Spring already here

Here it is April 10th, 2011.  We had a great time in Texas this year.

 WE entered the Christmas Parade and won second prize for our golf cart all decorated.  Had a great Christmas with our friends and Mercedes and Norm  hosted and prepared dinner on Christmas day.  What fun.  We ate well and played well.  Norm played his guitar and we sang, sang, sang. 

New Year's Eve was a blast as always with everyone all dressed up ready to party.  And we did!

Our sisters Chris and Jacquie came down for two weeks.  We had a lot of fun and they said they were comfortable on our new bed chesterfield. We celebrated Andy's 65th birthday while they were with us and  Betty (his wife) wanted to surprise him.   He wanted to plan his own birthday party, so we had to pretend the get together at their house was the whole thing.  Andy went and got a bunch of wings and we had to eat them to keep the surprise.  Then when we got him to the White House on false pretenses and everyone brought food.   No wonder we put on weight down here!!! 

Joe and I and Marcella and Wayne decorated our golf cart for the St. Patricks Day parade, and what a beauty it was!  We made a Leprecon out of a sandbag, some children's cloths including black shoes and put a wig on him.  Sheila and John Jack (just kidding John) were there while we were working on the cart and Sheila helped with her artistic abilities.  We thought we were a shoe-in for the first prize and were astounded that we did not win 1st place. It must have been the GIANT Irish flag the winners had on their cart or something. 

Now we are on are way home.  It is really, really hot in Texas, so it was good to get going.  We spent our first two nights in San Antonio.  Mostly we strolled the River Walk, and ate and drank and rested.  It is more work than you would think getting closed up for the summer in Victoria Palms.  San Antonio was beautiful with the leaves coming out on the trees and the warm weather.  We were disappointed with the hotel there.  It was called Holiday Inn Express River walk.  No way.  A long walk (5 or 6 blocks) (for me anyway) to the Riverwalk  from the hotel.  False advertising? 

We spent one night on the road at Little Rock, Arkansas.  The next two nights we were in Nashville, Tennesse.  During the first day we went down to the Entertainment area and had a drink and a bite to eat at Tootsies, the best and most famous bar in Nashville.  They had two bands playing, one downstairs and one upstairs.  We were there at 2pm and the place was packed. That first night we went to the new Grand Ole Oprey House.  The main hosts were John Conlee, Little Jimmy Dickens,  Bill Anderson and Trace Adkins.  What a show!  They told us that during the flooding in May last year the stage was under 4 feet of water and a lot of things were destroyed.  But they have repaired and replaced and it is back to the way it should be.  Well Little Jimmy Dickens IS really little and he was very funny and told a lot of jokes.  Trace Adkins was awesome and he had the West Point Glee Club with him.  Great show!

The next morning we had a good breakfast at the hotel and walked down to 2nd Avenue and Broadway to pick up a trolley tour at 10 am.  We were there at 10 and the trolley was full, so we had to wait to get the 11 o'clock trolley.  Very annoying and the 11 o'clock trolley was 12 minutes late but a nicer vehicle.  We had a 1 1/4 hour tour with a great commentator who you could understand all the time and it was a wonderful tour.  Well worth the wait, which I told him at the end.  Then we walked over to BB Kings to listen to the band and have lunch.  The group was "The Rev. Zac" band and it turns out that Rev. Zac is a real reverend and actually goes into the jail to counsel and encourage the residents there and does other church duties.  They were very good. We took the "green" bus, which is free in Downtown Nashville and went back to our room for a rest.  Went back out around 6pm to "do the town" and hit the clubs.  Wrong!
The clubs were all small and packed full of young people.  It must be Spring Break down here.  When we could get in, there was standing room only.  Ended up at a couple of bars, had dinner at the Brewery House Bar and Restaurant, which was also packed, but we found a seat, had nachos and a drink and took the Green Bus back to our room.

Heading home tomorrow and should be there by Monday, the 11th of April.  Looking forward to it.
What do you mean Joe? about time!!!!!