larger than Central Park in New York! Every year as a fundraiser, the park sets up a massive light display. For $20 per car, you get to see all sorts of impressive light arrangements on the trees, bridges, and surrounding grounds. It's pretty cool!

The wind blew to turn the blades of the windmill, and then the tree next to it lit up

(above) this is a huge sloped field where a ball would roll down, then bounce across a stream and hit another light display to illuminate candy canes and a "kapow!" sign

A fisherman trying to snag a big catch

 

Family Togetherness

I've noticed something about our Memphis friends - a lot of them are originally from Memphis, as are their parents. The result is that, when two native Memphians are in a relationship/married, they could have nearly unlimited opportunities for family togetherness with multiple branches of extended family trees. One couple was telling us about their Christmas plans that include 4 different events with 4 different family gatherings just on December 24 and 25. 

That is really different than the way I grew up! Where we lived, the closest relatives were a 1.5 hour drive away, so it took advance planning to go there, especially when my siblings and I were young. The other side of the family lived on the other side of the country. Visiting them involved a day-long flight, a trek we made every 2 years or so. When we did head east, I thought it was fun that two of our cousins lived across the street from Grandma and Grandpa, but I never imagined such a life for myself. 

In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I realize I have rarely lived in the same place as any family member since starting college. The one exception that comes to mind is my mom's cousin, who is kind of like an aunt. We both lived in Seattle and DC at the same time, and we had all sorts of fun together :) 

Adding DF's family to the mix now means I've got Midwestern blizzards to contend with if we want to spend the holidays with them. He has 20+ aunts/uncles between the two sides of his family spread across several states...I doubt I'll ever meet all of them. Oh, and I should note that DF's brother did live in Seattle at the same time as us for a couple years.

How would life be different if I had settled permanently in my hometown? Perhaps gone away for college, but ultimately returned? Would I be happy? Would my life be less stressful, more holistic/connected/intertwined with those around me? Would I have a stronger sense of place and community? Would I be bored and wonder what I'm missing out on beyond the confines of my little valley?

Christmas Dinner Observed

I think I've encountered a regional tradition - the Women's Christmas Dinner. The church we attend here started advertising for their dinner months in advance, and I've also seen promotions for other churches holding similar events. Imagining it was a small gathering that only old ladies would go to, I didn't really pay attention to the announcements at first. Before long, I started hearing more people talking about it, younger people, women who appear to be hip. That the event often sells out quickly should have been an indication of its popularity. Another clue would have been that my ticket was for table #64. But I was still clueless when I arrived at the local hotel last week where the event was being held in their largest ballroom.

I discovered there were some 650+ women in attendance! The attendees included women from the church along with their friends, neighbors, and relatives. It's a very festive occasion that people look forward to and talk about afterwards.

Here's how it works. There are tables of 10, and small groups of women will get together to purchase a table (like a Sunday School or Bible study group). Each group is responsible for providing the decorations for their own table, including chargers. The culturally appropriate behavior is to arrive to dinner in advance and walk amongst the tables, expressing your approval of the decor by taking photographs and making comments such as, "isn't that darling!" and "y'all are so creative!"

I comply with cultural convention.

After an appropriate amount of ooh-ing and aah-ing, all the women are seated. The husbands and sons are recruited to volunteer as waitstaff for the evening, to keep costs down. They bring out the bread and entrees and refill water glasses with style.

After dessert is served, the entertainment portion of the evening begins. Various musical performers play/sing Christmas songs, and there is a short drama performed by some teenagers. I try to just be in the moment and accept it for what it is. The performers are into what they're doing and sincere in their efforts. (Some day I need to write a post about sincerity in Memphis --at least as I've observed-- vs. the cynicism/irony so prevalent in Seattle.)

At the end of the night, the appropriate behavior is to help clean up the centerpieces and thank the ladies at your table who provided the lovely decor. And now you know what happens at a Women's Christmas Dinner!

Ice, ice baby

Memphis is currently under an Ice Storm Warning and everyone is acting like the world is about to end. Most of the school districts shut down for the day, and DF's office closed early. One of the lame things about working from home, though, is that I don't get any snow days! I kept hoping our internet would go out or something, but no such luck.

After work, I took a stroll around the apartment complex to observe how much ice had accumulated. Note: it wasn't much. The roads were wet, not frozen yet. But I think overnight we might have an ice skating rink on our hands.

dentist

With the calendar year almost over, DF had to get in to see a dentist before our insurance was a complete waste of money. I called a couple in the neighborhood before I found one with an opening left in December. We both went in earlier this week. Now, I realize that I've only seen one dentist in Memphis, so I can't generalize to all of them, but that won't stop me from making some observations!

This is a father-son dental office. The father dentist came out through the waiting room when we first arrived. He greeted us with a handshake and some awkward chit-chat about us being new patients while staring really intensely. When I went back for my cleaning, I noticed that the office is not as technologically advanced as dentists I've been to in Seattle. They have a little swirly water spout/spit bowl (rather than spraying water in your mouth). They don't give you sunglasses to keep your eyes from getting splattered. The hygienist did all tooth scraping by hand - no water or sonic powered scrapers. She seemed impressed that my teeth were in good shape and not totally plaque-ridden. Her comments made me wonder how gross her normal patients are...Then the dentist came in to check my teeth and acted like a sketchy mechanic, like he was looking for a problem to charge me for and was disappointed he couldn't find anything. He also droned on and on about football (ok, that part wasn't as weird).

In conclusion, my teeth feel cleaner but I'm going to find a new dentist for my next 6-month checkup.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a delicious Thanksgiving! Some friends from the church we've been attending here invited us to their family gathering. There were about 15 cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents there + us. It was a lovely time! I was on the lookout for any new Southern traditions or holiday foods, but it was pretty similar to my past Thanksgivings.

A couple items:

• They call the baked bread-cube product "dressing," not "stuffing." Their version was homemade in a giant pan. No Stovetop here!
• This particular family enjoys a variety of Jello salads. I know some people think they are weird, but I found them to be tasty!
• There were no mashed potatoes. They had mashed sweet potatoes, but no regular potatoes. But based on what some of the cooks said, I think this was an unintentional oversight rather than a Southern tradition :)

Here's my plate after the first trip through the line.  

In terms of pre- and post-dinner activities, we chatted and watched football on TV. Then DF broke out the board games. A fun time was had by all! 

Election Day(s)?

I'm confused about how to vote here in Shelby County. For some reason, polls weren't open on November 5th like most of the rest of the country. Instead, one election was apparently held on Nov. 7 for School Board, and another one yesterday on the topic of sales tax. Upon further digging, I found out that a member of the State Assembly passed away this summer, so the 11/21 voting day was a special election called to fill her vacant seat - representing part of Memphis. Ok, I guess that kind of makes sense. But why weren't the other 2 votes held on 11/5?

Adding to my confusion, apparently we have early voting here. I am assuming this means I could have shown up at any of the early voting locations and cast my ballot. Or, was I supposed to go to one particular site for my precinct?

And the third thing, we got a letter in the mail about a week before election day saying that our normal polling place would be closed on 11/21, so we were supposed to go vote somewhere else. That seemed pretty suspicious to me, since I'd heard of similar ploys being used in the past to disenfranchise voters. A quick website check confirmed that the location had, in fact, been moved.

To no one's surprise, I forgot it was Election Day yesterday until I saw a news promo clip on TV about election results. Oops, I'm a bad member of this democracy! I would have voted to help fund Pre-K education in Memphis. Should I take consolation in the fact that the ballot measure was defeated 60% to 40%, so my one little vote wouldn't have mattered?

Public Religion

DF mentioned to me that when his office has a potluck, someone says a group prayer before they eat. Since this is an anonymous blog, I won't say exactly where he works. It's in the public sector, though - he definitely does not work at a religious institution.

I was surprised to hear this!  Pre-lunch prayers were never on the menu at his Seattle office. I really can't imagine something like this happening at a secular workplace. Isn't it awkward for the non-Christians??

Life in Memphis is so different sometimes!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Last week, I had a work conference in San Antonio, so DF and I took the opportunity for a short post-conference vacation around Texas. It was a great time!

We visited the Alamo, where we learned about the 6 flags that have flown over Texas, and the state's brief period as an independent republic.

We strolled along the Riverwalk, a San Antonio staple. 

Then we stopped by Mission San Jose, a mission that was restored by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s...without 100% commitment to historical integrity, according to the park ranger who was leading our tour. We got kicked out mid-way through the tour, though. Apparently we should have been listening more attentively when she started to repeat the 20-minute spiel she'd already gone through when more visitors joined the tour midway when it was halfway over. Good riddance, I say!

The next day, we went up to Austin to the LBJ Library (it was ok, but I liked Clinton's better), the Zilker Botanical Gardens, and the Texas State Capitol.

We have some friends in Seattle who now live in Austin - I'll call them the Skydivers. They were kind enough to host us for the night and serve some delicious French toast for breakfast on homemade bread. Tasty!

Spelunking

And now, the conclusion of our 4-part series, "Salmonista takes a vacation and then blogs about it in extensive detail!"

Monday
After thoroughly enjoying our time in the mountains, admiring the leaves, stretching our legs on hikes, and eating lots of tasty food, it was time to begin the westward trek home. We opted for a different route home by way of Alabama, because I hadn't been to that state yet. After breakfast we wound our way down to Chattanooga, TN. Unfortunately the weather was not all that cooperative - we'd hoped to visit Lookout Mountain, but it was shrouded in a cloud of fog. Since one of the main reasons to go up there is to enjoy the views, we found other attractions in town to entertain ourselves instead.

BBQ lunch with multiple sauces...of course "Memphis Style" was the best :)

Chattanooga is on the Tennessee River. It reminded me of Little Rock with all the bridges.

Walnut Street Bridge, allegedly the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. We walked about 25 steps onto it...

Art!

I believe Lookout Mountain is hiding back there somewhere

The city provides free, festively painted electric trolley buses around downtown

Of course, our trip wouldn't be complete without seeing the Chattanooga Choo Choo!

There is a hotel now in the old train station.

And you can even sleep on the tracks in a room that used to be a rail car!

After all this exploring, we were glad for the one-hour time change as we headed southwest to our next destination, Cathedral Caverns in Woodville, AL. This state park is home to a gigantic cave - the entrance is 25 feet high and 126 feet wide! You can go on a guided tour of the cave that is about 3/4 of a mile one way. There's another 2700+ feet of cave after the tour ends, but they haven't developed that part for tours. The name comes from the rock formations inside that look like spires on a cathedral. It was hard to take good pictures underground, although the cave is pretty well-lit. Here are a few of the best shots I got.

 The visitor's center

This one is called "Frozen Waterfall" - it's a rock formation that looks like a waterfall, and also there is water flowing over it.

Cave entrance

We stopped for dinner in Huntsville at a diner where I ordered a "vegetable plate," yet 2 out of 4 dishes had bacon in them. Good thing I'm not actually a vegetarian :)  After that we had a long drive home on Hwy 20/72 through the hills of northern Alabama and Mississippi.

And that's how I spent my fall vacation. Thanks for reading! 

Cultural Experiences in East TN

This is Part III of the East Tennessee/Northern Alabama vacation update. Check out Part I and Part II.

Sunday
It was time to visit one of Gatlinburg's premiere dining destinations, the Log Cabin Pancake House. I can't tell you why this region overflows with flapjacks; it's just a way of life in the mountains. The Log Cabin was only a couple blocks away from our hotel. By the time we arrived just before 10am, the line was intimidatingly long. They make everyone stand in front of the restaurant and wait in line for the next available table, rather than having a "put in your name and get a buzzer" system. Not sure why, but I suspect it allows for faster seating that way.

We had been waiting for about 10 minutes and the line wasn't moving much at all, except for large parties. The hostess would periodically come out on the porch and say, "I need a party of 5 or more." Then that lucky group would hop to the front of the line. I was about to give up hope and try our luck at another pancake house when the party of 3 in front of us asked if we'd like to share a table with them, with the goal of getting a table more quickly. They looked normal enough, so we agreed and mere minutes later were seated in the giant dining room!

Our dining companions were a couple from Virginia traveling with one of their moms, from West Virginia. They'd been to Gatlinburg a few times before. It turned out to be a fun and pleasant breakfast! DF and I were pretty much out of conversation topics for just the 2 of us anyway, having spent the last 60+ hours straight together.

(Sorry, no pictures of breakfast.)

On the way back to the hotel, we passed Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church. Their sign had advertised Sunday service at 11:00am and we had thought about attending. As we approached the church, we heard the tell-tale sound of bagpipes. Who can ignore a bunch of pipers?? Of course, this meant we had to go to church now to find out what was going on.

It turned out to be an event called Kirkin o' the Tartan celebrating the Scottish heritage of the church members. It has its origins in the era when England captured Scotland and banned Scots from wearing their traditional colors (tartans) because they were perceived as the clothing of war. But Scots wanted to hold on to this piece of their heritage, and they would secretly bring swatches of fabric to the church to be blessed.

I didn't want to be obnoxious and snap a bunch of pictures, but other congregants had their cameras out so I took a couple, too. Several people carried in plaid/tartan flags, and the bagpipers played enthusiastically.

This was definitely a new experience!

Since DF and I are mostly German, not Scottish, we had to find another place to embrace our cultural heritage. What better place than "Okt-Ober-fest" at Ober Gatlinburg, a little German destination on top of a mountain? This is a ski area during the winter. In the fall it's a nice place to admire leaves and eat some wurst. DF did a beer tasting but I was too scared to join in because there were too many yellow jackets swarming around. One literally flew into his sample cup while he was trying to take a drink! Ack!!

We didn't spend very long there because basically every activity/attraction came with a price tag, and I was eager to get to the Outlet Malls to spend money on things rather than experiences :)

After our fill of shopping, we explored Pigeon Forge a bit. This town in the home of Dollywood, which we did not visit. Although I do enjoy a couple Dolly Parton songs, I'm not a big enough fan to want to spend like $60 per person on admission. Instead, we checked out a Christmas Village.

By then, it was dinner time, so we went to one of the popular spots in town, the Old Mill Restaurant. Yes, it is actually located in an old mill. Their portion sizes are out of control! DF and I shared one meal and were both stuffed. 

The final chapter in our journey includes Chattanooga, TN and a couple stops in Northern AL. Stay tuned!