Outside of Nashville there is an old dog sanctuary, populated by close to 50 dogs at the moment, sometimes more. Many of the young women I work with watch a National Geographic live feed of this place and they wanted me to visit it while I am here. Being a softy for old dogs, I did just that today. I had a noon appointment. These are dogs no one wants until someone does want them, which doesn't happen often. Many are handicapped in some way: blind in one or both eyes, deaf, missing a leg, crippled from birth and often they are simply old and have been abandoned. Many have sad back stories but they are all living in a fine place. They are cared for lovingly, supported solely by contributions, there is a vet on duty and they can be homed out only to the right place.
From there I went to Arnold's Country Kitchen for a meat-and-3. It's a thing here...you get a meat and three side dishes. The meat depends on what they cook that day. Today the choices were fried fish, a giant fried pork chop as big as a dinner plate and cherry smoked brisket. I picked the brisket. The sides were many: mac and cheese, squash casserole (delish), green beans, black eyed peas, collard greens (yum), mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes with peppers and onions (amazing). It's all cafeteria style, you roll your tray along and pay at the end. For less than $12 I got more food then I should have eaten but I ate it all. I did not get pie, however, and I sort of regret that.
I burped a lot and then went to the Frist Museum, walking distance from my place, and saw an exhibit of various paintings and sculptures from Degas, Monet, Bonnard, Van Gogh, Sisley, and others. I am sure it had a theme but I don't remember what it was other than lovely. Better than that was a very nice show of Dorothea Lange photos, not just of the Depression era but of the Japanese Internment in 1942 and of workers during the war in various places in California. There was a good short film of Lange telling how she came to take the photos and it was a bit disconcerting to me because she looks like a sister of the actress Glenn Close. So odd.
Then I began walking back to my flat but I took a long route and it was rather warm and it was exhausting me and I looked up and lo! There was the Hermitage Hotel, a mere two blocks from where I was staying and the Oak Bar in that gorgeous hotel beckoned me. (You should google this hotel and see the lobby, it is spectacular!). No one was at the bar, it was one minute past 5:00, the end of Happy Hour but the bartender said if I ordered quickly she would give me the HH discount. I did, she did, and after two glasses of ice water and a refreshing bourbon drink, the path back to my flat was an easy walk.
I will tell you about my dinner quest and its resolution tomorrow morning. It's late here and time for bed.
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