Doug's Family Visit

Smiley

Shark for Lunch

On The Road Again

We left Nashville today enroute to St. Louis to see my son John and his wife Christine and our friends Bart and Dee Collida. We will have them over to the RV Park for a cookout on Saturday and will then spend time with John and Christine to see the progress they have made on their home restoration.

Our last two days in Nashville were very enjoyable as we were able to see my brother Doug, his wife Sandy, my niece Ashley, and her boyfriend Blake. We were scheduled to take the General Jackson riverboat cruise at noon but Doug and Sandy got stuck in traffic from a major accident on I-40 which delayed them almost two hours. We went to the boat to meet them and were able to get the crew to delay the departure until almost 12:18 but unfortunately they didn’t arrive until 12:20, with the boat slowly departing as they walked up to the dock. After a good laugh we went to the ticket window and were able to get a refund on their ticket purchase before leaving to find a place for lunch.

We had lunch at the Aquarium restaurant in the Opry Mills Mall. The restaurant featured a gigantic salt-water aquarium with a wonderful variety of fish, which included a 6-foot shark. We enjoyed the sight of the fish swimming about as we had our lunch. I couldn’t bring myself to have fish for lunch so I had a chicken pasta salad, which was quite delicious. Everyone enjoyed their meal and then Doug and I took some pictures of the fish in the aquarium before we departed to walk about in the mall.

We found a couple of things we needed and then headed to the RV Park to sit and chat for a while. Ashley and her boyfriend Blake, who works for the city of Nashville, came by to see us as well. We had an enjoyable visit and caught up on things since we see each other so seldom. Doug and Sandy went to dinner with Ashley and Blake to celebrate Blake’s birthday and later we went to the Macaroni Grill for dinner.

Thursday we did a little shopping at Petsmart and Wal-Mart and then did ribs on the BBQ. Jackie and Jerry left for Illinois on Thursday morning so we were down to two coaches and now we are all on our own for a couple of weeks. We got on the road shortly after 9:00 this morning for a short ride to Paducah, Kentucky, which is our thirteenth state on our trip. We got here pretty early and I was able to find a new antenna for our satellite radio that Alex had chewed through, get a haircut, and then we mailed a couple of things to David and Cole before stopping for a Chinese Buffet for lunch. We will hit the road early in the morning so we can get to St. Louis without any rushing so our next report will come from there. I will post a couple of pictures from Nashville so enjoy and be safe.

Riders in the Sky

Jeff Bates

Jimmy Pickens

Trace Adkins

The audience

Porter Wagner

Grand Ole Opry theatre

Bill Anderson

Andy Griggs

Nashville

We had an incredible drive today from the Four Paws Kingdom Campground to Nashville, TN. The drive through the Smokies was quite erie as there was some fog and a slight drizzle most of the way but the views were spectacular. We left early enough, 8:30, to get to Nashville in plenty of time for us to attend the Grand Ole Opry. We made a rest stop at a rest area that was still in North Carolina and then stopped for lunch at a Flying J station for lunch. We made one last stop about 60 miles east of Nashville and then arrived at the Two Rivers RV Park at about 3:00 Central Time. We got checked in and set up and had a little time to rest and get ready for the evening. We took the shuttle from the park which made things real easy.

I sent an e-mail to my brother Doug while we were at the Flying J to let him know we had arrived safely in Tennessee. Thay are coming here to see us today and go with us on the General Jackson riverboat for a luncheon cruise. It will be great to see them and we hope to have a good day visiting. I was talking with Doug on the phone, his response to my e-mail, while we were driving and we discussed plans for today. Just as we were finishing our conversation it started to rain and then the volume increased to a point you could hardly see in front of you. The downpour lasted only a few minutes but it was a scary few minutes.

The Grand Ole Opry ws quite an experience. I discovered that it wasn't just a show for the audience but a live radio show as well. The Saturday edition is the longest running radio show at 80 years. They now do the show on 650 WSM three nights a week, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday and the show is also available on satellite radio and the internet at opry.com. We all enjoyed the show especially Trace Adkins and Little Jimmy Pickens. Enjoy the pictures of all of the entertainers and tune into one of there shows if you have a chance. You can check the schedule at the website, opry.com.

Coach view at Four Paws Kingdom Campground

Four Paws Kingdom Campground

We grilled out last night with everyone bringing something to grill. We did pork chops, Jerry and Jackie did chicken breasts and Mike and Patty did pre-cooked chicken breasts. Patty added a salad and Jackie did mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and peas. Needless to say we were full again but it was another terrific meal. Tippy and I decided to watch National Treasure last night, picked it up with a couple other DVD’s at Costco. The movie was great and we both enjoyed it.

Today is pretty open, just playing for the dogs. I hope to do some cleaning of the coach as it is really dirty from several hundred miles of traveling and a few raindrops mixed in. Our trip is now over 5500 miles and we are still going just like the energizer bunny. Our house is now sold and should close escrow tomorrow. There is some sadness to be leaving our friends and family but some happiness to be getting closer to our grandson and being able to teach him how to fish. We will spend time this fall looking for our lakefront home in East Texas. In the mean time we will continue this great trip seeing our wonderful country. We continue to enjoy the beauty of the country as we drive down the road and visit different areas of the country. We have now visited eleven states on this trip, all of the southern most states from Arizona to Florida plus the Carolinas and Virginia. I don’t have an Internet connection here at the coach, no cell service other than on roam, but the park does have some free Hot Spots for wireless Internet. I will walk down to one of those and send this and check my e-mail later this morning. The gals are planning a big breakfast in a short while and I want to work on the coach while it is still cool outside. More later, be safe.

Dinner at Milano's in Williamsburg