OT Anybody here familiar with the Knoxville/Greeneville area of Tenn?

[greg g]

Heard it might be a good place for olde retired folks who a re tired of a lot of snow but who still enjoy the change of seasons. Looks like housing is reasonable, and the crime rate is managable.

[eric wissing]

greg, are you thinking about moving? i am getting close to it, Iowa winters really suck but I can't imagine living in Arizona!! What is Tenn. like in the winter? Eric

[eric wissing]

Greg, as I thought about it more. I really liked the idea where Tenn. is located. You are in decent driving distance 500 miles to all sorts of places. Memphis is so centrally located, St. Louis, New Orleans, Chicago, etc are reasonable drives. I have driven through Tenn. many times, always on my way to Florida. I can't say I have ever gotten off of the main roads but I can say they were in great shape and scenic. Eric

One word of warning - - -There is a dangerous fellow in the state with a Blue Hotrod 47.

[Don Coatney]

Greg;

Just drove through that area. Having lived in Buffalo a few wears back I understand your wanting to get out of snow country. I like Tennessee very much. Still get the 4 seasons but do not get the severe winters. We get an occasional dusting of snow but is is normally gone by mid afternoon. I graduated from high school with a guy named Scott Niswonger who lives in Greenville, Tennessee. If you move there look him up and tell him hi for me. Here is a Greenville link.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/tennessee/11186-ive-heard-greeneville-one-best-places.html

[Norm's Coupe]

Greg,

Do a lot of thinking before packing up and moving. To begin with if you move to a mountain area, you still get lots of snow.

That aside, if all your family is around where you live now, what about them? You won't be able to see them as often. Also, all of your lifetime friends are probably where you live now. Move to a new area and you have to start all over again. We know a couple who went to Florida a few years ago. On their way home they found this nice area in Northern Georgia. Houses were a lot cheaper than up here and were able to get a real nice new home built, on a golf course real cheap. The guy loves it because it's on the golf course. However, his wife says if something should happen to him, she would sell and move back up here. Says she likes the house and location but she misses all of her old friends.

My wife and I discussed moving south several times since she retired. However, our kids would still live here and wouldn't see them as much. Plus, since she retired shes always going someplace with her friends on a weekly basis. You can't do that if you move away, won't have those kinds of friends in the new location. And, one other thing about the snow. If you are retired, who cares if it snows. You and the wife can just sit back and watch the snow fall while enjoying a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or cup of tea. As far as cleaning it up, whats the rush, you don't have to be anywhere anyway. You can take all day or two days to clean it out of the driveway if you want. Or, just hire someone that will come plow it out when it's over 4 inches deep. Remember, you don't have a must do schedule when retired. Only those who have to be at work have to do that. So, sit back and enjoy the snow when it falls.

[eric wissing]

Norm, You have a good point. I noticed when my parents moved to Florida the first 10 years were good for them but as age illness took over they became isolated. Many of their friends there suffered the same. You lose your spouse or are tied down taking care of them and family is a long way off. Maybe the thing to do is move back home again as age becaomes a real factor. There are a lot of Floridians who are moving back North when they become sick or have really slowed down. The little place in Florida that they once enjoyed has become over populated and the pace quite hectic. But SNOW really doesget to ya!! Eric

[Charlie Olson]

Heck Greg, just move in with Don C for a few months to see if you like TN.

[Norm's Coupe]

Norm, You have a good point. I noticed when my parents moved to Florida the first 10 years were good for them but as age illness took over they became isolated. Many of their friends there suffered the same. You lose your spouse or are tied down taking care of them and family is a long way off. Maybe the thing to do is move back home again as age becaomes a real factor. There are a lot of Floridians who are moving back North when they become sick or have really slowed down. The little place in Florida that they once enjoyed has become over populated and the pace quite hectic. But SNOW really doesget to ya!! Eric

Eric,

One of my neighbors who use to live across the street for years retired in the early 90's. Right after he retired they took a trip to Florida to go fishing and vacation. When they got home they put the house up for sale right away. They had found their dream home and he could go fishing every day and bought the place while on vacation. They were down there about two years and all of a sudden I found out they had bought another house about 20 miles north of me and moved back to Wisconsin. Sold the place in Florida. Said they missed the kids and all their friends too much so they moved back. It all sounds great when you're sitting up here looking out the window at a foot of snow. However, when you do get away, you find out it's not all it's cracked up to be due to friends and family. That's why I told Greg to think long and hard before leaping, and anyone else for that matter.

Like I said, if retired you don't have to get out and clean that snow away right away if you don't want to. Plus, you don't have to get out on the streets until they are cleared. So..........it's not that big of a thing to see a foot of snow fall outside, just sit back and enjoy. It's actually pretty to watch all those flakes fall, and see the fresh blanket of snow when you don't have to go out in it.

[Dennis_MN]

Eric' date='

Plus, you don't have to get out on the streets until they are cleared. So..........it's not that big of a thing to see a foot of snow fall outside, just sit back and enjoy. It's actually pretty to watch all those flakes fall, and see the fresh blanket of snow when you don't have to go out in it.[/quote']

Two of my favorites things now that I'm retired is to sit in the front of the townhouse on Sunday nights and watch the people coming home from "up north" stacked up on the freeway.

My other favorite thing is to watch the traffic reports in the morning news.. and then saying, boy am I glad that I don't have to do that anymore.

Yep, I just watch the snow fall and enjoy it.

Dennis

[greg g]

Norm snow in the mountains of Tennessee probably won't compare to the 160 inches we are used to here from November to April. Parents have passed, Daughter lives in Florida, Friends and Brother can find Tn on a map anytime they feel the need to visit. We have no serious plans as of yet but seem to be leaning toward doing something in the way of relocating.

[Norm's Coupe]

Greg,

Wasn't trying to talk you out of anything. Just pointing out the drawbacks. As for the snow. I've driven the PA Turnpike going to DC in May and hit snow in the mountains. Guess because you are up so high you can get snow in late spring. I know you guys get hit hard along the lake, but........like I said you don't have to rush out into it, if you don't want to when you're retired. So it is a little different than when you were going to work everyday.

And don't forget. You'll have to learn English all over again down there. I'm from the south but haven't lived there since early 1962 on a permanent basis. Lost my southern accent years ago. I remember one trip back to Louisville. We got in late (around midnight). Before getting to my parents house decided to stop and pick up a couple of cans of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup to cook when we got there. Stopped at an all night store. Walked in and asked the clerk where the soup was. Now how hard is that to understand? I had to repeat myself at least 3 or 4 times and he still didn't understand the four letter word "soup". Finally gave up and roamed the store until I found it myself. So, you'll have to start all over again.

All you southern guys, not poking fun at the accent, just pointing out facts. You probably have the same problems when coming up north as we do down south with some words and terms.

One after thought about snow down south compared to snow up here in the north. Down south they don't have the same or as much snow removal equipment as we do up north. For example. If they get a couple of inches of snow in Louisville they close down everything. From what I understand for a day or two. Up here, we can get a foot or more of snow and nothing stops. Roads stay nice and clear for the most part. Plus, they get more ice storms than we do.

[1940Mopar]

I live in Middle TN--Nashville to be exact. Been through Knoxville, and upper East Tn more than a few times in my life. Personally I like middle better. a little more central to other great places in the Southeast, and yet only 3-4 hours away from the nicest thing that east TN has to offer---The Great Smokey Mountains.

Perfect whether for a person like me....just be sure you can handle the southern heat, which is pretty persistent anywhere you go in Tennessee. Give it a try take a visit. just make sure you swing through Nashville while you do.

[builtfercomfort]

I was in Nashville this December, it's booming. New Toyota(?) plant going in south of town, housing developments going up everywhere. Locals report it snows there about once a year and the whole city shuts down, since there is no snow removal equipment. Mostly quite warm and friendly.

Also, it's rightly known as 'Music City' with jazz, blues, classical, and country music well represented. Apparently there's 1352* guitar pickers in Nashville, and they can play more notes than the number of ants on a Tennessee anthill.**

(1966 number, not adjusted for inflation).

(Source: J. Sebastian, "Nashville Cats", Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful. Not quoted in any other scholarly publication that I can find.)

[Young Ed]

There's another line in that song that goes something like and anyone of them that unpacks his guitar can play twice as better then I do. I might have to get out that cd and give it a listen now.

[builtfercomfort]

Nashville Cats, play clean as country water

Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew

Nashville Cats, been playin´ since they´s babies

Nashville Cats, get work before they´re two

Well, there´s thirteen hundred and fifty two

Guitar pickers in Nashville

And they can pick more notes than the number of ants

On a Tennessee anthill

Yeah, there´s thirteen hundred and fifty two

Guitar cases in Nashville

And any one that unpacks ´is guitar could play

Twice as better than I will

Yeah, I was just thirteen, you might say I was a

Musical proverbial knee-high

When I heard a couple new-sounding tunes on the tubes

And they blasted me sky-high

And the record man said every one is a Yellow Sun

Record from Nashville

And up North there ain´t nobody buys them

And I said, ´But I will´

And it was

...CHORUS

Well, there´s sixteen thousand eight hundred ´n´ twenty one

Mothers from Nashville

All their friends play music, and they ain´t uptight

If one of the kids will

Because it´s custom made for any mother´s son

To be a guitar picker in Nashville

And I sure am glad I got a chance to say a word about

The music and the mothers from Nashville

CHORUS

SPOKEN: Pick it

(Instrumental to end)

[Plymouthy Adams]

and all this from the Lovin' Spoonfuls...they had more hits than most remember...

[Young Ed]

Tim I don't remember them but I have their greatest hits cd and I like it!

[BobT-47P15]

Of all those aforementioned pickers and grinners, I'm acquainted with a certain bass player who performs in Nashville at various times and places.

He seems to be the man to call if you need a bass guy. Has lived in the

Nashville area the past 25 or 30 years.......now is working in Loretta Lynn's band. However, when they are home and not on the road, she says it's OK for the band members to job around in their off time.

The reason I know this man is because he is from Joplin. He used to play in local bands back in the 70s, and I used to sit in and play his bass at a certain jam session. So any time we get to Nashville to visit my mother-in-law, I call him up to ask where he's going to be playing. He always says "bring your harmonica and come on down."

This picture was taken last summer at Tootsie's Purple Orchid on Broadway, where he happened to be working one afternoon. That's my friend Larry with the white guitar. So I can now say I've played at Tootsies.......

a couple songs, at least. (However, no talent scouts jumped up and tried to sign me.) Just one more way I have fun with the music.

Now, if the ol 47 Plym would just make it to the Music City.........

[builtfercomfort]

Almost as good: I went to the Gibson store in Opryland (they have essentially a continuous jam session in the bluegrass instrument section) and ended up playing guitar and singing 'high tenor' on 'Columbus Stockade Blues' with some old guys, who turned out to be actual Grand Old Opry musicians. They praised my voice (I'm okay, not great), but I knew the song well and it was above my normal range so I had to sing LOUD to hit the notes - they loved it. I figured they could hear me at least, they are probably half deaf. The old music guys in that town are pretty cool - seems like everyone is a player, writer or arranger.

[Dennis Hemingway]

I saw the Lovin' Spoonful back in 66 somewhere on the outskirts of Baltamore, Maryland.

Dennis:cool:

[greg g]

John Sebastian is the answer to the musical trivia question, "Who played a zither in a popular 60's pop band?" He also blew a pretty mena harp to.

Earned himself a line of reference in a Mama's and Papa's song along with some other well know entertainers of the era.

Creeque Alley was a song about the formation of the Moma's and Papa's.

John and Mitchy were gettin' kind of itchy

Just to leave the folk music behind;

Zal and Denny workin' for a penny

Tryin' to get a fish on the line.

In a coffee house Sebastian sat,

And after every number they'd pass the hat.

McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher in L.A.,

You know where that's at.

And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Another fine example of musicians from the past...I still do the oldies goldies when it come to music...

[eric wissing]

About the only good thing drugs did for music was that they signed just about anybody to a contract. It made for some pretty eclectic product. Today it is way to corporate. God Bless Captain Beefheart, The Fugs and the Electric Prunes!! Eric

[greg g]

Don't forget Canned Heat, Country Joe and the Fish, Hot Tuna, The Flying Buritto Brothers. Oh yeah and Moby Grape too.

[eric wissing]

I almost mentioned Moby Grape!! Sick minds think alike. Eric