Bloomin' Beautiful

The spring here has been amazing.  Things have been blooming for over a month now.  Next year I've got to document it better and I'm determined to learn the names of all these plants and trees.  Here's a tiny peek into spring in Nashville.

 

The Way of White Delight (Anyone recognize the reference?)

 

Vanderbilt campus

 

Vanderbilt campus

 These were a pleasant surprise - right by my front door!

Driving Etiquette (Part 2 of 2)

In general, people in Boston aren't the friendliest folks on the planet.  (Boston friends, I'm obviously not talking about you!)  You might as well be invisible when you pass folks on the street.  And they can be a bit condescending and rude at times.  We were treated like complete imbeciles by many a store clerk who seemed 'put out' when we had a question or needed to pay for something.  So, it's a pleasant surprise when you discover that Boston drivers are usually fairly courteous (refer to Part 1).

In general, people in Nashville are amazingly friendly.  They wave at you when you drive down the street.  They smile at you and say 'hi' when you pass by.  I even had one homeless guy say 'hi' rather than ask for something.  Now that made an impression!  Store employees are very attentive and actually ask if they can help you - and they smile while they say it.  They seem genuinely interested in helping you and making you happy.

So, it's quite a shock when you discover that folks from Nashville are not so courteous or friendly when they get into the driver's seat.  They tend to speed up if they see that you want to change lanes - I've missed a few turns because someone sped up and wouldn't let me over.  I've also noticed that they can be pretty stubborn when it's time to pull over for emergency vehicles.

And then there's the tailgating - not the 'party in the parking lot' kind.  (Although, there's a lot of that too!)  I'm talking about the 'objects in mirror are closer than they appear' kind.  It doesn't matter if you're on the freeway or in a 25 mph zone - they'll sneak up on you wherever you might be.  And they get close.  

Think Nascar.  You're going 70 mph on the freeway (cuz that's the speed limit...okay, so you're really going 75) and he appears out of nowhere and he's right on your tail.  If he's feeling generous, he leaves a car length of distance between your cars.  This wannabe Nascar driver wants desperately to get around you.  You can see that he's antsy as he maneuvers from side to side looking for even the tiniest opening.  He can't stand the thought of staying behind you for one more second.  He finally sees an opening and in a flash he's in front of you, speeding off to harass the next guy in his way.  You breath a sigh of relief... until you look in the rear view mirror and realize that you've got another tailgaiter...and this time he's driving a semi!

Driving Etiquette (Part 1 of 2)

We're amazed at how each state we live in seems to have its own quirky driving etiquette.

Here's what we learned in Boston:

• It's a sign of weakness to use your blinker - whatever you do, don't use it, especially on the freeway (or is it a highway, maybe an interstate?)
• There are very few green arrows for left turns, but the first person in the left turn lane (and sometimes the 2nd if s/he is fast enough and brave enough) is allowed to quickly make a left turn before the oncoming traffic takes off.  It's surprising when you discover that no one honks at you. 
• If you're trying to make a left turn out of a parking lot and the traffic is backed up in both directions, you can nose out into the first lane, backing up all traffic on your left.  The drivers in the other lane (coming from the right) will then acknowledge your superiority, slow down, stop (backing up the traffic on your right), smile, give you the polite traffic wave, and allow you to make your left turn.  And, NO ONE honks at anyone!
• When you want to turn left where there's no light at all, sometimes the first driver of the oncoming traffic will actually stop and wave you through.  The people behind the courteous (to you) driver will NOT honk at him!  
• Now that I've put things into perspective - back to the blinker.  Sometimes if you use your blinker on the freeway, you'll get honked at!  It's best to just keep everyone guessing when it comes to lane changes on the freeway.

Here's the scariest thing.  And it's not etiquette, it's a posted rule on some of the freeways!

• It's OKAY to drive in the shoulder...on the freeway...during rush hour!  But, only on certain sections.  Heaven help you if you don't read all the signs.  I swore I'd never do it but had to succumb when I realized if I didn't, I'd have to drive all the way to Rhode Island before I could get off the freeway.  Speaking of Rhode Island.  We had some friends make a wrong turn in Boston and end up in Rhode Island!  But, I digress.

This whole post has become a digression.  I (and Howard even more so) could go on and on about driving in Boston.  This was supposed to be about driving in Nashville.  Hearing about Nashville will be boring after this!  Stay tuned till tomorrow, or whenever!

 Maybe stuff like this sign is the root of all the craziness!

Livin' in Music City

A couple of families from church got to be in this country music video.  The musician, Shane Yellowbird, is popular in Canada.

Sign Seeker

 

I go out of my way to read these each week.  They make my day!  I wish I would have gotten pictures of these three:

Avoid truth decay, read Bible daily.
Pray up in advance.
A half truth is a whole lie.