Weekend in Nash Vegas

This past weekend my husband and I went to Nashville (otherwise known as Nash Vegas) to celebrate his birthday. My hubby Robert is a HUGE Georgia Bulldogs fan so I gave him tickets to the Georgia vs. Vanderbilt game that weekend. I had never been to Nashville before so I had a little bit of an ulterior motive by giving him this gift. Sorry, honey!

We arrived late Friday night because I had a business meeting that morning that prevented us from leaving earlier and because of the traffic jams around Atlanta and Chattanooga. After a 6-1/2 hour drive, Robert and I arrived at our hotel near Opryland and went looking for some grub. The folks at the front desk suggested John A's for it's good food and live music. Something should have told us by the photos out front of John A's that you needed your AARP card to really enjoy this place. Hunger trumped our reasoning and we went on in. Obviously we were the youngest folks in this place besides a few grandkids that were there with their grandparents and one teenage musician. The live music was pretty good...a mix of classic country, some newer hits and a old rock n' roll tune every now and then. The baby back ribs were worth the visit to John A's. By far the best I've had in a LONG time. Robert and I probably would have gone downtown to the honky tonks that night but I was beyond tired. When did I become an old fuddy-duddy? Oh, it happened right after I started working 10-hour days and having to get up at 5 a.m.

Saturday morning I got to sleep in until 8 a.m. Woo-hoo! Then Robert and I got ready to go the Georgia vs. Vandy game. The game time temp was going to be a whopping 47 degrees with a wind chill of about 37. A little cold for a Southern belle like me. So thanks to living in Madison, WI for about 4 weeks two winters ago, I was smart enough to don my Cuddle Dudz underneath a warm woolen sweater, my favorite Lucky brand jeans, my trusty black leather car coat, new boots and newsboy cap. Don't forget the black leather gloves. My husband being the macho guy that he is said that he would be just fine with a windbreaker over his long sleeve t-shirt and football jersey and jeans combo. Guess who froze most of the game and who didn't?

Fortunately, Georgia won the football game so Robert was in a good mood for the rest of the weekend. After the game, we visited the Parthenon that is until my camera battery died. I did get a few good shots before it bit the dust. We had a late lunch at Ted's Montana Grill where I had the best roasted asparagus. Yum-o! Feeling fat and happy we went back to the hotel for a nap. (Yes, we are getting older.)

After a nap, we hit the honky tonks down and around on Broadway. The first was the Wildhorse Saloon where we sat on the second floor overlooking the dance floor. Robert and I had the best time watching people dance. Then we went to Robert's Western World to listen to Brazilbilly. Brazilbilly was pretty cool. The lead singer was from Brazil and he had a female fiddle player from France...only in America. While we were in RWW, I swear to you Abe Lincoln walked in. Talk about surreal! Anyway, I have the cell phone photo to prove it but can't get it uploaded to the computer. We finally left around 3 a.m. and stopped at White Castle for a late night snack. We don't have White Castles in our area so we wanted to compare their food to Krystal.

Sunday morning we walked around the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in amazement before we drove to Hillsboro Village to eat at the Pancake Pantry. Unfortunately, the line was too long for either one of us to wait to eat so we strolled on down the street to Bosco's for their jazz brunch. I had Oscar Benedict, a variation of Eggs Benedict with crab meat and asparagus added. Robert had a delicious smoked chicken and roasted red pepper omelet. We stopped in Fire Finch where I bought some cute earrings that match the necklace I bought in DC. Fire Finch is absolutely brill. After that we went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to catch the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit. To our delight, it was Family Day at the Frist and admission was free. Score! The Frist Center resides in the old Nashville Post Office and is a wonderful example of Art Deco design. From there, we left Nash Vegas to head back home to Warner Vegas. Robert and I had a wonderful time in Nashville and are ready to go back. Many thanks to Amber for her terrific Nashville insider tips. And thanks to Jill who put me in touch with Amber.

Searching for Georgia

Detail of Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leo Trotsky by Frida Kahlo

I landed in DC yesterday for a business meeting. I had a few hours to kill so I thought I would go to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in hopes of seeing a previously-unseen-by-my-eyes Georgia O'Keeffe work. Sadly, the only work by her at NMWA is a charcoal drawing that was NOT on display today. Bummer! However, I did get to see a painting by Frida Kahlo titled Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leo Trotsky. My excursion wasn't a total loss. I read a wonderful quote from Georgia O'Keeffe, which has inspired me.

"One day seven years ago I found myself saying to myself, 'I can't live where I want to...I can't go where I want to go...I can't do what I want to...I can't even say what I want to...' I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to." ~ Georgia O'Keeffe, 1923.

That's profound. I'm just saying.

Oh, Georgia!

I recently watched Georgia O'Keeffe, a Lifetime original movie I DVRed the weekend we were in Alabama visiting family. Being a working mom and traveling a bit more than usual, it took me a while to get around to watching this biopic. I've always been a huge fan of Georgia O'Keeffe. She is by far my favorite artist, next to Monet.

After watching the movie, I remembered something I had thought about before and have found intriguing. I find it a bit coincidental that my life has taken me to several places that were of some importance in Georgia O'Keeffe's life.

First of all, I lived in Amarillo, Texas for a couple of years during middle school. Georgia taught in the public schools there from 1912-1914 and at West Texas State Normal College in Canyon in 1916.

I also lived in Columbia, SC for many years and had the opportunity to study at Columbia College where she once taught in 1915. Instead I chose to go to the University of South Carolina to pursue a degree in public relations management. I am still kicking myself for not pursuing my degree in studio art. Thinking I would starve for the rest of my life, I chose a more sensible career field that came with a regular paycheck.

I visited New York City many times while my mom lived there for nearly 20 years. I visited all the major art museums there several times to view Georgia's paintings over and over again.

In 2007 and 2008, I was enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in Madison for a six-week management program. I was excited to be so near Georgia O'Keeffe's birthplace in Sun Prairie, where she was born in 1898. I thought that the Chazen Art Museum would have a few of her paintings. I was disappointed to see only one. Come on people! One of the most prolific female artists of all time was born less than 20 miles away and you only have one painting of hers on display. What a letdown!

Once on vacation I visited O'Keeffe Country (Taos area) in New Mexico and understand her desire to live there. It's one of the most beautiful places in the country that I have had the opportunity to see. If you haven't been to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, you need to. It is the only museum in the world dedicated to a woman artist. The museum has over 1,100 of her paintings, drawings and sculptures that are displayed on a rotating basis. You will always see something new each time you visit.

I have yet to visit Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu and Lake George, NY but I hope to one day. They are on my list of places to see.

Getting back to the movie. The movie itself was well done. Joan Allen gave a wonderful performance as Georgia O'Keeffe. I especially liked the scene where she paints the mural at Radio City Music Hall. And Jeremy Irons was brilliantly cruel as Alfred Stieglitz, O'Keeffe's husband. I recommend watching it. It will leave you with the urge to create! All I can say is...Oh, Georgia!