The recent passing of Nashville Country Music Star Loretta Lynn naturally reminded me of the day I met her and we chatted briefly.
It was some time during the 1990-93 first three years after my divorce and I had graduated from a student in the Divorce Recovery Class to the teacher of the new recovery group that included the bass player for Loretta’s Band. He asked me if I would like to watch the taping of a TV show from backstage and of course I said, “Yes!”
First he took me on one of their tour buses and I met band members and 3 of Loretta’s spoiled kids (as young adults at the time), then when we got backstage Loretta showed up and I was introduced to her and we had a very brief chat. It was like meeting family and she was so quiet yet very friendly and courteous to me. I later told my friend that she reminded me of my Mother (even though Mom did not sing). And if someone reminds me of my Mom, that is a compliment! 🙂
I have met several other “famous” people in my lifetime, but this brief encounter was one of the more special ones because she reminded me of my mother! 🙂
I had no camera with me at the time (before cellphones), so no photos of the encounter, but several years later in 2007 I visited Hurricane Mills where she and her family lived, so here’s three photos from Hurricane Mills, Tennessee:
My last post in this Street Art series will be from my last hometown in the states before moving to Costa Rica: Nashville, Tennessee USA (where I lived from 1977-2014 less 3 of those years in The Gambia). As in other places, Street Art was not my focus as a nature photographer, but this is a sampling with some commissioned art I’m sure.
There is so much “purposed” Street Art in Nashville that it leaves not much demand for “graffiti-style” art as you can see in my gallery: Pre-Costa Rica NASHVILLE Photos 1977-2014 within which you can find statues and architectural art along with art projects like the 2010 Bike Rack Sculptures, 2005 Guitars, and 2003 Catfish art objects found all over Nashville! Those are really a type of “Planned Street Art” as are some beautiful special installations like at Music Circle and Riverfront Park included in another gallery Public Art & Statues. Nashville is worth exploring by the art lover! Not to mention some great art museums & galleries! 🙂
As noted earlier, one of the things I’m doing more of during the “lock-down” time is trying get all of my old photos culled through and posted in one place.
One of the biggest collections is from my 10 years of volunteer work at Nashville Zoo and my Nashville Zoo Gallery is now completed. It includes one of my biggest collections of bird photos along with so many other animals and a really large number of people photos which was what the Zoo PR Dept. wanted a lot of. It was a nice re-living of many great memories at Nashville Zoo. And as I go through other photo files I expect to find more of Nashville Zoo, like when friends and family visited, I often took them to the zoo but haven’t gotten to those photos yet! 🙂
Organized in 6 super-galleries with many sub-galleries under each.
This morning I prayed for Nashville, Tennessee which was devastated last night with a major overnight tornado.
For those who don’t know, I lived in Nashville for about 37 years (1977-2014, minus 3 in The Gambia) and lived in two of the neighborhoods hit by the tornado last night, Germantown and Hermitage, thus the destruction is very real to me plus I knew people in other areas hit bad, like East Nashville.
But I also know Nashvillians and that they will work together to get through this and be a stronger community because of it. Yet still, I send my sympathies to the many families who lost loved ones last night (19 at last report seen). Washington Post Article on Storm.
These two retired Americans are the featured band every Friday night at a little Tico restaurant in Atenas Central at the CATUCA. They do mostly Country-Western Music (in English) and it just so happens that they live on either side of me in Roca Verde, one in the rent house to my left and one to the right.They never knew each other until they Retired in Costa Rica – just one more positive thing that can happen when you retire here! 🙂
And for those new readers who don’t know from my earlier reports, in Atenas we have a large country-western band of about 8 to 10 people, all American retirees from both California and Nashville TN who call themselves Flashback playing “oldies” at many events, fiestas, fundraisers and occasionally at different bars and restaurants. They were here before me, so been at it at least 4 years or more and are popular with a lot of the other retirees here. The link is to their Facebook Page.
“It’s a small world!” phenomenon only happens occasionally and when it does it always brings a big smile to my face. 🙂 It happened today, January 1, 2019, with a message through the contact form on this site from an address I did not recognize. I will keep their names private but briefly share the fun serendipity story of that email greeting:
The email starts with the couple (an educator & a musician from Canada but now in the states) saying they were looking at a travel book reviewing all the countries of the world and when they came to The Gambia, they were reminded of me since I’m the only person they had ever met from there, though a long time ago, and remembered the Gambia photos on my condo wall.
My downtown Nashville Row House for first 10 years of retirement.
THE STORY
It was around the first of January 2003 (16 years ago) when after returning from The Gambia I finally moved from the Residence Inn Nashville West End to my new row house in Hope Gardens/Germantown across from the Farmer’s Market and Bicentennial Mall State Park (Header photo above). I think I used my new Tacoma pickup to move my stuff from the hotel to my new row house. As happens sometimes, a box fell out of the truck along West End Avenue and this charming couple from western Canada, in town as Vanderbilt students, saw the box and stopped, picking it up and diligently tracing it to me at my new address! Wow! There are still a few “Good Samaritans” left in the world! 🙂 Thank you!
When they brought the box to me I gave them an invitation to my already planned open house later in January and they came! And still remember it and all my Gambia photos on the walls.
Thus the connection when they read about Gambia in the book. They found me and my website in an internet search and decided to write their very kind and thoughtful New Year’s greeting through the contact form on my website. Small world & fun memories! 🙂
Thanks friends! For remembering AND writing! Good Samaritans in my life!
“We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need – regardless of race, politics, class, and religion – is your neighbour. Not everyone is your brother or sister in faith, but everyone is your neighbour, and you must love your neighbour.”
― Timothy Keller, Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just
¡Pura Vida!
Bicentennial Mall Carillons across the street from my Row House – Nice music!
How blessed I am to have lived is so many beautiful places! AND to have had so many neat experiences like this! THANK YOU GOD!
