Two hours east of Nashville, in the mountains of Tennessee, you’ll find the town of Crossville. Head out of town a ways, down the winding country roads, and out there among the rolling hills are two of the biggest Van fans going – Don and Mary Bell, Continue reading
We could see the storm clouds brewing overhead as we approached Nashville, but the rain held off just long enough for us to get to our hotel, drop our bags off, and head across the street to the local Waffle House for a bite to eat. And then the skies let loose. Continue reading
Everything about New Orleans was saying “Stay! Stay!” and we were sorely tempted, but we knew the longer we stayed the less we’d be able to tear ourselves away. Continue reading
Even without the music, New Orleans is a fascinating city, one that is easy to be in – restaurants, shops, a riverwalk along the Mississippi, art galleries, parks – all within walking distance, all filled with friendly folks who are genuinely pleased with life and glad to be spending a part of their day with you. Its narrow one-way streets demand you get out on foot to explore. It’s the only way to see New Orleans, and while you’re out there gawking at all there is on offer, your senses come alive … especially your auditory sense. New Orleans is many things, but paramount is the music. Live music. I daresay there isn’t a city anywhere else that keeps on giving music the way NOLA does. Continue reading
“The cops are here. They’re getting a search warrant and coming in.” This is what I hear as I open the door to our bedroom at the insistent knocking that is waking me up from last night’s Mardi Gras celebration. Continue reading
I know. If you’re going to keep a blog, you’ve got to take time to post. In theory that works out great. It’s the putting it into practice part that I have to work on. But as Bridget said to me last night: “Don’t worry about it. Your followers all get an email alert when you’ve posted something new, and they’re happier if you don’t post, because that’s one less thing they have to read that day; and your friends will know that if you’re not posting, you’re out having fun; and everybody else doesn’t care; so don’t worry, it’s all good.” Good advice. Continue reading
it’s tuesday – the day that these past weeks have been leading to – or in Bridget’s and my case, these past six days – this is the big day, it’s the day for the commoner’s ball. Continue reading
One of the great things about a road trip around the country is getting to see friends and family along the way. In some cases, it’s been far too long since we saw them last, and in other cases, it’s meeting up for the first time. Coming to New Orleans has given us the latter. Dennis’s cousins, Kathe and Paul Cedro, who live west of NOLA in Luling, knew that Bridget and I were coming to town and we arranged to head over to their place on our second night in town and enjoy some home cooking, southern style. Shrimp Creole and stuffed crab, with King Cake for dessert. Continue reading
While I was trudging along the streets of Kilkenny in search of the no-longer-existent county jail, with the wind howling and pushing me along, I couldn’t help but think, yes, in a few days we’ll be back in the States, down in the keys, and the winter in the sunny south that I’d been long anticipating could begin. It was a good thought. Winter in Ireland isn’t cold, but it’s no day at the beach. Continue reading
Here it is – a map of our travels throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. Continue reading