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Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Journeys, Travel, tagged , , on December 11, 2012| 4 Comments »

last sunset on the road

The rv park wasn’t all that great, but the sunset made everything perfect this last night on the road of this journey. — Photo by Pat Bean

            “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot

Adventures with Pepper: Day 55 Continued

            Today’s plan was to drive to Memphis, stop at the Graceland RV Park, then spend a couple of days exploring the city, much like I had done in Nashville.

   

One of the many squirrels that delighted me and taunted Pepper during this journey. -- Photo by Pat Bean

One of the many squirrels that delighted me and taunted Pepper during this journey. — Photo by Pat Bean

         After my leisurely morning of birds, a walk with Pepper and a small pot of cream-laced African coffee, I set out on my short drive to the city Elvis called home.            As I neared Memphis, my quiet, peaceful morning turned into a cacophony of loud traffic and a tangled web of too crowded roads leading into the heart of chaos – and yet once again I changed my plans. .

            When I came to the turnoff I needed to take to carry out the plans that had been brewing in my head for the past week, I drove right on by. I knew that one big city in a week, away from Mother Nature, had been just right. An echo of that week would make me as sick as eating too much candy.

             I had decided to drive on for about another hour, and then stop at the first RV park that looked decent. I figured that wouldn’t be a problem, since for the first time in two months I was driving on an interstate and not a back-country road.

            It was over three hours later, after I had passed Little Rock, Arkansas, however before I found one. It was not very inviting but I stopped anyway because I didn’t want to continue driving after dark.

            Tomorrow would take me into Dallas, where my oldest daughter lived, and bring an end to this leg of my journeys. I’m glad you came along for the 6,000-mile, zigzagging ride from Idaho to Texas — past dinosaur bones, up and over the Rocky Mountains, sleeping among prairie dogs, winding through  the Appalachians on the Blue Ridge Parkway, through the Smoky Mountains and finally hooking up at the Grand Ole Opry.

            It was a fun trip. Where do you think we should go next?

            Book Report: Still slowly moving forward. Wish I was in a faster lane, but then I’d miss the flowers along the way. It’s hard being a writer when you always afraid you’re going to miss something.

         

The Wondering Wanderer's blog pick of the day.

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

   Bean’s Pat: Song for Today http://tinyurl.com/bm4tz9w It’s all about Pooh and Christopher Robin and feeling young again.   

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Changing Seasons

Posted in Travel, Weekly Travel Theme, tagged , , on December 8, 2012| 9 Comments »

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn  a mosaic of them all.”

 

SPRING

Texas bluebonnets

Texas bluebonnets

SUMMER

Tucson desert

Tucson desert

FALL

Cumbes Pass, Colorado

Cumbes Pass, Colorado

WINTER

Chicago morning

Chicago morning

Photos by Pat Bean

 

 

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A Tennessee Warbler and a Bluebird

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Birds, Journeys, Nature, Travel, Writing, tagged , , , , on December 8, 2012| 3 Comments »

            “I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn’t write anything without hope in it. – Oscar Hammerstein II

Tennessee warbler -- Wikipedia photo by Jerry Oldenette

Tennessee warbler — Wikipedia photo by Jerry Oldenette

Adventures with Pepper: Day 55

            Natchez Trace State Resort Park was awesome, and I would have stayed much longer than one night except I had no phone or internet service, and I had a magazine writing deadline to meet.          

Eastern bluebird -- Photo by Pat Bean

Eastern bluebird — Photo by Pat Bean

   I didn’t rush to get off the next morning, however, because my plan was to just drive to Memphis, 120 miles away.

             After much debating with myself during the night, I had decided to skip the remainder of the Natchez Trace and take the quicker shorter route home to family. The decision was partly based on my desire to hug children and grandchildren and partly on budget concerns. Gypsy Lee’s furnace was acting up and I needed to get it checked out, and I thought what I saved on the trip would cover any needed repairs.

            Thankful that I had finally made the decision, I let myself enjoy a cup of coffee while I stared out at Pin Oak Lake and watched the sun come up. I’m learning that sometimes you need to just sit for a while without your hands on a keyboard or a book in your hand. It’s taken me way too many years to learn the reward of doing this, which most days is just renewed energy for a busy day ahead.

            This day I had a different reward. First there was the Tennessee warbler, about 10 of them merrily pecking in the grass right outside my RV. Thankfully they stayed around long enough for me to get out my field guide and identify them as the bird was a lifer for me, meaning the first one of its species that I had identified.

            It was the 703rd bird species to go on my list, and I watched them until they decided it was time to move on.

            The second reward was a colorful eastern bluebird that was using the mirror of the truck parked next to me to watch itself in the vehicle’s window. It kept turning around and around for a better look. And it was so interested in itself that I was able to slide my RV window open and get a good picture.

            What a great start to my day.

            Book Report: Back to working on Travels with Maggie more seriously. I’m almost back to where I decided to reread what I had already edited this second time around. I was mostly pleased with what I read, and made a format decision that should let me finish the last few chapters more quickly.

          

The Wondering Wanderer's blog pick of the day.

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

  Bean’s Pat: Serenity Spell http://tinyurl.com/a4gfcco Eyes of the Everglades. I love black-crowned night herons.

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Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Journeys, Nature, Travel, Writing, tagged , , , , , on December 6, 2012| 6 Comments »

The Road Not Taken — and Kudzu  

Kudzu taking over the landscape. Photo by Pat Bean ,

Kudzu taking over the landscape. Photo by Pat Bean ,

            “Everyone has to make their own decisions … You just have to be able to accept the consequences without complaining.” – Grace Jones

Adventures with Pepper: Day: Day 53-54

After two sight-seeing filled days in Nashville, I stayed put at Nashville RV Park for an extra day so as to catch up on my journal, my writing, and some needed rest. I spent most of that day, however, replotting my route back to Texas.

Pin Oak Lake, Natchz Trace State Resort Park, Tennessee. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Pin Oak Lake, Natchz Trace State Resort Park, Tennessee. — Photo by Pat Bean

I had planned to drive the entire Natchez Trace but was now reconsidering. I had previously driven the lower end of the trace, and if I only spent one day on the historic old foot path, I could cut miles and days off my trip back to Texas.

Usually when I get into an argument with myself about which route to take, the longer, slower, less traveled one wins the day. But my slow, beit fantastic, drive through Shenandoah National Park on Skyline Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway had been tiring.

I was also eager to once again hook up with kids and grandkids that I hadn’t seen in over half a year. So this time, after a night of sleeplessly continuing to mull the decision, I didn’t take Robert Frost’s less-traveled road, but his road-not-taken instead.

It was

A bit of color could be seen through the trees, but today's drive was mostly a green one. -- Photo by Pat Bean

A bit of color could be seen through the trees, but today’s drive was mostly a green one. — Photo by Pat Bean

a slow pleasant 150-mile drive in which autumn’s fall colors had been replaced by trees buried beneath kudzu. If you’re not from the South, you might ask what is kudzu.

It’s an invasive plant that grows and spreads over the landscape like uncontrolled wild fires, beautiful but deadly to plants that it envelops in its viny arms.

I ended the day at Tennessee’s Natchez Trace State Resort Park, where I hooked Gypsy Lee up beside Pin Oak Lake, took Pepper for a long walk, then settled down with her outside to watch the sun set over the lake.

I went to be still thinking about my choice of routes because the options were still ahead of me.

Book Report: Worked on Travels with Maggie for only a half hour this morning, stopping for a dentist appointment.

The Wondering Wanderer's blog pick of the day.

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

 

Bean’s Pat: Life out of the Box http://tinyurl.com/cptj25y The value of a notebook. This should give us all pause to be thankful for what we have.

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Opryland: Where Outside is Inside

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Birds, Favorite Places, Nature, Travel, Writing, tagged , , , , on December 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Looking up at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel rooms from one of the complex's atriums. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Looking up at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel rooms from one of the complex’s atriums. — Photo by Pat Bean

 “Do not disturb signs should be written in the language of the hotel maids.” –Tim Bedore           

Adventures with Pepper: Day 52 continued   

One of numerous waterfalls that help create the illusion of bringing the outdoors inside. -- Photo by Pat Bean

One of numerous waterfalls that help create the illusion of bringing the outdoors inside. — Photo by Pat Bean

          What started out in 1877 as the 600-room Opryland Hotel   is today the largest non-casino hotel in this country. Numerous expansions and the big renovation after the hotel was flooded in May of 2010, along with the next door Grand Ole Opry, have inspired the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center ad men  to use the words, “You won’t believe what’s under our roof,” in their promotional copy.

A tour of the hotel was the second part of this Gray Line tour, which earlier had me standing on the “Unbroken Circle” of the Grand Ole Opry stage.

Wow, I think was my surprised response as I wandered through the complex and then took the quarter-mile boat ride around the glass-roofed, landscaped-to-perfection complex.

 

I wondered what Opryland charges these colorful wood ducks for their space in one of the complex's atriums. I shot this photo of the ducks during the boat ride.

I wondered what Opryland charges these colorful wood ducks for their space in one of the complex’s atriums. I shot this photo of the ducks during the boat ride.

Normal room rates to stay at the hotel range from $169 to $244 per night. I was curious and checked it out to see how it compared with the $34 per night cost of my stay at the Nashville Country RV Park.                        While it would have been fun to stay in the hotel during my Nashville stay, it wasn’t within my travel budget, nor, I suspected, would my canine traveling companion, Pepper, have been allowed to stay with me.

Book Report: Still dinking along while some of my writing colleagues are making amazing amounts of progress on their projects. But I got most of my Christmas shopping done yesterday.

The Wondering Wanderer's blog pick of the day.

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

Bean’s Pat: What I See is What I Shoot http://tinyurl.com/c9kgaqx Far away in the Wonderland. A quirky blog that usually fascinates me. Today you can learn how to say bicycle in Russian

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections

Posted in Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge, tagged , , , , , , on December 2, 2012| 2 Comments »

fountain“Everyone and everything that shows up in our life is a reflection of something that is happening inside of us.” Alan Cohen

Gaylord Opryland’s Resurgenge

Resurgence sits in the Cascades Lobby at Gaylord Opryland. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Resurgence sits in the Cascades Lobby at Gaylord Opryland. — Photo by Pat Bean

When I saw this glass sculpture, I immediately assumed it was the work of the famed glass artist Chihuly. But unlike another blogger, who will remain nameless to protect the guilty, I double-checked and discovered it wasn’t.

The piece is called resurgence and was installed as part of Gaylord Opryland Resort’s restoration after the huge complex was flooded, along with much of Nashville, in May of 2010.

Opryland’s press releases say the piece was made in Sweden but didn’t mention the artist, or perhaps artists.

I thought the piece was fantastic, especially the way light reflected of it. Don’t you?

A glass sculpture by Chihuly that was on display as part of a plant-glass exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in 2006. -- Photo by Pat Bean

A glass sculpture by Chihuly that was on display as part of a plant-glass exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in 2006. — Photo by Pat Bean

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The Grand Ole Opry

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Favorite Places, Travel, Writing, tagged , , , on November 30, 2012| 3 Comments »

me

Me doing the tourist thing and getting my photo taken at the Grand Old Opry. This gave my kids a big laugh because I’m tone deaf and couldn’t sing on key if my life depended on it.

“Show business is made up of disappointments, and it’s through life’s disappointments that you grow.” – Minnie Pearl

Adventures with Pepper: Day 52

This was the day I did what every visitor to Nashville should do: Visit the Grand Ole Opry. And indeed it was GRAND in capital letters.

The Ryman Auditorium seats 2,362 people. -- Photo by Pat Bean

The Ryman Auditorium seats 2,362 people. — Photo by Pat Bean

I was glad, however, that yesterday’s tour included a brief one of the less impressive Ryman Auditorium, which was home to the Opry for many years and which is still its winter home.

When I had entered the Ryman, the building immediately had me thinking of its similarity to the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, where a pin dropped can be heard by everyone. Our guide followed my thoughts by noting that its acoustics were second only to the Mormon Tabernacle.

Both buildings have about them an air of history that makes one wonder what their walls would say if walls could talk.

The new home for the Grand Ole Opry seats 4,400. Photo by Pat Bean

The new home for the Grand Ole Opry seats 4,400. Photo by Pat Bean

The much larger, grander home of the Opry these days spoke to me of how this country and the Opry have changed over the years. It was like going from a log cabin to a mansion.

I couldn’t help but appreciate the conveniences, however. Change is not all bad.

And I was pleased to note – and stand on – the  Opry’s “unbroken circle,” a  six-foot oak circle cut from the Ryman’s stage.

“That circle is the most magical thing when you’re a performer,” said Brad Paisley, “to stand there and get to sing on those same boards that probably still contain dust from Hank Williams’ boots.”

Paisley, via the magic of video, joined us for the tour.

Book Report: I’m happy to say that while I didn’t get as much editing done of Travels with Maggie as I wanted – of course I never do – I got back to the task after a week of family festivities.

The Wondering Wanderer's blog pick of the day.

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

Bean’s Pat: Colline’s Blog http://tinyurl.com/c2mceal This is exactly how I recharge. Mother Nature always kisses my wounds and makes everything better. How do you recharge?

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Nashville: Country Music Hall of Fame

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Favorite Places, Travel, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 28, 2012| 3 Comments »

The day I visited the Country Western Music Hall of Fame was the anniversary of Minnie Pearl’s 100th birthday. What a treasure she was, but it was all an act. She was a sophisticated lady with a huge Nashville mansion. — Photo by Pat Bean

            “You are the music while the music lasts.” – T.S. Eliot

Adventures with Pepper: Day 51 Continued

Can you picture Buck Owens wearing this … — Photo by Pat Bean

            When I listen to music — which is not too often because it demands all of my focus — it’s usually country western, to the bemoaned ears of some of my more musically elite friends.

And when I have a choice, I’ll always choose to listen to Willie Nelson.

So it was that when this day’s Gray Line tour ended the day at the Country Western Music Hall of Fame, I was particularly interested in seeing if I could find evidence of his life here. I did, high on the wall of the Hall of Fame inductees.

The first country western singer who had grabbed my attention, along with a childhood crush, was Roy Rogers, and so I looked and found him up there on the wall, too.

… and Buck standing next to Taylor Swift. Can you picture it. — Photo by Pat Bean

What a contrast their gray-toned plaques made with the huge colorful display of Taylor Swift that was currently on exhibit at the Western Music Hall of Fame. Since male country western singer inductees outnumber women by almost ten to one, it was interesting to see the new face of country music.

Our tour guide let us have about an hour to wander through the country western museum. Among the highlights that attracted my attention were the flashy clothing worn by country western singers.

The stage costumes made me wonder what a picture Buck Owens and Taylor Swift would have made sharing the stage.

Book Report:I hang my head in shame. But I’ve cleared the decks today for some serious work on Travels with Maggie.

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

Bean’s Pat: The Literary Man http://tinyurl.com/cxeqtvd Still painting. An inspiration for all of us young-at-heart oldsters.

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Nashville, Tennessee

Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Travel, Writing, tagged , , , , , on November 26, 2012| 6 Comments »

“The one thing that all great cities have in common is that they are all different.” Cate Blanchard

Nashville cityscape. I snapped this picture out the window of the bus, as I did the others shown here. — Photo by Pat Bean

            “I love cities.” Danny Boyle

Adventures with Pepper: Days 51

It’s called “Ghost Ballet” and sits by the Tennessee River. One interpretation is that it is two ends of a bridge. our tour guide wasn’t impressed. I saw roller coaster rails. What do you see? — Photo by Pat Bean

The Gray Lines bus driver-guide was full of facts but lacked the twitch of humor I’ve experienced on other tours. The city of Nashville, however, made up for the oversight.

I loved the jumble of color down this narrow street. — Photo by Pat Bean

From the red disjointed bridge “Ghost Ballet” sculpture to the Parthenon replica and the shiny city scape to the vivid colors of Fleet Street, the city fascinated me.

Besides music, Nashville is also a mecca for the publishing industry. Along with all my sight-seeing, my visit was an opportunity for me to personally meet my American Profile magazine editor. I blog for the magazine’s Discovering America online presence every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at http://blogs.americanprofile.com/

I don’t do big cities often, preferring to base my travels around the wonders of Mother Nature, but they’re the perfect contrast to keep my travels interesting.

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

Book Report: Thanksgiving and lots of family visiting from Florida, including an 11-month old great-grandson and other visiting children and grandchildren. Need I say more.

Bean’s Pat: Ummmm, really http://tinyurl.com/cm498pd Retirement, the New Freedom or Rock and Roll and Geritol? This one’s for those of us who have more days behind us than ahead of us. It made me laugh.

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Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Favorite Places, Journeys, Nature, Travel, tagged , , on November 22, 2012| 8 Comments »

100 Things for which I’m Thankful – In No Particular Order

Every sunrise brings with it zest for a new day, for which I’m extremely thankful. — Photo by Pat Bean

  1. Belly laughs
  2. The sound  of rain pinging on my RV roof
  3. My large family.
  4. Pepper, my happy, friendly new canine traveling companion.
  5. Rich African  coffee heavily laced with cream
  6. The Blue Ridge Parkway
  7. Cool nights that let me snuggle beneath a soft quilt
  8. That this old broad is still reasonably healthy and still able to travel
  9. Hearty  hugs from people who mean it
  10. A good massage from a woman with magic fingers
  11. That I’m finally a great-grandmother
  12. My association with the women of Story Circle Network
  13. A good haircut
  14. Scenic  hiking trails
  15. Achievements  of my kids, grandkids and friends
  16. My zest  for life
  17. Walking  barefoot on a sandy beach
  18. Learning something new
  19. The flash  of sun illuminating the tail feathers of an overhead red-tailed hawk
  20. Waterfalls
  21. That after 134,000 miles, my RV, Gypsy Lee, still has go in her.
  22. Ibuprofen to relieve aches and pains
  23. Discovering a new author I like
  24. Taking a grandchild on their first roller coaster ride
  25. Watching fall redress the trees
  26. Van Gogh paintings
  27. Butterflies
  28. My  computer and the Internet
  29. My newly  gained voice as a writer
  30. Rainbows
  31. Living in  America where a woman can safely travel alone
  32. Sunrises  and sunsets
  33. Funky,  dangling earrings that belie my age
  34. Bra-less  days
  35. Summers  not spent in Texas
  36. Good memories of my mother
  37. Old  friends and new friends
  38. A field of wildflowers
  39. Reese”s  peanut butter cups
  40. The wind  blowing through my hair
  41. My daily walks with Pepper
  42. Hot soup  on a cold day
  43. A  wee-morning hours chatter with a long-time girlfriend over Jack Daniels  and Coke.
  44. A  daughter-in-law guardian angel who keeps track of my travels, forwards my      mail and supplies me with my favorite coffee
  45. The honking of geese as they fly overhead
  46. Lake reflections
  47. Family meals eaten around a table
  48. My curiosity
  49. Comfortable  shoes
  50. America,  the beautiful
  51. Clean  showers in RV parks
  52. Electricity
  53. My bicycle
  54. People who care deeply about something
  55. The wolf’s  return to Yellowstone
  56. The  journey between destinations
  57. A comfortable bed and a perfect pillow
  58. WordPress for hosting this blog
  59. New white  sox
  60. Water in  all its forms
  61. Scented candles
  62. A sky full of stars
  63. Glasses that allow me to read
  64. Pleasant  surprises
  65. An honest  politician
  66. Bird watching with my bird-watching son
  67. Evenings spent around a campfire
  68. Good Sam emergency services
  69. Good, real ice cream, chocolate milk shakes
  70. Nice and Easy, No. 99 – so I can forever be a blonde
  71. Coyote  howls
  72. Wrinkle-free clothing
  73. Gentle dentists
  74. My  independence
  75. The  fragrant scent of a blooming gardenia bush, which always reminds me of my      grandmother
  76. The diversity I find in people watching
  77. Large,  gnarly live oak trees
  78. Audible  books
  79. Maps
  80. A good editor
  81. Books with satisfying endings
  82. The strong women of the past who fought so I could vote
  83. A cup of  Earl Grey tea
  84. The color  turquoise
  85. Boat rides
  86. Antibiotics and vaccinations
  87. Smiles
  88. A frisky squirrel in a tree outside my RV
  89. Guided  trolley tours
  90. My new Canon pocket, zoom camera
  91. Washers and dryers
  92. Blank  journals to fill
  93. A shady RV  camp site beside a small lake
  94. A hearty  11 a.m. breakfast for lunch
  95. The music  of a humpback whale
  96. Stained  glass windows
  97. Birds
  98. National  parks
  99. The family  computer nerds who get the bugs out of my laptop
  100. Readers of my blog

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