Postcards From Myself

Just a quick post to point out one of the places we went today - the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.

If you would like to see some pictures just hit the image above or click here. This is simply a fun museum filled with unique or rare cars of mostly European heritage. There are a few Japanese and American machines, but not many. Additionally there are a good number of motorcycles, an airplane or two, and one very large military transport. Even my non-automotive wife and daughter found it at least somewhat interesting. If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend a visit. With very affordable ticket prices, in fact kids under 18 are free, it would be hard to go wrong.

We also visited the Opry Mills Mall which is right next door to the big Opryland Hotel. Really just a big mall, but it has a Rain Forest Cafe, huge Bass Pro Shop, and lots of other touristy places. Yup, a big mall. Tomorrow we will be touring downtown Nashville and may I will get to visit the Apple Store! Crass commercialism, but I love Apple Stores, and we don’t have one in Charleston yet. At least it has stopped snowing here.

I just love a hotel with good wireless Internet! I am currently lying on my hotel bed at the SpringHill Suites in Knoxville, Tennessee. The nice thing - other than the good food and Borders Books nearby, is that I have full a full strength wireless connection. Most of the time, even in very high end hotels, I either have to sit at the cramped little desk and plug into an Ethernet connection or I have to do some strange gyration to get a wireless signal. You know those odd body positions that hearken back to the days of trying to get a signal with the old rabbit ears on the TV? One time I finally had to give up and sit in the lobby of the hotel to do my work. Another time I totally gave up and used the hotel’s public station. I really hate that for security reasons.

But the hotel I am at this evening is wonderful. Full and fast access from anywhere in the room. And yes, I even tested it in the bathroom - not that I am going to take the laptop in the tub or anything!

I really wish more hotels would come up to speed like this. I would gladly sacrifice the television with 60 channels of absolute junk for a good Internet connection. These days I think most of the business people who travel would think about the same thing. Of course with kids around the television is a necessary evil, but as they are getting older even they want a good connection in the room.

Had any good or bad experiences with trying to get an Internet connection while traveling? I would love to hear them. Did you end up in the local library or Starbucks? Does this type of thing figure into the picture when you are planning where to stay?

Yes, I am a huge parrot head. I have been going to Buffett concerts for nearly 30 years now and have been a fan of his music for even longer. Hopefully he will come closer to Charleston, but right now the closest date is in Charlotte, North Carolina. I bought my tickets today. It has been a while since I bought lawn seats, but hey, I can still hang with the lawn crowd!

And while you are at it, please check out my Parrot Head Page. Fins Up!

Have you ever seen a flying dock dog? Take a look at the picture and you will. These are dogs of all types, all sizes, and all ages that are trained (and I use that term lightly) to run down a dock and then sail into the air. They land in the water anywhere from five feet to about twenty-one feet away in a huge splash.

Now for some explanation. The South Eastern Wildlife Exposition is in town here in Charleston this weekend, and I played hooky on Friday to attend. We also took the kids down today, and I may go back down for a while tomorrow. The Expo is an annual event that has been going on 26 years. It is a huge get together of artists, hunters, conservation groups, fisherman, vendors, and just about every one else involved with wildlife. While there is a large emphasis on hunting and fishing, there is also a huge push in conservation and education. This year Jack Hannah did two different free presentations. In past years there have been other guest presenters such as Jeff Corwin and Mutual of Omaha’s Jim Fowler.

The part that my family and I enjoy the most is the dogs. Not only are there dogs doing various things such as retriever exhibitions and the above mentioned “dock dogs”, but everyone who can brings there dogs and puppies out to walk in the parks and visit the various venues. I saw spaniels, poodles, basset hounds, retrievers, mastiffs, dachshunds, German shepherds, hounds, and many more. From five pounds to a hundred and five pounds, they were all there.

But the most fun this year was had around the dock dog pool. These dogs, even the ones who more fell in the water than dove, just really seemed to be having a good time. This is a competition, but a very friendly and light hearted one. And the crowds loved it. I am really not sure who were grinning more, the dogs or the children watching them. And if the response from everyone gathered round was any indication, there will be at least a few more dogs in the water next year. I can’t wait.

This is totally random, but I just came across a site that is so odd and interesting that I have to share the madness. This is the kind of site that the Internet was created for and that I can literally lose myself in for hours. Take a look at Strange Maps. Seriously, look a it and then scroll down and look some more. When you are feeling that the world is a dull place and everything looks the same, consider these maps that can take the extremely ordinary and present it some amazingly different point of view. From New York under German occupation to Europe as a conglomeration of cartoon characters, the maps on this site convey more than places and directions; they offer up an alternative way of looking at all that surrounds us.

Enjoy!