On the Murfreesboro, TN square tempers flared. Luckily, those tempers only involved words and not fists.
Talking about the Loss of a mom at age 8
Some folks have obstacles thrown in their direction while it seems from the outside looking in, others are handed ladders to climb over the obstacles in their path. But, if we look a little closer we will find that those who have obstacles are the ones who are often helping others make it directly through obstacles in a way that helps them grow for the good.
In this interview Scott Walker talks to Chip Douglas who lost his mother in a car accident at age 8.
Some 28 years later at age 36, Chip talks about the hard emotions that come along with the loss of a parent and also dives into his brother who grew into an addict. That same brother also lost his wife to death, the mother of his child.
March 26, 2020: Social Distancing in Nature
Tennessee: Perhaps one of the most beautiful states to distance yourself from society during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The photos were captured in Barfield Park, which is a city operated park located in Murfreesboro, TN.
The park is only 430 acres in size, but the massive rock formations are breathtaking.
Ryman Auditorium is without music
In one photo you see Riverboat Captain Thomas "Tom" Green Ryman (1841 - 1904). He was a successful businessman who built the Union Gospel Tabernacle, which later became a performance hall and Nashville landmark known today as the Ryman Auditorium.
The statue of the man holding a guitar is none other than the famous Little Jimmy Dickens (1920 - 2015). The 4'11" entertainer was known for his bigger than life personality, novelty songs, comedy and his rhinestone-studded outfits.
Unlike the photos here, the Ryman is usually seen with lines of people waiting for tours or to get into the building for a concert. Today (3/19/2020), there were only two people taking photos in front of the building due to COVID-19.
Parking lots and streets around the Ryman were nearly empty.
Construction Nearly Grinds to a Halt, thanks to COVID-19 in the now quiet Music City
MARCH 19, 2020: Nashville is one of the fastest growing cities in America, but construction has come to a grinding halt due to COVID-19.
In 2018 the Music City landed in Forbes magazine as being the 7th fastest growing city in the US. Today, the city looks abandoned in some areas.
Few People on the Streets - Other than the less fortunate without a home
By far, the majority of people on the downtown streets of Nashville were homeless persons and not tourist. Those who called the street home, they talked about how the area has been deserted for days. Not only was the area without visiting tourist, it was also without a large presence of law enforcement, which is something that has never been seen in Music City.
Of the businesses that were open in the downtown area, procedures of serving guests was different.
At an ice cream shop filled with only one customer, samples of flavors were met with a pause as if you were speaking a foreign language. The guest was told that samples are not being served at this time due to the coronavirus.
Of the few bars that were open, musicians played for only a small handful of guests, very small handful.
Batman Building was Once Bustling
The AT&T building, which is nicknamed “The Batman Building,” was shut down received a deep cleaning after one person tested positive with COVID-19 on March 9, 2020.
When I captured this photo, there was only one person sitting in front of the building.
Usually on a normal weekday, the building is alive with people sitting outside having a smoke, enjoying a sack lunch or tourist looking up photographing the unique structure. But today, March 19, 2020 - that was not the case.
Closing Time... Due to COVID-19
Some of the Music City bars were completely empty while others had a band playing for only a handful of customers.
Of the bars that were closed, signs adorned the windows and doors highlighting COVID-19. The message was simple, yet over-explained by some establishments. The wording was similar from sign to sign stating that they were closed at the request of Nashville Mayor John Cooper who had ordered the shutdown after receiving word from the Metro Health Department that closing was the best option to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In the photo on the top right a sign read, “UPS - PLEASE TEXT BETSY FOR PICKUP, THANKS.”
EMPTY Nashville on March 19, 2020: COVID-19
The changes brought on by COVID-19 are having a huge negative impact on businesses all around the country.
In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee said…
If a mandate is proclaimed to keep everyone in the Volunteer state home, it could mean stricter enforcement of new rules or regulations.
The Mayor of Nashville already asked that bars shut down, but many have remained open. The Governor stated...
Clean and Sober - 13 Years and Counting
Looking to better himself and get clean, he made the move from Atlanta, Georgia to Nashville, Tennessee to enter rehab. 13 Years after making that move, he is still clean and sober today.
After finishing rehab in 2007, a Nashville business owner who believed in him offered not only a job, but also an apartment. The apartment was on Second Avenue over retail space and a restaurant below.
“You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution to their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic.” - Alice in Wonderland
Fire Destroys Home 2 Days After Death of Her Husband / 1 Year After Death of Her Son
A fire on Friday destroyed a family home in Murfreesboro, TN...
The fire occurred just two days after Melissa Ashford lost her husband Herbert who was known by friends and family as Roho.
Ashford told us that she was not home when the fire happened.
Ashford's family believes that someone started the fire on purpose. They told us that the Fire Marshal's investigation looks to be leaning towards arson.
One year prior to her husband dying and then her home being destroyed by fire, her son Zack died. Ashford recalls how he loved football at Oakland High School where he played...
Now, Melissa Ashford is forced to not only pay for her husband to be properly buried, but to also rebuild her life as her home and everything in it was completely paid for - but she did not have ANY insurance to cover everything that was lost, including her home.
HELP Melissa Ashford:
Friends of Mrs. Ashford have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for funeral expenses.
FULL INTERVIEW AUDIO:
I had a chance to sit down and talk to Melissa Ashford outside the charred remains of her home on Monday (2/17/2020):
I also talked to Mrs. Ashford about the loss of her son about one year ago:
Ken's Ice Cream on Route 66
Once upon a time families could travel across America on Route 66 and make stops in small towns along the way for ice cream and burgers.
Today, that is no longer the case as the old roadway is either grown over or completely removed in certain areas.
However, in some small towns you still travel on Route 66 which was once the main artery through a bustling town. While the road may still be the main thoroughfare, the businesses along the way show that towns are no longer alive and well.
Faded Memories
TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO: Paradise Café, once a stopping point for great burgers and a tank full of fuel in the 1950’s. The location also became the site of the Paradise Motel. However, fire took the motel while vandalism eventually took the small gas station and restaurant. Both, are now a memory along the scenic Route 66.
While the old route is filled with abandonment, the foundations still remind us of the past.
“Memories and thoughts age, just as people do. But certain thoughts can never age, and certain memories can never fade.”
Life is a Highway... Well, Route 66 is a Highway
Route 66 was once the main artery through the desert lands of the west leading to the metropolis of Chicago.
The route was dotted with only a handful of mom and pop gas stations along the way. Some still standing while others fall in decay and are now abandoned.
"Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.” — Emma Chase
Somewhere between California and Arizona on Route 66... A small piece of what our history once looked like.
The old phone booth stands in front of a closed / abandoned soda shop.
The Old Wooden Billboard
A reminder of the past... wooden billboards. This one was located in California along a stretch of nothingness in the sandy desert.
Massive Symbols of Strength in the Desert
Rocks are a symbolism of strength and the unmovable.
These rocks, some granite, are painted by the troops that receive specialized training in the desert at Fort Irwin in California. Each rock is hand painted by units that come in and exit by the hundreds and sometimes thousands.
The training that takes place at Fort Irwin prepares soldiers for the battlefield in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other desert land countries. There is even a large city built within the 7 square miles of Fort Irwin that resembles cities in the Middle East.
Rocks seen in these photos are at the Entrance of the Fort Irwin National Training Center, which is also known as a census-designated place in the Mojave Desert. A “Census Designated Place” is defined by the United States Census Bureau as a rural area that does not have legal status and may not correspond with the local understanding of the community in the same area.
Fort Irwin is not a new base and has a 15,000 year history filled with Native Americans. During the gold rush, the land was under an encampment of Captain John C. Freemont, the first member of the U.S. Army to utilize the land. The camp was a stopping point for pioneers crossing the Mojave Desert and allowed those passing through to stop for water and rest.
By 1855 the land was part of the route that freight wagons took from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, Utah. The Army patrolled the Fort Irwin area in the 1800's to ensure that raids and horse theft was not an issue, which it was in outlying areas.
The discovery of borax on the lands led to mining and some development.
In 1940, President Roosevelt established a 1,000 square mile “Mojave Anti Aircraft Range” in the area. In 1942, the desert land was officially named Fort Irwin in honor of Major General LeRoy Irwin, commander of the 57th Field Artillery Brigade during World War I.
Being the Father of a 2 Year Old at age 59
Dwight raises his 2 year old by doing one simple thing... Spending time with his son. Dwight is 59 years old and doesn't even have running water, but his son is above average in every category.
Two years ago I visited with a 57 year old man by the name of Dwight Teagarden. At the time, his younger wife had just given birth. Back then, Dwight talked about how important it was for him to be present in his newborn son's life.
This month, I thought it would be interesting to check back in with Dwight, who will be 60 next April.
Hear the entire 7 minute interview below:
Above: Dwight’s “Wall of Love”
Life on the Street
“I just got my license renewed, after waiting in line for hours,” he stated. He then sat back and smoked his cigarette.
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”
Leaving the Past
People leave places and memories for so many reasons, some still owning the old and afraid to fully let go of it. Others leave and never need or want to look back.
American sociologist and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley Robert N. Bellah stated, “Leaving home in a sense involves a kind of second birth in which we give birth to ourselves."
When you leave something or someone / they leave you and you held tightly to it for decades, you never fully leave and it is always hidden in your grasp... You just quit voicing the memory and that is okay to have that history - just don't live there.
Photo: Abandoned 55 miles from Nashville in the countryside of Bedford County, TN
