Jasper.....

...Indiana, A German Heritage town,
it's known for art and Strassenfest, it won't let you down,
the celebrations wind up on Sundays, but before it passes,
they celebrate in three churches with Polka Masses.

Jasper is also the county seat,
home of a company that packs meat,
it a busy place for twelve thousand souls,
and don't forget the trains that into French Lick rolls.

Top:  The golf course, notice the "waterfall" in the shadows, it's real.
Middle: Downtown
Bottom: Train station, trains to French Lick (home of Larry Bird)

Owensboro....

....Kentucky, once a city of steel mills,
now prosperous, busy and nothing stands still;
home of Colonel Sanders, who was the chicken king,
and of Johnny Depp, the actor, who wore the priate bling.

It's where the last public hanging was, in nineteen thirty-eight,
and where Ames made motorcars with Bendix brakes;
Temple Adath Israel one of the oldest synagogues in the USA,
it's the BBQ Capital of the world, and river boats go anchors aweigh.

Top: Base of sign in a city park.
Middle: The Glover Cary Bridge over the Ohio River.
Bottom:  Not in "horse country", but plenty of horses are around.

Bowling Green...

.....Kentucky, home of the Corvette,
at least we havn't gotten rid of those yet;
and you can tour a cave, deep underground,
and do it in a boat! Boy they get around.

Or walk along the river, on the River Walk,
if you're not like me, can't chew gum and walk;
it's a pretty place here in the Kentucky hills,
it's springtime and it's nice, no chance of getting chills.

Top: A portion of the River Walk.
Middle: A few Chevrolet Corvettes, made right here.
Bottom: Entrace to the cave, taken from the boat.

Clarksville....

.....Tennessee, and we didn't take the last train,
nearby Fort Campbell, Kentucky, we'll explain,
is mostly in Tenneesse and provides the most...
...income in Clarksville, which is a great host.

There are other things that may interest you,
if, you like history, this is a place for you to do;
and the natural surroundings are simply top notch,
there are places Mother Nature did not blotch.

Top: Montgomery Central High School - different.
Middle: The Clarksville Museum.
Bottom: Taking a rest from a long flight in a City park.

Murfreesboro...

....Tenneesse, is one nice place,
it's downhill to the river, which goes by in a race,
there are hill and valleys too,
a great place to visit, they'll welcome you.

It's a working place, with a growth rate going wild,
listed by Money as a great place to raise a child;
since we're having none of that,
maybe it's okay, if you just have a cat!

Top:  East Main Street

Middle: The view on April 10, 2009, a lot of damage, no loss of life.

Bottom: Tenneesse has a lot of history, this old mill included.

McMinnville....

....Tennessee, in the photo above, shown in 3D,  (click to enlarge)
it's the real deal, Middle Tennessee is the place to be.
It's another small town, but they're all special to me,
there's the Cumberland Caverns nearby that we will see.

There is a walkway on the outskirts of town,
that runs a good distance, it didn't let us down,
it's quite a hike with chances to stop, or even to fish,
on the Tennessee River, it puts a lot on your dish.

Top: 3D image from Google Earth's new Cities in 3D.
Middle: East Main Street, McMinnville.
Bottom: Just outside of the town, lovely isn't it?

Chattanooga....

....Tennessee,  the city with a choo choo,
and there's a whole lotta stuff to do,
go to Lookout Mountain and take in the view,
or watch the Lookouts play baseball just for you.

You can tour on a steam boat, or simply take a walk,
of course there are parks or places to sit a talk;
I don't understand why Chattanooga's not talked too much about,
so I'll just do it now, give the place a shout!

Top:  The Chattanooga Choo Choo

Middle: The steam boat tour

Middle2: A view of the city from Lookout Mountain

Bottom: Logo of the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball team

Reminder:  You can click on a picture to enlarge

Rome....

....Georgia, where the Capitoline Wolf feeds,
Romulus and Remus fill their needs,
the statue a gift from Mussolini in nineteen twenty-nine.
It looks kind of out of place, but this town is fine.

This was cotton country many years ago,
before the boll weevil came and stole the show,
now auto parts and tires provide a jobs here,
to the city with seven hills and three rivers, give a cheer.

Top:  The "statue".
Middle: Elevated view of the city.
Bottom: An old mill, very large wheel.

Lawrenceville....

....Georgia, named for a Naval hero from some time ago,
Captain James Lawrence, is the one we know;
his famous quote "don't give up the ship",
is one sailors learn in boot camp, it's still hip.

Up in middle Georgia with a historic downtown,
Lawrenceville has plenty, there will be no need to frown,
from the Tibble Mill Park, pictured up above,
there are many things in Lawrenceville, you are sure to love.

Top: Tibble Mill Park, looks nice.
Middle: Downtown Lawrenceville.
Bottom: Gwinnett County Courthouse, in the center of town.

Macon...

...Georgia, home town of the kazoo,
and a lot more important things that are good for you,
music is important, there's a list with many names,
from the Allman Brothers to P. Diddy, and Little Richard, all have fames.

And the cherry blossom festival gets the town in gear,
and other fairs and festivals continue all the year.
Robbins Air Force Base is the major source of jobs,
and there are seven colleges to increase the odds.

Top:  The skyline at night.
Middle: The one and only Little Richard.
Bottom: Cherry Blossoms line a street, nice.

Albany....

....Georgia, hometown of Mr. Ray Charles, this time,
who could have imagined "...moonlight through the pine",
that in itself is reason to visit this city and view..
..just what's here to see, taste, and go to for you.

There's a huge base of the logistical sort,
not open to visitors, it's not a resort;
it's a major center for the U S Marine Corp,
supplies and repairs, imagine the roar.

Top:  Ray Charles statue in front of the Ray Charles Auditorium, it sit's on top of a fountain.
Middle: A 'tow truck for tanks' being overhauled at the USMC logistics base.
Bottom: The Lincoln Oak, I believe it's gone now, this photo from the 1950's. It's not trimmed that way!

Valdosta...

...Georgia, home to the first ATM machine,
one of the states famous cities, the first we've seen;
also know for turpentine and lumber at prices that vary,
and Wild Adventures Park, with rides that are downright scary!

Long history here in cotton, which used to be king,
until the boll weevil came in and did it's thing.
Now pine trees cover much of the land,
in a tradition that was carefully planned.

Top:  Roller Coaster at the Wild Adventures Park.
Middle: The County Courthouse, sits in the center of town.
Bottom:  The approach in autumn.

Ocala.....

.....Florida, Thoroughbred horses here, want to race?
Well Mister Man then you found the right place.
Here in central Florida horse farm abound,
maybe you should come to the Kingdom of the Sun and look around.

Ol' Larry has a daughter, she's a mom too,
Rhonda and Nick and Stu - howdy to you!
They've been there for so very long,
getting the chills - when Ol' Larry feels warm.

Top:  Get ready! Get set! Go!, or not.
Bottom: A downtown horse, in local colors.

Winter Haven...

...Florida, what a nice surprise,
such wonder here, I couldn't believe my eyes,
formerly the winter home of the Red Sox and Tribe,
they couldn't keep 'em here, and they didn't bribe.

Long time home of Cypress Gardens that now are gone,
making room for Lego-land, that's a reach beyond;
there are lots of lake here, waterski school abound,
Abby wants to try it, I'm staying on the ground.

Top:  A show of very nice cars.
Middle: Legoland Florida will be like this, only bigger - opens in 2011.
Bottom: Good morning: sunrise in Winter Haven.

Merritt Island...

...Florida, home of Cape Canaveral, and the shuttle too,
watching it zooming on a night launch would be so cool;
but much more is on the island that the race for space,
it's on the Banana River, how's that for a place?

There are many birds, all different in some way,
and, or course, the beaches - for a place to play;
the sun is warm, the day is lazy, time to take a break,
we won't be long, be on our way - get up for goodness sake!

Just a reminder - you can click on any image to make it larger.
Top:  A shuttle stands ready.
Middle: A spoonbill look for lunch.
Bottom: The Town of Merritt, say this looks like a good place for a runway.

Jacksonville....

....Florida, where Ol' Larry spent some time,
right up there in that picture, near the flight line,
those little bity dots near the bottom of the hexagon, not dome,
are cars in the parking lot, waiting to go home.

It was pretty easy duty that Ol' Larry had,
Jax in the summer, Iceland winters aren't that bad,
sometimes that reversed, went to the beach for a swim,
it was good while it lasted, but I know now, what I didn't then.

Top:  The hangar at the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, it's the hex building.
Middle:  Planes fly in formation over Jax in this 1948 photo, no! I didn't take it.
Bottom:  The City of Jacksonville at night, reflected in the St. Johns River.

Lake City....

 ....Florida, a city at a cross roads, a very busy place
located on the Suwannee River, so why the rat race?
I guess it's called location, you've heard of that before,
now we must remember to take time to explore.

It's a service center in a melon growing state,
add to that the lumber, peanuts that are great,
cotton and tobacco grown around here too,
and don't forget the lakes, fun for me any you.

Top:  Down on the Suwannee River, there it is!
Middle:  Alligator Lake
Bottom:  A section of the downtown area.