Touring Nashville

January 9: It was Saturday and a free day to roam around Nashville with my uncle and his kids. It was a very cold day though, so we didn't spend too much time outside. My fingers were freezing, but I made the sacrifice of using my camera in order to capture my downtown Nashville visit. We stopped by this statue of Jacques Timothe Boucher de Montbrun (1747-1826) by the river, and he was honored as Nashville's "first citizen." We drove near to the AT&T building, also known as the Batman building because it resembles a Gotham City-like structure, especially from a distance and close to evening. I've always enjoyed seeing the building and it's quite the Nashville landmark with how it resembles the mask of superhero character Batman . There's also another landmark that's close to the heart of the city: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where part of the building is shaped to look like a keyboard. The Pinnacle building and Shelby Street Bridge over the Cumberland River were nice sites to see.

One of the most peculiar but beautiful places I visited was The Parthenon at Metro Parks. Yes, it's a Parthenon, like the one in Greece. I've never been to Greece, but I would love to go and see the real Parthenon. At least I got to see this building and enjoy it's view as the sun set.

The Big GIFF Day

September 26 - GI Film Festival - Simi Valley, CA: It was an important day and it started off well as I was able to walk around Westlake Village where I stayed and enjoy the surroundings. I had the complimentary breakfast and had some bagels with cream cheese. That's a big deal as I'm often too on the go in the mornings to eat a good breakfast! Our GIFF crew arrived at the location of GIFF LA around 8am at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to prepare for the day. It was a beautiful location and we felt that this was the perfect place to hold this event.

We were pleased to be expecting a good number of people for this inaugural road show event. Guests started arriving and they were greeted at our welcome table and checked in, and guests could see the Young Marines at specific points showing them the way to the auditorium where the films were to be shown. There were a lot of veterans and supporters in attendance, and it was good to have Gary Sinese host this film festival. Gary is very supportive of our troops and has done so much to show his appreciation for them and their families. It's good to have support from a variety of celebrities too as seen in past GIFF events.

The surroundings of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library proved to be a very solemn and honoring location for this event, and the backdrop of the horizon was reflective. The sunset from this vantage point was absolutely gorgeous. One of the most notable monuments here was a piece of the Berlin Wall, and it brought to mind the events that transpired at that time and the sacrifices made to bring the wall down. The dawn of a new era would come and Ronald Reagan helped it's arrival at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987 with a speech challenging Mikhail Gorbachev to"tear down this wall!"

In such an environment as this, the films seemed to resonate more for the cause of freedom. The reactions to the films were positive with support and appreciation. One of the highlights of the day was seeing and hearing Gary Sinese speak, and following that there was a reception at the spacious Air Force One Pavillion. This was the plane that flew Reagan and several other U.S. Presidents. Also on exhibition was a 120' mural that represents all the aircraft that have flown a U.S President. The evening ended sometime after 11pm and just before Midnight the last of us departed having stood for our troops and the cause of freedom worldwide.