Blacklit kittens and a Safeplace

So Chattanooga Aquarium is top notch. I especially loved the banjo player who sang mountain songs inside the Tennessee River exhibit. That must be a sweet gig. Sing songs, watch fish, watch the crazies, and get paid! The Butterfly Garden was gorgeous and slightly magical; I couldn't help but feel like Snow White or something with all these fluttering animals uninhibited and free... well you know sorta free. The touch tank offered sting rays swimming in circles- only touch with two fingers though. This way they don't get stressed out. I stood in line to touch the shark, but the stupid 5 year olds kept cutting! I was aggravated and wanted to push them out of the way, but Michael made me suck it up and move on. I'm also still angry at the toddler who got in front of me in the 'See Like a Seahorse' line.

Rock City (www.seerockcity.com) is a spectacle to behold and well worth your $18. Rock City is this um, 'city' of rocks on top of Lookout Mountain in Knoxville. It's like a fairyland of paths and bridges and flora and fauna in and about giant rock formations. The SPECTACLE comes when you enter Fairyland Cavern- a cave of blacklight dreams. In the 1940s I suppose it was schmancy new technology, and people would pay to walk through and see dozens of fairy tale dioramas. The climax is the giant diorama of every mother goose rhyme you can remember complete with castles and running water, which you can walk around, 'ooo', and 'ahh'!

Finally, I played a sweet show at WDVX's Blue Plate Special. I wish we had one of these in our town. Every weekday there's a lunchtime live show in a coffeeshop/vistor's center which airs on the radio. The locals all congregate and eat their lunch while listening. The bill was split between me and The Honeydew Drops, a sweet bluegrassy couple on tour and recently featured on Praire Home Companion.

Now's it's off to Lexington KY and then Chicago for the weekend.