Category Archives: It is NOT about Real Estate :0)

Nashville Homes Blog: Nashville, a true “world-class” city.

For those that don’t think that Nashville has yet become a “World-Class” city, here’s some more food for thought:

Just released, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena is the 6th most popular venue in the entire United States.  That’s NUMBER SIX, behind LosAngeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington DC.   Bridgestone Arena also places 8th in all of North America, and 20th in the entire world!

 

Click here for the full story in The City Paper.

And right across the street, the massive “World-Class” Music City Center continues to rise skyward for its 2013 opening.  And the world is taking notice too!  Over 600,000 room nights have already been confirmed!  See the full story here.

If you haven’t visited Downtown Nashville lately, GO!

You will be proud that you live here.  And if you don’t live here yet, you’ll want to make moving plans….soon!

It’s only going to get better!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, www.OleSouth.com, 615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

New Year’s Day Food Traditions – the rest of the story.

Why not prme rib?  Why not chocolate cake?  Why do the delicacies for the first day of the New Year have to be things with a nasty coin dropped in them?  Where all has that coin been anyway?  I hope no one ate it last year.    

Here is the history of the New Year’s grub according to about.com: 

The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman’s troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including:

  • Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. In some areas cabbage is used in place of the greens.
  • Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold.
  • For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.
  • Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.
  • In some areas, actual values are assigned with the black-eyed peas representing pennies or up to a dollar each and the greens representing anywhere from one to a thousand dollars.
  • Adding a shiny penny or dime to the pot just before serving is another tradition practiced by some. When served, the person whose bowl contains the penny or dime receives the best luck for the New Year, unless of course, the recipient swallows the coin, which would be a rather unlucky way to start off the year.

The catch to all of these superstitious traditions is that the black-eyed peas are the essential element and eating only the greens without the peas, for example, will not do the trick.

The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman’s troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including:

  • Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. In some areas cabbage is used in place of the greens.
  • Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold.
  • For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.
  • Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.
  • In some areas, actual values are assigned with the black-eyed peas representing pennies or up to a dollar each and the greens representing anywhere from one to a thousand dollars.
  • Adding a shiny penny or dime to the pot just before serving is another tradition practiced by some. When served, the person whose bowl contains the penny or dime receives the best luck for the New Year, unless of course, the recipient swallows the coin, which would be a rather unlucky way to start off the year.

The catch to all of these superstitious traditions is that the black-eyed peas are the essential element and eating only the greens without the peas, for example, will not do the trick.

And I bet you didn’t know that buying a new home in the New Year eve will bring good luck also.  It will.  I promise.

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, www.OleSouth.com, 615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Nashville New Homes: How did you ring in 2012?

We can now say good-bye to 2011 and hello to 2012.  It’s going to be a great year!  Period!

I made some grand plans for New Year’s Eve 2011, which is also our Blue Doberman Ruby’s first birthday.  Docking reservations for our boat were made at Nashville’s Riverfront Park.  Lynrd Skynrd would be there, right where the music note would drop.    Fifty-thousand people were going to be there too.  People would line the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge to see what we would be right in the middle of below.  Ruby was going to be excited that all of this was just for her. 

Beth wasn’t quite as excited about the new plans.  After all, Ruby is scared of fireworks.  And what about all those people on the bridge looking down on us?  In a crowd that large, someone would probably pee off that bridge.  Besides that, in past years, we had not stayed up until midnight anyway.  Hard to argue with common sense.

So, on December 26th, we took our boat back to Blackjack Cove Marina on Old Hickory Lake after an enjoyable stay with our friends at Rock Harbor Marina on the Cumberland River.  We would celebrate Ruby’s Birthday and the New Year at Blackjack Cove Marina and the Black Pearl Restaurant.   Ruby liked the idea because she had missed her friend Storm while we had been gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If increased activity along the Cumberland River is a sign of better times, the good times are on the way back to Middle Tennessee!

 

‘The Plan” for New Year’s Eve at the marina came together perfectly, and we actually managed to stay up past midnight too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever heard of Polar Bear Tubing?  That was the plan for noon the next day… so we set out to find them.

And we did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes, they really were “Polar Bear Tubing.”

And we ended New Year’s Day 2012 with a feast among friends.  Cabbage, Black-eyed Peas, Cornbread, Pork Roast, Deer Meet, Beer Can Chicken, etc etc.

Yes, it looks like 2012 is going to be just fine!  Join us!

Nashville Homes Blog: It’s Christmas on the Cumberland

Christmas in Nashville.  There’s so much going on, and its hard to experience everything in one season.

The Nashville boating community is a great group of folks, consisting of boaters from the Cumberland River, Old Hickory Lake, and Percy Priest Lake.  While many decorate their homes, there are others that decorate their boats.

And then there are some groups that go all out for the season.  One such group is the Rock Harbor Yacht Club, who kicked off the Fifth Annual “Dock Crawl” this past weekend at Rock Harbor Marina.  If you are a boater, or enjoy boating, this is a must-do event.

This year’s celebration centered around various crock pots and platters, followed by specialty drinks at each boat.  Afterwards, the group crawled to the club house for karaoke, a true sight to behold!

While this event provided a good time to all, it also served the needs of many area children.  Every participant donated a toy, or a $10 donation, to Toys For Tots.

We were glad to be able to make the trip down from Blackjack Cove Marina on Old Hickory Lake to enjoy this year’s dock crawl.  It was great to see visiting boats on The Great Loop also in attendance.   Rock Harbor welcomes transient boaters all year round and is just minutes from downtown Nashville!

If you are considering “The Great Loop” trip on your boat, make it a point to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake during your voyage!  If you come to downtown Nashville’s Riverfront Park for New Year’s Eve 2011, we’ll see you there!  And so will Lynrd Sknyrd!

Now, enjoy the sights of Rock Harbor Yacht Club’s 2011 Dock Crawl:

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What’s up with Ruby?

It is hard to believe that Ruby, our little Blue Doberman, isn’t even a year old yet, and I really cannot imagine how life would be without her…although I am tempted to find out at times.

Her first birthday is coming up New Year’s Eve.  And she is resting up for the occasion every chance she gets!

And when presented with doing something inconvenient, she pretends to be sleep.

I would like to share a tip:

Christmas decorations and young blue dobermans simply do not mix.  More on that later! 

In the meantime, get out there and enjoy the holidays!  While you are out, drop by any Ole South model home location and make a difference for someone else too!  Visit www.OleSouth.com for the location nearest you.

Looking back, it really is hard to believe Ruby ever looked like this, much less just 10 months ago!

Ruby - 6 wks old

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, 615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340.  Specializing in new home sales in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

 

Nashville New Homes: Happy Thanksgiving

Remember back in nursery school when we all wore funny black  hats, or a headband of feathers?  Yep, the days of the Pilgrims and the Indians celebrating their first Thanksgiving.  They got along beautifully, and we pretended to be them, thankful to find a new home and plenty to eat.

Then, as we get older, and much fatter, we forget about the black hats and feathers and concentrate on a day for families to gather and enjoy each other’s company, and get fatter too.

Regardless of the real origin of Thanksgiving Day, we all really do need to take the time to give thanks to God for our families, our friends, and the life we enjoy.  That is the whole point and lets take time to do just that.

But before we start, lets all make plans to help those that are less fortunate.  Local support networks, such as Second Harvest Food Bank, church and local food pantries, the Nashville Union Rescue Mission, The Salvation Army, and others have serviced growing numbers of individuals and families as a result of our economic times. 

This holiday season, all of us at Ole South are collecting new, unwrapped toys for the Toys For Tots program along with new and used shoes for the Soles 4 Souls organization.  We need your help too! 

Our model homes will be open daily to receive your donations.  Please visit www.OleSouth.com for the location nearest you, or visit www.toysfortots.org or www.soles4souls.org for other drop-off locations.  Together, we can, and will make a difference.

We all have problems, but there are always others with larger problems.  We do have a lot to be thankful for.  So, give thanks, be a glutten, and watch the parades!  In the meantime, here is discussion about Thanksgiving, according to history.com.  All those years of silly hats were wasted.  But the turkey won’t be!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thanksgiving Controversies

For some scholars, the jury is still out on whether the feast at Plymouth really constituted the first Thanksgiving in the United States. Indeed, historians have recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America that predate the Pilgrims’ celebration. In 1565, for instance, the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé invited members of the local Timucua tribe to a dinner in St. Augustine, Florida, after holding a mass to thank God for his crew’s safe arrival. On December 4, 1619, when 38 British settlers reached a site known as Berkeley Hundred on the banks of Virginia’s James River, they read a proclamation designating the date as “a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.”

Some Native Americans and others take issue with how the Thanksgiving story is presented to the American public, and especially to schoolchildren. In their view, the traditional narrative paints a deceptively sunny portrait of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, masking the long and bloody history of conflict between Native Americans and European settlers that resulted in the deaths of millions. Since 1970, protesters have gathered on the day designated as Thanksgiving at the top of Cole’s Hill, which overlooks Plymouth Rock, to commemorate a “National Day of Mourning.” Similar events are held in other parts of the country.

Thanksgiving’s Ancient Origins

le the American concept of Thanksgiving developed in the colonies of New England, its roots can be traced back to the other side of the Atlantic. Both the Separatists who came over on the Mayflower and the Puritans who arrived soon after brought with them a tradition of providential holidays—days of fasting during difficult or pivotal moments and days of feasting and celebration to thank God in times of plenty.

As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, moreover, Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents and millennia. In ancient times, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also bears a resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot. Finally, historians have noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot.

 

It should be Veterans Day every day!

November 11th is the day we as Americans celebrate and honor the sacrifice of all U.S. Veterans.   This isn’t one of those holidays created by Hallmark.  It isn’t one of those holidays to give bankers a day off. 

It is a official day for all of us to say, “Thank You” to a veteran. 

Let’s carry the tradition one step further and say ”Thank You” to the active-duty soldiers too!  And remember, those “thank-yous” aren’t confined to November 11th, they are deserved and appreciated every day!

But why November 11th?  

Back in 1918, on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, an armistice, or treaty of sorts, was signed to end hostilities in what we now call World War I.   It was called the Great War back then because no one was planning a sequel at the time.

Here is an interesting link to the history of this all-important day:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20101110/pl_ac/7163596_veterans_day_history_background_and_key_dates

Many are not fully aware of the differences between Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day.  Here is another link of interest:

http://www.military.com/veterans-day/history-of-veterans-day.htm

These are official days set aside to honor, celebrate, and remember.  But there is nothing at all wrong with doing that every day. 

So, to all the Veterans out there, Thank you! 

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, 615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340.  Specializing in new home sales in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

There really is a God, and he really does listen.

I have been nervous about today for quite some time.   Tomorrow morning, we depart for Mobile, Alabama with approximately 50 close friends for the last sailing of the Carnival Elation from Mobile.   Over the next seven days, we’ll visit Cozumel, Belize, and my second favorite place in the whole world;  Roatan, Honduras.

The weather is looking a bit crummy, but that is not why I have been somewhat apprehensive about leaving… that is until just a little while ago.

The past year has been a tough one for many of our close friends.   Four of our very close friends were diagnosed for various types of cancer and underwent painful surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy treatments.  In the past few months, three of the four have been declared cancer-free.  The fourth friend was to find out the outcome of his surgeries and treatment today, right before all of us leave on vacation.  

I received a text message late this afternoon from his wife and could not believe my eyes!  It turns out that what was Stage 4 just weeks ago does not show up on the scans at all now!  

What about the magic of modern medicine!  More importantly, what about the power of prayer?

We can now leave for the next seven days in a mood of celebration!  Even though the seas will probably be rough, it is going to be much smoother sailing now!   It is always great to be reassured that God really does listen… we just have to ask.

Good Night!

 

 

Nashville New Homes: Nashville’s got a lot to be proud of.

Nashville’s economy is among the most diversified in the country, a pretty good reason why Nashville is weathering the recession better than many cities.

Let’s take a look at a few of the various industries that have a major impact on our economy.  There’s Printing & Publishing, Health Care, Music & Entertainment, Tourism, Technology, Higher Education, Commercial Shipping Logistics by rail, river, and road, and Automobile Manufacturing, just to name a few.

There is another growing category that should make us proud.  Nashville is the home of one of the top ten talk radio hosts in the country, Dave Ramsey.  His new book, EntreLeadership, is already at the top of The New York Times best-selling list, a first for any of Ramsey’s publications! 

Yesterday, at Financial Peace Plaza, across from Cool Springs Mall, the Dave Ramsey organization rolled out the red carpet for listeners and supporters.  Everyone was invited for free food, drink, and games.  Those attending also got to see Michael Delgiorno boradcasting live, along with The Dave Ramsey Show, after which, Dave personally signed every book.   Here are scenes from the day:

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About the book, Dave Ramsey defines ”EntreLeadership” as how to effectively combine the aspects of being an entrpreneur and being an effective leader into being both at one time.   http://www.entreleadership.com/home/

The book is great reading, and I would have finished the whole thing last night if Ruby would have left me alone!  She wanted to see each page also.

 With Ruby’s permission, I will try and finish the rest of this book tonight!  Get your copy too!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, 615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Which direction is “Our True North?”

Today I received this from a great friend, Harry Brittan.  It is fitting for everyone, everywhere.  Enjoy, and thanks for sharing Harry! 

Our True North
 
We each have a unique personal significance, a significance which can make the difference as to whether or not we can find our true purpose in life.   Our first step in finding this purpose is the be able to answer these questions:
 
1.  What need do I sense (in my family, in my community, in the organization I work for)?
 
2.  Do I possess a true talent that, if disciplined and properly applied, can meet the need?
 
3.  Does the opportunity to meet the need tap into my passion?
 
4.  Does my conscience inspire me to take action and become involved?
 
If you can answer all four questions in the affirmative and make a habit of developing a plan of action and going to work on it, you will begin to find your true purpose, your True North, in life.  This will be a life of deep meaning, satisfaction and greatness. 
 
When we begin to identify the need, our conscience will inspire us to take action.  Our talent must match the need, or be developed in order to match it.  We must be disciplined in order to ensure our passion, our joy of doing that which we like, in order to achieve the goal.  All of these, the need, the talent, passion, and conscience, must all be aligned and balanced in order to be successful.
 
This is hard doctrine.  Finding our True North is difficult.  Staying on course is extremely hard.  I contend less than 1% ever find their True North.
 
Harry Brittan
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