Over Memorial Day weekend, my family and I went to Nashville, Georgia. The number one question I got when I would talk to people about my trip was, “You mean Nashville, Tennessee, right?” and they would usually ask it in this “aw you’re so precious and also kinda stupid” way. And then I’d be all like “no no kind sir (ma’am), I actually mean Nashville, Georgia”. I even spoke in italics. And then sometimes I’d get the confused eyes and feel the need to pull it up on a map and prove such a place exists.
It’s true that Nashvilla, Georgia is a very small place, with a current population of just over 4,500 people within it’s 4.7 square miles. It’s true that when I was younger and visiting Nashville, an exciting night meant we went to the local Blockbuster (located inside the grocery store) to select a movie and then picked up KFC for dinner on the way back in. The Blockbuster was very popular.
Having only lived in Tampa, something must have stuck with me because I kept going back to Nashville for more. And every morning during my stay, we had Aunt Sheila’s blueberry pancakes (remember them??). And now, even after as many years as it has been since I last visited, I’m reminded of why I didn’t hesitate when my husband told me he wanted to own land that would not only have many spaces for us to grow food, but also plenty of quiet and relaxation. A serenity.
When I went back over Memorial Day weekend, I was so ready to see the house and land again! It had been 15 years or more since I last visited and leading up to the trip, I kept telling my husband about how massive the house was, and how there was this hill that was so big and steep, he wouldn’t believe it.
Well, it wasn’t. It wasn’t even close to being as large as I remember the house, or the hill. But I instantly liked it even more. And then that made me think of how the perception of something between your childhood years and your adult years is so interesting. As a kid, I was impressed with what I perceived to be a house that was “the biggest house I’ve ever stayed in” and as an adult, I appreciate that, turns out, it’s not.
I was psyched to see that the best parts of the house of my youth was the best parts of the house in the present day: a hummingbird feeder right off the patio and plenty of space to sit around and just talk (a lost art).
There was breakfast and dinner made every day, all of us seated around the same table to enjoy together, everything placed in the center of the table so you could grab what you wanted, or ask someone to pass it on over. The patio, not having any air conditioning, was too hot to sit in for any part of the day other than morning and evening, but in those moments, we had the fans running and some of the windows open, a perfect balance between sweltering and cool.
Trust me, such a thing exists in Nashville, GA. (more…)