Summer Trip, 2014, Continued

Thursday, June 19, 2014

We moved today, but just a short drive to the KOA in Nashville, where we met friends Rick and Jennifer Van Norman. We are going to explore Nashville together and play some cards. They have just recently learned how to play Hand and Foot, so the games should be fun!!

Friday, June 20, 2014

The temperature and the humidity have joined forces to put me under! Feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest!

So we drove over to the Opry Hotel, which is a really huge hotel with several wings and between each of the wings is a garden or conservatory with trees, flowers, waterfalls, statues, elevated walkways and scattered in amongst the beauty are shops and patio cafes. Very elaborate with high domed glass ceilings to let the light in and it is beautiful!

One of the glass ceilings

One of the "River Boats", Shops up the stairs behind the little
river

One of the tropical flowers

Multi colored Duck

Beautifull Orchids

The old folks

Tropical Flowers

One of the many fountains

Maps of the gardens, shops and hotel

I can’t imagine how large the gardening staff must be to take care of all of this, keep it landscaped and clean, trimmed and weeded. Certainly more work than I would want to do, even on a smaller scale. The guys did a little research to see how much it cost a night to stay at the Opry Hotel…a measly $325.00 per night for a room with a view of the gardens.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

I stayed home and rested today while Phil, Rick and Jenn went shopping at Trader Joe’s, because tonight is Grand Ole Opry night! So, I wanted to be rested for the big show.

We took one of the shuttle buses over to the Opry so we wouldn't have to fight the traffic, the KOA Campground is less than a mile from the Opry! Turns out the shuttle stops at every campground and hotel along the way. We were the first ones picked up, and of course, the last to be dropped off after the show.

The Opry is still performed live, so you are not only entertained, but have to listen to the commercials as well. Oh well, it was fun and entertaining. I liked most of the performers, old and new.  See if you recognize any of these names…Connie Smith, Little Jimmy Dickens, Riders in the Sky, Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press, Mary Gauthier, Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Lucy Hale, Opry Square Dancers, Steve Wariner, The Whites and The Willis Clan. I didn’t like The Whites at all, but I loved the Willis Clan. These kids were on America’s Got Talent last year, a group of brothers and sisters who all play various instruments and sing, as well as clogging. For the clogging they brought out the youngest sisters who were three and five, they were so cute!!

Sunday, June 22, 2013

We braved the heat and humidity to go downtown to see the old part of town and the Johnny Cash Museum. The museum was wonderful, followed his life and career, his time in the Army, his fight with alcohol and drugs, his first marriage to his high school sweetheart and his marriage to June Carter.

A very young Johnny Cash

One room showed some of the movies he was in, not a great actor, but fun to see!  More fun was all of the memorabilia from his music career, the outfits, the gold records, the Country Music Awards, all wonderful to see and read the background stories that went with them.

Movie Poster

The outfit, the guitar

His cycle

Birth Certificate, Born in Kingsland, Cleveland County
Arkansas

Monday, June 23, 2014

Rick and Jennifer left early this morning, as they were traveling all the way to Little Rock, we followed about an hour later, heading for West Memphis, AR. Good to be back in our home state! We will be home tomorrow. It’s been great to be gone for awhile, but we have lot’s to attend to at home, so it will be good to be there for awhile.