Batman to the Rescue

Z created a gorgeous Batman comic for her friend M. The art is all her own original work. She dictated to me so that I could do the lettering for her, but the dialogue is entirely her own. At the time that she did this, she was pretty sweet on M and he really likes Batman. I'm not sure she's much of a fan left to her own devices. She gave me the Batman bandaids a few weeks after she insisted we buy them. Click for the large version, and be envious of the creativity and expression. "...and the smoke below came up into the hearts of the people." WOW!!

The Tennessee Trip Report

Spooky has already seen it. Oh well. My other readers (err, reader) haven't. Last June I was stuck in rural Tennessee for a weekend. So, long after it happened, here's the trip report:

FROM: D's Amazin Stuff
MTG DATE: June 20-24, 2008
LOCATION: Xxxxxx Powertrain Assembly Planet, Decherd, Tennessee
PROGRAM: XXXX Stainless Steel EOC
SUBJECT: Coolers crushing under installation torque (AKA Touring the Countryside)

Background
Xxxxxx Powertrain Assembly plant in Decherd requested an engineer to be present to help solve an issue wherein the XXXX cooler was crushing on installation. I solved that one and spent 2 days touring the countryside. Sadly, I had left the camera at home and had to buy a disposable. The pictures are terrible and made worse by having to scan them in.

Summary
First stop Saturday morning: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Suppin’ Whusky distillery in Lynchburg, not 30 minutes from where I was staying in Decherd. Here’s one of the welcome centre in Lynchburg itself. The distillery is bigger than Lynchburg. They’re attached.
Turns out there was a biker rally in Lynchburg that day. If you look down to the right you can see some of the bikes. I had interesting conversations with a number of really large sweaty dudes.

The distillery was interesting but I got almost no usable pictures of it. I did get this one of one of the antique trucks in the fire brigade. Who knew an REO Speedwagon was a real vehicle?
I took a different route on the way back. I had a GPS in the rental. I found that if you told it to take the shortest route (rather than the fastest) it would pick any old road, dirt track, whatever, just to shave off some distance. I got to have a real taste of the Tennessee back roads. It tried to send me down this road. Beyond the hay bales it kind of peters out into some woods. I swear I heard duelling banjos as I turned around and took flight.
Saturday night after dinner I could hear howling engines and screaming fans. I searched out the race track and took in a few hours of good ol’ boy local dirt track racin’. The whole town was there. I didn’t even try for pictures of that with the old disposable.

Sunday I headed for the Cumberland Caverns. Tennessee is apparently riddled with limestone caverns. No pictures of that, for the usual reason. On my way there I stopped for this picture:
Have a look down there to the left, just above the For Sale sign for the 5BR Huge Home. Imagine my disappointment when I realized I had missed the Turkey Shoot the day before. Of all the bad luck. In case you are interested in the house and can’t pay for it up front, it does say “We Finanse”.

Further along I stopped for a recce of this fine establishment:
Another fuzzy sign, thanks to my great camera, but it is indeed a giant pink “Naigh Club”. And it was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Nearest town was a good 30 minutes away.

The last shot is after the Caverns and after a driving tour of Fall Creek Falls State Park (named by a 6 year old no doubt). Another missed opportunity for me, as apparently Goober’s Super Service isn’t open on Sunday’s and Goober was nowhere to be found.
Conclusion
The only one I have really is that I need to bring a decent camera next time.