With the blue grass calling, we headed north on I-65 from Nashville and soon found ourselves in the very interesting city of Bowling Green.  Not only is Bowling Green the third most populous town in the state (behind Louisville and Lexington), the city is headquarters for an amazing diversity of products. 

  

National Corvette Museum

With Corvette's only remaining manufacturing plant located there, Bowling Green was the natural choice for a museum honoring this iconic American sports car.  The organization's stated mission is to celebrate the invention of the Corvette, preserve its past, present and future, and educate the public about Corvettes.
  

World War II Corvette

The manufacture of corvettes began during World War II, but not the two-seat roadster made by Chevrolet.  In the early years of the war, Canadian and British navies struggled to protect the critical North Atlantic shipping lanes from attacks by German submarines.  The United States collaborated with its allies to develop a new type of anti-submarine ship.  Named a corvette (French word for fast boat), the new vessel could quickly maneuver, darting in and out of convoys to protect large ships from attacks, and enabling the Allies to gain control of the North Atlantic.
  
After the war, U.S. Army Air Force General Curtis LeMay convinced General Motors and other companies to contribute money to encourage auto racing on U.S. military bases to help keep enlisted men motivated.  LeMay badgered his friend Harley Earl, head of GM styling, and Ed Cole, Chevrolet engineering manager, to develop a sports car.
  
Harley Earl secretively began toying with a small inexpensive, sporty concept car beginning in 1951.  A young designer and sports car enthusiast, Bob McClean, proposed a radical "sports car" design package with a short, wide wheelbase.  Earl accepted the challenge, working with his team to create a unique sports car design using a new plastic material, fiberglass.  When presenting the concept to GM management, someone suggested the car be called a Corvette, after the British fast-pursuit ships, and the name stuck.  A prototype of the car was introduced at a GM car show early in 1953. 

  

Original logo & Production logo

In spite of the restriction on the use of the American flag on commercial products, the original Corvette logo on the prototype featured the U.S. flag and a checkered racing flag to symbolize the Corvette's role as an American sports car.  When it was determined that the car would actually enter production, the logo was quickly changed to incorporate the crossed flags still in use-- a checkered racing flag and a flag with the Chevrolet logo and a fleur-de-lis to commemorate the heritage of the automaker's founder, Louis Chevrolet.
  
Only 300 Corvettes were built in 1953, the original production year.  The first Corvette reached the end of the assembly line on June 30, 1953.  All 1953 Corvettes were white with a red interior and a black canvas top, with a two-speed automatic transmission.  There were two options offered:  a signal seeking AM radio for $145.15 and a heater for $91.40.  The base price was $3,498, including federal tax and shipping charges.
  
NCM curators have cleverly organized the museum with an eye to history-- exhibiting each of the six generations of the car in settings depicting the period of its manufacture.  Check the price of gas at this 1958-era station as the attendant prepares to check under the hood.

  

1950s exhibit

Of the many Corvettes on exhibit, one of the most interesting was a blue 1965 model.  The car itself is not unusual, but its history certainly is.  In November of 1970, Chance Mayfield parked his 1965 Corvette outside the Broadway Barn, a Nashville bar. After an evening of fun, he came out to discover that the Nassau Blue convertible with a white top was gone. Time passed and Mayfield gave up hope of ever seeing the car again.  

  

1965 Corvette returned to owner 39 years after it was stolen

Then in 2009, a collector tried to register the vehicle with the Arizona DMV and and received notice that the car had been stolen in 1970.  Although it had been previously owned by a variety of car collectors, this was the first time the car had been referenced by the National Insurance Claims Bureau while being registered.  Imagine Mayfield's surprise when he received a call notifying him that his car, stolen 39 years earlier, had been found.  And in a rare occurence, Mayfield actually benefitted from not having his vehicle insured.  The car, which had increased in value from $2,200 when it was stolen to $65,000 when it was returned, belongs to Mayfield, not an insurance company.  It is currently on loan to the museum.
  
Corvette owners are a loyal bunch, and many visit the museum each year, where they are made to feel especially welcome.  Special parking areas are set aside just for Corvettes.  Corvette Owners Clubs from all over the nation are recognized with banners.  And photos of Corvette owners abound, including a large composite image made up of thousands of ordinary Corvette owners.  (Click on the photo to see a sample of the individual images.)

  

Composite photo collage of Corvette owners

Even without the letterboxes, the museum was a terrific place to visit.  The boxes just added a little turbo charge.  Vroom, vroom!

  
Rather than passing the torch, the baton, the buck, the hat or any of the other myriad items one usually hears about being handed from one person to another, today was the day in our family for the passing of the horse.  At age 8, Steven has long since outgrown the spring horse riding toy that Nanamama's friend gave him when he was three.  Wanting to share some of the joy that this palamino pony had provided him, Steven convinced his parents it was time pass the spring horse on to his little cousin Anna.
  
With Grandpa Steve as her personal equestrian trainer, Anna took to horseback riding immediately and enthusiastically.  In fact, she was reluctant to dismount and tried to climb back on for another ride whenever the horse came into her line of vision as she busily circulated, checking out all the activity in her usually quiet yard.
  
After a wonderful lunch, everyone gathered in the Robinsons' leafy, relaxing backyard for socializing, singing, laughing, storytelling, and an ongoing game of "Save the Earth."  Before the afternoon was over, most everyone had joined in the game to keep the inflatable globe in the air.  Incredibly, it stayed up for 5,280 taps before hitting the ground!  OK, it was only 58, but it was still lots of fun and felt like quite an accomplishment.

  
As much fun as the ballgame was though, the real hit of the afternoon was Kathy's roll-out of the exquisite Island Way sorbets.  Imported from South Africa, these luscious deserts are made from tropical fruits, milks and other natural ingredients and cleverly packaged in natural fruit shells. Kathy discovered them recently and knew it was something the family would love.  She was right! 
  
The business that conceived these ingenious products exemplifies the kind of assistance provided to the economies of sub-Saharan Africa by the African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000.  Due to this legislation, the South African company can get their products into the U.S. market duty free.  This has tripled Island Way's production, enabling them to hire more employees and positively impacting upwards of 2,000 lives in a country where most estimates indicate 50% or more of the population struggles in poverty.
  
With flavors like heavenly coconut, pineapple dreams, zesty pomegranates and passionate mangoes, we wondered how we could stop at just one of these delicious sorbets.  Fortunately, Kathy anticipated that issue and had plenty on hand for those who needed to explore other flavors.

  

Taste testers Ken, Steven & Anna (with help from her Nana)

Taste testers Woodie, Kendyll & Kyle, Nanamama, & Rachel

Alison, Anna & Maggie, Anna enjoying the sorbet

  
The weather fairy waved her magic wand and granted us beautiful blue skies for the trip and for an afternoon of letterboxing in Nashville.  Planning the letterboxing (from Georgia):  "Hey, let's go to downtown Nashville.  Saturday afternoon should be a great time to search for the urban boxes when things aren't so busy."
  
When we arrived downtown, we were treated to a large dose of Nashville reality on this particular Saturday:  Dog Day Festival 2011 brought 8,000 dogs and their owners to downtown's Centennial Park for various canine activities.  The Ole Miss Rebels invaded the city to square off against Vanderbilt's football team in their downtown stadium, both teams well represented by loyal fans.  Taylor Swift fans flocked downtown for her concert at Bridgestone Arena.  And those were just some of the major events.