TOUR AMERICA 2019: TENNESSEE, THE VOLUNTEER STATE

Home Is Where We Park It:  Two Rivers Campground, Nashville, Tennessee

June 20 , 2019

Temperature 82 degrees/Rain Off and On

We’ve Been Busy Having the Time of Our Life

Contrary to popular belief we haven’t fallen off the face of the earth nor been abducted by aliens.  We’ve just been real, real busy and it’s going to take several days, maybe a week to get caught up.

Over the course of the last two days we’ve been touring Nashville on the Old Time Trolley. There are a total of fifteen stops and in time I’ll cover each of them briefly.

 

During the Nashville tour we stopped and toured the

We spent over four hours here and we’ll cover our tour in a later blog.

We also toured the

Guess whose star we discovered here?

We stopped at

We stopped and toured my all time favorite, the Nashville location of American Pickers.

Want a unique ride for your children?  It can be yours for the price of $2850.

Need to keep your beer cold?  This might work.  Just $2700.

This store has just about anything and everything you could want – if you have deep pockets!

Here’s something more reasonable priced.  A toy fire truck for a mere $825.

When you see a tag like this and no price tag one can only imagine what they want for it.

We’ve had diner in a rather unique location.

You are surrounded by tanks full of all kinds of sport fish.

How’s this for a menu?

We ventured forth to view a bunch of stiffs.

We found these two guarding the front door. Taylor Swift and Johnny Cash.

Inside we found noted performers such as Minnie Pearl with her now famous hat.  The story goes she was running late one evening for a performance at the Ryman Auditorium.  To make matters worse she had forgotten the hat she was supposed to wear that evening.  So she ran into the first store she came to, grabbed a hat, then went on stage with it.  The crowd roared with laughter when they saw the hat with the price tag still on it.  Well, Minnie knew a good thing when it came her way so rather than take offense at the reaction of the crowd, she made the hat a part of her act from then on.

Look who else we found on display.

Of course no trip to Nashville would be complete without a trip to the Holy Grail of County Music.

What a show!  How can I describe it?  Powerful.  Takes your breath away.  Stirs your soul.  Lights a fire within.  Delights.  Words can hardly describe it.

Of course each show is broadcast live on 650 WSM AM radio.

For years I had heard her sing on the radio.  Finally, Wednesday night I got to see her in person and hear her sing live on stage.  The one and only Jeannie Sealy.  Her mother said that Jeannie was just 4 years old when she learned to stretch up, tune the knob on her family’s big console radio to 650 WSM and keep it there. Jeannie is still on the dial at 650 WSM — performing regularly on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Jeannie, who was raised near Townville, Pennsylvania, remembers sitting in the family’s Ford, eating popcorn and drinking soda pop, listening to the Opry on Saturday nights while her parents played cards at friends’ houses.

Riders in the Sky played that night as well.  They are absolutely fantastic.  Their shows have a strong dose of broad, quick-witted humor that has them poking gentle fun at one another and at aspects of the movie cowboy image. This combination led to their induction into the Opry’s cast in 1982.   Billboard journalist Jim Bessman’s characterizes them as one of “the most historically significant acts in the history of American music.”

Then there is the Sawyer Brown Band.  The band’s live shows are legendary. Having been described as “the Rolling Stones of Country Music,” the band bounds onto the stage night after night, delivering its own unique brand of high-energy entertainment, and the band remains a perennial favorite at fairs, festivals, theaters, and casinos.  The band continues to fill venues across the country with the same enthusiasm they have had from day one. “That’s one thing that has never changed,” says lead guitarist Shayne Hill. “The business part of the music business may be changing by the minute, but playing live is still about the same thing it’s always been about: connecting to the audience right there in the moment.”

That’s a snapshot of what’s been keeping us busy.  Time now to sign off for tonight and begin packing for our move tomorrow.  We’re going a bit north in order to visit the National Corvette Museum.

The Road of Retirement has been a busy one of late.  No complaints from us.  We’re dragging a bit but that’s OK you only get to live once.  As time permits I’ll be expanding on some of our activities and tours that I mentioned above.   Stay tuned.

Thanks again for joining us we do appreciate your company.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!