Charley Pride Live in Concert

My friend JoAnn's son gave her two tickets to see Charley Pride Live in Concert for tonight and she so generously invited me to come along. I was ecstatic.
Here we are in her backyard just before traveling out of town to have dinner and take in the concert.

We enjoyed a beautiful dinner. I had chicken breast with a mushroom and onion sauce, baked potato, squash and carrots. JoAnn had penne with sundried tomatoes. For an appetizer we had garlic bread with cheese. They brought us a 10 inch plate that was overflowing. Neither of us have ever tasted such good garlic bread. Both of the meals were heartily enjoyed.

Then it was time for the show. The announcer came out to let us know we were in for a special treat. Dion Pride, Charley's son was opening for him.

Dion put on a fine show. He looks much like his father in his younger days.

If you have ever watched Charley in action, Dion's moves are much the same. He is a great singer and has just released a new CD.

Then it was time for Charley himself. He still looks much the same as he did in 1971, when I bought his first album.

He put on a terrific show. He has published a book. Pride tells the story of growing up in Mississippi, one of eleven children. His song Cotton Pickin' Delta Town tells a bit about his life. Yes, he did actually pick cotton when he was a child.

He spoke of his mother, who died when he was quite young. His book is dedicated to her.

He told of close friends in the music industry. Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. He sang a tribute to them by incorporating each of their songs into a medley.

Charley's band is called, The Pride. One member has been with him 32 years and the lead guitarist 13 years.

There was lots of audience participation. Charley mentioned several people who were celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. A 90 year old man was in the audience. When his family asked him what he'd like for his birthday, the told them he wanted to go and see Charlie Pride.

Charley has been married to his wife for 52 years. His son, Dion, was born in Montana and is 43 years old.

I snapped the above photo as the concert was winding down. Everyone wanted to shake his hand and get his photo. This is when he came out to do an encore after finishing the show with Kiss An Angel Good Morning.

Implementing Plan B

The boys and I had planned to go and see Ice *Age 3 today. We had a backup plan just in case anything went wrong...we would go mini golfing.

I arrived at their house just after 11am. The show started at 12 pm and we wanted to be sure we were there in good time to buy popcorn before the crowds started. We parked and made our way toward the movie theater. Brandon said, "There's not much planning besides...Ice Age* 3D... Grandma, we don't like 3D movies."

Jordan agreed, but Brandon thought maybe we could watch it without 3D glasses since it was a digital movie. However, the cashier told us it would be blurry. The boys agreed it was time to implement Plan B, as they called it...so we headed to the mini golf.

We got our clubs, balls and score card and began. We soon found out that it wasn't as warm as we thought it was. There was a brisk wind and it was chilly. We all had goosebumps before we reached the fourth hole. However, we laughed and had a lot of fun. We all had our turns at leader and finally we reached the 14th hole where it was sunny. It was a little warmer here.

Brandon got two holes-in-one. Jordan and I weren't so lucky but at the 18th hole, Jordan drove the ball and got a free game. Brandon added up the score and he had one and Jordan had come in second. They were delighted and we had an hour of fun that kept us all laughing because the wind was a great deterrent to where the balls went, which made it more challenging.

When was the last time you did something that made you laugh? We all felt better for our outing. It's true...laughter is good for the soul and it bonds families together.

The Changing Garden

We've had a lot of rain this spring and summer. It has its pros and cons. Though we can't get out as much as we'd like, the garden is really doing well.

These are the tomatoes that the boys and I planted. They have lots of blooms and tomatoes are already forming. If you look to the low right, you can see two good sized ones. They are going to taste mighty good.

This is the entire garden. We've eaten lots of lettuce and given some away. The carrots need thinning and the cabbage are coming along. If those leaves are any indication of the size of the cabbage we're going to have, they will be huge.

The lavender is blooming its heart out this year. It is pretty and the fragrance drifts on the breeze.

This is the porch railing where Brandon planted the peach begonia and the asparagus fern. All of the plants on the railing are doing well.

The other railing. We have yellow begonias and aspargus fern here, plus an old cast iron pot filled with ivy.

Not everything is doing well. The flowers in the front and side gardens are just holding their own and not growing much. I think they are getting too much moisture. However, we need to count our blessings. We have homegrown food to eat and sufficient rainfall to keep the water table in the safe zone. So many are living in areas where there are drought conditions.

Do you have something that is a blessing to you? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Have a great week.