Greetings!! Two reasons why we haven't posted anything recently. One was that we were so busy we haven't had the time, the second was that Ken accidently deleted most of the pictures we took. This has been a working vacation for us but it has been great. We got to tour alot of Nashville sites including Andrew Jackson's house (the Hermitage) and Belle Meade which is a plantation with its roots in horse breeding (including the blood lines for Barbaro and Eight Belles). We toured RCA studio B where everyone from Elvis to Garth Brooks recorded (we got to record a song there) the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium (former home of the Grand Ole Opry). The pictures above are (in order): my birthday which was celebrated with some old and new friends at our staff meeting on the day before the Rally began; the next 5 were taken at the Lane Automotive Museum which we visited on our own after the Rally finished. There were some very unusual "cars" including some 3-wheeled versions and the one with front and back steering wheels so the owner didn't have to drive in reverse on some steep mountain roads and the Martin aerodynamic car which was built in Garden City, NY; the next picture is the Tennessee State Capitol taken from Bicentennial Park and the next two are at their WWII Memorial. Next is a picture of the General Jackson paddlewheel boat - we took an afternoon cruise on it on the Cumberland River. The next two were taken at the Grand Ole Opry and the last was also on the General Jackson. That's me (third from the left) enjoying a mrgarita with some friends. Some history on the Grand Ole Opry - it began in 1925 so it is the longest running radio show which means you hear all the commercials as well as the music. Each performance starts with a Minnie Pearl look-alike as MC. It moved to the Ryman in 1943 and ran there until 1974. Gaylord Entertainment then decided to build a new home for it outside of the city where it has been since 1976. They were planning to tear down the Ryman but decided to renovate instead and it is still used for live performances. Unfortunately, none of my favorite performers were at the Opry when we were there but in the next few weeks some of the performers will be Montgomery Gentry, Jewel and the Charlie Daniels Band. That's all for now. For those of you who are traveling - stay safe on the road, and to all of the others - stay well.
