Another NashVegas Night

I should never have left town without that big yellow metal chicken secured in the back of my SUV

(While I was out of town and the victim of a week of bad internet connection, one of my past blog posts was featured in the online magazine Better After 50 (it really is, I think).  After reading my piece, stick around and read some of the other sassy, funny, and thoughtful things the other writers have to say.)

Sometimes a gal just has to get out of town.  The endless rain and gray skies made me think “Go South.”  And so I headed to the bright lights of one of my favorite towns --  NashVegas.  I went to meet up with friends for the All 4 The Hall benefit concert Keith Urban and Vince Gill do for The Country Music Hall of Fame.  You might remember that I wrote about it at this time last year.

There is so much besides country music that draws me to the town.  I made my stop at Parnassus Books where I bought the wonderfully creative and well-balanced book by Theron Humphrey, Maddie On Things.  Check here to see if Theron and Maddie are coming to a bookstore near you.  If you're not a dog lover before you open the book, you soon will become one.

I also ate way too many carbs late at night. And in the morning.  I bemoaned the fact that the gritty, small-town Nashville that I first knew and loved is growing into a sleek, modern mini-Atlanta with apartment high rises, expensive hotels, and chain stores.  A lawyer sitting next to my breakfast companion and me one morning half agreed with me.  He pointed out the restaurant window and said, “They should keep that place and that place and that place.  But frankly, I’m glad to see that building come down and a nice mid-rise apartment go in.  My wife and I want to live where the action is, but we’d like a change from our house to an apartment.”

Isn’t that the story everywhere?  So many people want to live in the midst of the excitement that pretty soon they’ve torn down all the things that make a neighborhood worth its salt.  Then you’re just left with the apartment buildings full of people who wanted all those things that made the neighborhood interesting.

But some things in NashVegas don’t change much.  There is still plenty of music to be had.  What made this trip particularly good was I had a concert double-header.  Gary Allan was in town singing at the Ryman Auditorium the night after Keith and friends.  So let me leave you with a tour of Lower Broadway on a Wednesday night in April.

There’s always action in the alley between the Ryman Auditorium and the music clubs that line Lower Broad.

With all that neon, the city deserves the name NashVegas.

A Music City hopeful playing for tips while competing against the ubiquitous big screen TV.

The boots and jeans of country singers tell their own stories.

I love being at the stage.

A perk of being up front – you get your Hatch Show Print signed.

Gary Allan reminds us that “Every storm runs out of rain.”

I finally got a bit of a smile out of him (around :20).  Gary’s “An Alright Guy.”

The sights and sounds of Lower Broad around midnight.  Most clubs have two bands playing. Multiply that by a dozen clubs on the strip and you understand why the sound in this clip is chaotic.  On a warm night the front windows of the clubs are thrown open, and it’s non-stop music as you stroll. 

Head to the comments box and tell me where you like to go when you just need to get away.  Do you have a special room -- or chair?  Or does a certain kind of scenery or activity recharge your battery?  Share your special place in the comments.

Jump In And Let It All Hang Out This Weekend

Country music singer/songwriter/guitar god Keith Urban in concert

Today I’m heading off to Nashville to see my man, guitar god Keith Urban, at the Grand Ole Opry and to meet up with some good friends.  There is laundry to do and packing and gathering of snacks for the drive.  While reviewing some blog ideas to work up for this post I ran through previous entries and discovered that fighting my midlife fears, as I talked about in the last post, seems to be a recurring theme for me.  So while I’m gone this weekend, read about other challenges I’ve set for myself in the past.  And I remind you – it’s not always about climbing Mt. Everest.
 

Everybody Pogo!  

As I finished walking Skyler around the lagoon and Grand Basin at Forest Park and was heading back to the car, my eye was caught by bright mango yellow shirts shooting into the air in a fit of randomness in the shade of tall oak trees.  Despite the July St. Louis heat, a group of grade school camp kids were all exhibiting their most energetic jumping jacks before hopping on their bikes for a spin around the park.



When did I stop jumping?  When was the last time that I flexed my knees and then propelled myself into the air like a rocket again and again?  Do I always have two feet planted firmly on the ground?  And why is that seen as a good thing?  I remember hot summer nights after dinner when all the kids in the neighborhood competed to see who could bounce the highest or the most times on our pogo stick.  Onetwothreefourfive . . . onehundredandfive . . .  We jumped without a moment’s thought to bad arches, or aching sacroiliac joints, or old knees.  We pogoed the length of our street and shot into the stratosphere with little concern for balance or control . . . (Read the full story and watch the video)

Let It All Hang Out

I’ve lived with a constant concern on laundry days that I would lose my underwear into the private courtyard two stories down and never be able to retrieve it.  If I did, I just hoped it was some of my new stuff that would show me in a good light.  At least the blue ones, something with color, and not the practical white Jockey ones.  French women are neither shy nor practical when it comes to what is underneath – just barely.



I’ve felt practically puritanical while in France because my foundation is both ecologically sound (made from quickly renewable bamboo fibers) and meant to cover and be covered.  Before leaving home I went shopping for a new bra with straps appropriate for wearing with the cut of tank top sleeves.  And the saleslady convinced me to choose the “nude” (ugly no-color) one because it would be invisible under light-colored tops. . .  (Read the full story)

What everyday challenges do you set for yourself?  Do you jump? Are you trying to be more daring with fashion?  Who's your favorite performer or what was your best concert?  Jump in and let it all hang out in the comments box and have a great weekend!