An ALL-STAR January and a ROCK-STAR February

2016 Has Started Off with a Bang

Tuesday 1/5 - We attended a Preds game tonight, but it was a disheartening 4-1 loss (44 shots on goal and we don't win?) to Winnipeg, but at least the food and company were good during the game and before with some of our friends and  1/2 price sushi at Susie Wong's House of Yum.

Saturday, 1/9 -  We saw the outstanding film, The Revenant, today.  I think I enjoyed more than Ashlee, but we both agree that Leo DiCaprio should finally get his Oscar for this amazing performance.

Wednesday 1/13 - We traveled down to Chattanooga this afternoon to see Grace Potter at the soon-to-be-gone music venue, Track 29.

We got a great deal on an overnight stay in a train car room at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.  It was such a good deal that we also got a room for Ashlee's mom, Evelyn, which she enjoyed. We had a great dinner  before the show at FEED Co. Table and Tavern,. We had lunch at the Terminal Brewhouse the next day before heading back home.

January 16-24 - Ashlee and I did a little separate traveling this week with her going on a week-long girls-only cruise in the Caribbean and with me going to L.A. for a few days.  What we both missed was a huge snowstorm back at home with about 8 inches of snow and ice accumulating!  

While we were away...this was happening at home.  

We did get home in time to see our nearly-finished pool in all it's winter wonder.

Saturday and Sunday, 1/30 and 1/31:  It was a proud time for Nashville this week as they hosted the NHL All-Star Weekend for the very first time and we were very happy to a be able to attend several of the many planned activities.  The city looked great, and the event went smooth and the fact that the weather was unseasonably mild and clear helped a lot as well.

Bridgestone Arena never looked better than this All Star Weekend!

On Saturday before the All-Star Skills Competition we were having a beer outside the Bridgestone Arena at Tavern '96 and so was current Nashville Predators head coach, Peter Laviolette.  He was gracious enough to pose for a pic with Ashlee.  Go Preds!!

At the NHL All-Star Fan Fair going on inside the Music City Center we even got to fondle and faux-kiss the actual Stanley Cup.  You could kiss it for real if you wanted, but there sure have been a lot of hands and lips on it, and worst of all it's spent most of the off-season with  the damn Blackhawks in Chicago...yeeech!!  

The NHL All-Star Skills Competition was a lot of fun and our own Predators captain, Shea Weber, won the Hardest Shot competition AGAIN this year with no one else even getting close to his 108+ MPH slap-shot.  Wow!

CHICKEN BRUNCH!!

We spent the night downtown since we had to be here tomorrow for the All-Star game anyway, and got a great rate at the Maxwell House Hotel where we had spent New Year's Eve.  Per Ashlee's love of all things Christmas, we decided to seek out Santa's Pub tonight, a infamous Nashville dive bar housed in a double-wide trailer and  owned by a large dude in a long white beard (maybe it's Kringle, maybe not).   It was a hoot and some of the karaoke was actually decent.   We continued the night with a late visit to the new Butcher and the Bee Restaurant over in East Nashville for some delicious snacks and tasty suds. Thanks to our friends, Danny and Brenda, for staying out late with us tonight.

Late Sunday morning we had an awesome brunch at Party Fowl before going back to the All-Star activities where we got  up close for a couple of good free concerts with country up-and-comer, Kelsea Ballerini, and  Nashville veteran, Dierks Bentley (video clip below).  Dierks is a pretty good beer-league hockey player himself, and even helped Preds winger, James Neal, score a goal in yesterday's skills competition.

 The  NHL All-Star Game was up next and our Preds scored 3 goals but their Central Division Team didn't make the finals of the new tournament structure.  But the team with the great feel-good story of the NHL year of John Scott's team did  advance to the finals and won the tournament, and Scott, with two goals of his own, was voted MVP by write-in ballot!!  Very, very cool.

photo by Ashlee

Saturday, 2/13 - We did a little beer touring today in Nashville and visited a couple new microbreweries including Bearded Iris Brewing in Germantown and Smith and Lentz Brewing in East Nashville before and after dinner at the always-delicious Ted's Montana Grill over in Green Hills. Then it was on to a show at the Nashville War Memorial Auditorium with the fun and energetic Nashville-based band, Judah and the Lion. (video clip below).  Their first opener, Future Thieves, were pretty good too.

Sunday, 2/14 - We spent Valentine's Day at home today after  having to cancel some dinner and movie plans in Nashville due to a forecast of bad, icy weather.  We just had a modest dinner at home (with $5 Little Caesar's takeout pizza...our new obsession, what a deal!) and some old movies on the DVD player.

Saturday, 2/20  We headed down to Chattanooga today to take in a college baseball game at the minor league AT and T Stadium for the Lookouts.  It was the UT Vols vs. the Memphis Tigers in the second game of a three-game East-West Showdown.  It was a 13-8 final with Memphis winning.  The weather was very mild and the rain held off as we enjoyed our seats right behind the first-base dugout and visited a little with our old friend, Mick.

Afterwards, we checked out the lovely new facility for Chattanooga Brewing and had a tasty libation or two. Cheers!

Sunday (2/21) was a dreary, rainy day in Chattanooga, but that didn't stop us from taking a walk from Ashlee's mom's house in North Chattanooga across the river to the Hunter Museum and back.  Photo by Ashlee

Tuesday, 2/23 - We finally saw Deadpool in IMAX  tonight at Opry Mills.  We have to admit we weren't overly impressed with it especially since most of the humor was very dark and centered around violence. But it did have some good laughs not dealing with the killing and maiming of others.  And best of all we got to see it with our old pal, Wayne, as well as dinner beforehand at the always-delicious (and bowel-cleansing) Moe's!!