LIGHT

Last week we went to the preview of the new outdoor exhibit at Cheekwood, LIGHT, by Bruce Munro. It was fantastic, and we look forward to going back many times over the summer. More information about the installation can be found HERE.

Pack a picnic at sunset and enjoy the gardens and light show….a perfect summer evening. Next time I’m bringing the tripod and I’ll update the photos here..which really don’t do the the exhibit justice.

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

 

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

Bruce Munro LIGHT @ Cheekwood: modfrugal

 

Warner Parks App

Have you have found yourself biking along the paths in the Warner Parks, paper map in hand, thinking you are all prepared and stuff, only to come to an unmarked fork in the road, and you can’t tell where on the map you actually are? And taking the wrong turn, thus leading you to the opposite end of the park from your car…me neither. Did you happen to have your children along to curse your very existence as they huff and puff up the hills…on Mother’s Day? Yeah, I don’t know ANYTHING about that. If such a calamity were to befall some chump like that, there is hope.

Warner Parks App

This may be old news to everyone but me – I don’t know how I missed the release of this app a few months ago, but I have it now and used it today…so far so good!

It’s interactive, so when you get to that fork in the road, you can see where in the park you are and save yourself the humiliation and tortuous work of having to re-climb Luke Lea Heights….or the shame in allowing your gracious husband to bike all the way back up Page Road and Chickering to get the car so your children don’t file legal separation papers…not that I know anything about that either.

There’s also Flora, Fauna, Geology and Ecology as well as a photo gallery posted by Facebook followers, events, you name it. The only weird thing is that the name of the app is Natural Areas, which is a little misleading, but if you search for Warner Parks in the App store, it will still come up.

 

Warner Parks App

Happy Trails Nashvillians!

Atlanta, Tims Ford and Back

So I’ve been logging in some road warrior hours this past week. We discovered that putting together IKEA kitchen cabinets was like riding a bike, it comes back to you immediately and we surprised ourselves with how fast we got all the base cabinets together and bolted into position. Problem was, we didn’t have the wall cabinets yet. The Things are on Spring Break, so I asked Thing Two if he’d like to join me on a 24 hour whirlwind trip to Atlanta, and he was in. (Thing One was on a school trip so it was just me and the little man taking on the ATL.)

We had full understanding that there would be some tedious times at IKEA, but the promise of Swedish meatballs, the Georgia Aquarium, and a hotel swimming pool seemed to make waiting in line at the IKEA kitchen department seem like an pretty good trade.

We’ve been to the Georgia Aquarium before, but it still thrills, and we saw the new (to us) Dolphin Show which was a surprisingly big production. (No cameras in the dolphin show).

Atlanta at night by Modfrugal

The weather was warm and Spring-like so we toodled around Centennial Park in the afternoon.

Centennial Park ATL

Centennial Park ATL

Georgia Aquarium Modfrugal

Georgia Aquarium Modfrugal

Georgia Aquarium Modfrugal

We got back to Nashville loaded up with cabinets and a few other bits from IKEA..namely a print and frame that I only discovered was damaged once I unwrapped it at home…ARGH!!! I try to be SO careful when I’m there, since returns are not exactly an easy option.  I should note that getting our cabinet order pulled took LESS time than waiting in the returns area to swap out a damaged drawer front. NO LIE.

That said, I’m living with the plexi-crack right now until I can’t stand it.  I’ll either remove the plexi completely or get a piece cut, which will probably cost more than the frame did.

IKEA elephant print

I hit the flea for a speedshop before it was time to jump back in the car and head down to Tims Ford State Park in Franklin County, TN for a long weekend with the WHOLE family…pooch included.

Tims Ford State Park Cabin

Tims Ford State Park

Tims Ford State Park

tims ford cabin

Tims Ford State Park Cabin

Tims Ford State Park Cabin

Tims Ford State Park

Tims Ford Dam

Franklin County TN

Franklin County Courthouse Wincehter TN

oldham theater winchester tn

franklin county TN

Tims Ford State Park Cabin

As you can see, the cabin is not glamorous and could use a little TLC, but it was clean and architecturally pleasing. I wish more of my pitiful phone photos had turned out (forgot to pack the DSLR) so you could see it better…very similar in style to our house. There were decks off each of the 2 bedrooms, which sadly only housed our bikes since it was too cold and rainy to sit out there.

We (of course) renovated the whole interior in our minds for less than $1000, and think that the parks would do well to embrace the metal siding scenario. We woke every morning to the VERY familiar sound of squirrels chewing cedar. Yep. Only my oldest readers will understand exactly how much we know about this. We can see that they are trying their best to keep replacing the cedar on these cabins, but we know only too well, they won’t win, and it will cost more over the years to keep replacing cedar than to clad that cabin. Hey, Tennessee State Parks lodging division…call me! I have some fab budget friendly improvement plans…

The picture above was taken during the 10 minutes the sun seemed to appear our whole stay…but it was fine and we still had fun. We had the beautiful bike trails all to ourselves and very little in the way of noisy neighbors. No wifi or cell service in the cabin, so that meant some good old fashioned fun with Haikubes and Borderline.

Haikubes

Borderline Game

Otto had a temper tantrum over being left in his crate while we went out to eat and shredded his bed into nothing, so we stopped by the Dollar General up the road and found him a cute zebra print rug. (The only dog beds available were for mini-dogs.) This cute melamine set was only $5. I need to spend more time in the Dollar General, clearly.

Otto & his Dollar General Rug

Dollar General

 

On our last day, we had to stop in the Swiss Pantry to bring home some tasty treats. My kids live for bacon, so this was a no-brainer.

bacon cheddar bread from Swiss Pantry

Now we are back to assembling cabinets, and getting the pantry finished up.  I hope to be able to show a “before and after” within the week…fingers crossed!

Bluegrass Underground

We took a break from pantry wall demo and spent the day in, or shall we say, under, McMinnville, TN. I have been dying to go to a taping of the PBS series Bluegrass Underground ever since I first heard about it, shortly after we moved here. The gist: About 90 minutes away from Nashville in Cumberland Caverns, there is a giant acoustical gem 333 feet below the surface called the Volcano Room, with a grand, historic chandelier and dirt floors. It’s killer.

The artists who play will likely end up standing next to you after their set to hear the rest of the show. It’s super casual, very intimate (capacity 500) and just an all around amazing experience. There’s no booze, therefore the shows are “all ages”, so we took the Things for a unique concert experience. We got MIXED REVIEWS. I know. In 15 years, I’ll be looking for a follow up review.

We went on a walking cave tour before the show, which was not only educational and beautiful, but also gave us first choice of seats before the general admission is allowed in. Even if you’re not interested, do the 11am tour if you want to sit up front. You have the option to forgo the climb up and down through the Mountain Room for the Christian based sound and light show, and can rejoin the group when it’s time to head into the show. I might skip that if I do it again, but since it was our first time, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I knew from my research I had 6 minutes of controversial Creationism in the tour, so I was prepared and it was fine. It makes them happy, and who am I to let my discomfort with organized religion ruin their fun, or mine? We’re there for a positive experience.

Once in, we grabbed some food and sat down to watch a few sound checks and take in the scene before the rest of the groups arrived. I really can’t recommend this enough for anyone who enjoys music. It’s a pretty special place that seems to work its magic on all those who perform there…everyone seemed genuinely thrilled to be a part of it all.

 

Our lineup was Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, The North Mississippi Allstars and The Wood Brothers.

An all around outstanding day, not soon to be forgotten.

For information on air dates/channels for the PBS series, go here.

Fun in the Sun

Palm Springs sign

I took a little trip last week to sunny Southern California. The plan was to meet up with my college girlfriends for the weekend, but I decided it was a long way to go for just 3 days….so I flew out a bit early so I could visit the vintage modern mecca of Palm Springs. Oh yes, I did.

Being that this was my first time to PS, I had to pretend to be a hipster and stay at the Ace. I also knew I’d be cold on those desert nights and wanted that fireplace.

Ace patio fire

Ace Palm Springs

When I first arrived, I downloaded the architecture tour map, I thought that would be so much easier than constantly pulling over with my paper map. I had to leave it to download overnight onto my laptop it was so slow. Then, once it was on my phone…

PS Modern architecture app

…. that’s how it stayed for the 3 days I was in Palm Springs. I had read some reviews saying this would happen, but with Modernism Week around the corner, I assumed someone was ON IT, right?!

So, I got to be a Peeping Patty the old fashioned way, with my trusty paper map from the visitors center. First stop, Kaufmann House…duh.

Kaufmann Neutra

I notice this sign, and a version of it at all the popular architectural gems in town. Just in case I didn’t feel like a big enough creep outside their house with my camera, now, I am worried about the “armed response.” That’s always the problem with admiring residential architecture. Even though I am in my car, I still feel like a jerk snapping photos of someone’s house.

warning sign

palm springs homes

palm springs homes 2

car in Palm Springs

palm springs landscaping

I hit up some shops with the fabulous, and funny Summer of Modernhaus!  We had a blast scouring  the thrift and vintage stores, and leisurely lunching like ladies.  I was thrilled to have a fellow vintage vulture with me to shop the town! We saw some things, and ate and drank some things too. Thanks again, Summer for making the drive to come and play with me!

The place I had hoped to visit the most while there, Modernway, was closed..AGH! So I took these photos like a weirdo with my phone pressed up against the shop window…AGAIN with the boundary issues…

PS Modernway

PS Modernway

PS Modernway

So, that was worth the lack of shame, right?  I mean, DID YOU SEE THE STUFF?! Yeah, me too.

I found the dealers at the shops fun to chat with, and I even learned something from a couple of them….like I can reupholster my Hannah Morrison chair in regular fabric instead of the fiberglass reinforced stuff from Knoll.  GOOD TO KNOW!

Would any trip be complete without ogling birds and fawns?

PS shopping

PS Shopping

So, I passed up quite the sweet art investment. The iconic Slim Aarons Poolside Gossip shot at the Kaufmann House, blown up to a redonk size. Licensing these prints from the Getty is super expensive, but I have not enough dough or wall space to invest…. but boy, did I want it.

Slim Aarons Kaufmann print

I felt no trip to PS would be complete without a stop at Trina Turk, which did not disappoint.

Trina Turk PS

At the Angel View thrift store.

Thrifting in PS

I managed to find ONE memento that would fit in my suitcase to take home….. Meep Meep!

Brass Roadrunner with Cactus

Back on my own, I got my nature geek on and drove up to Joshua Tree National Park to get a spectacular view of the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea.

View from JT of Salton Sea

View from JT Keys View

Joshua Tree National Park

JT in JT

JT NP

I had budgeted enough time in my day to go to the Integratron for a sound bath, but couldn’t get in, BOO!!! So, I decided that since I enjoyed the view so much, I was going to see it from the other side, so across the valley and up the tramway to Mt. San Jacinto I went.

Let me say one thing about the Palm Springs Tramway. The format does not lend itself well to its clientele. A bunch of snowbirds are not typically going to possess best sense of balance. Cram them all into a tram with me, add a rotating floor, and I’ve not been fallen on and banged on the head that much since an 80’s mosh pit. NOT FUN, for them, or me. But the view from the top made it worth it.

View of PS and Salton Sea from MSJ

And there you have the Salton Sea in the distance from the other side of the valley.

View of PS and Salton Sea from MSJ

My last night included a street festival where I got to hang with the Lord of the Cello and Stuart the Pig, as you do.

Lord of the Cello

Stupig

When I joined up with my girlfriends on the coast, things like this happened, but the rest you’ll never know. Our stomachs ached from laughing that hard. Despite a few days together, I still don’t feel like I got totally caught up with all of the other 8 girls. How crazy is that?!

hummer

hummer

newport harbor

laguna

Adios California. Let’s do this again sometime.

Here and There

I know, I haven’t posted here in over a month. Those following on Instagram, FB or Twitter know we’ve been everywhere except the bathroom. We took an unexpected trip to the UK because…life happens, and in our case, we’ve had a full dose of the best, and the worst of it this past month.

We made the most of our time with friends and family, and even managed to spend a day in the rain at Legoland…a lifelong dream destination for the Things.

Before we left, it was the CC’s birthday……

 

We’ve been working hard since we got back, and if all goes well, the sink will be installed TODAY and the bathroom will be finished enough for the Haunted Forest party this weekend. I’ll post photos soon.