by Thomas Albert
On June 15 2007, we left California, and its Mount Diablo, to head East
(Mount Diablo viewed from the East)
We flew in a big bird
a Boeing 737 with wing tips.
We landed in Nashville, Tennessee, home of "country music".
Tennessee countryside.
From Nashville, we drove south, into the land of the Amish, in Ethridge, Tennessee, who do not drive cars, just horse and buggy. They have 200 family-run farms in the area. The Amish are Anabaptists (they believe that only adults can be baptized). The Amish do not use electricity, telephones, or automobiles. They speak a dialect German that originated in Switzerland. They refuse all forms of insurance, including Social Security, choosing instead to rely on the goodwill of their own community to make sure everyone has what they need. They also refuse to participate in the military.
(In Clarksville, Mississippi, we also encountered Mennonites, who ran a cafe called the Dutch Oven and dressed in 19th century garb. The Mennonites are a different type of Anabaptists who use modern technology but are pacifists. They follow the teachings of a 16th century Dutchman.)
When we arrived in Florence, Alabama, we saw lots of brick buildings.
Florence is the birthplace of W.C. Handy, the "father" of the Blues.
W.C. Handy became famous in Memphis Tennessee, so Memphis has a statue for him too.
But back to northern Alabama. Catfish dinner is easy to find in the South (along with a threatening sermon).
The Florence Pawn Shop is also a gun store. Here, we see the flag of the United States partially obstructing the view of the signal for pedestrians to wait or walk.
The Package Store is a term that many states use instead of Liquor Store. Traditionally, a drunkard could not buy just one bottle, but would have to buy an entire package full of bottles.
