Day 2: Louisville to Nashville

Sorry to be so far behind, friends, family and others (Marge), but it's been a jam-packed week of road tripping joy and lack of a stable internet connection! I finally have some free time and, thanks to our new friend, Jane, a wi-fi hot spot dealyo. So here's the ramblings from my demented mind from Day 2. Enjoy!

Remember how Julia said we brought baggage? Baggage in the form of Brother Peter? Well, there are several things about Brother Peter that must be shared:

• Frequent Rest Area/Restroom breaks – the man has a bladder the size of a pistachio. The gallon-sized Diet Cokes from your friendly neighborhood McDonald’s probably don’t make for the best road trip beverages. I may be wrong, but I doubt it. Add an hour to each leg of the journey for Brother Peter’s potty stops. That just might begin to cover it.
• Snoring – the man snores – he’s even doing so as I write this. It would be great if I could just end this bullet point right there, but Brother Peter’s  sleep sounds send out shock waves that alter flight patterns. The FAA has sent many an agent to investigate. The racket is so disturbing that it’s as though the aftershocks of the Northridge quake meet those of the eruption of Vesuvius. I demand a sleep study immediately and I want to see the Darth Vader mask on his face by tomorrow night.
• Lost and Found – the man constantly misplaces his belongings – his iPod, his phone, the hotel door key, and even the glasses atop his head. I’ve decided to whittle him a Velcro suit. Perhaps it will alleviate these problems, but I have strong doubts.

All that just between Saint Louis and Nashville. And yet, we still like him!

So we left Louisville and the Eastern Time Zone on Saturday for Nashville and a Sounds game. You may remember that Mother Nature interfered with last year’s Sounds game, thus rendering it unplayable, and disappointing me to the point of tears. According to the Weather Bug app, such weather activity was not predicted for this year. After a few rest area and Diet Coke purchasing stops, and a side trip to the original “world’s greatest used book store,” McKay, in Knoxville, Tennessee, we made our way to the first Bojangles we saw and partook of its Bojanglesey goodness. We then met up with our recent Saint Louis guests (and future Holden Beach hosts) for lunch at the Opry Mills Mall at the Grand Ole Opry complex outside of Nashville.

Eventually, we made our way to our resting place for the evening in Nashville, the Union Station Hotel, which, as the name might suggest, is in the old train station. It was quite nice, almost too nice for us. Since Brother Peter was a late addition to the trip and we didn’t have a ticket for him to the game, he decided to embarrass the younger me by being all active and stuff and donning his Walkman and setting out for a walk around the area. Hate that guy.

Selfy of Awesome Folks

As it was an hour prior to game time, we left for the game, not thinking that Greer Stadium was no more than ten minutes from the hotel. Traffic was light and we arrived at the parking lot and eased into a space not more than 100 yards from the entrance. We walked up to the ticket window, as only one was open, and I handed the box office guy my license and told him I needed to pick up tickets. His reaction was a bit odd and I thought he was going to tell me he couldn’t give them to me, but away he went and less than a minute later, returned with my tickets. I thought little of it and we got in line to wait for the gates to open. It was 5:05 p.m., so we had mere 30 minutes to wait. 5:35 came and went. Then 5:45... Then 5:55... We stood in line with the boiling Nashville sun beating upon us like Bonham on his drum kit, cursing the day that the ushers, who seemed to scoff at our imminent demise, refused to swing open the gates to baseball joy to accept patron entry. Drat and curses, I say!

It was then I decided to consult The Google. What I found displeased me greatly. A) Louisville is in the Eastern Time Zone. B) Nashville is not. C) Our “Set Automatically” time feature on our iPhones was not working properly – thanks Apple. D) All of that, combined, means that we were not an hour and a half early for a 6:35 start, but actually two and a half hours early. You may have won the battle, sun, but you won’t win the war.

I don’t recall doing so, but I apparently ordered tickets in the first row behind the dugout. Who knew? Our premium positioning combined with my Canon Power Shot SX50 HS made for some super sweet close ups and such.

Aforementioned super sweet close up

With the new device, I began a new phase in my photographic endeavors I call my “artsy” baseball shots, which means little more than extreme close ups of baseball related things. Don’t knock it. People win awards for this type of thing. You’ll know them when you see them. Wait until we get back to begin sending me my awards. Cash is an acceptable award. Just so you know.

Aforementioned artsy baseball photo

After the game, we headed back to the meat locker, aka, the hotel room to enjoy a noisy night’s sleep in preparation for Sunday’s drive to North and South Carolina, Cousin Cindi and Uncle Jim and Aunt Ellen. Get ready NASCAR country! We’re on our way!

To see the photos from Day 2, click HERE.