Whenever he needed supplies, Eddie Owens Martin would dress up in drag queen regalia, open the doors of his beat-up old station wagon, and call his cats. Dozens would emerge from every corner of the yard and hop in for the short ride to Buena Vista, Georgia. In town, the cats would scatter to the … Read more
On the way to the airport, my shuttle driver pulled over to the curb in downtown Atlanta. In the pre-dawn dimness, the blood red bulbs of the historic Fox Theater blinked slowly off and on. Directly beneath the marquis, purple balloons and flowers lay in a huge heap on the sidewalk. Just a week earlier, … Read more
The tide is ebbing. I had hoped my father would live to see another spring and summer. To enjoy his final pontoon boat rides on the river. To see the trees bud out and watch the deer sneak surreptitiously into the yard under the cover of darkness. But the pull of the moon is strong … Read more
Suggest that they are visionaries and Dr. Charles and Mary Portera, founders of the Bluff View Art District in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will just laugh and shake their heads. “There was no vision involved,” insists Dr. Portera. “It just happened.” During my recent visit to Chattanooga I was fortunate to share dinner with the Portera’s at … Read more
In October of 2011, readers of Outside Magazine overwhelmingly voted Chattanooga, Tennessee their ultimate dream town. The following year, the New York Times ranked the city #25 in The 45 Places to Go in 2012, a list that included such notable tourist destinations as London, Jordan, and Antarctica. However, Chattanooga’s current status as top tourist … Read more
