country road song map

Kathryn - There is a soundtrack that plays on the open road. It is a continuous loop of earworms, road signs, and state lines. Our motorhome is rather noisy while driving making it difficult to listen to music on the radio, so we rarely do. Don’t get me wrong, the music didn’t die, especially once we hit Texas… Cause “if you’re gonna play in Texas you gotta have a fiddle in the band”. I grew up on the prairie and country music was a big part of my daily life. The vast majority of songs played on the radio were not about the province of Alberta where I grew up, they were about the American South. Through this road trip I have finally had the opportunity to connect the music with the places the songs were about, for that I am truly grateful.

The epicentre of country music is Nashville and the stage that has been making country music history for the past 93 years, The Grand Ole Opry. The night we went to the Opry Bobby Bare performed Marie Laveau, followed by Bobby Osborne with Rocky Top. Both songs are featured in the country music soundtrack that has been playing constantly in my mind for the last five months.

Catherine -  It seems like months since we did our last blog and it has been an action packed few weeks.  After the wild horse experience, it was off to Nashville for Kathryn’s Birthday. We were planning to stay for a week and then extended it for another week as the weather was really cold (snow-like) the first week and the next week looked very promising. We had to wait out winter for a little bit longer and it appears we have finally turned the corner. We found spring in Tennessee and plan on taking it with us wherever we go.

Nashville is a great city with no shortage of musicians wanting to be found and turned in to the next greatest recording artist. If you want to become a singer or songwriter Nashville is where you belong and where you will most likely be found. Tourists flock to Nashville to hear their favourite Honky Tonk and Country songs being belted out at all hours of the day and night by musicians both new and old to Nashville. New York City is full of actors, Nashville is full of musicians and Canada is full of hockey hopefuls. So very few make the cut and my heart bled a little for each singer or waiter/waitress trying to make their way.

What I loved is all the people who are trying their best, working hard and doing whatever it takes to make success happen. A lot of these dreamers are leaving their home, their support network and their friends. It must be terribly difficult. I remember times when I felt unsupported and those are the hardest times. It’s not about the money, as one can always work an extra shift, it’s not about living in a divey basement suite with salt around the doorway to keep the slugs out, it is about the loneliness of trying to make a go of it on your own.

I wish the best for every musician, actor, athlete, artist, dancer to succeed and share their creative mind and soul with the world. I love the marks you have already made on the world and been able to share. Keep on truckin’


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MICROCAR MANIA !

AT THE LANE MOTOR MUSEUM IN NASVILLE

UNTIL MAY 21, 2018

SEE THE WORLD'S SMALLEST PRODUCTION CAR - IT HAS NO REVERSE, JUST A HANDLE ON THE BACK TO TURN IT AROUND!