Weekend in Louisiana

A few weeks ago I decided to take a drive to Bossier City this weekend despite the fact that I had just come back from another driving trip.  The reason for the drive was primarily to see Chely Wright at Diamond Jacks casino on July 30.  The drive up was a breeze taking only 4 hours but the drive back was a bit harder as we missed our cutoff.  However, we realized that only added about 30 minutes to our time and was not really out of our way.  The most interesting site along the way was an abandonded rest stop on Hwy. 59.  It was really strange looking with a concrete slab and dead brown grass growing over the entrance driveway.  I wish I could have gotten a photo but it went by too quick and I was driving.  Now back to Chely, another great show from her.  Upon taking the stage, she asked how many people have had an alcoholic beverage and 90% of the audience roared.  It was that kind of crowd.  A young man shouted it was his birthday so he came up and Chely sang Happy Birthday to him, then he jumped on stage to give her a kiss.  I cringed a bit at that.  His friend was a bit drunk and shouted throughout the concert.  I think Chely had had enough of him as we all had.  When it got a little ugly, Chely had to call for security to take care of it.  We didn't hear from him again.  Great comment from Chely after singing the I hope you are miserable song.....you know you're in Louisiana when a woman shouts out hell yeah, now pass the gumbo.  Chely met with everyone who wanted an autograph after the show and I was able to get my book signed (thanks SL).  She was very friendly and said to me haven't I met you before and I said yes, in KC last month.  Looking forward to staying home for a weekend, then heading the exact same direction in two weeks to see Melissa (most who know me don't need a last name). 

The kitty who shall remain nameless due to the witness protection program

The Bridges of Madison County

On my recent visit to Iowa, we made a detour by a covered bridge.  Thank goodness for google.  The Imes Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa. Built in 1870, it was originally located over the Middle River. In 1887 it was moved to a spot over Clinton Creek, and in 1977 was moved again to its present site. It was renovated in 1997 for a cost of $31,807.

U2 in Minneapolis

It had been nearly 24 years since I last saw U2 in 1987 on the Joshua Tree tour.  I was excited to get the opportunity to see them again.   A storm was brewing over Minneapolis when U2 took the stage at the TCF Stadium in Minneapolis on July 23, 2011.  They took the stage with the countdown from David Bowie's Space Oddity, very cool entry.  They tore into their massive catalog with I Will Follow, Pride (In The Name of Love), I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Vertigo, Sunday Bloody Sunday and a few songs I admit that I did not know.  They paid tribute to Amy Winehouse and dedicated Beautiful Day to Gaby Giffords.  During this song, the high winds and rain started.  Luckily we were on the same level as the club suites and were able to run under cover during the storm.  This prompted Bono to sing a few verses of Singing In The Rain while someone in the audience handed him an umbrella.  Finally the encores of With or Without You, Where The Streets Have No Name and much to my surprise Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me from the Batman soundtrack closed the show.  Of the 58,000 people in attendance, very few left during the storm.  Very fun night. 

The stage which resembled a giant space ship

The giant screens above the stage



U2's entry into the stadium



Me, Holan, Kristie, Steve just before the show started



Melissa Etheridge live in Council Bluff

                                                                
On July 22, 2011 Melissa Etheridge played the Stir Cover amphitheatre in Council Bluff, Iowa.  Holan, Shaunalyn and myself arrived at 4:30 p.m. to secure our place at the stage.  The show was general admission with no seating.  However, we had fan club tickets, and were granted early admission before the general public.  At 6:00 p.m., the gates opened and we ran down the hill and ended up with our arms on the stage for the entire concert.  Show started at 8:00 p.m. and as usual Melissa rocked the house for the entire two hour show.  Great to hear Nowhere To Go again. Congrats to Holan for getting her first guitar pic from Melissa at this show!

Kum & Go?

Did you know there were stores up North called Kum & Go?  I did not

Albert The Bull

I want my first blog post to be about a cute little tourist attraction that I ran across this past weekend while on a wild adventure that started in Kansas, then moved on to Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.  In a little town called Audubon Iowa, there stood Albert it all it's glory.  Set in a little park, Albert stands 12 feet tall and is made of concrete.  There is a whole story about Albert that I will share later as soon as I find the brochure. Maybe it's the Texan in me but I really liked Albert.  The wisdom of this blog is that there are little things out there that  make you smile so seek them out whenever you can.