Tag Archives: Rock Harbor Marina

The Summer of 2013 – The End

I admit it.  I have neglected my blog, but it has not been intentional.  Like they say, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  They also say, “all good things come to an end.”  (Do you ever wonder who “they” were?  “They” sure have said a lot of things over the years!)

Now, let me tell you how we ended the Summer of 2013.

Shortly after The Rogers Group took our Academy of Architecture and Construction Board to tour their Louisville operations, the 2013-14 school year started.  I had the pleasure of hosting the freshmen class of the Cane Ridge High School’s Academy of Architecture & Construction on a tour of one of our new home construction sites.

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I cannot say enough good things about the new direction of the Academies of Nashville in all of our local High Schools.  There are many great things happening throughout the system and I encourage everyone to get out there and take a look for yourself.  You, too will be impressed, and probably want to get involved!  After all, it is our city.

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No summer can end without a little whitewater rafting!  You owe it to yourself to sneak away for a few days and visit the Nantahala River, and the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

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The area is pristine, with so much to do!  This was my second time to visit and really enjoyed relaxing in our humble mountain abode.

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I won’t bore you with the balance of our activities that ended the summer and will just say they were fun.  On the last weekend of summer, Nashville hosted the First Annual Stand-Up Paddle-boarding Championship Event.

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We were there on The Princess, headquarters for PaddleUpTn.com to cheer on Cindy Sorcer, Neil Newton, and Julie Ann Vanderpool.

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One of the neat things about having our boat on the river at Rock Harbor Marina is seeing the many boats that transient our area.  Is was simply amazing to see the motoryacht Elegante docked at Rock Harbor for a few weeks.

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This yacht is incredible. Check out the you-tube video on this 1964 classic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgADJzvaFEM

Well, that’s about it for the Summer of 2013.  Thanks for reading!

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The Summer of 2013 – (Part 2)

We returned to Nashville to find my mother had fallen the night before and was in St. Thomas Hospital.  Back in March, she experienced a serious fall, breaking her jaw and nose, which kept her hospitalized at Vanderbilt for 2 weeks, followed by 2 months at rehab, where she healed remarkably.  She had only been back at Park Manor less than a month when she fell again.  At least this time, nothing was broken.

If anyone has aging parents, there is not a better place for them to live than Park Manor on Woodmont Blvd.  It compares to being on a cruise ship, with gourmet meals and daily activities.  The staff there is simply marvelous.  They even stayed with her at St. Thomas until our return.  After a few days, she was back home at Park Manor, with arrangements made for 24-hour care when necessary.

We also found The Blue Moon Waterfront Grill at Rock Harbor Marina was in full swing upon our return.  The new slip where we were to keep our boat was nearing completion too!

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When we moved into the new slip, I installed some neat color changing lights on the top deck.

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It was great to see Rock Harbor Marina come to life after the new additions.  It seemed like a Hatteras Convention one weekend!  The new sport of Stand-Up Paddle Boarding was also in full swing at Rock Harbor.  PaddleUpTn has been a great addition to the marina.  www.paddleuptn.com

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Although summer was in full swing according to the calendar, the weather seemed not to get the message!  Rain was constant and almost ruined the July 4th Fireworks celebration at Riverfront Park.  The rain stopped just in time, but the sky was not clear at all.  Ruby, our Blue Doberman, slept through it all.

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We had a kicking summer at our own Rock Harbor Yacht Club.  We were glad to find the Brit Stokes Band available for our Jimmy Buffet theme party, and also the end-of-summer celebration Labor Day weekend.

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Since Nashville’s Cane Ridge High School opened its doors, I have had the pleasure to represent Ole South Properties by serving on the Advisory Board of the Academy of Architecture and Construction, along with many other business leaders.  It is really rewarding to see just how much a difference can be made when everyone works together.

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One of the Corporate Partners at Cane Ridge is The Rogers Group, who arranged for board members to visit their Louisville operations and become more familiar with their company and its operation.  Board members arrived at Nashville International Airport to join Darin Matson, of Rogers Group, on the company’s jet for the short flight to Louisville.

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We arrived in Louisville, just as rock stars do, to be escorted to the underground quarry operations.  One thousand feet below the ground is this mine, where approximately 10,000 tons of rock products are mined daily.  One thing for sure, we all take rock for granted!  Nashville is very fortunate to have The Rogers Group as a Corporate Citizen.

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Everyone on the Cane Ridge Academy of Architecture and Construction Board is excited that the academy just received National Accreditation!  The first of its kind in the country!  The 2013-2014 school year will be even better.

Meanwhile, the Summer of 2013 continues in Nashville, Tennessee, the greatest place to live in the world!

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Part 3 of the Summer of 2013 coming soon!

Trey Lewis is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Tennessee with Ole South Realty, 615.896.0019 & direct 615.593.6340; and VP Sales for Tennessee’s largest home builder, OleSouth.com, specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Gallatin, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Independence Day Celebration in Nashville – Fireworks on the River

The Fourth of July is upon us and it doesn’t seem like summer has hardly started yet! If you like fireworks, there is no better place to be in the country Thursday evening than right here in Nashville!

The celebrations at Nashville’s Riverfront Park start at noon and a variety of acts will be playing throughout the afternoon and the Family Fun Zone will be open. At 6:45 pm the main river stage events kick off with performances by Striking Matches, Barry Scott, Keb’ Mo’, The Band Perry and The Nashville Symphony, who will accompany the fireworks display at 9:50 pm.  It is all a part of LET FREEDOM RING 2013!

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For a complete list of activities and more information, please CLICK HERE.   Nashville’s July 4th celebration is always rated among the top in the nation and 2013 will be no exception!

They will have fireworks left over, so another fantastic celebration evening is planned for Friday night, July 5th starting at 6:30 pm with the fireworks display at 9:30 pm.  Performing Friday evening is Chris Mulkey and Deluxe followed by Ten Out Of Tenn.

This year’s celebration will be somewhat different for area boaters who like to bring their boats from Old Hickory Lake to downtown Nashville.  Old Hickory Lock will close each evening at 10:00 pm.  Boats that are not at the lock by 9:15 pm will not be able to lock through until the next morning.  CLICK HERE for the full story.

It has been said that the Nashville Convention Visitors Bureau has offered to compensate the Federal Government to keep the lock open until midnight.  It is also rumored that the lock operators even volunteered their time for the effort also.  It is obvious the government wants boaters to feel the pain of the sequestration.

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Boaters are very creative, resilient, and resourceful.   If they still want to view fireworks, they will be there.  The newly renovated Rock Harbor Marina and Blue Moon Restaurant downstream from Riverfront will also have accomodations for boats wanting to spend the night.  Call 615.356.1111 for information.

 

The public docking facilities on both sides of the river downtown are closed for the period July 1st through July 5th, reopening July 6th.  Former Mayor Bill Purcell started this practice of slapping area boaters in the face during his administration.  Maybe one of these days Nashville will further embrace its Riverfront and the boating public that uses it.

But until that happens, we’re going to have fun anyway!

 

Happy Independence Day!

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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, Gallatin, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

 

Remember the Blue Moon? It’s back – and better than ever!

Just about everyone remembers The Blue Moon, the popular floating bar and grill at Rock Harbor Marina on the Cumberland River in West Nashville.

The May 2010 flood brought an end to the old Blue Moon, along with many of the docks at Rock Harbor Marina. Since that time, the marina has been rebuilding, and that included the addition of a BRAND NEW BLUE MOON RESTAURANT.

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One thing that made the previous Blue Moon a success was the atmosphere. The new Blue Moon is even better. You still walk onto a floating barge and down a dock to enter the restaurant! No worries, there are emergency exits and the facility is handicapped accessible.

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There are indoor and outdoor dining areas, but also roll up doors to open things up a bit!

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Large flat-screen TVs adorn the walls – perfect for keeping up with all the news and sports!

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We recently had the priviledge of sampling many items that will be featured on the menu. Two words immediately come to mind….. damn good!

The Blue Moon is now open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays and is certain to top the list of hot spots in Nashville. One visit and you will see why! Tom, Glenn, and Dougie Ray have put together a great team to make your floating dining experience enjoyable!

You can get there by car or boat! Located at Rock Harbor Marina, 525 Basswood Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205, or Cumberland River Mile Marker 175.

For the latest information, visit their website www.bluemoongrille.com

If you come by boat, there will soon be brand new covered slips of all sizes to park your boat in!

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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, Gallatin, Clarksville, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

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Just what is a BLUE MOON?

Folks, tonight is the night of BLUE MOON!

But just what is a BLUE MOON anyway?

Is it a former famous floating restaurant at Rock Harbor Marina that is scheduled to reopen in March 2013?

 

Is it a brand of beer?

YES.  It is.  But it is really more  than that.  CLICK HERE to find out everything about tonight’s BLUE MOON.

What are your plans to celebrate?  Here is a neat idea to consider – PaddleBoarding on the river:

Check out the details of this cool event:  http://www.paddleuptn.com/blue-moon-paddle-boarding-on-the-river/

Yes..you can sip on a BLUE MOON while you are at the BLUE MOON looking at the BLUE MOON from the Cumberland River.  It just doesn’t get any better than that!

But if you can’t get there in person, just look up to the east!

 

 

Things to do: Stand-up Paddleboard on the Cumberland River

One recent evening, we were grilling out while drifting along the Cumberland River in Cockrill Bend.

All of a sudden, appearing out of nowhere was a group coming around the bend that appeared to be walking on water.  No, it was not Jesus and his disciples.  It was Neil Newton and friends enjoying the newest outdoor water sport of “stand-up paddle boarding.”

Over the past weeks, it is apparent that this sport is catching on in Middle Tennessee!  Ever seen yoga on a paddle board?  Ever tried it?  NOW you can!

Here are avid paddle boarding enthusiasts getting ready to launch a YOLO brand (You Only Live once) paddle board into the Cumberland River at Rock Harbor.

Neil is now offering Stand-up Paddle Board rentals and lessons from Rock Harbor Marina in Nashville.  For more information, call 615.496.8082 or visit the website http://www.paddleuptn.com/

Busier Times! (Part 2)

Picking up where we left off in Part 1, with the boat moving decision made, we enjoyed our remaining time at Blackjack Cove.

Years ago, we met a very special family in Honduras, one that has been instrumental in our involvement with the Rotary Club of Choluteca Honduras service projects.  We were very fortunate to have Sergio and Karla Salinas, and their two sons Sergio Jr. and Mario join us for several days

They arrived on the evening of July 2nd, after visiting other Rotary Clubs in Northern Alabama and Middle Tennessee.   AFter their time with us, they would visit more Rotary Clubs in Martin, TN and Lawrenceburg to show appreciation of our district’s involvement in Honduras. 

On the morning of July 3rd, we gathered at the Blackjack Cove Ship Store for a farewell breakfast with Harry.  For those of you that haven’t experienced Harry’s home cooking in the Ship Store, you have missed out.  Catch him Tuesday – Saturdays for breakfast and lunch!

Quite a few friends joined us for the ride down river too.  Everyone is fascinated by the locks, which is basically like a toilet tank we would pull into and be flushed to the river below!

Today’s drop would be over 60 feet due to the lower Cumberland River levels.

We made great time down river, passed the General Jackson, and decided we would stop downtown and fix lunch and wait on it to get there and turn around, a great site to see.

Mario did a great job as Captain and we arrived at Rock Harbor Marina around 3:00 pm.

Rock Harbor Marina lost its famed restaurant, The Blue Moon, in the May 2010 Flood.  We were pleased to see construction nearly complete on the new restaurant facility, to be opening soon…more on that later.

The evening of February 3rd, the Rock Harbor Yacht Club hosted The Rotary Club of Spring Hill, The Salinas Family, and others for a great evening meal – prepared by Sid Neuhoff and Keith Clodfelter.  Those two guys are always doing something good for others and we raised over $1400 for our future Honduras project that evening!

The evening of July 4th, we headed back upstream to downtown Nashville for “Let Freedom Sing” and its awesome fireworks display.

We were fortunate to have radio personalities Doogie Vance and Dagwood Buzz join us with tunes for the evening.  They made the evening rock!

And then……

Boom, Boom, Pow.

The next morning, we said goodbye to Karla, Sergio, Sergio Jr. and Mario.  Ruby, our Blue Doberman, was there this time and enjoyed meeting them!

July was a busy month, with Ole South ending the month with 42 sales and 35 closings!  Our great sales force, construction team, and administrative staff all pulled together in this period of extreme temperatures to make everything flow smoothly!  For every new home that sells, we’re starting more and we remain very optimistic about new home sales in Middle Tennessee!

As you can see from the many postings of this blog, Nashville is a great place to call home.  We at Ole South are ready to build that home when the time is right for you!

Until then, Good Evening!

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, Gallatin, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer 2012 – Busier Times! (Part 1)

So far, the Summer of 2012 has been one of extremes!  Extremely high temperatures, extremely dry conditions,  extremely busy, and best of all…extremely fun.

First off, it is great to see our new home market maintaining momentum into the summer.  In June, we posted 41 new sales and are already at 32 as of July 15th!  I feel truly blessed to be a part of the great team at Ole South – Tennessee’s #1 Home Builder, and thankful for the support of our area Realtors and homeowners for believing in us.

The busier we all get, the better we have to be at managing our priorities and time.  After all, there are only so many hours in a day.

Everyone that knows Beth and I know that boating plays a key part in our personal, as well as business life.  Weekends off simply don’t happen often and the boat is there for a quick evening reprieve from the daily grind.  It is not unusual to see us on the boat most evenings during the week!

Summer 2012 brought on some decisions that had to be made.  Beth started a new position in Thompsons Station and I moved my office to Spring Hill, which made it increasingly difficult to spend as much time on the boat as we would like.  

On Memorial Day weekend of 2009, we pulled into Old Hickory Boat Dock with many of our boating friends from Rock Harbor Marina to spend the weekend. 

The marina had just been acquired by Angela and Bart Bagsby and renamed Blackjack Cove.  During their first week of operation, the marina was devastated by a large storm and work was going on everywhere!  At the end of the long weekend, we were so impressed with the people, progress and plans for the new marina that we decided to stay.  With Beth working in Mt. Juliet at the time, we had even more time for the boat!  We hated to leave our friends at Rock Harbor, but would still have many opportunities to stay in touch.

Over the past 3 years, we watched the transformation of this boat dock into a first-class marina.  New friendships and acquaintances were formed.  The facilities and atmosphere is beyond description.

And it was a great place for the wedding of Jessica and Brian Clark, who got married on Jessica’s family houseboat..and I had the honors to be Captain during the ceremony!

And after the ceremony, we returned to land for an unprecedented wedding reception at Blackjack Cove Marina, catered by The Black Pearl.

If you ever want to feed a lot of people in a fun way, call Blackjack Cove about a “Cajun Boil” dinner!

Back to making decisions. 

When we purchased our current boat in 2004, we brought it to Nashville from Louisville and stopped in at Rock Harbor Marina to spend the night, and would then take the boat to Elm Hill Marina on Percy Priest Lake, where I had been boating for 27 years.   Our overnight stay at Rock Harbor lasted 5 years!

One of the hardest things I have ever done is watch my mother grow older.  She is now 91 and living independently at Park Manor, an incredible facility for seniors.   Our new working logistics were making it harder to spend time with her, time that I will regret not spending.

With Rock Harbor being only 5 minutes from Mom, and 15 minutes from our home, the right decision was clear.

After all, Mom enjoys visiting the boat too!

In Part 2, we were joined by great friends from Honduras for the ride down the Cumberland from Blackjack Cove Marina to Rock Harbor, where festivities for the 4th of July were already underway.  Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

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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