Road Trippin

Monday morning Justin and I hit the road to California.

As we left the house I noticed how billowy the clouds looked

and I kept pointing out various shapes to my husband.

I kept watching the clouds as we drove and when we got to the state line,

we pulled into the parking lot of Whiskey Pete's to let Sasha out to pee.

I was taking photos of the Whiskey Pete's sign

when I noticed a heart shaped cloud meant just for me.

I knew it was a sign that our trip was going to be smooth sailing.

And it was.

Another heart presented itself to me,

not in the form of a cloud but in the form of a man made sign.

I accepted with faith that this was a sign of a good omen.

We even drove by the Angel Stadium as the game was going on.

I snapped a photo driving by at 60 mph.

Click on the photo to see all the people in the stands.

In a nearby town we stopped to get gas

and I think that's when my good omen turned sour.

Even trees aren't immune from ugly graffiti

We made it to our destination of Seal Beach without any complications.

Until we started looking for a motel room.

This is the parking garage of the first motel we stopped at.

They wouldn't allow our Sasha to join us so we had to move on.

Several motels later, just off Pacific Coast Highway

we finally found one that would allow Sasha to check in with us.

Remember when I mentioned above that our good omen had turned sour?

Well, what I meant to say is that our room was sour.

Literally. 

When we noticed all the motel room doors propped open with a chair

on all three levels,

we should have taken that as a sign.

But we'd been on the road for eight hours,

an exceptionally long drive for where we were going.

We were tired and just wanted to get a room and relax.

Well, we got our room on the third floor and it looked clean

but it felt a little muggy in there.  No big deal.

That is...

until we closed the door and a sour smell permeated the entrie space.

It smelled like dirty feet, but was in fact a soured shower curtain.

Oh well, we decided we could live with the smell.

We took a walk down PCH

and found a wonderful marina.

And another sign which tickled me pink

because I happen to agree.

But most of you probably don't.

We saw lots of tropical plants and pretty flowers.

We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant then made our way back to the motel room.

After being in the room for awhile, we not only smelled a sour aroma,

but the stinch of a dog's former pissing ground came wafting up from the floor

and knocked us breathless.

We complained and bitched about it but we didn't take action.

We stayed. 

At three o'clock in the morning, I bolted upright out of bed.

I heard a strange noise but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

At first, I thought it was Justin snoring so I scooched closer to him

nestlng my head against his back and I listened.

Nope, not Justin. 

Could it be Sasha?

Again, I listened intently, practically straining to hear.

Nope, not Sasha, but that damn sound is still there.

It's annoying. 

Now, It sounds like a power tool of some sort.  Maybe it's a drill.

I can't tell. 

A vibrator, possibly?

I'm screaming in my head to shut the hell up

when I realize that the sound is coming from the room next door and though

it is similar to the sound of a power drill or a vibrator

it's in fact someone snoring.

I'm awake, can't go back to sleep

and I have to be up at five in the morning to

drive Justin to a job site.

I survived but next day I was dragging my ass.

But I did find this really cool lagoon in Long Beach

and I took lots of pictures of the scenery and of Sasha swimming.

There are some incredibly amazing trees in this area.

I'm home now and being lazy again.

I have a lot of catching up to do in regards to reading and commenting on blogs.

But I will happily browse and get caught up by this weekend.

So, until tomorrow's shoot out

I'll be seeing you.

My Nashville Get Away

Nashville, Tennessee. My favorite place in the whole world. The first time I experienced Nashville was in 1995. My husband and I took a late honeymoon to the state of Tennessee because I had always dreamed of seeing Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. We stayed a few nights in Nashville before heading to Memphis. I fell in love with Nashville and the state of Tennessee. It was like I had returned home to a past life. There was an instant connection. Yes, I belonged here. That's what I thought then, and that's what I think now.

All these years, I have longed to go back there, to move there, to feel at home again. I finally got a chance this past weekend when I flew down there to meet my sister, who was there on business. My husband encouraged me to go, so off I went. It was an extremely short trip, however, we packed a lot of fun into the three days that we were there. This latest trip only confirmed my belief that I belong there. The following pictures do not do the state of Tennessee justice, nor does it do my fun any justice. The images are a bit hazy and amateurish, but my memories are as sharp as a tack and the images are clearly embedded in my mind.

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The above picture is taken from my plane while leaving Las Vegas. My excitement has begun.

Flying high above the clouds. I hope we don't crash.


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Oh my goodness! I'm here. Getting ready to land. Look how pretty it is down below.

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Getting closer. Look at the pool in the yard.

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My sister and I in the rental car heading to our hotel. Look how pretty and clean the freeway is.

I took the above picture because I have never seen a speed limit of 24. I thought it was kind of quirky. Normally, it would be 25.

We are just around the corner from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel where we will be staying. I'm snapping pictures of EVERYTHING. So much so, that most of it is junk and not worthy of posting and/or sharing.

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This is a photo of the courtyard of the hotel, looking out from our balcony on the third floor.

The hotel was abuzz with lots of people. The atrium was incredibly beautiful and there were lots of gardens and pretty things, but I thought the room was just average for the price. It wasn't anything special at all. It was a great experience, but I'm not sure I would recommend staying here, unless you have the money to spend. The pool was great and they had a fully equipped fitness room, which my sister used, but I did not. The hotel is huge and you could easily get lost. Parking cost $18.00 per day, which I thought should be included in the room price but it was not. You can take a shuttle bus to downtown memphis for $12.00 which is a good deal if you plan on drinking. I highly recommend this.

We were out driving around looking for downtown (before I knew about the shuttle) and we got lost. I snapped this photo from inside the car because I just really liked the area. It's been a long time since I've seen a rail road crossing sign without the arm. I just thought it would make a cool picture. I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at trees and grass.

Still lost in an incredibly nice neighborhood. The houses and lots on this street were incredible. Very beautiful and sophisticated. Clean and crisp and refreshing. I enjoyed our little excursion that our GPS took us on. My sister, on the other hand, was getting frustrated.

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Yay! We finally made it downtown. Here is the Cumberland River. It's beautiful.

We had to park down the street in a parking garage and it's a little scary walking towards this area. We are prepared to put up a fight if we have to. You don't mess with us!








Carriage Horse.........

And people......

Now, we're talkin

A really cool guitar. We are amongst lots of famous little bars downtown.

And this little star is really showing his stuff. Very talented indeed.









OOPS! I downloaded it twice. I don't know how to delete it. Sorry!

Isn't he cute though?









Ah! the next night. Here we are at Tootsie's, a world famous bar where many famous singers have performed.

My sister, Cheryl on the left, me in the middle, sister's colleague, Steve to my right and another colleague, Kent in the back. I've already had way too much fun, as we came here after our private event at the Wild Horse Saloon.





Yep..........................




Proof that I am having fun. Evidence of alcohol intake.

My two second bull ride. And the power was as low as it could go.
I'm a country girl at heart, but I'm no cowgirl.











All I can say is..........................

It must have been a good song.












part of the band at Tootsie's

They played a good mix of country and rock music.













This is the lead singer. I thought he was really good.

To his left is a female vocalist in the band. During the song, "Sweet Child Of Mine" that she was singing, she jumped off the stage, grabbed my hand and pulled me up onto the bar where I danced in front of everyone and sang the song with her. I cannot believe that I did that. I was really having fun. I don't even do karaoke.













The next day, hungover, my sister and I decided to drive to Hurricane Mills to tour Loretta Lynn's Plantation Home.

The outside was really pretty. All I can say about the inside is that I am so glad the 70's decorating style is over. It was bad. With that being said, Loretta had some really nice collections in her curio cabinets. She collected salt and pepper shakers which she had displayed in a really large curio cabinet that her husband Mooney had built for her.

This is the front walkway looking out directly from the front porch. Very large lot and beautiful scenery.













the rest of the dude ranch.

A bridge over water. So gorgeous. I just love places like this. I find such serenity in being in this environment. This is also Loretta Lynn's property.




Well, I have a lot more pictures, but I think this kind of summarizes my trip to Nashville. We had a lot of fun. The downtown area was hopping and I only regret that I couldn't stay longer. I wanted to explore more. Much more. Next time.......


Also, I didn't post any pictures here, but the first night we stumbled into a little bar called Rippy's. They had a two man band playing and they were really good. When I got home I did some online research and discovered who the band was. It was a father and son team, The O'Donnells. They just put out their first CD. I suppose Nashville is a place where dreams come true.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel

Rippy's Smokin Bar and Grill

Wild Horse Saloon

Tootsie's

Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch