Friday Night Out - dotson's

Dotson's is a classic Franklin restaurant. It is a local favorite that is frequented by many famous people. They serve southern food in a meat and three (vegetables) plate style. I've heard breakfast is great too.

5 points

This intersection is called 5 points because of the meeting of multiple streets. Main Street shopping area is to the right. In a nut shell, here's how it goes - Columbia Avenue becomes Main Street then Franklin Road , Lewisburg Pike becomes 5th Avenue and then Hillsboro Road. These roads also change names once or twice once you get into Nashville. Oh and the roads have numbers too. The city and road plannners just like to confuse us.

Sometimes I love hand-me-downs

I went home for the weekend and got a new camera - new to me. I gave my brother my camera, my dad upgraded his camera, and I got his old camera. It is a Nikon D100 and I also got his doubler. I used the doubler and my Tamron lens 300 mm to take this picture. I need alot of practice because it is very hard to get a good focus on a small object like this flower. Thanks Dad!!

Garden Gate

An entry to the garden at a historic house called Meeting of the Waters. The ball and chain help close the gate.

Inviting

Porches are a southern tradition that offer shade from the sun in the hot summertime. With rockers, benches, or other chairs they invite you to come six and relax. This porch is a storefront in Leiper's Fork.

Blue Window

Most of the churches downtown have stained glass windows. They look just as pretty from the outside as they do from the inside.

Working Man

This is a large sculpture outside the Factory. I don't know the real name of the sculpture but looks like a man that may have worked here when it was used as a factory. This building was used by three different companies in the past. The original architecture of the building has been preserved. The building now houses shops and restaurants. There are also various types of classes taught here.

Friday Night Out - Carrabba's

This restaurant has great Italian food. Just want to know how they maintain the roof garden. It always looks so good.

Little Train Car

This little train car sits outside South Bound Trains. This is a model train shop on Columbia Avenue. This has become a lost hobby and definitely a lost mode of transportation. I love the new technology but wouldn't it be nice to sit back and travel across the country and have a dining room available and a sleeping area too. I have never traveled like this but it seems alot less stressful.

Old drug store

The drug store downtown is long gone but the sign has been preserved. I'm sure the original people of Franklin see this sign and reminisce about the good ole days of shopping downtown and sitting at the soda fountain.

the Wildfire "car"

This "car" called the Wildfire is sitting outside Sam's Club. It looks like a covered motorcycle with two wheels in the back. It actually does have a backseat.

Nice Day for a White Wedding

Saturday the weather was perfect for a wedding. The temperature was a perfect 75 degrees and sunny which is unheard of this time of year. In tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding - the bride and her bridesmaids were going into the front of the church while the groom and his groomsmen were going around the back.

Catholic Procession

A processional for the Saturday Night Mass at the Catholic Church in downtown Franklin. I don't know the reason for the green shirts.

My lucky backyard

This is my backyard. I feel lucky to have it because most houses around here back up to other houses. Our property ends at the swing set but we have common area behind us because of a gas pipeline that runs through the neighborhood. We are also at the edge of the neighborhood so we have a row of trees at the back, a creek, a fence, and then another house with lots of trees and a large yard.

Friday Night Out - PF Changs

This is my favorite restaurant. The lettuce wraps are the best. Everything I have ever had here is great.

Cozy House

This is one of my many favorite houses in Franklin. It may not be noticeable to some people because it is a different style than usually found in the historic district. I love it because it looks very homey and cozy. The family has been renovating recently and the exterior is much brighter.

Roundabout

This roundabout is on Main Street in downtown.

Wall

There are low walls like this all over town. Some are newer than others. This old is around a very old cemetery.

Green Neighborhood

Creekstone, located off Royal Oaks, is the first "green" neighborhood in Franklin. Their website says that all homes being built are Energy Star Qualified and meet the Department of Energy's Building Challenge.

Franklin First United

These are the doors to my church and I am not used to seeing them closed. They are open and inviting on Sunday mornings. This is First United Methodist Church located on 5th Avenue in Downtown Franklin.

Hi-way 50 drive in

Okay, I know not a great picture, but a fun thing to do on a weekend. The Hi-way 50 Drive In has been open since 1946 and shows two back-to-back movies on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. It is about 45 minutes from Franklin. You can even bring your own food and pets, and its cheaper than one movie at the regular theater.

http://hiway50.webs.com/

Friday Night Out - Oscar's

I don't cook on Friday nights, so sometimes we either order out or go out to eat. Oscar's on Columbia Avenue is a new place that has great mexican food. I didn't know that I had never had authentic mexican before I tried this place. The transplants from California complained that we didn't have authentic mexican food until they found this place.

Headmaster's Row

This house is on Columbia Avenue. It was refinished not long ago and the area was named Headmaster's Row. I don't know the history or reason for the name, but with Battle Ground Academy across the street, it probably was the housing for the administrators.

Rooster Tails

Rooster Tails is an antique store on Columbia Avenue. They also make furniture from old barn wood. The metal stars are made by Amish people that live nearby.

Waiting at Home

We have been traveling and this is the one thing I miss at home. Our dog, a welch pembroke corgi, is at home. Brit loves to sit by the door and watch people and cars out front.

Merridees

Merridee's is a great place for breakfast or lunch in downtown Franklin.