Nashville ranks very high in a number of different areas, beating out lots of other areas of the country. So do Franklin, Tennessee and Williamson County.

Have a look at some of the unique designations for the area we live in...

Looking for a new home in Tennessee?

Or, maybe you're interested in finding land for sale instead of a house?

Either way, here are the best places to find homes and property for sale in Tennessee, particularly in the Franklin and Williamson County area (...but most also list surrounding towns and counties, if not the entire state).

Which Nashville news channel do you prefer to watch on TV in the mornings? (And for that matter... in the afternoons and evenings, too.)

I guess I have some issues with how the news is covered on local television stations. Check out my favorite (and least favorite) Nashville news channels...

Well it looks like our newest celebrity neighbor is none other than Jessica Simpson.

Jessica really wants to release a country album and she isn't just whistling 'Dixie' this time. She has been in Tennessee writing music with John Rich from country duo Big and Rich and is going to live there for a while." Source

It's a small world after all...

As many of you know, we're in the process of building a log home here in Franklin, Tennessee.

I've been compiling my own list of building supply centers, salvage yards and specialty stores that we plan to visit during the building & design process.

I thought some of these links might be of interest to others building (or decorating) new homes here in Middle Tennessee.

According to the National Motorists Association, the top 10 cities with speed traps are:

1. Detroit, Michigan suburbs
2. Colorado Springs, Colorado
3. Houston, Texas
4. Orlando, Florida
5. Nashville, Tennessee
6. Ann Arbor, Michigan
7. Albuquerque, New Mexico
8. Washington, D.C.
9. Denver, Colorado
10. Virginia Beach, Virginia

Jim and I went to see Shawn Mullins at 3rd & Lindsley this past weekend.

While there, we saw a guy wearing a T-shirt that said, "Nashville is the new L.A."

I've seen (or heard) this phrase a few times before, but I had no idea it was such a big thing... especially around here. (I guess we don't get out much.)

Now you can get your own "Nashville is the new LA" T-shirt!...

Did you know that Sally Field's latest movie venture, "Two Weeks" was filmed here in Nashville?

I didn't.

Hmmm... wonder where I was back in 2005 when they were filming this movie. You'd think there there would've been a little more hub-bub at the time.

The movie recently opened in theaters. Here's everything you want to know about the movie and about Sally Field...

And I thought bubble wrap was just for fun!...

(Okay, and maybe for wrapping things prior to shipping.)

But Nashville, Tennessee's Grayson Rosenberger found the best use of all!...

The child advocacy group, America's Promise Alliance, has named Metro Nashville and Davidson County as one of the top spots for young people.

The chairwoman of America's Promise Alliance is Alma Powell, the wife of retired General Colin Powell.

One of my favorite things to do is to look at very old photos of Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee.

Here's a classic from Marty Evans at Historic Nashville. This is the oldest known picture of Nashville:

Below the photo it says: The Market at Nashville

Check out Marty's other pictures...

According to a November 2006 report, Nashville is #4 on the list of top party cities!

Following are some fun resources for partying in and around Nashville, Tennessee...

Not long ago, we were looking for a reputable attorney in the area -- to get some advice before we settled with "the guilty party's" insurance agent when I was rear-ended in a car accident.

At the time, we weren't exactly sure how to find a reputable attorney, and we didn't know who to ask for a referral.

Do you need a lawyer? We've got some tips for you...

Currently the closest the Music City Star (Nashville's new commuter train) gets to Franklin is downtown Nashville (Riverfront Park).

Good news though...

Plans are in the works for an extension to the train's route, with stops in Brentwood and Franklin!

Maybe it's just because I went to my nephew's Boot Camp graduation last weekend that "military" things are more noticeable to me now... I don't know.

But, something struck me as odd when I saw this OLD-timey Army truck passing through downtown Nashville -- right past the Capitol Building -- yesterday during rush hour.

The first annual Sales Tax Holiday in Tennessee is right around the corner: August 4-6, 2006.

Timed with the start of the school year, it's a great opportunity to purchase items tax-free ...everything from back-to-school items and office supplies to computers and clothing for the entire family!

The Tennessee General Assembly passed Public Chapter 398 (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 67-6-393) which established an annual sales tax holiday beginning in August 2006. The holiday starts each year at 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August and ends at 11:59 p.m. on the following Sunday.

--Source

Following is a list of hotels in and around the Nashville area that allow pets. Most of these have no restrictions as to the size or breed. And only a few charge an additional fee for this pet-friendly option.

(For the record, if I were to stay in a pet-friendly hotel, I would prefer those which charge an additional fee for extra cleaning and extermination after each pet's visit!)

You've probably seen them out & about. Many states have organized "roadside assistance programs" like this in their major metro areas.

If you ride the Tennessee highways and live in Chattanooga, Memphis, Knoxville, or Nashville, chances are you've encountered one or more of those lime yellow ambulance-looking trucks parked along the shoulder helping a stranded motorist, funneling traffic around an accident scene, or even single-handedly managing a major traffic incident -- as they are often the first to arrive on scene.

I'm here to sing the praises of the courageous men & women who ride the roadways providing aid to motorists. These uniformed operators are paid to deal with roadside incidents and accidents, while striving to keep everyone safe and restore traffic to normal conditions as soon as possible.

I, for one, am grateful.

Okay, this usually isn't my style... but I feel compelled to share a bit of "scoop" I heard yesterday on the radio.

I honestly don't know the radio station I heard it on. I only know that it was around 5pm, and I was channel surfing in the car on my way home from work. The only thing I know for sure: It was a Nashville radio station.

The first thing you need to know: Sarah S. (a.k.a. Sarah Stone, one of the "bachelorettes" who made the cut on the first night of the new season of The Bachelor) is from Nashville, Tennessee.

(...no, that's not the scoop!)

In fact, you might have seen Sarah watching the show with friends at a trendy upscale bar in Nashville on the news immediately after Monday's airing of The Bachelor.

Here's the scoop:
It turns out that Sarah was spotted this week with the bachelor himself, (Travis Stork, an ER doctor at Vanderbilt) working out at the YMCA in Green Hills together.

Today I heard about a number of local tourist attractions that are offering something special to those who've been displaced by Hurricane Katrina and now find themselves in Nashville, Tennessee.

Thanks to them, there are now lots of FUN things for these folks to do while they're in Nashville...

There's no doubt about it, the entire Nashville community is pulling together to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Here's a song two guys from Nashville (from The Southern Pride Band) wrote about Hurricane Katrina called "Eye of the Hurricane".

Everywhere you go, there are signs posted regarding some form of relief for the people of Mississippi and Louisiana:

Businesses, large and small, are becoming drop-off locations for the basic necessities -- including canned food items, bottled water, diapers, paper products, etc.

Churches and schools are serving as shelters and Red Cross blood donation stations.

I only listen to JACK radio (96.3 FM in Nashville) on my lunch hour, so I don't always hear the "inside scoop" about this new radio station as regularly as "real" JACK fans do.

Fortunately, their website keeps everyone up-to-date... and now they're inviting everyone to come out and hang with JACK!

Prompted by the Nashville Scene's annual You Are So Nashville If... series, I set out to see how others (namely, tourists) view Nashville these days.

I'm always interested to hear what others have to say about Nashville when they come to visit.

I can't help but think there are a number of stereotypes out there which just don't do the city justice, and it's not until you've actually BEEN here that you realize, Nashville's a pretty cool place to be!

Perhaps the most common stereotype:

"Nashville is filled with rednecks who wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots and Wranglers everywhere they go. Oh, and they talk funny too!"

Plus, since Nashville's been dubbed Music City USA and has a long-standing reputation as the Country Music Capitol of the World, many people think everything is pure Country 24/7 around here and that honky tonks are the only places to have a good time.

That couldn't be farther from the truth.

Fortunately, some have taken the time to write about their experiences and set the record straight with regard to all there is to see and do in Nashville Tennessee.

Welcome to my world...

This is my welcome mat:

Yes, that is HAIL... about a thousand marble-sized hail pellets landed on our back step in a matter of seconds today!

(The above photo was taken at 5:17 p.m. today.)

Found these stories in the news and thought they were interesting because:

1. I didn't know that roadside memorials were illegal; and

2. I didn't know that you could turn someone in for driving badly.

Did you?...

Personally, I think that picking your nose while driving should be illegal, but that's another story.

Listen to Bud Light's Real Men of Genius "Mr. In The Car Nose Picker":