Backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN

86º here in Columbia, TN at 3:15 pm Thursday.  Heavy overcast and rainstorms expected later this evening and overnight.  I worked on photos a while -- is now 3:37 pm and raining pretty heavy. To be spotty, according to the radar.  Well, really rained hard for a while.

Will post a few pictures from the last few days and then we are heading into Columbia.

Our photo, standing on the
wooden circle that came from the
center of the stage at the Ryman
Auditorium.

Front of Grand Ole Opry building

About 1/3 of the guitars overhead as you
go from the front lobby to the seated area.

Several photos from the stage.

The tour took a little over an hour

and we got to see all the dressing rooms.

Also, saw several videos

of different eras of the Grand Ole Opry.

I don't know how many dressing rooms are back stage, but there are many. Our guide, Brandi, gave us a history and story on each one.

There are some photos Click HERE for a web page showing many photos.

Our tour guide, Brandi, telling
us about the entertainers entrance
on the back of the building.

This sitting area is near the dressing rooms.  Our guide told us that during the 2010 flood, the water was 4.5 feet high in that room.  It did not quite get to the floor of the stage, however.

She said that the Grand Ole Opry never missed a program during that period, but they performed in several other places for six weeks.

4:54 pm and still raining.

More later, Lynn

Seeing Bradley Walker in Athens, Alabama

 80 degrees with bright sunshine at 6:30 pm in Athens, Alabama.  We were up before 5 am this morning at Lincolnton, GA and got hooked up and pulled out before 6 am -- in the dark.  Of course, this was Eastern Daylight Time -- we are now in Central Daylight Time.  Ran into heavy showers east of Atlanta, but only lasted 10 miles or so.  Being Sunday morning was not too much traffic, even through Atlanta.  

Got to our RV Park here, unhooked and drove some 11 miles south to Nebo Community Church by a little after 1 pm.  Performance was for 2 pm so we got to visit with Brad and he was impressed we had driven from Iowa, via Lincolnton, GA to hear him.. We listened to Bradley Walker present quite a program, singing and professing his faith in God.  This is a very small church - built in 1912--this is on the wall showing their recent Sunday Service attendance.

There were somewhere around 100 to 120 in attendance.  Bradley lives in Athens, but this was the first time he performed in this particular church.  CLICK HERE for story on Bradley.  He was born with a form of Muscular Dystrophy, was 2 months premature and the doctor said he would not live more than a year, and if he did he would be a vegetable.  He has proved him wrong.  Besides performing on his own, he performs with "Brotherly Love" quartet and with several other groups. He can moves his arms, stiffly, and both hands hang down at odd positions.  However, he has one of the best baritone/bass voices you will ever hear.  It was great to listen to him sing, and tell of his association with many people, especially Joey Feek.

Well, it is after 8 pm (9 pm compared to when we got up some 15 hours ago) and I am beat.  Will try to do some more blogging tomorrow.  LC

Rhonda Vincent and Gene Watson yesterday, plus many others

8:30 am - 59 degrees near Lincolnton, GA.  Having a great time with 3 new bands each day performing twice, plus Little Roy & Lizzy performing twice a day and interacting with many of the other performers.

Lizzy

Rhonda Vincent's daughter performs with Little Roy & Lizzy.

Would guess something around 400 or more at the tent yesterday afternoon when we saw/heard Midnight Run, The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, Little Roy & Lizzy,  Rhonda Vincent, and later Gene Watson. 

Rhonda Vincent and
Gene Watson

Rhonda had two great shows, plus 
performing a bit with Gene Watson

Little Roy loves to clown.

Rhonda recently became a grandma,
so Little Roy was playing "grandkid"

With warm weather, t-shirt & short pants

Hoping to pull out tomorrow (Sunday) morning around 6 am.

Later, Lynn 

Good music in Georgia

 48 degrees this morning at 7:30 am with predicted high of 78 degrees and sunshine.

Phyllis spent time with this vendor, visiting Wednesday evening and then yesterday morning getting a few things.  Had some real leather purses that caught her attention.

Think one of these 3-flower thingies will brighten up our mobile home in Texas!

All those purses!

This shows the big tent all the music takes place in.  I would guess around 250 to 300 people nearly filled it yesterday.

The original Lewis Family Bus from the 1940's or 1950's.  They have been involved with music for many years.

One of Little Roy Lewis' early cars.

Another car Little Roy drives.

Spent yesterday listening to The Kody Norris show, Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, High Fidelity, The Little Roy & Lizzy Show and Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road.  They had a break at 4:30 pm and then all repeated.

Was an enjoyable day.  A totally different group of bands, except Little Roy & Lizzy, will be heard today.

Full two days, today and Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm.

Hoping to leave by 6 am Sunday to drive some 325 miles and get to a 2 pm concert by Bradley Walker in Athens, Alabama.

Later - LC

At the 10th Annual Little Roy & Lizzy Music Festival - Lincolnton, Georgia

 48 degrees here near Lincolnton, Georgia at 7:48 am on Thursday.  Predicted high for today is 79 degrees with bright sunshine.

Spent Tuesday evening at Hard Labor State Park near Rutledge, GA and got up early yesterday morning, dumped tanks and topped off the fresh water tank, as we thought we would not have water here at Lincolnton.  Turns out they just installed water lines a couple days ago, so we do.  (As a side-note, we are on a bit of a slope and down the hill there was a lot of mud and standing water.  Were told that a few days ago the waterline was installed and tested for a bit with no leaks found.  So they left the water turned on overnight.   Next morning their meter showed they had used 180,000 gallons of water overnight and there was a leak part way down the hill.  It was found and fixed so water works, but won't be parking any trailers on lower part of the hill.  We are parked opposite direction of many motorhomes and trailers that are really close together.  We won't have any trailers beside us, though have one behind us.

Anyway, we left Clarinda last Friday about noon and parked at Sudbury Motel & RV Park in Marengo, IA that afternoon.  Spent the evening with granddaughter Ashley and her family - husband Heath, and 1-year old David and 5-year old Jessica.

 After visiting with them at their house, we went to eat at the Mall of Williamsburg.

Saturday morning we went to Cam's and then he rode with us to Vinton, Iowa where Phyllis left her sewing machine for repairs.  We drove around Vinton a bit and then ate lunch at the Pizza Ranch there.

Cam and I walked around the railroad depot there in Vinton.  It is now a museum, but was not open to the public when we were there.

We drove the grounds of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School there in Vinton.  It was the school that Mary Ingalls went to - CLICK HERE for info.

These photos are from Sunday afternoon with the antics of the young ones.  Always enjoy our time, though it is limited, with the family.

David is just a little over one year old, and is quite active and attentive.

Sunday the weather was nice and Cam fixed some brats and hot dogs on the grill.  Jessica and I batted a volley-ball around and David even got involved.

We left Marengo Sunday afternoon, spent overnight at Canton, Missouri, and was in Cape Girardeau early enough that we picked up Don & Vicki before noon and took them out to eat. We drove to Jackson, MO for Vicki to do some banking business and then spent the afternoon with them in their apartment.  For supper we took them out to Chic-Fil A and spent the evening with them.  Above photo is Vici & Phyllis finishing up a jigsaw puzzle that was on the card table--then we use the table to play some Chicken Foot Dominoes.

We left them about 8:30, returning to our trailer at Cape Camping.  Was up early on Tuesday and left Cape before 8 am and drove some 518 miles to a Georgia State Park - Hard Labor State Park.  They didn't put us to work and I haven't researched why the name.  Got there before dark and left early yesterday morning.  

Looking forward to a great bunch of entertainment over the next few days.  

Click any photo to enlarge.

Later, Lynn

Cold and rainy in Clarinda - 4-20-22

 48 º with heavy overcast and forecast of spotty rain most of the day, here at 11:30 am on Wednesday.

Realized I had not pulled some photos into my regular file - so will catch up here:

One day last week we met Lyn Sliger in Griswold for supper and a visit.  Her husband, Cork, passed away February 25, 2022 while we were still in Texas.  Phyllis always thought of Cork as her "brother" as Cork stayed at Phyllis' folks place while he completed his Senior year in Clarinda after his folks moved to Kansas City when Bob took a trucking job, leaving the farm.

Had a good visit.

Have to include this photo.  First time we had been to "Dusty's Place" and other then the sign on the pole, the front looks for all the world like an entrance to a rest stop.  Was a real good place inside with good food.

We have one Ash tree and I have been treating it with a liquid that goes down to the roots and then up through the tree to repel or kill the Emerald Ash Borer.  Got that done again this year and it rained a few days afterwards, so it soaked down towards the roots.

Seems like there are quite a lot of small branches and twigs from the trees in our yard.  Leaves haven't really started out, with all the cool weather, and the wind is still loosening up the twigs, etc.

This is under the tree at the northwest corner of our place (house in background is neighbors Bob & Carol Brown).  This willow-type tree always looses a lot of small stuff.

Our daughter, Michelle, gave/or/loaned me this book some time ago.  It is written about the World War that ended in 1918 and was written in 1919.   Gives an interesting perspective to it.  Anyway, I finally am getting around to reading it.

:(( McQuillan walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar. When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, the Irishman started to leave.  "S'cuse me," said a customer, who was puzzled over what McQuillan had done. "What was that all about?"  "Nothing," said the Irishman, "my wife just sent me out for a jar of olives."

----------------------------

 Later, Lynn