Eye On Fly

For my son's thirteenth birthday we decided to visit some friends of ours we know from Pt. Lookout, Michigan, on their farm in Santa Fe (pronounced FEE), Tennessee, about an hour southwest of Nashville. Looking at the newly produced Old Tennessee Settlers To Soldiers Trail guide however I have determined they live closer to Fly, than what the U. S. Post Office says. Fly is just north of Water Valley and Shady Grove, but south of Bethel, Boston, and Leiper's Fork. Perhaps to give you a better idea, the road that connects all the above parallels the more famous Natchez Trace Parkway, an historic trail that provided sustenance, commerce, and an escape route for native American Indians, European traders, Confederate soldiers and settlers. It starts or ends, depending on your perspective, just south of Nashville, and goes all the way to Natchez, Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico.

This is hill country, where everyone has horses, lots of dogs, some cows, and more than the occasional donkey. This area, situated within Williamson and Maury Counties, is home to many of Nashville's biggest stars including Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Michael McDonald of Doobie Brothers fame, Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman, and the Judds, both Naomi and Wynona. As a matter of fact, Naomi Judd announced the Leiper's Fork Christmas parade yesterday from just a few feet away from where my family and I stood and watched the annual event.

The area is also known for its heavy concentration of antebellum architecture and Civil War battlegrounds including the Battle of Franklin, known in the South as the death knell of the Confederacy or Gettysburg of the West. One of the few night battles of the Civil War, it ended in 7,250 Confederate casualties and 2,326 Union dead and wounded. The Stars and Bars are big around here. So much so, that little Confederate flags were distributed by Confederate army impersonators in the parade we attended. Down here, the Civil War is known as the War of Northern Aggression. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting an historical marker or plaque indicating the site of a significant defeat or humiliation served up by those bastards from the North.

If you're ever down this way, I urge you to take some time to tour the area. Great history, beautiful scenery, terrific Southern hospitality and wonderful people. By the way my friends are looking to downsize and are seeking a buyer for their property. If you're looking for 60 plus acres south of Nashville, in the heart of the Old South, visit www.singingvalleyfarm.com.