Nashville 2008, Revisited 2009…Sightlines Audio Book’s Beginnings to Launch

Last May we began the long journey of making our audio book “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music.” Here’s the post from that time describing my drive down from St. Louis the Nashville.

A year later, it’s still a long drive in the country (albeit on freeways) and a pretty one, to boot. The drive from St. Louis to Nashville (routes 64/57/24) takes around 5.5 hours and crosses three rivers (Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee) and passes by many gorgeous large lakes (Rend/Egypt/Barkley) where I wanted to just stop and camp. The routes down are so aesthetically constructed without billboards and with so much foliage embracing the roadway, that it feels like a highspeed Sunday afternoon drive in the country…which is what it was.

I knew I’d reached Southland in S. Illinois when I saw fried gizzards, fried bologni, and b-b-q ribs advertised.

Last year I stayed at the trendy Hotel Indigo. This year at the more budget-conscious Red Roof Inn, getting the senior rate through AARP. I chose this location because it’s right across from the Sportman Grill and Lodge where we’ll celebrate Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music tomorrow night.

Yvonne Perry, one of my blogging buddies I’d come to visit then, led me to Scott Kidd who became my sound engineer. Here’s Yvonne’s post on Writers in the Sky on my May Nashville visit..

Read my version of the visit and working with dream collaborator Scott Kidd here.