An Amish Friday Night Fish Fry

One of our kick off the spring events is the Amish Fish Fry fundraiser, which is in Todd County, Kentucky. It is a short 8 miles from our house.

Where we live in Tennessee, we are surrounded by Amish Communities.  When riding my motorcycle, I see them on the roads in horse and buggy.  We see them in their tractors at the Home Depot and the Wallmart.  Strangely enough, we have very little interaction with the community directly.  They seem to live in their own world of Tennessee and Kentucky, and we live in ours.

I have always been fascinated by the Amish's and their simple but hard agricultural lifestyle.  So when we're invited by a family friend to an Amish Fish Fry Fund Raiser, we jumped at the chance.  The Amish every so often will have a fundraiser, usually once or twice a year.  The funds are used to pay for medical bills throughout their community.  This coming together for a common cause illustrates how tightly knit their community is.

We arrive at a large steel building that seems to be used as a community center.  At the door, there is a donation box where you are handed a paper plate.  As you go through the buffet line, there are homemade beans, both white and baked, along with coleslaw and cornbread.  At the end of the buffet, you are served 3 generous pieces of catfish by an Amish Lady.  My guess farm-raised by the Amish themselves.  We sit down to eat at long folding tables and chairs.  It is a sight to behold, Amish and non-Amish sitting down to eat in the same room and all for and a good cause.  Plus, the food was outstanding.

Living in Tennessee over the years, I have had some contact with the Amish, one time spending eight hours with an Amish man who installed my wood burning stove at my lake cabin.  It was fascinating to hear about his lifestyle and their devotion to God.  On a trip to Shipshewana, Indiana, we visited the Menno-HOF, which is a museum that tells the story of the Amish and Mennonites.

While at the dinner, I can't help thinking about this great country of diversity that we live in.  We are all in this world together, it is in our American nature to come together and help each other when we can.

A Walk in Historic East Nashville then a Tornado

Nashville is a changing.  East Nashville used to be a dicey area at any time of the day, 10 years ago, a person could have bought a house here for around 60K, now bring at least 300 large.  With innercity gentrification, this place has really become the place to be in Tennessee.    It is the end of the winter, and like Nashville, the season is starting to change.  It is a good day for a walk through the historic East Nashville.

We had a fantastic walk through some older neighborhoods, the fatherland district, and the 5 points commercial district.  There are plenty of new eclectic restaurants and shops.  With signs of renovation everywhere. It is great to see a city coming back to life. Even though our son lived here for 2 years while getting his master's degree, we continue to find new undiscovered areas.

 The Fatherland district is a new up and coming area in East Nashville.  Just as their website states," Experience East Nashville through the local businesses that call this hip and growing neighborhood home. Located on Fatherland Street, between 10th and 11th, and close to the trendy 5 Points area, the Fatherland District is made up of the Shoppes on Fatherland, 1100 Fatherland, and the new Fatherland Corner, featuring shopping, dining, and entertainment options for the whole family."

The 5 Points area is the commercial hub of East Nashville, and its where all the action is. With numerous restaurants, bars, and music venues, its definitely a place you can get your groove on.  It is the favorite haunt of Nashville's artistic class.  The area's culturally-diverse and eclectic vibe drive this renascence that is going on here. It all comes together with the historic homes of the Edgefield neighborhood dating back to the early 1900s.

After our walk, we go pick up a few specialty items at the insanely unique Turnip Truck grocery store.  Then it was time for lunch at the Greko Greek Street Food restaurant.  The food was beyond good.  Probably the best greek food since living in Germany.  That alone is a story.


Spring in Tennessee always has a hint of danger in the air.  We can have some volatile weather this time of year, and we did.  A few days after finishing this walk, an F4 tornado came through the area devastating it.  It was just part of a 55-mile path of destruction that the tornado left.  This area is no stranger to this event.  Having similar events in 1933 and 1998 Nashville along the Cumberland River has become a sort of a Tornado Ally.

The last couple of days have brought good weather for the cleanup.  You can see the resiliency of the people of Nashville. It's going to come back bigger and better than before.  They are, of course, Nashville Strong.

A Southern Hunting Tradition : The Squirrel

Being from the left coast, I've come to love the diversity of the south and its little known traditions.  I have discovered that each southern state has a unique heritage and that one label does not fit all.   One of the things that I have come to love about the south is squirrel hunting.  It's a great way to get outdoors, especially after deer season when for me cabin fever sets in.

Where I'm originally from, most people view the squirrel as some kind of backyard lawn pet.  Here in most parts of Appalachia and other parts of the south, they are considered a valuable source of protein.   There is a vibrant southern tradition of hunting and eating these tree living furballs, and of course, they taste like chicken.  You must understand that squirrel hunting was once a part of survival in the rural south.  In the past, a squirrel stew might have been the only thing on the dinner table.

Hunting with dogs is also an old southern tradition.  Running around after these dogs chasing squirrels is a whole lot of fun.  I meet up with some good friends that I have met through deer hunting near my farm in Houston County, Tennessee.  They grew up squirrel hunting; it is in their blood, part of their DNA.  They have squirrel dogs that tree these little rascals.

So on a cloudy winter morning, we let the dog loose, and we wait for the bark of a tree'd squirrel.   The dogs have tracking devices on them.  You can tell by the bark that they have seen a squirrel and more than likely chased it into a tree.  Sometimes they're there, and sometimes they're not.  They can be hard to see in a tree against a grey cloudy sky like today.

We make our way on four-wheelers towards the sound of the barking. Once we get there, it's easy to determine whether the squirrels have been chased into a hole.  So if we can't spot a squirrel, it's rinse and repeat.  We did get a Red Fox squirrel, which is a larger cousin of the common gray squirrel.

Today was a hard day of hunting hunt we shot 5 and because of overcast skies, we probably lost more than usual.  It was a fun time going after those tree rats, its a great way to shake off the wintertime doldrums.  Now it's off to make some squirrel and shrimp gumbo, cajun style.