Marchese Mumblings: Nashville in Opryland...

So what do you do right before school starts? Go on another trip and miss the first day of school. Mike had a National Boy Scout Meeting in Nashville and without my regularly trusted long-term babysitter available, we decided to tote the kids along with us this year. It was really fun to have them there and probably got me out of the hotel room more than I would have otherwise. (I love to relax on those trips, I turn into a total sleeping bum). We stayed at the Opryland Hotel, one of the few hotels that can handle that many people along with the conference facilities that are needed.

The first time I went to the Nashville and the Opryland I was pregnant with Katie. That time I got to see The Hermitage, the Ryman Auditorium, go attend the Grand Ol Opry (w/Vince Gill and Diamond Rio), dance at the Wild Horse Saloon (pretty tame, actually) and other Nashville type things. I am really glad I got to do that last time, because those are all things that the kids would have had no patience for this time around. And in true Marchese fashion, the kids got sick right before we left. However, this was the first time this summer, so I wasn't really that bummed out. I took a good book and some things for the kids to entertain themselves with in the room during our down time. The Opryland itself is fun to roam around. Katie started to hone her map skills (she's my daughter) as she wanted to help navigate our way through the vast landscape.

The hotel has three large (and I mean gigantic) garden areas. The kids had a blast seeing all of the green around them. This may not seem to have anything to do with the gardens, but as the airplane was getting closer to landing the kids looked out the window and Katie turned to me and said, "Mom we are over the water!" I looked out my window (yes, Mike sat with the kids, blessed man!) and saw lots of deep green tree tops. We had to explain that this is what the tops of trees look like from the air as they are used to seeing so much brown in the desert. In the garden areas of the hotel there are waterfalls, rivers, and streams running through the place. Katie got very excited when she saw some pretty fuzzy green stuff growing along the stream "beds". Here is a picture, just for you Jeralee, of my daughter holding hotel grown moss.

She was exhorted not to pick anymore as it was a premium in the hotel. But if she would like to go back to Oregon she could pick and pull as much as she wanted. I loved moss when I was a kid too. The house across the street had lots of trees with beds of bright green moss growing under it that was perfect for walking barefoot. Here the kids have climbed up the rocks and are playing in the man made stream. I guess we need to go hiking when it gets cooler...

Here is one of the gorgeous waterfalls they have there. I just loved the sound of the water.

More Green. Yes, those are fully grown, real trees in the background. You can see the steel trusses up at the top of the picture that support the giant atrium that provides all the natural sunlight with a wonderfully temperature controlled climate. I think that this is what heaven will be like. Temperature controlled climate.