Just in case you haven't watched this amazing 15 year old singer, please do.

I was looking through my tech drawer to find something to hold the Hard Rock photo up against my teddy bear, and I ran across a slim little hard drive with old photos and video.

I found some great stuff on there, and here's a few:

Me alone in the Driggs house staring into the mirror.

Our log home in Driggs, ID.

Shelby when she visited her fallen Blue Angel memorial.

The Grand Teton Mountians, Idaho side.

Lyla making a mess.

Shelby at age ten down in Oakdale, CA.

Steph on a snow machine.

I never got that smoke. Daniel rolled his eyes and said "Thank God". He doesn't like the old hippy side of me, but I saw a report on Fox that said many Seniors are turning to THC for pain management. And having more fun at Bingo.

Looks like that Florida hurricane is going to send stuff our way. My truck is going to be road ready by Thursday. Who knows what the hell I'm going to do next.

Whatever it is, I can't sit around this house anymore drowning in my own bullshit. Because one day I won't be able to find air, and it's all over.

Daniel's in a lot of pain from that foot surgery. After we got back from town he grabbed a FireBall at the store and knocked himself out. When I'm on smoke and he's on that, it's quite comical really. We got back at 1030 and it's 1400 now, haven't seen him since.

He's playing taxi for me tomorrow as I leave my truck at Auto Tech for the day. I'm buying him breakfast at the square in return. Maybe I should go over and wake his ass up...

...

My shoulder is hurting bad and starting to stiffen up. Driving the stick in my truck is getting tough. I'm thinking about having my right arm removed at the shoulder, but I would have to trade the truck in for an automatic and that ain't going to happen.

I was riding around with Daniel this morning as he was buying stuff to make some stuffed smoked bologna. He was looking in vain for some thin wall PVC pipe yesterday, to cut the middle out of the bologna, so he can stuff cheese and other things in it, then smoke it for eight hours. He bought a stainless steel pipe off Amazon.

When we got back, the hot mail lady had set a large orange envelope up against my door. It was addressed to Shelby at my address, from the condo we stayed at last week. Oh shit, I thought they were sending legal documents trying to recover damages for the drywall holes that my body made.

Turned out to be the slick photo thing we had done at the Hard Rock Cafe, we obviously left it behind.

Wastin away in vodkavilla again, searchin for my lost esteem again. Some people say there's a woman or two to blame, but I know it's my own fucking fault.

If you live like an idiot and do stupid shit, you can't keep a woman. Assuming keeping a woman in your life is important. Maybe it's not!

Maybe some men are destined to die alone. Is being with one woman your whole life the end game? I've had many serious relationships in my long life, loved them all, cried when it ended, then moved on.

So here I am, a seventy seven year old drunk living on a dead end street in a Southern Tennessee hick town, alone. How ironic is that. I have had relationships that rocked the world, in amazing places, that were to die for.

And they have all drifted into dust...

I think it's appropriate that I have landed as I have. I deserve this landing. Daniel says I need to quit pissing and moaning, and he's right!

So, my final statement to this life is, thank you for letting me live it. I have no regrets anymore about anything I've done.

Let these words be my...

...

My shoulder gets a little less painful every day, actually had a great nights sleep last night. Eating chicken fried rice for the third day in a row.

I've removed the Text app finally from my system. I absolutely have to stop texting post links out, I'm losing friends and a lover over this shit.

Been waiting for a buddy to hook me up with a little smoke. The shit ain't good for me but it brightens my life, and I need all the brightening I can get.

Summer is winding down and I would love to get a road trip in before the dreaded end of the year events start happening. It still hurts to use the stick shift, so that would have to improve.

Riley suggested I get my trucks transmission and rear end flushed, along with new spark plugs. Getting that done at Auto Tech next Wednesday.

I realize that the recent family visit is what has been keeping me going. Now that it's happened, I don't have anything to look forward to. It was a wonderful bonding event and I loved it. Now...

Ok, I'm just depressed and rambling, but it is what it is. It keeps me somewhat sane to get it out. If anyone reads this far, thanks for giving a shit. But I swear to god, I will never send out a post notification again. I think that's how I lost the woman I loved. What a fool I am.

I cleaned up my desktop this morning and I ran across shots that hadn't made the blog, so here they are:

I mossied up to the Park today for the David Crockett Days event. Crafts people from all over the South come here to sell their handcrafted items. It's a fun event, the products are amazing and the folks are real nice.

I bought me a smokin pipe from Mark Stencll, to replace the one I bought last year from him. The old one had little legs coming out from the side that kept the pipe upright, but they broke off when it fell off my table.

Mark and I hit it off as he sat in his chair watching folks mosey thru his cool stuff. He's got a farm down in Georgia, been creating unique ceramics for decades, married to his wife Linda for forty years.

Here's Mark:

Here's his pipe table, looking awful thin, seems like business is doing well:

Here's his latest design, which I bought for ten bucks, and has a flat surface on the bottom that holds the pipe upright, when you set it down.

Animal furs were a big item here, but I would never own one:

There was a lot of cool stuff here, and I admire and respect the craftsmanship these folks create:

But in the end, it's all about the experience:

Ok, I think I have this Steph thing figured out. I thought she was still around, my friend, and we could occasionally have lunch together. It shocked me to find that she had moved from Tennessee, and that I was partly to blame for it.

She started blocking my texts at some point, and I didn't know it. We were together for twenty years and I still considered her one of my few friends here.

So, it's alright. I figured she got tired of sleeping on her daughters couch, babysitting her beautiful grandkids, and fed up with me sending posts about my life to her phone all the time.

She probably moved back to the Seattle area, with a sister, brother, a son and grandkids. I'm happy for her! I hope she has landed well, and is doing great.

As for me still being in love with her, that's over. I still care for her because she was my decades long lover, now she is just a friend who has moved on.

I always maintain that I don't hate anyone, and Steph is not anyway near that category. I love her as a friend, and wish her the very best!

Goodby Steph!

Ibuprofen, vodka, and maybe a little smoke might settle this shoulder down. I bought some Motrin rub in cream, but when I got home it said don't use it on your shoulder. Daniel thought because of it's proximity to the heart, and what's wrong with that, it hurts too! He talked me down and I'll take it back to Kroger.

Speaking of talking me down, he sure failed last night, or maybe he urged me on. I knew early on in the day that it was going to be one of those days. I ended up calling my favorite grand-daughter Shelby and having a speaker phone chat with Daniel included.

They both concurred that I wasn't going to remember it today, and what can I say, ok, you were right!

The last time I got that sloshed was a week ago Saturday night when Shelby and I tore up Broadway in downtown Nashville, then played cards and drank into the night after an Uber back to our condo. I remember most of that night and btw Elizabeth, it was two flights of stairs I fell down, not just two steps.

If I'm going to do it, I do it right. There were two indentations in the dry wall at the bottom of the first flight, and I remember banging into the entrance door at the bottom of the second. It's a good thing the door was closed, otherwise I would have rolled out into the street, bloody and naked.

I'm beginning to think that I should slow it down at 77, but you have to be motivated to do that, and my giveafuck is broken. There's a lot of people my age who would love to be living the life I have, and to have the body to survive shit that would put most people down.

Now if I could just get laid, one more time...

Here's some shots from Shelby's phone:

Wooden steps, omfg, how did I survive this?

The big hole was probably my shoulder! Daniel said if you're going to be dumb, you got to be tough!

I processed some video today.

Here are my two favorite grand-daughters.

This is a montage of Nashville clips.

Here's Shelby and I hanging out with friends.

Just uploaded 209 photos of the Nashville adventure to Flickr.

Click here to see them.

I finally figured out why I tumbled down the stairs the other night. Back home in my little house, the right side of my bed is up against a wall, as is the foot of the bed. I am totally conditioned after five years to getting out of bed on the left side.

My bathroom is just a few steps away and I can get there in the dark. As it turns out, the steps are in the exact position my bathroom door is. So, I got up to go pee in the darkness, stepped out into empty space, and tumbled down two flights of stairs.

I'm really lucky I didn't do more damage to my old body, other than a few scrapes and a sore arm. The pool helped me regain mobility, and I'm back! Shelby barricaded the steps with an end table before we went to bed last night.

Today we're having brunch with the kids and them I'm getting Shelby to the airport. Other than stairs pretending to be a bathroom, it's been a great adventure.

Shelby and I walked over to the popular Nashville breakfast spot down the street this morning. It was a beautiful morning and we sat outside for thirty minutes before being seated. The food was great, and we didn't have to cook it ourselves.

Then we headed up to Riley and Jess's condo, jumped into their ride, and went to the Zoo. The day was heating up into the nineties as we started seeing the animals. R E Ella was riding along in a stroller with a canopy, and she had a ball. What an amazing little almost two year old she is, we bonded finally, I am Popa.

I have so many amazing pictures of everything the last few days, on my phone, on my Sony camera, and my DJI Pocket 2, I'll wait until I get home tomorrow evening to process them.

We worked up a great sweat walking the Zoo, and couldn't wait to get back to their condo and jump in the pool. I finally bonded for real with R E Ella, she was in a floaty thing that I pushed around the pool from behind, kicking her legs. She would turn around and look at me, and call me Papa!

We then went and had Mexican food, and my favorite grand-daughter Shelby and I drove home. We proceed to play cards and talk about life. We talked about her love life, honestly, and I think this FBI guy could be a keeper. Shelby is the hottest catch on the East Coast! I really love her!

Tomorrow we hook up with the kids one last time for brunch, and then I drive her to the airport. Her friend, who has been blowing up her phone, is going to pick her up at the airport.

Hmmm... Stay tuned.

Ok, my beautiful grand-daughter Shelby and I have made it back to our BNB, via UBER from downtown. What an amazing day!

We started out looking for a place to have breakfast, which led us to a place that was booked 45 minutes out, so we moved on to the next. As we pulled into the parking lot, a Tesla began backing up into us, and he banged into my front end. We both stepped out and he wanted to give me his insurance info.

I declined, my steel front bumper was bent in a bit, but my genius auto body son said, his Tesla back end took the worst.

We went on to have an interesting day. The next place we found was cool. I wanted eggs over easy, hash browns and toast. They brought out two eggs in a container, hash browns in a bowl, and said cook it yourself! They even brought out pancake mix for Shelby's breakfast. The griddle was right in front of us, and thank god Shelby was willing to cook, other wise I would have told them to go to hell.

Then we hooked up with Riley, Jess and the baby and we toured the Grand Old Opry. That was fun and then we had lunch at the Aquarium. Fish swimming around while we ate fish.

Shelby had a surprise waiting for us downtown. A couple we had met on the Christmas cruise ship a couple of years ago were in a hopping downtown bar, and we hooked up. They had some friends along and we partied into the night. Riley and family smartly went back to their condo

Then we Ubered back to our BNB. My truck is still at Riley and Jess's condo.

Shelby and I played cards, and then we went to bed. Sometime in the middle of the night I got up and I fell. I'm siting here writing this with a banged up leg and a sore arm.

I have a ton of content sitting on my phone, my Sony, and my DJI pocket 2, I'm just not capable of putting it out there yet.

I think the zoo is next...

...

Here's another video from last night in Nashville.

Spent this Friday evening hanging out with my two year old grand-daughter and my thirty one year old grand-daughter Shelby, along with my boy Riley and wife Jessica, at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville.

A friend of mine used to go by "SwanNeck From TangledBranch". It's also really hard to rob a CBD shop in Nashville when you have to use one hand to hold your pants up. Just sayin...

The kids have landed, heading to their BNB. Hudson's sister Olivia has arrived to clean my floors. Playing Miley Ctyrus on the big screen. BBQ, slaw and baked beans ready to be grabbed tomorrow. Rick's potato salad is sitting in the icebox.

Life is good!

My young buddy Hudson follows my blog and knows I've had an issue with that no-show cleaning lady. So he texted me today and said that one of his older sisters cleans houses!

She called me today and we set up an appointment for tomorrow at 1600. I've cleaned my counter tops pretty good, just wasn't looking forward to the floors.

You have to admire a young lady who works her day job, and cleans houses after. Yet knowing Hudson, and his ambitions, I'm not surprised by the same cloth.

Daniel and I just bought the gas to kill the yellow-jackets. So, family coming down Friday afternoon, do my laundry at the Wishy Washy that morning, floors cleaned, grab the BBQ down in Loretto, and this vacation is on!

Today is me friend Daniels 56th birthday. To celebrate, we drove over to Pulaski, picked up a gas cap for his Explorer at the Ford dealer, and bopped around Home Depot.

Then we stopped at Legends for lunch and drinks. Had a beautiful bartender, great food and a good time, I bought.

I called the Beauty College here in town and put us both down for haircuts with Erica at 1330. She's amazing, trims everything, on our heads. The cut is seven bucks but we both tip her ten.

This morning, I had a black bucket sitting out in my yard, and it got attacked by yellow jackets. Apparently, they felt threatened by it, and Daniel showed me their nest in the flower bed. I kicked the bucket into the yard, and then they attacked me. I escaped into the house and a bunch followed, killed them all, got bit in a few places. Pouring gasoline down the nest later...

Daniel is telling me that we have to wait until dark, when they're all back in the nest. If you start pouring gas down the hole, and one escapes, it emits a scent and all of the bees out there will come back in attack mode.

Damn, next thing you know he's going to get me to eat a Fried Bologna Sandwich!

I need to keep my cool, sometimes I don't, but it's not long lasting. I have to keep reminding myself to not over react, because I always regret it when I do.

I'm surrounded by Leos. My neighbor Drew and I have the same birthday, July 23, the first day of Leo, on the cusp with Cancer. Daniel's is tomorrow, the 16th and Masseys is Saturday, the 21st.

I bought $28 worth of cleaning supplies from Walmart this morning and I already have my sinks and counter tops done. I have a new mop with some floor cleaner and I'll do the kitchen and bathroom floors tomorrow.

Done deal. I'll accept family into my home with pride! I really wanted to pass this over to a pro, but she wasn't available, apparently...

Meanwhile, here's a shot Massey took of Shoal Creek, that Tammy tweaked. I like it!

I was really upset yesterday after getting stood up for the second time by the cleaning lady. I think this is my biggest pet peeve, folks not doing what they say their going to do, and then lack the decency to let you know they're not.

Anyway, it felt good to vent, but I took that post down. And, I'm not going to diss her on FB. I'm just buying a mop today and moving on. Also, if the Covid stuff was real, I don't want her in my house anyway.

Need to get my positive vibe back on, family will be here shortly and the weather is going to be beautiful! Elizabeth asked if I could be on tube driver standby next Saturday, but I'll be in Nashville!

Ok, I have a meal deal with the Harwell family down in Loretto. They're going to whip up a barbecue package to feed my incoming guests, and anybody that drops by around three next Friday. I'll drive down at two and pick it up nice and hot. Pulled pork, homemade slaw, baked beans.

There's a bunch of places around here that put barbeque family packs together, but I'm going with the Harwells. They're very nice, down home folks, and their bbq and slaw are great!

The weather forecast for next weekend is perfect, looks like we got the storms out of our system!

Shelby told me that salt is good on watermelon, so I sprinkled some sea salt on a slice and it was good! The salt accentuates the sweet.

I had a nice time down at the Loretto Farmers Market this morning. I'm walking around with my cool old man vibe going on, Tilley hat and shades, asking vendors if I can take their picture. They were all very friendly, I asked about their product, asked if I could photograph them, and then took a shot. I had my aperture at F11, should have had it at F8, so the vendors were kinda in the background. My apologies folks, a little out of practice, Working on getting the photoset up to Flickr.

Met a cool family at the end of the park, cooking barbecue, and ordered a fresh cooked sandwich with homemade slaw, to go. They may be my goto for a family pack when the kids arrive next Friday.

I was sitting here trying to remember how to get a cover photo on to a Flickr photoset, since I haven't done it in a while, when my young friend Hudson showed up. He works for the tubing company, a senior in high school, a martial arts guy, and a computer genius.

He could be one of my great-grandkids, age wise, and we are friends. I turned on my mainframe in the back room and he dominated it. He told me that the old box I spent a lot of money on, over ten years ago, still kicked ass. He installed a Steam game and was blown away by the performance.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on this Flickr issue. The heck with it, here's the link.

It's been a fun day so far. Drove up to the big church on Springer Rd at 0730 for their pancake breakfast fund raiser. I support local events like this, and the food is always good. They provide free meals every third Thursday to anyone who is hungry.

A young church lady sat next to me and we shared how we landed here. She and her family are from Michigan and I told her Idaho. When folks dig deeper into my past I have a stock answer: 40 years in California, 20 years in the Seattle area and 12 years in Idaho. Add in the 5 years here, and that makes 77.

Then I cruised the Square where they had a cute little market setting up, before heading up to feed my ducks. As I was backing my truck into a parking spot, they came running to me as usual.

I realized I had a captive audience up on the balcony of the last cabin facing the dock. Looked like a family with kids. I'm sure we made their morning as the ducks noisily ate from my hand. We exchanged hearty waves as I drove off.

It's funny, I always dive into a plate of food before remembering to grab a photo for the blog. That's homemade blueberry syrup btw, and the breakfast cost $10.

When I walked out the door this morning, Albi, my young Albino squirrel, was sitting inside the bird feeder having breakfast. I've watched him try to build up the nerve to walk the wire, and he finally did.

Next up is the Loretto Farmers Market down the highway. Think I'll use my Sony/Zoom setup and create an album.

Spotted an old farmer along the highway today, with a trailer full of fresh picked watermelons. I pulled over and asked if he had any seedless and he said "Nope", and then with a sly grin he said he could cut one open and remove the seeds for me.

I'll bet he has a special tool that removes seeds for replanting, but the melon would be mush. He had me pegged as one of those people, with no accent.

I picked out the smallest one he had, which was still pretty big. He said "six bucks" and I reached into my pocket and damned if the only cash I had was a five and a one. Melon destiny!

I just chopped off the end and it was delicious!

Shelby recommended a sweet and spicy Mexican seasoning called Tajin, to put on it. I'm adding it to my Kroger list tomorrow.

Been walking Fort Myers Beach, FL this afternoon on my 65" TV, treading the floor in place, looking around. I'm swinging my arms like I'm moving forward, but I'm not.

Then a coworker brought his girlfriend over and we hung out. I'm beginning to compute my life, as the number of people that absolutely would show up at my funeral. Those two would.

I wonder if my sister would attend? I would hers. Every funeral I've ever been to sucked. I feel so fortunate that destiny has shined well on the people I love. The last funeral I attended was my Moms, four decades ago.

I missed my Dads, called my Uncle and found out he had died a year earlier. Missed my brothers completely. Steph lost family that I cared about, but never got invited.

Now it could be me, where people my age are dropping all around me. I have to make plans with Riley and Shelby while they're here.

This would make a great conversation over Thai Crab Fried Rice somewhere, "Now, about my burial arrangements!".

Hoping to hook up with Alisha this afternoon about cleaning services. She's going to call after a job up in Ethridge. I would love to have her shoot down and look at my place real quick, and talk about it. The service is scheduled for next Monday.

That's an eight mile drive, than another ten back to Summertown, so I'll give her some cash for gas money, and her time. I want to show her what I'm looking for, and get an honest quote.

My place ain't typical! Some have described this little space as Jim's Man Cave, and I guess that's what it is. It's not cluttered, it's just a comfortable main space, with two plush chairs, a 65 inch TV, and a killer sound bar. Along with a small kitchen, a small bedroom/office, and a small bathroom.

I do my best to keep her clean, but some areas and floors in the kitchen and bathroom need some good professional cleaning. I'm just not up to it anymore, and now I need to outsource!

I just wrote a poem/song about my friend Daniel's wife.

I call it Jennifer.

 

Workin the night shift, at the Frito Lay.

Missing my man, the way we used to play.

Our schedules collide, no time to lay.

Maybe the moment, will be today.

 

Two different homes, lonely miles apart.

Trying to connect, make it real again.

Rushing to him, need a new start.

Trying to figure out, who the hell I am.

 

Our family's are scattered, everywhere.

The children have barely met.

His parents are alive, but not there.

And life with him is a bet...

 

I did the surgery, lost the weight.

Now I think, I'm looking good.

Hope my man, will lose his hate.

Have a family, as we should.

 

I was listening to Aldeen's Small Town song and it got me to thinking. He talks about good ol boys, raised right, not letting anyone cross their line. In a small town.

I consider Lawrenceburg, TN a small town in that regard. I could have been raised that way, but my mom divorced my WW2 Navy vet dad when he wanted to move my brother and I, and her, from California to his family's small town home of Cleburne, TX, South of Dallas/ Fort Worth.

Yea, I know, following those rabbit holes are fruitless. Especially since I wouldn't be sitting here writing this drivel while waiting for folks I love to arrive.

So, to wish things had gone a different direction in your life, is selfish. Because it negates and disrespects the people and love that has arrived in your life at this moment, and your past

Based on this theory, I absolutely have no regrets!

I have a new travel cup setup! Daniel bought me this cool insulated aluminum cup at Harbor Freight the other day, and I added a great steel straw with a rubber tip. Then I slipped it into a cool sleave I picked up at Neptunes Cove in San Pedro, Belize.

I bought a second cup holder, that hangs on my glovebox and the cup fits perfectly. I'm sure grand-daughter Shelby will appreciate her own holder on our travels shortly.

Sorry Mystery Lady, I should have had that holder for you on our road trip. I even vacuumed up all of the quack cocaine on my trucks floor, that you endured. Me bad...

Just thinking about that Belize trip I took with Brian and Nadia a couple of years ago. We were one week early for lobster season, and coudn't eat a single one. The season is now one week in, and lobster down there is cheap and plentiful. Hmmm...

...

I'm thinking of getting a BBQ Pork Family Pack at Legends Express when the crew arrives on the 18th. A sandwich, potato salad, slaw, BBQ beans and sweet tea. I can order it online and have it all down here in ten minutes, right as they arrive.

After showing them around Lawrenceburg, we can all head North to Shelby's and my BNB. The next morning Shelby and I can drive to Riley and Jess's BNB and check it out. I can leave my truck there while we pile into their rig and start our first adventure.

I actually have no idea what's on the adventure agenda, I'm just trying to plan out the initial moves. Let me know gang, if this seems logical!

I'm ready...

...

I lived more than forty years in California, twenty up in Washington, and twelve in Idaho. I'm a West Coast grown ass man, and things are different here in the South.

I was sitting around my house today with Daniel and Massey, talkin shit. Massey's accent can be cut with a knife, it's so thick. When the boys start talking together, Daniels freak flag starts flying and his accent rises to a new level. And I can understand them, for the most part.

I still have no accent since moving here five years ago. People take notice of my deep, West Coast, radio quality voice here. Yea, I'm bragging on my voice, but anyone that knows me knows that's true.

I was fueling up at Kroger yesterday when I saw this young Amish guy pull up in a small wagon, with a proud trotting pony. What a great way to get around! They have the right of way through town on Hwy 43, and the County just built them a special lane to get from their country, to here.

I went into Kroger's and ran across the kid hunkered behind a display, texting on his phone. These people get pissed when you take their picture, I guess his camera mode was off. Hey, I love them!

Speaking of phones, mine was messed up. Somehow something got tweaked, and all incoming calls were going straight to voice mail. Daniel called me at 0230 this morning and it appears I've fixed the problem. I ignored him btw.

So no trip up to the Spectrum store in Columbia today...

...

OMG, my son Riley, wife Jessica, baby Ariella, and my favorite grand-daughter Shelby, are coming here to see me in eleven days!

I've done a lot of cool things since arriving in the South, Belize three times, Roatan twice. I was telling Massey about Secret Beach, off that island in Belize, at the shop this morning.

I've drivin millions of miles around this country, never had a major accident or harmed anyone. I am very grateful!

But I digress, sorry. The point I wanted to make was, this particular convergence of the family members that I value the most, into my home here in the South, is the best thing to happen since I've been here!

It will be a whirlwind, we'll eat, tour the town, then head north to our BNB's. This a special moment in my life, and I'm going full out with it, while I can!

The only question remains, is why Ariella's red hair is not growing out!

Jessica's response:

Ya i think she has my hair lol. I didn't have much hair until I was 3-4 years old lol. It's like my hair took time to thicken up before growing length. We feel Ariella is the same.

I just watched the Fox News coverage of the Gold Star families of the 13 killed in Afghanistan two years ago, testifying before Congress. Fox to their credit ran the whole hour plus hearing uninterrupted.

It was the most moving thing I've seen on TV in a long time. I was in tears through most of it, shouting at the screen, and strongly applauding each person who spoke.

That bullshit pullout of Afghanistan, that left thousands dead, 78B in military equipment left behind, twenty years of U.S. military involvement that scarred millions of families, disrespected, and thirteen American soldiers dead from a suicide bomber, who could have been taken out by a sniper, but the call was made to not do it.

Heads should be rolling, but everything is being covered up. Meanwhile, ABC is showing General Hospital!

I'm pissed off and I know there are millions of Americans who agree. If you're on the fence about this, please wake up and take it away from Joe! For the sake of our country...

...

I almost drove the tube bus today. Massey had an appointment this morning and needed a few hours cover. So I fed my ducks and was hanging at the shop before the crew showed up, when Massey drove up. Appt, canceled, Cool!

The tube is hanging on to my roof great. I told Daniel that I drove over to the highway and reached 100mph, and it stayed put. He just gave me that look...

I have determined that I am a grown ass man, finally. Every decision I make is based on every fucking experience of my past, the good and the bad, and I have a whole bunch. I answer to myself, and nobody else.

I know who I love, who I like, and who I dislike. But I hate nobody...

Have a great day!

Ok, the bungee cord approach did not work! But I didn't lose the tube!

We have rewired this bad boy with professional tie-down straps he pulled out of his service truck. Daniel's truck is amazing, has every tool in the world, and that doesn't count his County truck that sits out on the street.

That tube is so attached to my roof, that the whole thing would have to blow off, and that ain't going to happen. I bought that canopy from a place in Salt Lake City after the original canopy blew off in the Arizona desert. He bolted her down good!

I have turned my old truck into a rolling billboard for Crockett Shoals Tubing. I swung by and grabbed a tube this morning, then Daniel and I drove up to Harbor Freight for bungee cords. It looks great up there!

If they ever get super busy and end up a tube short, we can pull it off the truck and float it. I've got the phone number prominently displayed and I bet we get some business from it.

Daniel said we need a Facebook page where people can comment where they saw my truck at. Office manager Elizabeth, you're welcome to add this to our company FB page, if you like.

I've just put an idea out to my Tubing Company family, and they have accepted it. Well, Ricky the boss has accepted it, and that's what counts!

I was the tube repair guy last year, I patched a whole bunch of um. I know there is a box of new tubes in the trailer. I want to take one of those beautiful virgin tubes, blow it up, and burgee cord it to the roof of my truck!

Then, as I drive around town, advertise for my company! I told Ricky if it gets stolen I would pay for the tube, but I don't think so.

My truck is very recognizable around here. A cool old 1988 Mazda B2200 with a custom top. I'm the duck whisperer at the park. The park employees know me, as do the ducks.

Ok, so here we go. I'll mount a big beautiful virgin tube to the top of my truck, and see what happens!

I'm so jazzed about this upcoming Nashville adventure. My house is being cleaned on the 14th, with the crew arriving down here in the afternoon of the 18th. It's on a Friday, I told my tubing buddies to drop in as they drive by. Liz said come by the office! Of course Daniel will be there.

I could have easily taken another Cruise, or an all-inclusive to Mexico, with the amount of money I plan to spend on this trip. But I would have been alone, and I'm tired of that. The four people that I will be spending time with shortly, are the most important people in my life. They are my family!

We had a grandma down in the creek today. I'm shocked that the water level isn't higher, with all the rain we got. I've seen this creek banging up against the top of it's ten foot bank. It took out this neighborhood back in the nineties!

But no, the same bottoming out place is still there, you need to get out of your tube and walk fifty feet to deeper water. Today, a sweet old lady about my age had the nerve to try this run.

She was settled into that tube expecting a leisurely cruise to the finish. I'm sorry to say this, but you need a certain degree of agility to pull this off. She realized that she needed to get out of the tube, but that didn't quite work out as planned, and there she was, sitting on the rocks, calling for help.

One of her big strong grandsons ran to her assistance, and she was back on her way. I work for the company, I could probably ride for free, or for donuts, but I have not, nor will I. I'm too old...

...

I don't want to send out links to this space, to preseve our privacy, but just in case you would like to read the owners writeup about it, well here you go:

1 bedroom, less than two blocks from shopping and restaurants, 1.2 miles from Nissan Stadium concerts/events, and 2 miles from Downtown and Broadway.

Walking distance to numerous events, music venues, stores, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Apartment is over a detached garage with own private entrance. Cozy, well lit space with plenty of windows. One bedroom with Queen size bed, one Macy's. It's a great space for a couple or for 3-4 friends.

Things of note: walls in bathroom and bedroom are kept 8 inches shy of the ceiling to allow heat and air through the whole apartment. Dormer windows sit high above main space and allow light in and open and close for fresh air.

There are custom blinds installed over the bedroom windows which will allow it to remain dark in the mornings when you want to sleep in. There are also blinds on the windows in the kitchen area.

There is Wi-Fi, Smart TV, washer/dryer combo unit, full kitchen with basic cookware and dishes.

It's within 1-2 blocks of boutique shopping on Fatherland St, 3 blocks from 5 points restaurants, coffee shops, bars etc including:

 • Maru Sushi Grill

 • Far East

 • Wild Cow (Vegetarian & Vegan)

 • Five points pizza

 • Bongo Java East

 • 3 Crow

 • Beyond the Edge

 • Boston Commons

 • Margot Cafe

 • Emmy Squared

 • Treehouse

 • Duke’s

 • Rosemary and The Beauty Queen

 • Red Door East

 • Hunter’s Station

 • Snooze AM Eatery

 • 5 points Diner

And many more places!

Free street parking on 11th street just behind the apartment that is steps from apartment. Guests will have access to the entire apartment. It has a separate side entrance that is very private. Self check in with keyless entry using a code on a pad.

Other things to note: There is plenty of FREE parking on Street just steps from the apartment. The entrance does have steps leading to the entrance and to the main living area once you enter.

Riley is six years older than Shelby, in their early thirties. Jess is a couple years older than Riley, and Ariella will be two next month. This is my crew!

Shelby has secured us a sweet BNB in downtown Nashville. All the amenities, off street parking for my truck, walking distance to cool stuff, and a short Uber to the heart of the city.

The kids will have their own place nearby, so Nashville and the South are at our fingertips! First visit for the kids and I've been there twice, but not like this.

I managed to get up on the stage during the NFL draft a few years back, and Brian and I cruised around a sleepy downtown on a Sunday morning when he was here.

Third time's a charm!

Things are shaping up for the family visit in a week and a half! Riley, Jess and my grand-daughter Ariella will arrive Thursday, pick up Shelby flying in from DC at BNA midday Friday, and then drive down here to Lawrenceburg Tennessee.

Where they will see my neck of the woods, my home, the town, the Park, maybe meet some friends. We have a few hours to do this, after which I will follow them back up to Nashville in my truck, with Shelby riding shotgun of course!

The kids have their own timeshare and Jess and Shelby have been coordinating everything. My grand-daughter Shelby's job is Event Planner, and she's really good. She just found this place for she and I over the weekend, called "The Swiftie Shangri-La" for $334 a night. I'm up!

OK, Shelby and I have a nice place secured, but it's not this place, just kidding!

We're getting hammered. This storm started last night and looks like it's going on for a while. I haven't seen a tube bus go by yet, and I don't expect one.

It's been an interesting couple of days. My co-driver at the tubing company Massey, called me yesterday, had a flat tire downtown. I was really busy, watching TicTok, but I dropped everything and rushed to his rescue.

The morning was consumed with tires, a trip to his house out in the boonies, a tire shop and other goodies. We landed back at my place and a friend dropped by and got him back to the tire shop in town.

Massey's vehicle is now moving. This morning I drove him and the two tires sitting in the back of my truck, with the bed folded back, back to the scrap metal place off highway 64W.

Then I got my hair cut at the Beauty College! Erika was amazing, she even trimmed my goatee! A seven dollar haircut with a ten dollar tip. I love this place! She's got four kids, eighteen on down, sounds like a solid marriage.

She wanted to know why I stayed here after losing Steph. I had no answer...

...

Daniel and I decided to mosey up to Stettars restaurant. have a cocktail, and eat. We had fried cheese curds and mushrooms, followed by tacos.

We had a bet pile going on my home table, which I grabbed and it paid the bill, with change.

A guy mossied up to the end of the bar and we started chatting. Turns out he owns the place. I shook his hand, introduced myself, and gave him my blog name. His name is Michael Stettar, very nice guy.

I just talked on the phone to a really nice lady from Summertown about house cleaning services. Her name is Alisha and she does it for a living.

She's going to professionally clean my house right before family gets to town. She quoted me $120 for an initial clean based on the square footage of 1700.

There's nothing like making a human connection over the phone, which we did, and Alisha is local.

I'm not looking to have my place deep cleaned. That would require moving around electronics that I probably couldn't remember how to put back together if they separated. There's five years of dust behind them, holding the wires together.

I'm looking to get my floors cleaned, kitchen area and bathroom cleaned. Just basic stuff that wears me out quickly when I start.

The reason I knew that square footage number is because the big company cleaning guy up in Columbia yesterday, looked my half of a duplex up, in a big database, and told me. He wanted $200 with half down, a full signup on their website, and access to my bank. I told him no, politely.

Alisha didn't ask me for nutin! We just set a date. I really love the South sometimes.

Update: Daniel just told me that that whole house is 1700 square feet. My corner is 300 at max!

I've been trying to have someone go on a road trip with me lately, or on a trip to Mexico! No takers.

Now I've got family converging in sixteen days. We can all road trip together!

I'm trying to get Riley and Jess to upgrade to a larger vehicle, where Ariella can sit between Shelby and me in the back. They will have one entertained little girl back there!

I don't know what the kids have planned yet, they're working on it tonight, but I think we have a hell of a road crew going. Let's rock the South guys!

As my family reunion approaches, I observe that monetary issues are important. We need to save a buck where we can while still having a great adventure, it's the reality of life today.

I just want to say to Riley and family, and Shelby, that I am so honored that you are coming here, to spend a little time with me. I'm a lonely old man and I need my family so much.

Let me cover the big bills. I want you to have a great time without worrying about your bottom line. Welcome to Nashville!

The August Family Gathering is starting to go down! My son Riley, Jessica and young Ariella are landing at their Nashville timeshare Thursday evening, the 17th. They return Tuesday midday, the 22nd.

Shelby just got Friday thru Monday off, 18th thru the 21st. She's going to fly into Nashville Thursday night, with her service puppy. I'll pick them up at the airport, and then bring um down to my place.

Daniel bet me $5 that there is no way my beautiful favorite grand-daughter would agree to spend a night on the floor in front of my TV, on the bed from my truck. He lost.

The kids could then drive down here on Friday morning and we can plan our adventures. I can show them around town!

This great event is shaping up!

The ducks were in the lake when I pulled up, and they spotted me and came running. I couldn't film and open my bag, so it's a short video.