This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet a dynamic, diverse group of Steemians a few hours from home!

My guy @hobotang and I set out Saturday morning for Nashville, just three hours west of our Slow Rolling Home in Knoxville, TN. @EngineWitty and I talked for months about getting together, and when we learned @katrina-ariel was coming to the state for a whole month, the whole idea of a 'meetup' completely blew up. We were fortunate enough to meet the twelve awesome individuals in this photo and a handful of others who stayed until dusk.

Before heading to the temporary Steemit compound, we spent a few hours in Nashville - my first time in the city.

We hit a few gems along the way. Note: more photos from this trip to come from @hobotang, who capture much of the day on his Canon AE-1 Program with a couple different films. He's new to Steemit, and this was his first experience meeting other Steemians.

Nashville Farmers Market | Not as touristy as we feared.

Nashville boasts a daily farmers market in a permanent location, also housing a multi-restaurant food court with beer, coffee, juice, and ice cream; two rows of farms, makers, and a few in-betweeners selling goods; and a massive plant selection containing everything trendy imaginable.

This trip, we only bought a half pound of local wildflower honey (for a killer deal) and a pint of strawberries, which were terrifically in season. Next time, I'd like to spend more time getting to know the maker goods, have a small produce shopping list to experience what they're offering, and try Jeni's ice cream!

Across the street behind the farmers market sits the Bicentennial Capitol Hill Mall Park | Hot and steamy outside, but entirely worth the sweat.

There are numerous elements to this easily accessible park that make it a stand-out experience:

• On the sidewalk on one [long] side of the fairly long park is a timeline that beautifully organizes and dictates milestones in Nashville's American history.
• On the other [long] side is a trail outlining every single Tennessee county with a blurb about its history organized from West to East moving.
• At the end farthest from the Farmer's Market is a war memorial commemorating all Tennesseean involvement in American conflict since its inception.
• At the opposite end to the war memorial is a stunning, uninterrupted view of the Capitol building.

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We ventured into the High Points neighborhood in East Nashville to visit a reference provided by a friend, High Garden.

High Garden is the stuff of dreams. Selectively sourced top quality teas on one wall, innumerable herbs lining the rest of the walls in the first room. Tea service, herbal mixed drinks, ferments on tap. Dried herbs hanging from the ceiling. Nice, earth-centered people who greeted and cared for us. Designated a laptop-free space, I felt like I could sit there all day and be completely satisfied.

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Down south to 12th Street | Far more touristy and crowded than expected, but still cool.

We parked near the top of twelvth and walked down, and stopped at a few places. For brevity, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Nashville has flower fever.

This truck stood in a block-sized flower market right next to a church on 12th. We parked in front of it and enjoyed the lovely views.

Halcyon Bike Shop

Very, very cool. We weren't quite cool enough to stay long.

Frothy Monkey Coffee

I had the southern blues
shaken espresso, house-made blueberry + basil syrup [3oz chilled]

Quite possibly the most surprising and delightful first-beverage at a coffee shop. Alhen had a cortado, served with a selzer water and small cookie.

I met my spirit animal in this mural.

This might be my favorite photo of me ever. How amazing is this photo by @hobotang?

After an early dinner at Burger Up and a growler from the Filling Station, we headed 30 minutes south to Thompson Station, Tennessee.

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We met so many stellar people this week, but I was most thrilled to see these two. @katrina-ariel started on Steemit the same day I did and we happened to find and engage with each other's #introduceyourself posts. Since then, we've been curie'd together, grown together, participated in badass initiatives together, joined @thealliancetogether, and become something like family. @enginewitty, whose name I have learned (because he was far too kind to correct me before) is pronounced INGENUITY [and rightfully so] is a source of pure generosity and example in my life. He's believed in me, mentored me, made me a leader, held me accountable, and was instrumental in everyone coming together for this meetup.

Additionally, I made SO MANY new friends, and thank you @daltono for this list:

@daltono
@anarcho-andrei - Witness
@liberty-minded
@freedomtowrite
@thegreatdayne
@freedompoint
@jonny-clearwater #hotsorshots
@ancapbarbie
@instructor2121
@rhondak
@sircork - Witness
@steemcafe
@lukestokes - Witness
@flowerpowerart

If you've seen any previous posts about the TN meetup, then you've heard about the now-legendary debate between @lukestokes and @sircork over the general future, development, and environment in which Steemit exists. Being both a fly on the wall and a thorn in (@sircork's) side was invaluable to my experience on Steemit and in diplomacy. I learned of the efforts made on all sides to make Steemit a better place, the opportunities that are available in the community, and of the areas in which we should be focusing to ensure a thriving future for the platform we all love.

Speaking with @instructor2121 about SMTs and learning about the exciting developments in @thewritersblock from @rhondak were conversations that could've only manifested in this situation. Individuals form different backgrounds, demographics, geographical locations, subject-matter interests, and levels of involvement came together to share stories and experiences around a literal round table.

The experience made it crystal clear to me how imperative transparency and innovation are. We are a tight-knit family, and the stat thrown around often this weekend was that there's an average 45,000 users on the platform daily. That's not much, but it's also immense. What we have is special, and blockchain technology is only in its infancy. We are a part of something great - the future of technology, autonomy, and community.

It's my hope to foster more dialogue and productive connections within the Steemit community, moving toward positive impact on our situation here on this blockchain to help bring this technology to more diverse users. For me, it is less about money and more about staking my belief in recreating the way our society connects and grows. Steemit is a social media platform, but it is our opportunity for major impact.

A major thank-you to @thealliance, @jonny-clearwater, and to everyone who contributed to this meetup being possible.

I have been completely rejuvenated by this experience and am beyond stoked to charge forward.

I must mentioned that what made this experience absolutely perfect is that my companion, my guy, my solid rock @hobotang got to join me.

Alhen met my Steemit friends, my Steemit role models, and learn about this platform on which I spend so much time. He listened carefully, talked through many thoughts with me on our long and late drive home, and ultimately dug up his Steemit password to get logged in. He's since authored two posts, Geocaching - a day in Knoxville & Expired and Exposed: Mamiya C330 with Kodak TMax 100 B&W and completed an Introductory questionnaire that I encourage you to try for yourself.

Sharing Steemit with Alhen and adding this to our dance card of crypto followings - as well as our interview with @steemcafe, which (no spoilers) is a heartwarmer - makes me even more excited for my blockchain journey. I'm grateful this is something we can enjoy together!

Until we see each other again, I'll catch you guys on Discord. Thank you for the laughs, the hugs, and the hope for the future. 💓

And, thank you @liberty-minded for the group photo!

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Hi, I'm Amelia! It's nice to meet you.

I'm a writer, minimalist, tiny home dweller, and maker living in East Tennessee, USA. You might have found me through the Ladies of Steemit curation initiative, showcasing the female voices on the Steemit platform. Let's hang out on the blockchain and see where it takes us.

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