Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Eleven hours of driving today: three hours from Birmingham to Centerville, Tennessee, where I officiated a funeral, then an eight hour trip home. I'm whipped.
Of course driving somewhere you've never been before has its interesting moments:
* I was somewhere near James K. Polk's house, and it isn't every day you're that close to the home of the 11th president of the United States.
* I was near the Jack Daniels distillery, too. This, in case you didn't know, is a national historic site.
* I think I was in Minnie Pearl's hometown today. I rode around the city square when I got there, and I swear that was a statue of her in the middle of the square. I could have been delirious, but at that point of the day I wasn't too sleepy (nor had I toured the Jack Daniels distillery).
But the best part of the day was nature. Centerville had a morning low in the 40s, but the afternoon high was in the upper 60s with bright sunshine, blue skies, and a cool breeze. Add to the weather the fact that the leaves were just beginning to change colors, and my backroads Tennessee drive took me back some breathtaking views. The picture above is of the Duck River. It was so impressive that I had to stop my car and walk down the highway bridge to take a few pictures, although the picture doesn't do it justice.
But now I have to get some sleep....
