And then my brother called home from the Parthenon.

This afternoon, just before my flaming-sworded friend, her excellent husband, and I headed off to carry Project Exodus farther into its next stage, my telephone rang, and it was my brother calling.

My brother, as I may have mentioned, moved down to Tennessee this spring to take a new job--which, I'm glad to say, is treating him quite well and helping him feel happy. Plus, he's off exploring a landscape that my family and I don't know at all. Which brings us to today's call.

"I'm at Centennial Park," he said into the answering machine before I could get to the phone. "...and," he said as I answered, "they've got this full-scale replica of the Parthenon here!" "What?!" I replied. Yes, it turns out (raise your hand if you knew this!) that there's a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee.


It was built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897. It has more mindboggling features than I can list for you, here at the end of yet another day of packing and moving and touching up paint and counting up burned out light bulbs. (But try this on for size, from the City of Nashville's FAQ about the Parthenon:

Q: Can I rent the Parthenon for a special event like a business meeting or a wedding reception.
A: The Parthenon is available for parties or meetings after regular business hours. Rather than a rental fee, you must join our non-profit "friends" organization, Parthenon Patrons, at the Olympian level. To find out more about the rules and regulations for using the building, please send us an e-mail.")

On a less tired night, I would tell you stories about the time I went to the Parthenon, and maybe about the other time I went to the Parthenon. But for tonight, I'm going to have to rely on my brother's eye, which never fails to capture exactly what I want to see.


sources for tonight's images: Nashville's Parthenon photo page and my brother.