Almost There!

A few images from summer good times and
pre-departure goodbyes

Mom and Dad, aren't they the cutest?

My Roxie Mama in her groovy new
space. Our time together as roomies shifts- hugs Rox!

The Most Excellent Strum Bums!

Karen, Sahar, Mare the best girls weekend
in Newport RI,

I am delinquent in posting the final approach to New Mexico so here are a few images from the final leg of the trip.

Oklahoma, Texas, and into New Mexico! That last day was exciting.

The real vibes of the west began emerging all around me. Images, thoughts and fondness for home blending together with the excitement and new possibilities of The Great American Southwest all sloshing around in my mind simultaneously.

I think I took this one, to show how cheap gas was but here in New Mexico it
is hovering around 2.39 a gallon right now. 

My co-pilot! She was SO brave! Paloma the super kitty!

The Blue Buddha in Arkansas at Jason's Deli!

I think I took this to show all the Scottish names...Edinburg, Orkney,
settlers to this region re-named everything to feel more at home. Must be
a good amount of Scots/Irish out here.
This is of interest to me because  I've been reading all about the musical migrations
from Scotland and Ireland into Appalachia
 and the birth of folk and bluegrass music scene that I love so much

I put this up on Facebook asking if anyone knew what on earth it was.
Turns out it is the mascot for the college football team the Arkansas Razorbacks!
The things you see on the interstate!

Oklahoma~~ I went through the Kickapoo, Creek, Chicksaw,
Seminole, and Sac and Fox reservations.

Oklahoma Welcome Center

The Blue Buddha in Oklahoma!

Cool rest stop in Oklahoma there is a blue buddha there now!

Wind farms on the Texas plains. Texas is not all bad...mostly bad, but not all bad

Finally made it! Lots of dead bugs on the wind shield~~

This was our final day...Paloma is barely
speaking to me. I have some serious
reparations to make. 

More to come from my first two weeks here! This is from today's
walk in the Galisteo Water Basin Preservation Land. It was full
of bluebirds!

A Hundred Miles From Memphis

A quick update and phew what a journey so far! Where to begin! I listened to so much music in the past two days my head is gloriously spinning. Spent two days in Nashville. The place was all a-buzz with the Country Music Award preparation. I got to see them setting up, doing sound checks and rolling out the red carpet. 

Getting ready for the CMA's - The Country Music Hall of Fame - Nashville TN

Guitar shaped bush? Only in Nashville!

The history of this town is truly amazing

Bill Monroe
Earl Skruggs
The Carter Family
Elvis
Patsy Cline
Johnny Cash and June Carter
Dolly Parton
Minnie Pearl
And soo many more!!

The Legendary Ryman Auditorium

He was around....yep

 

The Stage - Nashville One of many honky tonks I spent the day in
yesterday!

At The Ryman
Little did I know as a kid watching Hee Haw and The Grand Ole Opry
that I was watching history being made! 

A few more photos of the Ryman. This place was originally a church-in-the-round.  They cut away the "round"
and made it into a half circle to accommodate the stage. The Grand Ole Opry held court here from about 1943 until 1974 when they moved to The Grand Ole Opry House

Hee Haw and Hooowdy!!

A highlight of the Nashville stop was connecting with my friend Ursula King, who I worked with for several years at The Natick Community Organic Farm. She moved to Nashville over a year ago with her family. She met me Tuesday afternoon. We had dinner and then she made a suggestion that we mosey on over to Vanderbilt college music school to see a free "question and answer" event with Sheryl Crow. 

There may have been 100 people in the audience and there was Sheryl Crow, chatting away. A faculty member (I forget her name) at the music school at Vanderbilt is now in Sheryl's band and asked her to come and talk to the students about song writing. What luck!! Thank you Ursula!!!

Ursula and I at The Farm House (farm to table fare!! had an amazing kale salad!)

Sheryl Crow. Those chairs to the right of the band are where she sat for over and hour
chatting us up!

There is so much more but I must stop for now so I can get some sleep. Gotta get an early start tomorrow to get through Arkansas, Oklahoma and into New Mexico! So much more to come!!

Paloma is doing pretty well considering.  I am more than a little proud of her bravery and flexibility!!

She is the best co-pilot --- really.

The title of this blog 'A Hundred Miles from Memphis' is a song that dropped in as I was sitting in traffic just outside of Memphis today. I heard this melody in my head, started humming, and then wondered how far I was from Memphis. A sign came that said 109 miles to Memphis. But 109 didn't go with the melody so I  chopped it to 100.

"I'm a hundred miles to the Memphis line
in the pouring rain and I'm loosin' time
still I'm moving forward don't wanna look behind
I'm a hundred miles to the Memphis line"

I thought I was sitting in construction traffic (we were on a huge bridge that brought us over the Mississippi River on the Memphis/ Arkansas line, which was quite a sight to behold, if not for the rain and the closed shoulder due to construction, I would have a photo of it) I was wrong. The delay was caused by the most horrific accident I have ever seen. It involved 7 semi trucks, an SUV and a state police car. All where burned to heaps of scrap metal on the highway. 

I kept singing to keep my nerves steady and searched for an exit to get off that highway. I saw two major accidents today, the weather was intense, with very low visibility from torrential rains all day long.

I am happy to report I am comfortably chilling out at a very nice hotel off the Interstate!