Actually we were working our way through the Cross Creeks NWR.  Snipe freeze among the underbrush and are very hard to spot but when you do, their coloration is fantastic.  We spotted this guy, A Wilsons Snipe, along the refuge road.

Eagles nest here too.  We saw one bird but not their nest.  Shore birds and waders were scattered around and warblers are moving through as they head back north.  It is a time to see large numbers of many species gathered together.  A flock of 100+ American Goldfinches worked their way through our campground.  It was like the ground was just littered with bright yellow flowers that periodically rose up into the air, swirled around, and settled back to earth.

No visit to Nashville would be complete without a visit to the Grand Ole Opry.  All the pre-show announcements were made by a newer version of Minnie Pearl with the pricetag on her hat and her signature greeting.  I had forgotten one negative from the live radio show performance, the commercials.  But, they give them time to change performers on stage.  Fortunate timing presented us with quite a list of performers such as; Striking Matches, Jimmy Newman, Del McCoury Band, Connie Smith, Jimmy Wayne, Shooter Jennings, Jesse Coulter, & Alabama.

It has been 30 years since Alabama performed at the Opry.  Nice harmony and quite an enjoyable evening.

Commemorating 124,000 who fought and the 34,000 who died.  Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP.  It was the first MilitaryPark and so, one of the most well preserved fields of battle.  Cast plaques describe battle movements in the words of survivors.  Individual States designed and placed monuments in the way they felt best honored their valiant and their fallen.  Some are huge and ornate and placed prominently to be seen even from the drive through.  Others are simple and small and found only if one walks cross country though the wooded hillsides or rolling fields.  We do need to remember.

A magical mermaid horse, giraffes, fierce tigers, bunnies, wild boar, elephants and the camel that I rode.  There was even a fish.  The critters on the Densel carousel in Coolidge  Park are remarkable.  All they need to do is get the player organ working and the experience will be absolutely magical.

Moon pies.  Nuke those little babies for about 10 seconds and they taste like a fine pastry.  Well sort of.

I can’t recall any city with as much public art.  Modern, “what does this mean to you?” works that make you think and whimsical statues that just make you laugh.  We loved this fellow who advertises for Mellow Mushroom…

An old Mill houses all manner of antique housewares and furniture along with vintage clothes and hats.  Another shop is filled with wonderful eclectic décor pieces created using repurposed stuff .

This one just happened on its own though…..

A sadder version of repurposing, the Delta Queen Riverboat.  We last saw her in the great paddle boat races at Derby time in Louisville.  Now she is in Chattanooga; mounted on the river bottom never to sail again and living out her final days as a hotel.  How unromantic an ending.

The view from Point Park on Lookout Mountain

high above the city is magnificent.  It is hard to imagine that a Civil war battle was fought on this rugged high ground.

It was integral to the local economy and key to the Confederate war effort.  They had iron ore, limestone and timber for charcoal all within just miles of one another and near many streams for water power.  Furnaces sprung up all around the Birmingham area.  Most are in ruins now but the Tannehill Ironworks state park preserves several for all to see.   They demo iron working and other period trades and crafts during their high season…just a walk through this time of year but still pretty interesting.  They have moved some 1890s cabins into the park and refurbished them as rentals.  I think that could be a fun way to be a bit more immersed in the experience on one of their pioneer weekends.

I didn’t realize how big a role this area played in the early American iron and steel industry.  Birmingham is still huge in cast iron pipe production.  Learn something every day.

We checked out day 1 of the 10 day Cherry Blossom Festival.

There were pets; large ones, small ones, flamboyantly (embarrassingly) garbed ones and even some with pink fur.

Take a look at the winner of “best dressed”.

There were big cats; Mia the Liger, Handsome the lion, two Bengal tigers and two Siberian tigers.  They performed to their individual level of interest.  That meant the ladies entertained a little and the lion, Handsome, sat there and looked pretty, that’s it.  The cats are the public relations representatives for a rescue shelter.  They don’t have to do anything they don’t want.

Mid Georgia Stongman Comp

Guys were rolling tractor tires;

not the round way, the lift and drop then lift and drop way.  Who thought of that?  It is The Middle Georgia strongman competition.

Disc dogs.  Pros and lots of amateurs.  They are all amazing.

An elephant ear with cinnamon sugar, oh yeah.

Ready, set, go.

A bed race.  The fastest..the sprinting firemen with a no frills bed.

The wackiest…a train complete with pink smoke bomb in the stack.

Also ran; pink Cadillac, a gurney, a pink brass bed, a hot rod, & a trike.

A high heel race for the cure.  They were pretty speedy but Kent got a couple pictures.