Food & Wheels

February 16th – Lebanon Hermitage and Nashville, TN

I awoke about 7:15 Monday morning to slatted sunshine spilling over me. I was wrapped in a cocoon of homemade blankets in the RV trailer JD had offered to give me a little privacy and, I suspect, insulation from the 5 - 6 a.m. waking of the children.

As I stepped out into the brilliant, frostbitten air, I was instantaneously greeted by Levi, the retriever, and Girl (or Storm, for the conditions in which this stray arrived some years ago). It's getting bad. Since Rebus arrived in our lives, I seem to fall for virtually every dog I meet. These two playful dogs were no exception.

I was greeted by aromas and family goings-on as I entered the house. The air was rich with the smells of bacon, sausage, gravy, biscuits and coffee. JD and Angie were cozied on one of the couches, Anslee at their feet and playing with her princess castle set. Connor and Luke were huddled around JD's laptop at the kitchen table, checking out new plans for their K'nex construction kit.

Another tasty meal once again partaken, we began organizing for sometime out and about. Angie, though at first hesitant to have the children leave, got excited by the prospect of some to herself with a book on the couch. The children gathered up trading cards, books and stuffed toys, buckled themselves up in the back of the Suburban and we made the short drive to Jerry and Charlotte's home in Hermitage, TN. Charlotte gave me a warm welcome to Hermitage, then disappeared after her flock of grandchildren, which had vanished into the house. JD opened the door to Jerry's workshop and waved me in.

Bro Bob, you would have been in heaven. My brother is a car/gun/motorcycle/radio/old-stuff-generally nut. Vintage stuff filled every corner, from radios to toys and motorcycles, with everything in-between. Jerry was working on a couple of bikes, though his own bikes were gleaming and near-at-hand: several vintage BMWs and a rare Norton Manxman among them.

Jerry has been a motorcycle enthusiast forever, at least since his uncle, I believe, gave him a ride when he was young. I don't recall Jerry's exact words, but the gist was that his whole world changed with that ride.

It's obvious that Jerry is well and widely connected with all things vintage. He restores older bikes for enthusiasts all over the country, and he has a passion for cars as well, witness the Triumph and MG sitting out front of the workshop.In that regard, he suggested the three of us drive into Nashville to visit his friend, Jeff Lane's, auto museum (lanemotormuseum.org).

Jeff greeted Jerry warmly as we walked in and, a few minutes later, we were winding our way through the rows of auto oddities. The museum has amassed a collection of over 150 unusual, mostly European, vehicles. Jeff's fascination with vehicles is grounded in his father's passion for restoring British sports cars. For his 12th Christmas, he asked for and got his own restoration project, a 1955 MG TF basket-case.

A couple of notable vehicles were: a black version of the first bike Dad got for me in '67, a 65cc Honda Sport; and a fire Push Me / Pull You Fire Responder built for narrow mountain roads where turning around was impossible. The latter reminded me of many circumstances in life.

After doing a fairly thorough survey of all the displays, Jerry suggested lunch at the local Harley dealership. He has had a connection with the owners since he and they were young boys. Boswell's has a diner as part of the dealership, and the smell of food makes buyers of most everyone who steps inside. I bit at Jerry's recommendation of the catfish. Once again, I overate, but the meal was truly fine. No 10W50 or machine finings were detected in any of the fare.

We finished up our time together with a quick drive around downtown Nashville (Doris Day's high school, the Grand Old Opry, the Parthenon, and other landmarks) then headed back to pick up the children at Jerry and Charlotte's.

Southern hospitality is unique. You honestly feel like you will be missed and that your imposition on your hosts was their pleasure. I'll miss Jerry and Charlotte. JD and I got the kids home and, before heading back to Huntsville, I made my fond farewells and some photos of the family.

The BMW National Rally is in Johnson City, TN this July and I plan to see these fine folks again at that time. Then, of course, there's the Shiloh rally in fall, the Great Chicken Rally in Huntsville, and my relatives. I think the Powells may see more of me than they might have anticipated. I made the drive back to Huntsville with gratitude for the time up around Nashville and for the time to come with family in Huntsville and beyond.

I walked in the door of Abe & Janet's to the sound of crokinole. Dad and Samineh were teamed up against Abe. The scent of competitiveness hung heavy in the air. Eventually I, too, was drawn into the fray from which I escaped without too much blood let.