Travels with Lolo & Lulu

She may LOOK happy, but Lulu is quite anxious for our next adventure!!

We will be flying out of Newark on July 3 … and our itinerary, after picking up our rental car in Rapid City, SD will be:

Keystone, SD (including Mount Rushmore),

Salt Lake City (including a drive by of the Great Salt Lake), UT,

(see above 😉 ,

The home of our friends, the Tursos, in SW Oregon,

and we will end our (almost two weeks) vacation in the City by the Bay.

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Lolo & Lulu (with a dash of Gerry DeMan on this trip!)

I have just posted the following on Facebook, but if you aren’t there, you may appreciate reading here:

::and the music swells::

I’ve seen “The Wizard of Oz” probably 50 times (including several times on the big screen), and I’ve never NOT cried at those words when Judy Garland’s “Dorothy” utters them in the last seconds of the film.  Similar tears streamed down my cheeks as I pulled up my driveway on July 29.  Very happy that I took the trip … but OHHHHH, so happy to finally be HOME!

Shortly after beginning my last LONG DAY of driving (from Seneca, SC to Springfield, VA — 520+ miles; 8+ hours), I saw one of the most interesting sights from the Interstate:

I quickly jotted down the name of the town (Gaffney), and found this photo online later.  It’s a WATER TOWER, and the basin is in the shape of a peach!  I would have thought this would appear somewhere in Georgia, but apparently the South Carolina peach crop is just as noteworthy! 🙂

Good ol’ Lulu … perpetually cheerful … posing at two more state line (quite a distance from one another, I might add), and yet, as anxious to arrive at our last overnight as I.

Thunderstorms slowed us down a bit, just north of Richmond, VA.  (See reasonable facsimile of conditions above — once again, NO, I did NOT actually take these photos while driving.)

We arrived at my Grammar School friend, Carol’s house by 6:30 PM — and thank you, my dear friend, for the lovely dinner.  Words really cannot express how happy it’s made me to have reconnected with Carol a few years ago — we’ve been lucky enough to see each other on several occasions since our Facebook connection, and it’s always a treat because we just Think Alike!

Lulu got to bond with some gals in the guest room at Carol’s …

And further bonding with dear Carol herself occurred the following morning:

::Mwah!:: Carol!  Hope to see you again soon!

I was out the door shortly after Carol left for work, and before I even got on the highway, saw ::drumroll:: an ALASKA LICENSE PLATE!!! (Yeah, yeah, I know how nerdy that sounds, but in two weeks, I found ALMOST all of the 50 states license plates. My final total was 47: was only missing Hawaii, Idaho, South Dakota, and Wyoming.) Guess I’ll have to pick those up on NEXT YEAR’S trip!!

I somehow missed the Maryland state line, but we swung over, and Lulu got to pose with the Delaware sign!  “This means we’re almost home, right Lolo?” asked Lulu.  You betcha, girlfriend!!!  🙂

Our next, AND LAST (!!) stop before home, was downtown Philadelphia, and lunch with my former student, Vinny.  What a JOY to see this face, and spend a short amount of time!!!  We had fun catching up … and I had a good long laugh when he recalled one of his most memorable moments of me back the day, when I directed him in the school plays.  The memory involved me having a meltdown because no one knew their lines, and I just picked up a chair, put it on my head, & screamed.  LOL  Yup.  The more things change, the more they stay the same! 😉  Great to see ya, Vin!

Philadelphia and Trenton, NJ are practically sister cities, but somehow I never saw the “Welcome to NJ” sign after I crossed the bridge from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.  I’d decided that when I took the photo of Lulu with the NJ sign, I’d only include her feet at the top — simulating her jumping high in the air, so happy to be so close to home.   Here’s the recreation of the moment that never really happened:

(Yes, those lil black lumps at the top are Lulu’s feet. LOL)

And … before I could say, “What exit?” I was pulling into my driveway in Rutherford.  Shortly thereafter, I wrote this on Facebook:

States visited: 15
License Plates seen: 47 states (including DC), 3 Canadian provinces, and an Audi with some wonky European plate
Post cards sent to my cousin (Mae): 15 (the last 3 are on the way!)
Miles traveled: 3,762.8
FINALLY ARRIVING HOME AFTER 13 DAYS OUT: Absolutely priceless!!!!!

This was another gem procured from the Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth, and how Lulu and I will leave you for now!  Happy Trails, my friends!  Thanks for joining me on the journey!

Not only in my mind, but for real!  A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see my high school friend, Jeannette, when she and her husband were living near Clearwater, FL.  They’ve now retired to Seneca, SC, and I was delighted to be able to include their new home as part of my return trip to NJ!

As Lulu and I approached the South Carolina state line, there was a car tailgating so closely I couldn’t maneuver stopping to take the obligatory photograph with the “Welcome to…” sign.  However … everything happens for a reason, and I believe that the photo I got at the rest stop / South Carolina Welcome Center was much better!

(Don’t you think??!!? 🙂 )

I arrived in Seneca, at the BEAUTIFUL of home of Jeannette and Ken, by mid-afternoon from Atlanta.  Seneca is located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, and is quite pretty!

Jeannette, who I’ve known since high school, proved to be one of my most ardent Travels with Lolo and Lulu followers! The moment I stepped out of the car, Jeannette said, “OK!  Where is she??”  I knew immediately that she was referring to Lulu, and I pulled her right outta my purse.  (Oh, Lulu, you are SO POPULAR!!  lol)

Jeannette and Ken treated me to dinner at a lovely restaurant located right on Lake Keowee … a beautiful location, and delicious food!

I think Jeannette was trying not to laugh — AND was trying to dodge being in the photograph!, but I love this photo.  You can even see a tiny bit of the spectacular lakeside view!  Thank you again, Jeannette & Ken, for a wonderful meal!

As I was planning this trip, folks would inquire of me where my stops would be, and I would rattle off the list: Roanoke, VA, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Jackson, MS, Atlanta, Seneca, SC … wait … Where??  Until I visited, Seneca, South Carolina was a random place, 2 hours northeast of Atlanta.   I know SO MUCH BETTER now, and something else I didn’t realize about Seneca is that it is one town away from Clemson, SC, home of Clemson University!

Jeannette and Ken showed me around area, and drove me through the Clemson campus.  The Clemson Tigers have their mark all over the area … several businesses (like the Waffle House below) have giant orange tiger paw prints emblazoned on them, and the road leading into campus also has the paw prints.  Kinda cool to see so much Clemson U. pride!

My less-than-24-hours in SC went by in a flash, and both Jeannette and Ken were up with the birds to see me off!

Cute story … I am one of those crazy folks who habitually set clocks ahead.  My car’s clock is currently 36 minutes fast.  There is no logical reason WHY … my mother had a similar habit, and always had clocks set fast, so ….  Ken, is NOT one of those crazy folks.  Ken is very tech savvy and precise, and made it a point to tell me, just before we hit the hay the previous evening, that “the clock in your room MIGHT be a few seconds off.”  A few SECONDS???  I laughed out loud at that one!  Thanks, Ken!  You kept me on schedule!  🙂

Bye-bye, Jeannette!!  Lulu & I were SO HAPPY to get to spend time … hope to see you soon!

Next stops: Virginia, Philadelphia and HOME!!

Yeah, it pretty much took the whole day through to get from Jackson, MS to Atlanta, Georgia.  LOL  But I knew that going in, and this day of driving held just as many gems as other days!

Lulu was feeling a bit playful on this day … we were sort of excited about traveling through Alabama.  I’d never seen ANY of the deep south, and getting this “glimpse” of the Southern US states was really kinda cool.

Of course the BEST PART of this whole trip was seeing my friends along the way … saw 5 sets of friends, and it was seriously like seeing the face of God 5 times over.  But my answer to the question some have asked me, “What was the best part of your DRIVE??” is “US Route 80 through mid Alabama!”  I chose to deviate from the Interstate, and have lunch in Montgomery, AL, instead of going through Birmingham on my way to Atlanta.

Turns out (and I had no idea, it was simply divine guidance), US 80 gives you a REAL TASTE of the state of Alabama!  I drove past mansions and poverty, farms and bogs, cattle grazing and horses running … I SAW the state.  I pulled all of the following photos from Google, but they are an EXCELLENT representation of what I experienced on the US 80 drive:

I drove smack through the center of Demopolis … it could have been Anytown, USA, so sweet!

Saw many crops growing, including the ever popular (except with me!) kale!

Went past several catfish farms!

Also drove through the center of Selma, AL, home of the famous Pettus Bridge, where the Montgomery / Selma Civil Rights walk took place.  Humbling.

The ambiance of my lunch stop (just west of Montgomery) left much to be desired … LOL … but the food was pretty good.  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, The Internet … WHERE you lead me to go!  🙂

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the Georgia state line …

… and before we knew it, we had arrived at the Omni Hotel, part of the CNN complex!  Here is the view FROM OUR ROOM …

Looking into the center of the complex!  So cool!

We had a wonderful time on the CNN Studio Tour … and the ticket agent totally saved the day!  I have been planning this trip since MARCH, and one of the ONLY THINGS I purchased in advance was my CNN Tour ticket.   I had all of my directions, addresses, reservations, etc. in a packet I was calling “my bible”, and on Wednesday (7/27) morning, I pulled out my ticket voucher for CNN.  It said, “CNN Studio Tour, Tuesday 7/26”.  What???????  HOW could I have misplanned that one???  The ticket agent just smiled, took the voucher, said, “No problem, I’ll switch it for you!”  Relief & happiness!

“Yay, Ticket Lady!  Can’t wait!!”

The tour was the right length (under an hour), and very informative.  I knew a lot of the “tv production” stuff already, but I highly recommend the tour!  Natch, it came with a “pose in front of a green screen photo op” moment:

“Lulu … what do you rate the CNN Studio Tours?” “10!”

And … in a perfect imitation of Disney … the tour spills out to the merchandise store.  Can you spot Lulu?

THERE SHE IS!!  LOL

We got on the road not long after the tour, and had our shortest drive of the trip:  Only a little more than 2 hours to our next stop: South Carolina!

For all you Johnny Cash fans out there, you might recognize those lyrics … for everyone else, I’m here to tell you that they ARE actually lyrics! 🙂

I left Fort Worth on a Monday morning (… now THAT sounds like a lyric!), beginning my many miles journey home again.  First stop along the way: Jackson, Mississippi.

Interstate 20, with which I bonded, brought me past Dallas, a mere 30 miles away, and I planned to stop for lunch in Shreveport, Louisiana, right on the Louisiana / Texas border.

Lulu & I missed the “Welcome to …” sign … DANG!  I realized that, when you travel east to west, the exit numbers are descending, so it was really obvious when one is approaching a state line driving in that direction.  When traveling west to east, you must have pre-knowledge of exit numbers, or hope for the best. (Did you know that there are 635 exits on I-20 in Texas???)  Subsequently, this was the best we could do upon entering Louisiana:

We made it to our lunch destination, a funky little lunch counter place called Straun’s.  Whoever Mr. Straun is, he sure had some interesting DECORATING ideas.  LOL

This is one of several wall murals in Straun’s main dining room.  I’ve never taken any hallucinogenic drugs, but Straun’s gave me an idea of what it must be like.  LOL  Food was fine, though, and I was on my way again.

I stopped again for fuel a little while later, and gained one of my BEST “on the road” stories.  I was always trying to find a magnet from wherever I stopped to add to my collection.  I didn’t actually take a picture of the cashier inside this Shell station, but here’s a cartoon that comes close:

Here’s how the conversation went:

(as I walked in) Clerk: Do you know the zip code for Arcadia?
(I look around to see to whom she’s speaking — it’s only me)
Me: Do _I_ know? ::chuckle:: No, sorry.
Clerk: ::mumbles some numbers under her breath::
Me: (after glancing around) Do you have any magnets?
Clerk: No, Ma’am, we sure don’t. ::beat:: We have some KNIVES and some THROWIN’ STARS, if yer interested.
Me: Haha! … No, thanks.
Clerk: We’ve got some UNSHARPENED throwin’ stars, if you’re interested in something for a child.
Me: (LOL) No, no, I’m all set on the throwin’ stars.

Stopped for a bathroom break not too much later, and had to laugh at the name of the rest stop:

“Tallulah” is what I’ve named my GPS.  LOL  (Who knew that there’s a Tallulah, Louisiana??) And … good news!  Got my “Louisiana” magnet here.  🙂

We got to the Mississippi line before 3 PM, and then arrived at the Jackson, MS Marriot by around 5.

I didn’t even poke my nose out the door until the following morning, and it was VERY NICE … except for one thing:  I ordered breakfast to be delivered at 8:15 AM the following morning, BUT I got a knock on the door, and heard “Room Service” the next day at ::drumroll::  _6_:15 AM.  UGH!  It woke me up out of a dead sleep, and I didn’t have my wits about me to send it back.  They wound up comping the breakfast for the inconvenience … I was just wishing I could have recouped that lost 2 hours of sleep!!  LOL

Off the next morning!  Next stop: Rhymes with Flat Santa! LOL

::clap, clap, clap, clap::  … deep in the heart of Texas!!

Lulu was tickled to add another State Line to her photo album!

I arrived at my FURTHEST destination (… I keep saying “final”, but clearly it is not final, just my last before heading home again) by dinner time on Friday, and saw the face of my Angi!!  It was around visiting her that I began planning this trip, and I must say that my weekend in Fort Worth, Texas was OUTSTANDING!!

Angi and I have been like long lost sistah-friends, ever since we played sisters, back in 1997, in “The Porker Sisters”.

I played “Boareen” (the pig on the top), and Angi played “Porcine” (the pig on the bottom.)  (And try as we might, neither of us could remember the name of the woman who played “Pigeen”, in the middle!)  Our “Sisterhood” bond is stronger than ever, and we cried happy tears at meeting, and then proceeded to laugh all weekend long. 🙂

Since it was our (Lulu & I) longest “sit down”, Fort Worth afforded me some rather leisurely sight seeing.  Lulu & I took in the National Cowgirl Museum, and really did it up!

Here we are with Annie Oakley ..^^

…and Lulu with two MORE photos of Annie Oakley … ^^

And with a statue in one of the galleries.  (ps~It’s against the rules to take photos here, but as Lulu & were the only two souls in the place, I bended them a little.)

But the piece de la resistance was the Bronco Buster.

Things you need to know about my Bronco Ride at the National Cowgirl Museum:
1. (LOL) It took me a solid 5 minutes to hoist myself up on the bronco.
2. Part of those 5 minutes was SPENT LOL-ing.
3. I didn’t QUITE get how it worked … didn’t realize I was being filmed, and thought at any moment the bronco would start to buck wildly. (It never did.)
4. Subsequently, if you can read lips, you’ll see me say, “I hope I don’t fall off!” during the course of the Lolo & Lulu portion of the video.
5. When I was getting off the bronco, I caused the saddle to shift all the way to the side.
6. Fortunately, I was the only person in the whole museum, so I’m sure they had time to fix it before the next person came along. Next Thursday.

Here’s the tiny movie: (click on the blue words BRONCO RIDE)

BRONCO RIDE

(I am still laughin’ about that silly thing!)

After that, Lulu wanted to ride solo.  Who can blame her??  LOL

Angi & Dow were COMPLETELY sweet about giving me a “Welcome” gift basket upon my arrival!!!  (Really???)  Long story short, Angi had to work during part of the day on Saturday, so in the basket was a gift card for the local movie theater!  It was one of those “have lunch while seeing the movie” places, so I enjoyed a salad while watching …

Who’re ya gonna call??

It had its’ moments … they’re all so darn funny!  I was pleasantly surprised that “Ghostbusters” (2016) wasn’t as awful as the reviews it received.

Back to meet up with Angi, for a WONDERFUL dinner, cooked by Dow, her husband, and later we were off to do one of my favorite things …

Karaoke!!  At this total dive bar called Sarah’s Place, where people take their karaoke SERIOUSLY!!  We all sang, including Angi’s friend, Twila (Lulu sat out, but clapped a LOT!), and really enjoyed the evening!

Church early the next AM, and then Angi, Dow & I had a serious discussion about the possibility of going to the Fort Worth Stockyards that afternoon.  The problem??  It was 103 degrees in the shade.  I wasn’t up for walkin’ around ANYWHERE when it’s that hot … but Dow made it happen!

We started out having lunch at Cooper’s Old Time Pit Barbecue … totally Texas (huge) & totally Southern (BBQ like you would not believe.)  My favorite was the grilled corn on the cob, and the bbq ribs were a close second!

Just everyone in the world wants to pose with that lil gal, Lulu!  Angi & Dow were no exception.  Gotta stop here and SHOUT MY PRAISES about Dow!  Perfect for Angi … they’ve been married 11 years, and still in love … he’s a MAN’S MAN, a gentleman, interesting, a great audience, and an even greater cook!!  Thank you, Dow, for marrying my friend, and for being such a great host!  I would have been SEVERELY disappointed if you’d gone to visit your sister while I was town!!

During the few moments we braved the heat to step into a few of the shops in the Ft. Worth Stock Yard area, this train appeared.  A tourist train that journeys a very short distance, it was impressive to see.

Angi was telling me, “Every afternoon they do a cattle drive down the middle of the street in this part of town … Yeah, like _4_ cows come amblin’ down the street.  That’s the cattle drive.”  LOL  We didn’t stick around to see it, (Angi, “Plus they smell to high heaven”  LOL), but I found a photo online:

(I actually think I count 6 cows in this photo, but I got Angi’s point.  LOL)

Then it was time to head back to Dow & Angi’s place, and use their pool!!  I will admit that, although the water was on the warm side, it was refreshing, and delightful to have a little GF time!

There’s my girl, soakin’ up them rays!!!!  Who does NOT love them some Angi Seagraves????

Dow & Angi live in a BEAUTIFUL part of Fort Worth, quite near this bridge …

And this is the view of Downtown from their apartment balcony:

Just a beautiful place to be!  Monday morning came all too quickly, and I was off again … beginning many more days on the road home again.  But I will never ever forget this wonderful weekend with my friend!   Until next time, dear Angi!

OooooooooooooooK-lahoma, where the _____________  (finish the lyric … everybody else has! LOL).  WHAT a lovely time we had in the 46th state!!   Thank you many times over to my host, the beautiful, talented, shining and amazing Ms. Marcie Fay Barrett Falcone!!!  She & her 4 children are the stars of this post, as they brought me everywhere in Oklahoma City!  So glad I could see Marcie (after all this time), and finally meet her two sets of twins (Fay and Pete, 8, and Michael and Aidan, 12.)  The older boys “don’t do” photos, but they made the visit perfect just by virtue of meeting them!

When last we met, Lulu & I had left Memphis, and were headed to OKC.  Lulu was skunked when it came to posing with the “Welcome to Arkansas” sign, as it occurs when one crosses over the Mississippi River, on Interstate 40, going with 70 MPH.  (**IMPORTANT NOTE TO MY FOLLOWERS** – I unequivocally did NOT take this photo while driving!  I scooped it from Google images. 🙂

Between bathroom stops and filling station stops (and a 20-minute nap along the way, when I had JUST hit the wall), the 467 miles between Memphis and Oklahoma City pretty much ate up the day.  Here we are at the Oklahoma state line, with just over 183 miles to go, and the sun had begun its’ descent!

After driving for WAY TOO MANY HOURS, Lulu & I finally showed up at Marcie & company’s! (We barely made it before dark, but we MADE IT!)  I took this photo on my way out of the neighborhood 2 days later … I only WISH I could have captured my arrival with 8-year-olds Fay & Pete, jumping up & down in the driveway!!  🙂

Thursday was my one FULL DAY in Oklahoma City, and we sure did MAKE IT COUNT!!   We had lunch in OKC’s legendary Cattleman’s!  Here’s Lulu with THE Cattleman.  Love the mural in the background!

Pete and Fay were quite tickled to pose with Lulu at the drop of a cowboy hat!  And Lulu was as horrified as I was to see the delicacy on Cattleman’s menu:   Lamb Fries (< aka testicles)

Noooooooooooooooooo thank you!!

Next stop was the American Banjo Museum!!  (And let me stop here & say how much I appreciate the minimal grousing by the Falcone offspring, as Miss Marcie & I drug ’em all over creation for the benefit of my sight-seeing!)

The American Banjo Museum was small but entertaining!  I was highly impressed by the sheer volume of banjos available for viewing, as well as a few for playing!

Lulu can really relate to Miss Marilyn!

“These are my two favorite banjo players!” exclaimed Lulu.

Fay, mugging with Lulu wearing the gold dress!

Fay being Fay … and making us laugh for DAYS!

The Steve Martin exhibit was really awesome!

Marcie & I (and Lulu) in the museum lobby.  American Banjo Museum.  Who knew???  🙂

Next, we drove over a large portion of the Oklahoma City outskirts, including farmland belonging to Marcie’s aunt.  Along this road, Marcie suggested we stop & take some pictures of “the sunflower patch”.   This “patch” is ___ONE HUNDRED ACRES___  of sunflowers!!!!!  Lulu was delighted to perch on one of the tall, beautiful flowers!

After returning home, and having my head spin while watching Marcie tote various kids to piano lessons, tutoring, arrange for basketball pickup, fixing dinner, etc. … we went back out again, and journeyed to the downtown area to view the Oklahoma City National Memorial, a place of quiet reflection, honoring victims, survivors, rescuers and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995 due to an office building that was bombed.

As funny as this blog can be, sometimes a serious tone is in order which is why Lulu stayed safely tucked away during our visit to the memorial.  It is a beautiful and somber place.

Words unnecessary.

Thank you, my DEAR, DEAR Miss Marcie, for a WONDERFUL few days in Oklahoma City!  I will never forget this trip BECAUSE OF YOU!

Next (and FINAL!) stop on the Big Road Trip:  Fort Worth, TX!!

Sticking with the song lyric theme, that particular lyric is from Nunsense, and the song “I Could Have Gone to Nashville”.  Welp … now Lulu & I _HAVE_ gone to Nashville!!

Many thanks to Sue & Eric Broder, the parents of one of the little kids with whom I appeared in the Kenny Rogers Christmas show, back in 1998 (!!)  Now 18 years later, their 3 children are all moved out, and these two empty nesters — mainly Sue! — went OUT OF THEIR WAY to plan & insure our brief visit to Nashville was as OUTSTANDING as it was!

(C’mon, FOCUS, Lulu!! hee hee)  The last time I was at this particular location on I-81 was a few years ago, and I had no idea that I would be passing through the tiny corner of Tennessee on my way to N. Carolina, and was WEEPING while driving, because I thought I was going the wrong way.  (Turns out, I was not.)  THIS TIME, I INTENDED to drive to Tennessee, and Lulu was more than pleased to pose with the “Welcome to…” sign.

We arrived in Nashville mid afternoon, and hit the ground running!  A tour of the MAGNIFICENT Gaylord Opryland Hotel, dinner at the lovely & trendy 5th & Taylor, and we ended the evening on Broadway Street in downtown Nashville, home to scads of “honky tonk joints”.  Lulu loved the giant cowboy boot!

We went inside “Roberts Western World” to listen to the last few songs of a set of the band there.  Truly AWESOME local flavor stuff.

Day Two began early with a trip to the Ryman Auditorium, the original location of the Grand Ol’ Opry!  Such a GREAT gem of a place, and so happy that I took the advice (of MANY, including my Nashville host, Sue), and toured the Ryman instead of the current Opry.

Lulu was very happy to make the acquaintance of Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl! 🙂

Lulu helped me “Make A Record at the Ryman!” … sang my signature karaoke tune, “Walkin’ After Midnight”!

Here’s how we sounded!

^^^ (Click “play” to hear the recording!) It was so much fun!  After the tour, we went by the cafe for a quick bite … and, don’t tell Lulu, but it’s actually called “Cafe Lul_a_“, named after Lula Naff, the woman who ran the Ryman after Thomas Ryman died.  It was a fun place to visit from start to finish!

A WHIRLWIND driving tour ALL AROUND Nashville (Thank you again, Sue!!!), which lead to our next stop … Cheekwood.  Sue had recommended it, and turns out it’s a FASCINATING place to visit!!  Mr. Cheek was heir to the Maxwell House coffee fortune, and this mansion / museum is quite something!  Lulu was DYING to hop out of my purse,  and do her “Michelle Pfeiffer on the piano” impression …

We made it happen!  Then it was back to the house for a nap (I needed one more than Lulu did!  LOL), and we planned the evening …

A local BBQ joint for ribs … 

(“Can _I_ have a Wonder Woman outfit like that, Lolo?” “NO!”  … LOL)

And the final event was at a place called “The Station Inn” (I was tagging myself there on social media, and it kept coming up as the “World Famous Station Inn”.)

… and, although I described it as looking more like the basement of a VFW hall and less “world famous”, it has been the venue for hundreds of country legends’ performances!  The one we saw, “The Doyle & Debbie Show” was an hysterical parody of country music and country singers!  Never would have thought of going to see this, but would go back as many times as possible!  LOVED IT!

The next morning brought a VERY EARLY START, as my final Wednesday destination was Oklahoma City … but Lulu & I made our way across the rest of Tennessee in time to have lunch at Graceland in Memphis!

We didn’t take the tour (much to the disappointment of many friends — ya never know, I may get back here someday!), but we had lunch across the street in the Graceland visitor center.

We promise to stay connected, Elvis!  (Someone told me that he works as a fry cook in Jackson, MS.  Is that true????  😉

Next stop, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes whippin’ cross the plain!!!

Today began my 14 days of travel over a LARGE portion of our great country, but my post begins with YESTERDAY:

Today these gals Margaret and her Mom, Catherine (and her husband / Margaret’s dad, Carl) left on a jet plane for Oregon, where they will relocate.  Catherine is a truly FINE Alto, and not only sang in choir with me, but has been a fabulous friend over the last many, many years.  No such thing as a coincidence that my trip is starting on the same day as their beginning of their new life.  Lulu wanted “IN” on this photo!!  Bon Voyage, Turso Family!!!

This morning, Lulu & I posed in front of the yard, next to Zippy (… my car).  The sun was in my eyes, and there was a horsefly the size of a robin hovering nearby, so this is not the best photo of us (… “of YOU!” says Lulu …) LOL but we got on the road a little after 8 AM!

We traveled through 5 states …. New Jersey …

Pennsylvania:

(Camera focus is an issue, because although I pull off to the side of the road to snap the pictures, we don’t get outta the car.)

Maryland:

Yes, it’s true!  Look at a map.  Or don’t, and just trust me: When one travels west & then south to travel this route, you go through the north-western most SLIVER of Maryland.  9 exits on I-81, to be exact.

West Virgina:

Ditto, to West Virginia … we slid through a north-easterly tab of W. Virginia.  In this state, I stopped at a gas station / convenience store to fill up the tank, and use the facility.  WHY, pray tell, did the gentleman in the only restroom not only NOT LOCK the door, he left it ajar???  Awkward moment for me, and I ran out PDQ.  Ugh.  West Virginia, man.

and Virginia:

LOL  Lulu was getting a little loopy posing with the “Welcome To …” signs.  (Suck it up, Buttercup, you’ve got MANY MORE to pose with!  LOL)  I laughed when Miss Waze announced, “Stay straight on Route 81 South for 4 hours.”  LOL  Yup.

Tonight we recharge our batteries by pretty much laying around the hotel room in Roanoke, VA.  Pretty surroundings!

Tomorrow we head to Tennessee!!