October: A Weekend Trip to Nashville!

Friday, October 4: Opportunities knocked, so we hit the road and set out for Nashville, Tennessee. It’s pretty fun that, when you live in Columbus, you can just get in the car and drive about 6 hours and then you’re in Nashville!

However, we did not drive six hours straight because we stopped at a Buc-ees in Kentucky. It was both Liz’s and my first trip to a Buc-ees and boy did it live up to the hype! We got a nice brisket taco and pledged that we’d stop at Buc-ees again on the way home.

From Buc-ees we headed for Nolensville for a nice lunch and catch up with Jeff, Noelle, Josh and Holly (from Freshman year at BYU!) before they all headed off on vacations.

And then from Nolensville we went up to Nashville-proper and our nice little hotel room. After a bit of a recharge we hiked through downtown to our dinner destination, a mediterranean-ish place called the Butcher and the Bee.

The Butcher and the Bee was a nice meal and we got to eat it from the balcony because maybe I made a reservation for November, not October?

Pictured food: Avocado crispy rice, whipped feta (foreground) and hummus with chicken shawarma (background), pepperoni meatballs, and the potato pancake.

Over the years, through my Nashville trips, I’ve eaten a lot of hot chicken but I had never been to Hattie B’s because it seemed like the new place built for white people. But there was one over by our hotel so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. There was still quite a line at 11pm and when I got the chicken back to the hotel, dang, it wasn’t playing! Their Hot was hot enough for me to not be able to tell if the Hottest was any hotter. Sorry I doubted you, Hattie B.

Saturday, October 5: Up and at ‘em! We had a little bit of our hotel’s breakfast buffet before going to see the Parthenon. I’d seen it before, but this time we went inside and I had never been inside before. Even better: It was free that day! Best $0 we spent all day!

From there we headed back to East Nashville for a very lovely brunch at Sean Brock’s restaurant, Audrey. Service was excellent, food great, the building super cool. You know someone means business when they build a whole building for their new restaurant (or 2 restaurants, to be precise, there’s a tasting menu place called June upstairs) if the building has a library! Looking forward to returning here someday.

Pictured food: Their great big hashbrown with whipped ham butter, their hickory smoked burger, and the steak and eggs with hickory hollandaise.

From Audrey we headed even more east to Lebanon. The Big Reason for our Nashville trip was that Liz’s friend Annemarie invited Liz to come “get the band back together” with her at the Mid-Tennessee Hatch Green Chili Roast Festival. Liz and Annemarie used to be in a trio called the Pretty Darns so they called their 2 out of 3 band “the Darns.” We had spent my birthday at Annemarie’s house so it was great to be back and re-establishing friendships with her sons.
The gig was great and cousin Katharine and cousin in law Brian came out, too. One thing we learned for sure: chili roasting is loud!

After the show we had some nice tacos in the back of a Mexican grocery store with Annemarie’s family and then a nice walk around a nice Lebanon park. I sure have been saying “nice” a lot! Guess that’s just what this weekend was: Nice.

Sunday, October 6: Back on the road! Back to Columbus! But, good to our word, also back to Buc-ee’s!

Mid-August to Mid-October Columbus Catch-Up

Hello, here are pictures form miscellaneous things Liz and I got up to between August and now in the Columbus area, not including any Labor Day visits or Conference Weekend advantures (post forthcoming).

August 11: Nice Sunday afternoon Metro Park walk on Dad and Aunt Louise’s birthday. I was feeling sick. Turns out with covid.

August 17: Just a picture of a goomba while I’m on my way to see Liz sing.

August 24: Fun afternoon at the Musicologie anniversary party, hanging out and then watching Liz and ORB perform with the Gardners.

September 16: Bike pedal broke so I took an early morning walk around our little neighborhood/complex.

September 18: I went and saw the Hives bring the excitement and fun like they always do. Really do wish Liz could’ve made it of course!

September 21: Had a rollicking time watching Batman (1989) with Liz, Carolyn, Joel and Katie and then learned all about the Ohio-Chinese dish “Wor Sue Gai” at Grove City’s charming China Bell. Oh and this I’m a Wor Sue Gai enthusiast now. Lettuce, Chicken, Brown Gravy, Crushed Nuts … what a combo!

September 28: Started the day with a visit to Bridgeway Academy for their anniversary celebration (Liz said “I’m going to do a Brigham pose”), ended the day celebrating our half-anniversary at Cracker Barrel as appears to now be tradition.

October 12: Brigham and Liz accept an invitation to go to a Crew game with Ryan and Kim. Sure, we’ll give a soccer game a shot. Guess what though? CREW GAMES ARE AWESOME! We loved it! Are we nuts for Columbus soccer now? Looks like it!

October 13: Game night at the Robinsons! Two rounds of Go Family and then a great introductory game of Spy Game, my father-in-law’s (and his brother’s) ingenious board game creation. It’s really quite the game! And then, at home, adding windshield fluid to the Tiguan…has a raccoon been in there? Or a squirrel?

I Took Another Quick Little Jaunt to California

While it seems like just the other week that I was zipping over to California for Aunt Louise’s 100th birthday, in the middle of September I found myself zipping over to California for Aunt Louise’s funeral, she having passed a few days after celebrating her 101st birthday.

I arrived late on the 5th, Emily’s birthday, and Friday the 6th was spent primarily in preparations and general enjoyment of each other’s company and Grandma’s hosting. We had pink sandwiches for lunch, I went and got a haircut and then after that checked out this place that had intrigued me (fried shrimp burger and ma po tofu tater tots shown below — everything was just ok there) and a grand daughter in law of Louise’s arranged flower arrangements.

Saturday the 7th — a funeral at Rose Hills in the neighborhood of the resting place of Grandma and Grandpa Condie and Uncle Bob. Louise was viewed and told goodbye. Great tributes were given by cousins, mothers, and grandmothers (of mine). Jim played the trumpet. It was all very nice and it was just family and Louise’s cleaning lady (so basically family) on the guest list.

Then it was back to Grandma’s for the post-funeral repast. We had a TON of Raising Canes. I had a chance to tell stories about my trip to Portugal/Spain/England with Granda/Louise/Bob. Louise’s progeny took photos. I spoke with aunts of Mom’s I hadn’t seen in quite a while.

Later that evening Mom, Dad, Mom’s Cousin Danny (who I wish I had gotten a photo of, oh well) went to Homestate for breakfast tacos.

September 8th: And then it was time for me to run back to Columbus. Mom and Dad got me to the airport and off I went!