After Nashville we headed south to Savanna, a smaller town on the banks of the Tennessee River. We visited the Hardin Medical Center, a small hospital which specializes in cancer care, and is publicly owned, and debt free. A quick trip to the community college and then to the Tennessee River museum,  including exhibits on local Native American burial mounds, steamboats, and civil war memorabilia. I stayed with Kent and Betty-Lynn Collier, who were very kind and generous especially with the use of their swimming pool and speed boat. Kent is a keen Civil War collector, and owns three local McDonalds, which made breakfast very easy.

The Jack Daniels tour in Lynchburg was something else. We were treated to an in depth explanation of why it's NOT a bourbon, and why it's the best whisky in the known world. A taster session left a very favorable impression. There's not much in Lynchburg apart from Mary Bobo's traditional restaurant. This is a really old-school converted guest house, which has one or two sittings a day. Customers sit twelve to a table in separate rooms while a designated host regales them with local tales. This is actually quite nice, with people talking away to the strangers next to them. It's typical Southern fare - fried okra, turkey greens, baked apples (with Jack Daniels) etc. I'm getting used to this now, and so is my waist.

That night the hosts, Paige and David, treated us to a mammoth Southern spread. They invited some noted bluegrass musicians over to give us an impromptu concert. Amazingly, Paige's Mom got up and sang some Southern Gospel - absolutely fantastic. The hospitality in Tennessee has to be experienced to be believed.

We spent two days at the Rotary District Conference in Brentwood, during which time I stayed with Boomer and Rebecca, a professional couple roughly my age. They graciously coped with my hangover following the post-conference hospitality session, during which I represented England ably and left with dignity intact (and some help). The conference itself allowed us to see the wide scope of Rotary charity work, including the recent eradication of polio in India.

Today saw us back on vocational visits. In the morning,  we visited Union University in Jackson, a Southern Baptist institution which endeavours to mix Scriptural study with the different academic disciplines. Lambuth Campus (which we visited afterwards) is affiliated to Memphis University, and is far ahead in terms of video linked classrooms and e-learning. Apparently they use Turnitin to fully grade papers online, and Hal (my host and contact at the campus) has offered to show me how it works at some point.

Okay, tomorrow is Graceland, with a two hour drive each way, and it's going to be hot.

(next time I tell everyone I'll start a travel journal, it'll be through twitter, as my blogging fu is weak! Photos to follow soon)