Nashville Day 2, or Flea, Graves and TV

Of course I woke up on Day 2 at a pretty normal hour for me, about 7:30. BUT I went back to sleep until 9:30! Then Joni and I decided to meet up with her friend Chris to go to the Flea Market. My family (well, my dad in particular) has always enjoyed good flea markets. This one was HUGE! The first pavilion area is seen here, behind me:

and we went into a couple of indoor areas. But there was always more to see. I got turned around pretty quickly, but Joni and Chris were professionals and knew where we were and guided us all over. I found great hand-carved wooden toys for the boys and a couple of pieces of the antique china set that Jim's grandmother gave us. 

All the walking got our appetites worked up, so we had Thai food for lunch. I ate so well on this trip! And never needed a high chair or kids menu options.

After lunch, Joni and I spent a a little time at home to rest and talk. This is her cozy living room.

Then the two of us, with her dog Lincoln, headed out to the Carnton plantation and Confederate Cemetery near Franklin, TN. 

Side note about Lincoln. He was extremely interested in me. The first day I was there, he kept licking my pants and hands and trying to trap and eat my feet. He's a gentle dog and never got overwhelming or hurt me, but it was pretty funny. I thought maybe he liked my lotion, which has orange, lemon and other oils in it and thus might seem food-like to a dog. But he kept doing things like licking my elbows, face, feet and clothes the whole time I was there-even after the lotion would have been washed off of me. I have a new friend!

Joni had recommended the book The Widow of the South before I came to visit and I got it out of the library and read half of it before leaving.

[Some of the land around the plantation.]

 It's a fictionalized account of a woman named Carrie McGavock and her family. Their house became a hospital after the Civil War battle in Franklin, where over 9,000 soldiers died in about five hours' time! We went to visit Carnton Saturday afternoon.

[Back of the house.]

[Sitting on the back porch. Do I look like a Southern lady? No? Didn't think so.]

[Joni posing in the front walk of the house.]

[Front of the house.]

[Some of the slave quarters.]

[Garden near the house.]

[McGavock headstone for Carrie and her husband John, in the family cemetery.]

Carrie and John McGavock had the bodies of about 1,500 Confederate soldiers moved from a mass grave on the battlefield when the owners of the land were planning to use it and probably disturb the graves, to their own land to be buried. They knew the names and where a lot of the men were from so each little marker is numbered and cataloged. This is the gate to the cemetery for the soldiers from the family plot.

There are many beautiful old trees all around the property. It truly is an idyllic and restful location for men who died in a very brutal way. Very moving.

[Here is another grizzled  old tree with the plantation house in the background.]

[A place for reflection.]

[View from the end of the cemetery.]

We were too late to take the tour of the house, but it was very interesting to see the grounds and cemetery. I'll have to go back sometime to see more!

The rest of the day was pretty calm. We hung out with Chris again, at his house. His living room was featured in a new HGTV show so we got to watch his room on TV, while sitting in the room! It was a pretty crazy little experience. And we got to hear all the dirt and ins and outs about how the show was made, which is always fun. Joni is very connected to Nashville and there seem to be a lot of semi-famous people all over (along with a lot of very famous people-"That's Nicole and Keith's Starbucks." "That's where a lot of people see Taylor Swift." Etcetera.). A lot of the people she knows are involved in the city in many ways and have connections to music and TV. I felt very cultured!

Day 2 was just as varied and fun as Day 1! James was missing me a lot and I definitely wished he could have shared these things with us. Thankfully, the kids seemed to be fine without me. They liked having Daddy time and doing things with him. It helps that he and K can bond over things like video games and that James is very creative and fun with how he does everything from making dinner to coming up with art projects. I was able to enjoy my adventures without feeling guilty about having them without the kids, so that was nice. No sneaking feelings that made it hard to have fun, as can sometimes happen!