St Louis to Nashville

And up at 6 am on Sunday. I was having a complicated dream about looking for a place where I could change my costume, and finding Sue sleeping, and heard Sharon calling out. I thought it was the middle of the night and she was talking in her sleep (David had warned us about that) but it turned out to be a call to breakfast.

Breakfast was omelette and a Bloody Mary, garnished with pickled okra in lieu of an olive and celery. Sharon gave each of us a care package (fruit, cookies and chocolate) and we packed and loaded all our bags into the back of the truck. We left at 8 am so we'd have time to shop for basic supplies on the way, and arrived at the church at 10 am. The two coaches turned up, and gradually We all sang How We Sang Today, with our arms around each other's waists, and We Are Family. Then the River Blenders lined the road as we drove away.

It was interesting to see the scenery as we drove out of St Louis. The trees are starting to change colour. I was reading a book about raccoons which was set in 1918, and then its sequel some years later, and the author described beautifully the countryside back then and all the wildlife. He made raccoons sound delightful. We've seen them only as road kill, but in numbers which suggest they're still plentiful in the countryside.

We crossed several rivers and went down several highways, none of which I can remember the names of. We stopped for a late lunch at Mount Vernon, and scattered in several different directions to find food. There were long waits at most of the fast food outlets and our driver, Rick, was right to say we'd need at least an hour there. then it was back on the road again, and another short rest stop further along at a tourist information centre. After we crossed the border into Tennessee we sang for a while, with Vicki directing, and then Liam did a solo with ipod backing.

Around 6:30 pm we saw the lights of Nashville, and were glad to pull up at the Hilton. Lorraine and I had collected a dollar or two from everyone to tip the drivers, and split it between them. There was a long line of us at the reception desk waiting to check in, and only one person on reception (or so it seemed to those of us at the back of the queue) but eventually Sue and I got our room key and could settle in.

Our room has a bedroom separate from the living room and bathroom, and ours has a king bed which we decided was big enough to share without annoying each other. Internet access is $11.95 a day (ouch) and after I'd signed up to this for the week i discovered the business centre downstairs has free internet access (bother). We settled in and then went out for dinner to Ripley's Grill and Bar-B-Q around the corner. There were a couple of guitarists playing. Apparently all the bars have live music, and the musicians just play for tips.

Then we came home and slept very soundly. The bed is very comfortable.