While the Northeast was fun and homey, winter has indeed begun to set in, and it is high time we were heading South. We blazed through the central Appalachians, and on our third day after leaving Rhode Island, it was Nashville Here We Come! Ace and Sally had been planning to visit the Opryland ice sculpture what-have-you for the kids, and we were able to meet with our dear friends for a couple of nights. Jackson and Carter, those sly ruffians, have been sending the girls (among other salutations) Valentines for a couple of years now. And it sure was nice to finally get them together for a couple of evenings.
Rosemary Caroline Jackson Carter
The Ice Sculpture What-Have-You (all of that is ice!!!!!)
Ace and Sally gave us a tour of sorts of the stunning Opryland Hotel,
and we were able to spend a couple of pretty fun nights with their gang. The girls had a blast, the boys did too, and the parents were glad that nobody had any meltdowns!!!
But what can you say about Nashville? Bright lights, and small town charm with the bold atmosphere of a much larger city. And my two favorite kinds of music: Country and Western!
Of course we overspent on cowboy hats and boots, but the burgers were cheap, and the music was free! More talent in that one dive than on an entire Top-40s station. Twang was the element that I just don’t think you’re gonna find many other places, and we drank it in with the chilly Southern sunset.
We got to hang with my old homeboy Jeremy Lister for an hour or two (you may recognize him from “The Sing Off,” Geronimo Rex, or a host of pictures staged around Music City:
I was so pumped to see him, that I completely forgot to get a picture, so the 30′ version of him on the Nashville Visitor Center will have to do. At any rate, it was great to see you brother, keep on rocking in the free world!
Our final night in Nashville provided another reminder that you can run from the clutches of winter, but you can’t hide!! Temps hit the mid-20s, and we froze the outside city water line, but no real damage was done. At our departure, our spirits are light, and we are dreaming of warmer days further South!
AAA Trout 