Seeing Rory Feek and spending time with brother Donald Miles

 82º in Clarinda, IA at 9:00 pm Thursday.  Was hot, and very windy today as we drove to and from Omaha, NE today. 

This photo was taken on way home from Omaha about 4:00 pm -- note temperature that was recorded on the pickup thermometer at 97º -

Last Monday we took my brother Don and his wife Vicki to the Cemetery in Jonesboro, Illinois where her family is buried and where their gravestone is located

Vicki put flowers on her mother's, fathers, son's and Don's Jennifer's gravestones.

Don's daughter Jenny's tombstone.

Don & Vicki's tombstone.

Don was very quiet during our day and a half visit.

We dined Monday evening with them at the main dining room at the Chateau Girardeau.

Framed photos on the wall of Don & Vicki several years ago, in better times.

Played dominos Monday evening.

In this photo, a nurse is taking

routine blood pressure check

on Vicki.

We were gone from Clarinda 2 1/2 weeks.  Neighbor mowed the grass for us a couple times.  Was getting tall again--he knew we were coming home Monday.  Must have dug up 150 dandelions, mostly from near our east lot line where the hospital now owns and they don't really take care of it at all. 

The four of us.

We spent several days near and in Columbia, Tennessee last week.  On Saturday we were able to go to Rory Feek's place and tour the school where Indy Feek attends,  right there on the grounds where she and her dad, Rory Feek, live.  We then attended Rory's show that evening.  Indy sang with him during the first two songs and then Rory had a delightful show.  He showed slides of when he first bought the ground there, how dilapidated the two-story house was when he bought it and all the "fixing up"; and when he built his barn, which eventually was turned into the theater we were in.  He talked of his late wife Joey and sang songs with some of her videos.  He went into detail and showed videos about how Naomi Judd had been the springboard to getting him and Joey started singing on TV and to the public--Naomi's funeral was that same day.  

Rory had many slides of Joey and then Indy, who was Downs Syndrome and how she has progressed since -- she is now eight years old.

After the show Rory stood and visited with, and allowed photos to be taken with, almost everyone  of the almost 300 people who had attended the show.

We got to visit a bit with him.  He was pushing the event coming up the first of June that is a fund raiser and is a bit out of our price range.  Check out Rory's FLOG HERE

You can check out his upcoming festival HERE

Would really enjoy being there, but not this time.

Here are pictures of the house when he bought it and after all the work he did on it.

Now for a few weeks here in Clarinda.

Later, LC

Fun times in Nashville and Columbia, Tennessee

 59 degrees with overcast and occasional rain near Columbia, TN at 2:20 pm

Photo from March 16, 2008 at our farm
home west of Clarinda, IA

Picture I ran across in the computer.  Some time ago and quite a few degrees difference in temp, I assume.

At lunch Thursday, and breakfast this morning, at Marcy Jo's Mealhouse about 10 miles east of Columbia, Tennessee.  Was roomy Thursday, but this morning was quite a crowd.  I asked Marcy if it was because of the program tonight and she said not necessarily, this way most weekends. 

Marcy is Rory Feek's sister, and she, along with Rory's late wife, Joey, started this little diner many years ago.

Friday afternoon Columbia had "First Fridays Downtown" where merchants had sidewalk displays, music at several places and lots of giveaways.  Spent several hours there and ate at one of the little cafe's on the square.

  

Tuesday, while in Nashville, we spent the day on an all-day hop on, hop off guided tour of the town.  Guide said Nashville proper has 700,000 population, but the greater area had 3 million people.  Much too much traffic and people for me.  We walked some of the downtown area.  Really loud music and people everywhere.

1

Lots of sights, and lots of info on the history and current status of areas we were looking at.  Stopped a few times and actually rode the route twice.

Will be heading to Hardison Mill Homestead Hall at Rory Feek's home just a few miles from us to his show for this evening.

Later, LC

Bands at the Little Roy & Lizzy Music Festival

 75 degrees with rain in Columbia, MO at 1 pm with rain off/and/on.

Will go over the activities and entertainers we enjoyed the four days we were in Lincolnton, Georgia last week at The Little Roy & Lizzy Music Show.

 Little Roy & Lizzy Music Show - Lincolnton, Georgia – April 2022 - List of Entertainers

Thursday

Kody Norris Show  -  https://thekodynorrisshow.com/    https://thekodynorrisshow.com/bio 

Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass  https://www.dannypaisley.com/   https://www.dannypaisley.com/about

High Fidelity  https://highfidelitybluegrass.com/   https://highfidelitybluegrass.com/about/ 

The Little Roy & Lizzy Show  https://littleroyandlizzy.com/  https://littleroyandlizzy.com/bio

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road  https://carolinaroadband.com/  https://carolinaroadband.com/bio

 Friday

Midnight Run  https://midnightrunbluegrass.com/    https://midnightrunbluegrass.com/about 

The Tennessee Bluegrass Band   https://www.tennesseebgb.com/    https://www.tennesseebgb.com/the-band.html

Little Roy & Lizzy

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage   https://rhondavincent.com/the-rage   https://rhondavincent.com/memory-bank 

Gene Watson & The Farewell Party Band   https://gene-watson.com/index.php                                                     https://gene-watson.com/index.php/biography.html 

 Saturday

The Moron Brothers   https://www.themoronbrothersstore.com/   

Sideline   https://sidelinebg.com/

Little Roy & Lizzy

Malpass Brothers   https://themalpassbrothers.com/  

 These web sites give photos and history of most of them. 

Rhonda Vincent with Gene Watson
on Friday evening.

Lizzy Long and her Country Jam Saturday evening

These brothers - 11 to 17 years old from Texas
weren't on the program,, but played each day at
"open Mike" preceding that day's program.  Very talented.

Video on "The Moron Brothers"   

"The Moron Brothers" from Kentucky, had a very
funny, and, very musical program.

"The Sideline" group - amazing.

We have followed the Malpass Brothers many places.
Will see them at the Clay County Fair this September.

Another of our favorite groups -- The Kody
Norris Show -- have seen them in Texas and
many other spots, including their home in Tennessee

This is Little Roy and Lizzy band that performed
twice a day for the three days and Lizzy ran the
whole festival.

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run 

 

There are others, but I have run out of time, LC

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