Commerce Center

Horseshoe Cottage Court

Horse Shoe Camp was initially developed in the early 1930s by Mr. & Mrs. J.L. Cornwell as a beer tavern; it was erected on 35 acres of land. As automobile traffic and demand for overnight accommodations increased along US-31W right outside of the Bowling Green, Kentucky city limits, the Cornwells installed gas pumps and built cabins.

After the completion of the sleeping accommodations in 1935 the name was changed to Horse Shoe Cottage Court.  It's architecture style was late 19th/20th Century and Gothic Revivals.  Francis York was the Architecture/Engineer and Builder on record; there were 8 contributing buildings ,and 2 non-contributing buildings.

The Cornwells owned and operated the property until 1952 when they sold it to P.L. and Kathryn Forrester. They operated the business as Horse Shoe Court. In 1965, with the opening of I-65, business dropped off dramatically. The Forresters managed to hang on until the early 1980s.

The Horseshoe Cottage Court still stands; it was listed in the historical register in 1997, but unfortunately it has not been taken care of.  Below is how it looks now. 

I pass these buildings each time I drive to my house in Kentucky; I wonder why someone has not taken care of this historical place, it's our history.  We can learn so much from our ancestors, and it is so important for us to maintain the history for our younger generation. 

Then I think maybe there's a reason why someone is letting this home/homes disintegrate; so I shouldn't make judgement until I have all the facts.  At least the buildings were not torn down like many of our other historical sites.

Gibson was There for the Show!

The Mystic Mermaids were at the Nashville Aquarium Restaurant Saturday, and Gibson was there too. I was able to snap the above picture of Gibson before the show.  When the show started; he moved around to get out of the way.

Our beloved Guitar Fish Gibson survived the major Nashville floods and was treated by marine biologists at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Many of the other fish and reptiles that survived the flood were relocated to the Tennessee Zoo while Opry Mills was closed close to two years due to the flood. There were some brave employees that helped save these fish by putting their lives in danger to re-enter the mall after the flood.  Some were even arrested.

The Nashville community supported each other during the devastating flood, and the Director of Biology at the Nashville Aquarium Restaurant recognized that.  He quoted: "We appreciate the tremendous support from the community during this unfortunate time, We know Gibson and the other fish and reptiles are in good care and we look forward to their return home at the Nashville Aquarium Restaurant.”

When Gibson was returned to Nashville, this magnificent guitarfish realized he was home almost immediately. As soon as he was put in the tank, he went down to the bottom to relax for about five minutes. Shortly after that, he started swimming around perfectly, navigating around all of the coral formations. And he quickly found his two favorite spots, where he always liked to sit during the course of the day. 

Opry Mills Mall has been open only a few weeks, and this weekend was the "Grand Re-Opening" weekend.  There was fashion shows, pictures with Kung Foo Panda, and so much more.  Thank you to the Aquarium Restaurant for taking care of these fish, reptiles, and bringing Gibson back to us. 

I did get to the see the "Mystic Mermaid" show and even got to take a picture with the mermaids while I was eating breakfast at the Aquarium Restaurant on Saturday. 

It was so nice to see it back open!

Praying with the Labyrinth

One of the most valued of Christian practices is that of prayer.  Whether it be formal or spontaneous prayer, all of us turn to prayer as a way to communicate with God.   The Labryrinth has a rich history; it Christian history as walking prayer/meditation dates back as far as 324 AD.  It is usually an enclosed circle, consisting of a single continuous path from an entry point to a central point that twists, turns and folds back on itself, making the longest possible distance between two points.  It is not a maze.  There are no deadends.  It is meant to be walked easily as it is a clearly marked path meant to both calm and focus the mind.

Labyrinths are found all over the world.  The most famous Christian one is at the beautiful Catholic Cathedral in Chartres, France.  This dates back to 1201. It was used during the Medieval Ages as a part of one's pilgrimage, since a journey to Jerusalem was unsafe.  At that time, walking the Labyrinth was known as "the walk to Jerusalem."  Chartres' 11 circuit labyrinth is the one upon which the newly built labyrinth in Bowling Green, Kentucky at Holy Spirit is based. There is a renowned interest in the labyrinth as another form of prayer and mediation.  It makes us mor mindful of how rich prayer life can be. 





When you reach the center, it's like you've come home.  Take the time to reflect on your life within each leaf; standing or sitting in the center feels grounded.  And when renewed, the return to the outside follows the exact path followed to reach the center.  It is all one, just as we are one with one another and with God and God's universe.  I don't know how much my clan got out of this walk on the labyrinth; Aunt Charlcie walked over the lines when she got tired, Jim didn't make it to the Center, and Robin and I were just watching Jim and Charlcie.  We did have a fun time though!

World Labyrinth Day is May 5th; people of all faiths will walk their local labyrinth at 1 p.m. while praying for peace.  For a solid 24 hours, somewhere in the world, someone will be walking the labyrinth. Imagine!

Downtown Home Tour 2012

Robin and I were fortunate to meet the owner of this loft in downtown Nashville; he mentioned that the only eye soar of his loft was the AT&T building behind him on Second Avenue. Only about four people worked in this eye soar, but other workers could remote into it. He has a new understanding and appreciation for this building since the Nashville flood though.

He had been gone on a business trip, and he ran into his neighbor on the way back home to Nashville after the flood of Nashville several years ago. They asked him if he knew why the building where his loft was didn't flood. It was that eye soar of a building; the government had decided to sand bag that AT&T building. It is actually the land line hub for the southern part of the US. It was his neighbors understanding that they had protected this phone service building with so much concentration that it is reason why the Gaylord Opryland area flooded.

Now I do not know how much truth is to this story; I do know that this loft was so beautifully decorated, and it even had a swing on the outside balcony. We only saw two swings on our tour.

This owner was one of the nicest owners on the tour; he was an owner of one of the galleries downtown also, and he had opened his gallery today for all the people to see while taking their self-guided tour. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go check it out.

DSC_0001

DSC_0001, a photo by UrbanStudioNashville on Flickr.

Aviation Park

From the time man first took flight in the early 1900s to the recent shuttle missions into space, South Central Kentucky has played a significant role in the history of aviation. One of the first pilots to fly in combat claimed ties to Bowling Green, as did a World War I flying ace, a pioneer instructor pilot, a Vietnam war hero, commanders of the famed Air Force Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels, the Commander/Pilot of “Marine One”, the presidential helicopter unit and the Mission Commander for the space shuttle Atlantis. These aviators – and their ties to South Central Kentucky – deserve to be recognized.

This park is near and dear to my heart; my Dad was in the “Air Force”, and his brothers served in the “Navy” and “Army”. My Dad didn’t speak too much of his days in the military, but I do remember one story. His superior was asking the platoon who would like to jump out of an aircraft; the ones with their hands up weren’t picked, and my Dad wasn’t one with his hand up. He got to jump out of an “Air Force” aircraft! In my opinion, my father could do anything and this just proved that he could.

F-4D Phantom II #550

McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II – SN 66-7550

On April 16, 1972 General Cherry and his Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) Jeff Feinstein were flying this aircraft, F-4D #66-7550, as number three in a flight of four F-4Ds on a combat air patrol mission over North Vietnam. After an intense five minute dogfight, Cherry and Feinstein score their first kill. It was a camouflaged MiG-21 flown by Lieutenant Nguyen Hong My, who survived the crash and the war. Phantom 550 was manufactured in 1967 and completed her
service in 1989 after accumulating over 6,000 flying hours.

The USAF credited F-4 crews with 44 MiG kills over Southeast Asia, more than any other type of aircraft. Phantom II production ended in 1979 after more than 5,000 had been built.

Crew: 2 (pilot and weapons system officer)
Length: 58 feet, 2 inches
Wingspan: 38 feet, 5 inches
Height: 16 feet, 6 inches
Powerplant: 2x General Electric J79 turbojets
Weight: Empty – 30,328 lbs. Loaded – 41,500 lbs. Max take-off weight – 61,795 lbs.
Max Speed: Mach 2.23 at altitude. Cruise Speed: 585 mph.
Range: 1,615 miles with 3 external fuel tanks
Armament: Air-to-Air missles. AIM 7 Sparrow. AIM 9 Sidewinder. Air-to-Ground
Missiles. General Purpose Bombs. Nuclear Weapons

Grumman F9F-5 Panther

Grumman F9F-5 – BuNo 125992
The Panther being flown by LCDR John Magda at the time of his death was an F9F-2, an earlier version of the Panther on display at the park. The Panther on display was accepted by the Navy on April 25, 1952 and has flown a total of 2,343 hours. Active duty stations include North Carolina, Japan and California. It was last assigned to the Naval Reserve at NAS Minneapolis on February 28, 1958.

Crew: 1
Length: 38 feet, 10 inches
Wingspan: 38 feet
Height: 12 feet, 3 inches
Powerplant: 1 Pratt & Whitney J48-P-6A
Weight: Empty – 10,147 lbs. Loaded – 17,766 lbs.
Max Speed: 579 mph, Cruise Speed: 481 mph
Climb rate: 5,900 ft/min
Service Ceiling: 42,800 ft.
Armament: Guns – 4 20mm cannon, Rockets 6×5-inch, Total bomb load 2,000 lbs.

Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star

This aircraft is the trainer version of the F-80, which was the USAF’s first operational jet fighter. Also known as the “T-Bird,” this trainer version was flown regularly by General Russell Dougherty, particularly while serving at the Pentagon. The T-Bird on display came to the USAF in 1953. After serving with a Combat Crew Training Wing at Nellis AFB, NV, it was assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI. It was then placed on static display at the Yankee Air Museum in Ypsilanti, MI. In January 2011, 27 years later, it was loaned to Warren County for restoration and placement in Aviation Heritage Park.
Crew: 2
Length: 37 feet, 9 inches
Wingspan: 38 feet, 10.5 inches
Height: 11 feet, 8 inches
Powerplant: 1 Allison J33A35 turbojet
Weight: Empty – 8,300 lbs., Max – 15,100 lbs.
Max Speed: 600 mph, Cruise Speed: 455 mph
Ceiling: 45,000 ft.
Range: 1,275 miles
Armament: none

My Dad was named after “Wilbur Wright”; Wilbur & Orville Wright was accredited with inventing and building the first successful airplane. Maybe if Wilbur G would have
gotten to see Aviation Park before he passed away, it would have started him thinking about his time in the military, and shared more stories with me.

A few things I do know about my Dad’s military time:

• While stationed in Alaska, he and his team had a moose that became their pet for a while.
• He was stationed in England; Mom would go to the pub across the street to get her favorite soft drink, Pepsi. They would have it waiting for her when they saw her cross the street.
• My Dad was cute in uniform.