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The Journey to the 50th Calendar Flip

I recently turned 50.

(pausing while I soak in the applause and adoration)

Ok, seriously, I turned 50 last week and instead of having some big party thrown for me at some fancy-ish restaurant in Raleigh, NC, I elected to hit the road, and visit family.

I planned a road trip that would take me to my birthplace (Nashville, TN), then to a state that I could finally check off my “States to Visit” list (Alabama), and finally a short stop in Atlanta before returning to Raleigh — visiting relatives all along the way.

Simply stated, I wanted to turn 50 where my life began, so I booked a room at the Hampton Inn a block from Vanderbilt University (I was born at the medical center).

Having moved away when I was 2, I never had an opportunity to really experience the city, and what little I remember of it when I was younger is ALOT different from what the city has transformed itself into.

Last July, on the way to a family reunion in Hopkinsville, KY, I drove my sons and I through town so they could get a glimpse of the city.

After driving through “Music Row”, I accidentally found myself driving down Broadway and was completely captivated by the scene — bunches of saloons/bars and masses of humanity walking up and down almost like it were Times Square. And it was the middle of the day!

I knew I had to get back here and experience it first hand.

But first, I had some business to tend to…

One of my many cousins living in Hopkinsville was responsible for giving me the “kick in the ass” that I needed to make sure I completed “The Maestro Project” CD (available on Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby), and I was determined to personally hand-deliver her copy as to acheive “closure”.

So, driving from Cary, NC to Clarksville, TN (to bring a CD to one of my 2 favorite aunties) to Hopkinsville, I gladly “completed” the process of producing “The Maestro Project” (again, you can get it on Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby).

The premise of my birthday trip was to spend as much time visiting family as I could, so the final day as a non-50 year old, my cousin and her husband (Kev)took me down to Broadway to enjoy:

I really enjoyed the Sheyna Gee sets, weaving in and out of rock, country, pop, and R&B covers, and mixing in a few original songs.

My cousin requested a “Tennessee Whiskey” cover, then she looked me and asked “What do you know about ‘Tennessee Whiskey’…?” It’s only the best two-chord song I’ve ever heard, and one that combines two things very dear to me…

Tennessee.

Whiskey.

I was officially “done” when Sheyna’s bass player started singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”.

Couldn’t think of a better way to put a bow on 50 years of life.

As has been the case for the last 10 birthday mornings, I have jogged (or run) a respectable distance on my birthday — and in my customary self-absorbed nature, I indulged in a selfie or two as I ran across the I-65 bridge on my way down to Broadway, then over to the Cumberland River.

This sounds like the makings of a birthday tradition going forward.

In fact, instead of celebrating a birthday with some fancy evening “gala”, the idea of inviting a few friends to join me for breakfast at a local, non-chain, kitchen or pub (or both) is very appealing.

I can get together with some friends/acquaintances, and I don’t have to worry about booking a room. Done.

And with that, my Nashville trip is over and it’s off to my next spot…

I have one favorite auntie living in Clarksville, TN. The other lives in Phenix City, AL (across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, GA), and I finally had a chance to visit her, and my cousins.

After checking out of the Hampton Inn in Nashville on my birthday, I hopped on southbound I-65, headed to Alabama, stopping in Birmingham because I wanted to take in some of downtown.

For some reason, I was really captivated by that “ALABAMA” sign that marks the Alabama Theatre.

Happy Birthday — I celebrated my 50th with family at a local Outback Steakhouse. No dessert though. Did enough damage the night before in Nashville.

My cousin, “T” and I made plans to head over to Montgomery the next day because she wanted to see the “Museum” — now, she meant the “Rosa Parks Museum”, but I was thinking about the Legacy Museum…

Saturday afternoon, we (“T” and I) drove over to Montgomery to visit The Rosa Parks Museum and The Legacy Museum.

Now my sister (Buttercup) and “Pop” had visited The Legacy Museum a month prior and Buttercup warned me that I would be in all my feelings after I visited. “Pop” told me about one of my relatives who was identified as a victim of “lynching”.

Just looking at the history of slavery, and how Christianity was used to justify it — man… Over in the center of the exhibit space, there was a map exhibit where one could click on a state, and then a county to read the names of known lynching victims.

I clicked on Kentucky, then Todd County…

Todd County, KY — My Mother’s Great Uncle

Yeah, Buttercup was right…

OK, let’s put a bow on this section of the blog entry and start to head back over to North Carolina — making one more scheduled stop…

Cousins! More cousins to visit and spend time with — food, beer, and football!

It’s been a decade or so since I made it to Atlanta, and this is the first time I’ve visited to see family.

Family. Pancakes. (Tennessee) Whiskey. More family — that’s basically what 50 years boils down to.

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