July 4th, early, and I'm sitting alone in Barista Parlor Golden Sound, in the Gulch, having a cup of coffee. Great coffee here and great space, too. Garage doors on both sides that allow the morning sunshine light to stream in. There's an old motorcycle in the corner for some reason. Best of all, it's the only coffee shop I know of in Nashville that has a turntable and plays record albums on it, which I absolutely love. It's a cool building with a great coffee shop vibe.
Barista Parlor has been here for quite a while and the area has grown up around it. So many changes in this neighborhood but Barista Parlor has been a constant, an oasis in the midst of so much change.
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Friday afternoon, on my way home from Monteagle, Jude sent me text to let me know that Joe was spending the night at Pike's house. Whoa! With J.P. at sports camp at Camp Woodberry in Virginia, that meant Jude and I would have the night to ourselves for maybe the third or fourth time in well, forever. What to do?
Because it's what happens when you're together for more than 20 years, Jude and I, independently, thought it would be great to walk down to Epice in 12South for dinner. Yep, great minds think alike. I was able to get a reservation for 7:45 p.m. I read a book while Jude finished up work for the day upstairs, in my office, then we left the house and began our walk to Epice.
On nights like that, I was reminded how fortunate we are to live in our neighborhood, a walking neighborhood. It was unseasonably cool for July, which was nice. Of course, since it's a holiday weekend, there were a lot of people out and about in 12 South. We marveled - as we often do - at how much the neighborhood has changed in the 20 years we've lived near or in it.
Many places have come and gone in 12South - like Rumour's Wine Bar, Mirror, Katy K's Ranch Dressing, Serendipity (recently moved down the street) - and a few new restaurants are popping up. There's a giant hole in the ground on 12th Avenue, where the funeral home used to be, and where a residential/retail development is in the very early stages of construction.
Jude and I got a table on the patio at Epice and had an almost perfect dinner outside. The appetizers were exquisite, especially the hummus, and our entrees were superb. I ordered the lamb meatballs and she had the filet medallions. I drank a nice glass of Tempranillo that was a perfect match for my dinner.
As we sat outside, eating dinner, we talked quietly. About work. About the boys. About, well, life, which has thrown us a curveball, for sure, this summer. There was a moment where I just stared at Jude as she talked, relaxed and smiling. I was struck by her beauty in that moment. No makeup. No expensive haircut. No hipster outfit. Just a natural beauty that radiates from the inside-out, enveloping her in an aura all her own.
I really wanted to take a picture with my cell phone to capture the moment, to preserve it. But, I didn't want to spoil the mood, so I'm writing about it now, with the idea that I'll preserve it forever.
After dinner, we walked across the street, so I could introduce Jude to my friend, Troy, who bartends and manages at Burger Up. He's heard so much about her, and the boys, that I wanted him to meet her and have a chance to say hello.
We walked home to our strangely quiet house. Also for the first time in forever, we sat on the couch and watched television for a bit. Two episodes of "Modern Love," an Amazon Prime series based on a column by the same name in the New York Times. Then, off to bed to read for a bit and a good night's sleep.
Friday night was a respite for us in the middle of a busy, often stressful, summer. An interlude.
A quiet place.
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