Woolly Mutts

Been there, done that.

Home is a lovely place, of that there can be no dispute.  The grass is green (and needs mowing!), the trees are green, the weather is.....better than Vegas. :-)  The one really positive thing I can say for being in a desert climate is that my allergies were almost non-existent.  They have returned, however, with some vigor.  I caught a bit of a bug, most likely on the plane, and have been laying about for the past two days feeling a dad under the weather.  Good be home, none the less.

Oh Vegas, I hope I never have to see you again.  Aside from a couple of great shows and a beautiful little wedding, there isn't much good I can say about the place.(I know I am quite alone in this declaration.  Everyone else seems to love the place.)  It's sensory overload for me and I am glad to be past it. I can now say that I've had the Vegas experience (twice), but I'll take a pass on doing it again. One hundred and ten degrees is still hot, even if it is dry heat. I have to say that it will never cease to amaze me that the concept of elevator disembarking seems to be impossible for so many to embrace.  In order to get in an elevator the occupants there of must first get out.  A wall of waiting passengers makes that really difficult.  But enough with the whining.

Pictured above is the incredibly amazing hair clip that I asked my friend Nadja to make for me to wear at the wedding. Isn't it fabulous?  I asked her to make it this big, and perhaps, in retrospect, it might have been ok a little bit smaller.  It was a little heavy, but I criss-crossed bobby pins and then clipped it to the pins.  It held very well and after a bit I didn't even notice it was there.  The bad fashion news is that the dress that I wore with it had some serious boob malfunction (I intend to fix this problem with stitching and double stick tape) and I had to change right after the ceremony.  Not so good for the MOG to have her best black bra showing each time she moves. So, with the dress, the fantastic hair clip had to go.  Since I so frequently rock the black, I'll be wearing it many, many more times.  Thanks, Nadja!

Since we are on the subject of Nadja and her beaded designs, she made this ring as well.  I adore it.  You can visit her Etsy page here. She has some new bracelets are are gorgeous.

So, we're back, Karl and Sant are husband and wife, and the Vegas experience is filed under "been there, done that". There is only the local reception (Aug 14) to prepare for now and then it will be life as usual, which, to be honest, is anything but "usual".  Which is exactly how I like it. :-)

Back to life, back to reality. (thank goodness!)

Time to say goodbye to my new boyfriends Horus and Lorus.  So sad...they don't say much and are great for getting through a crowd.  AH and I are so tired that I think one more day might have done us in.  We decided to make a late evening trip over to Mandalay to see the aquarium.  Little did we know know that the walk was at least a mile each way.  At least we can't say that we haven't gotten our exercise here.

The wedding was so lovely and I admit to being a little emotional about the whole thing.  I'm so glad that we were able to be here for such a wonderful occasion.  Now it's time to go home and I couldn't be happier.  Crossed fingers for an ordeal free trip.

Las Vegas, land of mass humanity.

Vegas baby, is quite the place. We have been here before, and after this trip I'm reasonably certain we will never be here again, and that is OK with me.  As the picture suggests, we are staying at the Luxor, as are the rest of our clan.  In an interesting serendipity, Karl and Sant have the room right next to ours, bestowed upon them as a lavish upgrade after their room choice was not available.  Our room has seen WAY better days, though the jet tub makes it all happy.  Karl's room is like walking from the seedy part of town to a gated community.  Very, very swanky.  It's exactly as it should be for a couple on their wedding trip.  We were lucky to be able to spend some good time with the happy couple on Monday, and I'm pretty sure we won't see much of them until the wedding.  I think, if text messages and reports from Kysa are any indication, they are having a wonderful time.

Since we will not be back (good thing) we are trying to see all the sights available to us that we have any desire to see.  Yesterday we drove out to Hoover Dam, which was pretty cool, but as we drove by all the desert landscape we both agreed that there is a lid for every pot and our lid includes a lot more trees and 4 seasons if possible.  I know that there are people who find great beauty in the desert, but to me it was just desolate; almost post-apocalyptic. It made be feel sad and empty. Unless LV had the last job on the planet, it isn't a place we could call home.

We also made a trip down to the Coke store where we had our picture taken with the Coke Bear who was adorable and not scary (I really dislike people in animal suits) and then to the M&M store for colored candy overload.  We got lower priced tickets at Tix4tonight to see the Lion King, which.was.incredible!!  Kysa joined us and we had a good visit with her.  Today we are finding the yarn store in town, a vacation necessity for me, and a visit to Fryes for Tom.  Tonight we head to the Bellagio to see"O". 

For people like us who crave/require some level of quiet and alone time, it's darn hard to come by here.  There are masses of people everywhere at every hour.  I wish I could speak more languages to be able to identify all that I have heard.  One thing I can say for sure is there is no reason whatsoever to be bored.

Tomorrow is the big day!

Nashville

 

A year ago this June AH and I spent a week in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland hotel.  AH had a work related conference and I was lucky enough to tag along.  Every morning he walked across this magnificent hotel to the conference area and I spent the day getting to know Nashville. My blog posts of the experience begin here.  It was such a great time for me.  I spent hours wandering around this grand place checking out the gardens, shopping, having a bite to eat.  I even had several days of room service from some of the loveliest people I've yet to meet.  We were supposed to go again this year, but the company decided it was too costly.  I was SO disappointed.  It is a lesson on how things work out as they should because this is how the Gaylord looks today:

My heart goes out to the people of Nashville.  If there was one thing I learned about the South while I was there it is that nothing can keep them down for long.  Here is an article with ways that you can help if you feel called to do so.  It's a beautiful place, with an extraordinary history.  Stay strong, Nashville.  There is still more of your story yet to be written.

Still in love. (With my husband and Minnesota.)

Greeting from glorious, if slightly damp, Grand Marais, MN.  Since most of you follow me on facebook, it's no surprise that we have again made our way to the north woods for a few days of escaping reality.  The fact that I have managed to catch some one's cold/flu/whatever is a small bump in the road, but even if all I do is sit in this fabulous room, knit, read, and watch the waves roll in, I'll be perfectly happy.

We arrived Sunday late in the day and stayed one night in an upper level room that was lovely, but I had a small wish list (tv in bedroom, bathtub) and when we asked if any such room was available we were escorted to the room that we will now ask for each time we come.  Room 108 at East Bay Suites is my new favorite place in the world.  The view is not quite so spectacular as the higher level rooms, but to be able to just walk out our door to the rocky beach is pretty fantastic.  Add a Japanese soaking tub, kitchen, washer/dryer, fireplace, king size bed....oh...dishwasher...I am loving a dishwasher..I could be happy here a long time. 

Due to my meh-ness we haven't done anything much other than drive a few back roads and a bit of shopping.  When next I post I will wax poetic on the fantastic yarn store they have here. 

Even the rain in Minnesota is beautiful.

Home again.

After a long day of travel that consisted of many more hours of aggravation than actual flight time we are home.  I feel like I've been rode hard and put up wet. (I apologize in advance for forcing you to endure my practical application of "what I learned on my summer vacation".  Holly is now fluent in "southern".) I tell you what, air travel is for the young.   What follows are my a couple of tips for vacationing in a place you have never visited before:

Tip 1: Avail yourself of the magical Gray Line Tours.  I learned things and went places that I would never have heard or done alone.  While riding on the bus the driver gave us information on local history, celebrities, places to eat, things to do, etc.  In most cities they will pick you up at the door of your hotel and drop you back off safe and sound.  I can't say enough good things about what a great time I had all by myself on a Gray Line bus.

Tip 2: Make a local friend.  I accomplished this by getting a pedicure.  The hour of conversation we had gave me all kinds of information about the resort, area, etc.  I offhandedly mentioned that we had seen a car with an Australian license plate.  The girl giving the pedicure told me that the car belonged to Keith Urban, who is Australian.  I may have just seen Keith Urban....or his driver....or mechanic, whatever.  She also provided me with tattoo parlor info (I didn't do it, but I will!), where to find the Whole foods and the closest Target. 

Tip 3: TIP! I tried to be sure I had a handful of one dollar bills everywhere I went.  Service workers have a hard and often unpleasant job and a nice little tip can go a long way to getting better service.  One night AH had a business dinner and I ordered room service.  I gave the woman who delivered my dinner a cash tip on top of the one the hotel added.  The next night when I ordered again I got extra flowers on my tray and exceptionally good service.  The woman from the night before had told them I was a nice person and to treat me well. 

General tip for air travel: Take more than one suitcase.  Most major airlines charge you now for checked luggage, BUT they charge you even more for luggage that is too heavy.  It would have been much more economical to take two and much less aggravating.  We waited in line for EVER while people tried to get their luggage under the weight limit.  By the time we got through the check in chaos and the security line I was thinking a slow train to anywhere would have been better than flying. If we go again next year we will seriously consider driving.

Tomorrow my report on Nashville yarn stores! 

Picture above is the front porch of Belle Meade plantation.

The party is over.

We're killing a little time while we wait for check out.  I love to fly, but not terribly fond of air travel in general. There is a great deal of hurry up and wait involved that gets old quick.  And rules....let's all say a big thank you to all you terrorists out there for making air travel a pain in the a#@.  If we come next year, and there is a good chance that we will, there will be some consideration given to driving.  As we wait, a few thoughts on Nashville:

*The Gaylord entertainment group may very well be planning to take over the world.  No need to panic cause they seem all friendly, but if Nashville is any example we might just want to be vigilant.  There is a Gaylord this or that all over this city.

*Nashville is one of the most beautiful, pastoral, green places I've every visited.  The east side, of town , or Music Valley, is all about Opryland and down home cooking and country music.  Lots of drive that big ol camper on up here we'll show you a darn good time.  The west side, Belle Meade and Brentwood area, the state of living goes up a few notches with multi million dollar houses and trendier shops.  Did you know that Whole Foods has a sister store called Whole Body? I did not and am glad we checked it out. Down town is a really interesting mix of honky tonks, history, and beautiful new architecture. 

*I did not see one gym or fitness center.  I asked the girl that did my nails about it and she said that her granny had lived to 97 eating grits and smoking cigars (that's ceegers)and that she didn't need 200 sit ups a day to feel good about herself.  Smoking is alive and well and living in the South.  I think I can that I did not leave a single building without passing at least  1 smoker.  I would be interested in the health stats here.

*Those native to the South have the ability to say anything and make it sound nice.  "You are fat, ugly, and your mother wears combat boots, bless your heart" can come out sounding like a compliment.  I heard a docent put someone from Kentucky in their place regarding the origins of American horse racing and it sounded like butter.  Craziness.

*I am now fascinated by the civil war and must read many books about it.  This was my first visit to anywhere in the US that had kept slaves and it was a little surreal.  I was reminded frequently what a Yankee I really am. That picture on the left is what one of my tour bus drivers called a "slave wall".  They are all over the west side of Nashville and indicate areas that were once plantations.  The slaves cleared the stones out of the fields and then made walls out of them.  There are literally miles of these walls in this area.  Interesting and sad.

Almost time to head for home.  I'm going to miss living here in this city that is the Gaylord Opryland Resort, but I'll be happy for my own bed and the cool Illinois (that is illinnoise here) air.  I leave you with one more picture that I must confess to taking.  The picture at the very top of this post is Alan Jackson's barn.  It was remodeled and converted to a guest house and recording studio.  The one below is his house.  See y'all at home.

There is something to be said for traveling alone.

As vacations go, this one ranks pretty high up there.  There is no question that I would rather be spending all my time here with my amazing husband, but I've discovered that the purely selfish existence of the lone traveler isn't so bad.  I get up after AH has left in the morning (he has to be across the complex by 7:30 am.  I think that early hour is a bit cruel.) shower and dress then head downstairs to a little coffee/pastry place in the hotel lobby and grab a croissant or bagel for breakfast.  I stop at the Necessity store and get a Nashville paper before heading back to the room where I take my sweet time eating, reading email and blogs and posting here.  Yesterday I had a manicure in the morning and today I may get a facial.  Spoiled rotten, I am.

I've been spending some time each day exploring the resort and I must have reached a point where I look like I know where I'm going because people stop and ask me questions all the time.  Yesterday a group of 70ish ladies wanted to adopt me as their group mother after I took their pictures and made sure they got on the right Gray Line bus.  Nice ladies.  I've met business men that can't find the fitness center, vacationers lost looking for an elevator and several folks looking for the pool.  I made friends with one of the in-room service people who brought me a little vase with a daisy in it last night.  I am either like-able or pathetic...either one works for me. :-)

So yesterday I took another tour, this one Homes of the Stars.  Our very knowledgeable driver Steve drove us west of the city to a suburb called Brentwood where a copious amount of people with ungodly amounts of money live.  Multi-million dollar houses were as far as the eye could see.  There were music business executives, athletes, actors, and of course, country stars.  We saw the homes of Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, Tim and Faith Mcgraw, the Dunn half of Brooks and Dun, Trace Atkins (who was leaving with his wife in a BIG ol pick up truck, but stopped by the bus and waved.  The woman in the seat in front of me darn near swooned.) a few others I have no knowledge of and Alan Jackson.  Mr. Jackson lives on a winding back road in a house so amazing I can't even tell you.  There is also a barn converted to a guest house/recording studio, cabin on the river, and landing field for his plane. If there any fans out there, he lives on Monard rd, but I couldn't find it again if my life depended on it. I didn't take any pictures because it felt sort of invasive.  

The reason I took the tour was to get a chance to see some of Tennessee that wasn't big city Nashville and I got exactly what I wanted.  The land out there was truly beautiful, green, hilly, and thick with trees.  I can see why so many folks choose to live here.  Each time I travel to a new place I always ask myself if I think I could live there and the answer here is, probably not.  It is hot and humid and makes me long for the cool wind off Lake Superior.  I am, however, really glad to have had the chance to visit.

Interesting fact about the Nashville area: they call it the buckle of the bible belt (and let me tell you that if the Lord Jesus does in fact come again it's gonna be somewhere in this neck of the woods) because there are over 800 churches in the area.  There are also 600+ bars and saloons.  I guess there is a lot of sinning that needs repenting come Sunday morning. :-)

I like it hot, hot, hot.

Actually, not so much, but hot is what we've got here in sunny Nashville.  90 yesterday, 94 today.  Air conditioning is everywhere, though, so I've got no room to complain.  About anything.  Nashville is an interesting city.  It's small enough not to be too intimidating (although I'm still too chicken to take off on my own and find yarn stores) but large enough to have anything you would want fairly close at hand. (yarn stores) Yesterday morning I took a 3 1/2 hour Gray Line tour of the city and was very impressed.  The bus picked me up at the closest hotel door (again, this place is massive)and brought me back to the same door.  The bus driver (hey, Rudy) was full of country music information and quite a few bad jokes.  He did a bang up job of keeping all his little chickens accounted for and showed us a real good time, bless his heart.  I'm reasonably certain that I will come home with a little drawl. :-)

On the tour we spent a half hour in Ryman Auditorium.  The building is old and truly beautiful.  I was not the demographic the tour was aimed at (those that worship at the country music altar ...and that is no joke) but I could appreciate how much the building means to the industry.  There are more pics on my facebook page if you're interested.  (Not on facebook? You should be. :-))

After the Ryman we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame where I was trapped in country music hell for over an hour.  Where the Ryman was old and welcoming, the CMHF was new, huge and.....boring.  I apologize to all you country fans, but I searched that whole building for ANYONE that rang a bell in my head and found very little.  Here I thought Garth Brooks was some sort of country legend.  Go figure. I did find some cute books for baby in the gift shop and a stool in a shaded corner to kill time in.  Ipod...I love you.    On Wednesday I'm going to take a tour that goes out to a couple of more historic places, Bellmeade and Hermitage and I'm seriously considering taking a tour where they drive you by country stars homes so I can get a look at the neighborhoods.

Here's the sort of cool thing about country music stars....they are cool.  We were told as soon as we got here that there was a really good chance that we would run into a star or two during our stay.  Unlike the LA tv and movie stars, the paparazzi could care less about the country stars and leave them alone to live their lives here.  That being the case, they go to Target and Kohls and out for dinner just like we do.  Now I would probably not know a country star if I saw one....unless they were Garth Brooks :-)  (I love me some Garth.) but I think it's sort of nice that they get somewhat normal lives here in Nashville.  One couple that I met on the early tour took the afternoon home tour and I ran into them in the elevator when they got back.  They saw Faith Hill backing out of her driveway and she stopped and waved.  People are so darn nice here.  Another person getting a pedicure when I did (best pedicure I've ever had) saw Eva Mendes having lunch downtown and Nicole Kidman in the grocery store. 

Today I'm getting a manicure this morning (I am a pampered princess this trip) and not quite sure what to do this afternoon. Maybe the home tour....maybe the mall.  Tom has a business dinner tonight so I'm on my own pretty much all day long.

Hugs and love to all the home folks.  Kay...I hope the boys are behaving and thanks a million for making this trip possible.  I would imagine that I might begin to get bored here about Friday...but maybe not.:-)  (I've been taking notes of all the phrases I hear that are new to me and trying to use them in sentences. " Here about" is one of my favs.)

Nashville, where you can get a wake up call from Wyonna.

Monday morning, almost 8:00 am in Nashville.  I walked Tom across the hotel to his conference about 7:30. (I left him quite a ways from the door so he would not be embarrassed that his little wife walked him to school.) This walk took about 10 minutes so that should give you some idea of how massive this complex is.  I'm getting picked up at 8:30 by Gray Line Tours for a 3 hour tour of Nashville so I'm going to keep it brief this morning.

The Gaylord Opryland Resort is broken up into sections.  Our room is in the Cascade section and the picture above is the center area.  It has two restaurants and a book store.

This picture is of the Delta area (a small portion of it) which is closer to Tom's conference area and has multiple shops and dining areas.  Be sure to click on the pics to see them bigger.  It is quite literally a tropical garden in here.

For an establishment this swanky our room is sort of lame.  No chair to sit on other than the desk chair and I was hoping for a little spot to sit and knit, etc.  It is just down the hall from the spa and pool area, which is a plus.  I'm getting a pedicure at 2:00.  Nashville itself, or what we've seen of it, isn't anything to get real excited about UNLESS you are a big country music fan and then I'm pretty sure this is Nirvana. The Grand Ol Opry is just down the road from the hotel complex and we were sort of disappointed to see that Carrie Underwood would be there 2 days after we leave.  Oh well. 

The people here are incredibly friendly.  When I told the woman (Helen was her name) at the concierge desk that I was alone this week she said, "You aren't alone! You have us."  She arranged for my tour this morning and offered driving instruction to anywhere I want to go.  I think I'll be visiting Helen frequently. :-)

More later, y'all.