More Tennesse State Fairgounds Fleamarket/ Fleamarkets in general, Nashville, Union Shaker Village

Flea markets are interesting places. They vary from your average antique show. Most antique shows are just antique shows. Flea markets can be abit of everything. You name it you can almost always find it at a flea market. Flea market are actually one of my favorite places to shop for antiques. Often, you find people who look like they have emptied out some basement or barn were it looks like their merchandise has been stored from the light of day for 30 years.

The Tennessee show we just went to was no exception. The above picture was one of those kind of booths. Although it was actual cleaner than most booths I like to paw through.

This booth keep changing all three days of the show. They would sell stuff and just kept bring more. The coolest thing I liked about this picture was the great rusty Indian motorcycle in the middle of the picture.

One of our many discoveries at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds was this great booth of outsider art by a woman by the name of T.R. White. We did decided that we loved her style so much that we decided to purchase a small canvas which is now hanging in our home.
The key to shopping any flea market is to get there early and don't be scare to dig. I find every flea market a grand adventure.

However, all of our discoveries were not just to be found at the fairgrounds. We spent one night visiting downtown Nashville.

There are lots of great old historic buildings.

Lots of nods to the thriving country music scene.

As well as one of our favorite Blues artists. The night life is truly something to be experienced with lots of great music and great food.

However, our favorite discovery was a visit we made on the way home to the South Union Shaker colony museum in Kentucky. We have both loved and studied the Shakers for years and both have visited a number of shaker museums.

There was a tranquil spiritual feeling to this place that we both felt and were deeply moved by.

There was a peacefulness we experienced as well as we walked through the buildings that had survived. The museum also houses one of the largest collections of shaker furniture made at South Union in North American

The simple philosophy of form following function was present everywhere.

After we walked through the buildings we walked down a lane on the westerly portion of the community and talked and reflected about our own lives and the show we had just participated in. It was a wonderful way to end our trip to the Nashville, Tennessee State Fair ground show.

Live is short. It is meant to be lived and experienced. Perhaps that is the best gift we can give those around us, to live our lives well. We certainly felt our weekend in Tennessee was well lived and time well spent.