Sat - 28 Jan/17

The cold spell has arrived and will be with us for about a week. It is 10 degrees below normal meaning it will be in the low 60's F for a while.

On non-craft days we sleep in until 9 a.m. We just watched TV in bed until 11:30. It was good to be lazy.

Then I started my Mushroom Soup for lunch. It hit the spot!

At 1:30 p.m. we headed for the Opry in Wiersdale, FL. Naturally, we left the top on the Del Sol. We didn't even see the sun today and a little heat was needed.

The "Opry Band" most often plays for a half hour or so before the featured act. As usual, they were terrific. Then there is a short intermission for folks to get a snack, drink, etc. before the signature artist appears on stage.

During the intermission we had a chance to chat with some nice folks sitting next to us that were from Elkins, WV in Timber Country. It is a town of about 7,000 that has been named one of the 100 Best Small Towns in America. A well known annual event, "Mountain State Forest Festival", is appropriate as the town is surround by impressive forest landscapes. They said they were in Florida because, like Canada, it gets cold there in the winter.

Today's show today featured 5 Time Grammy Award Winner: B.J. Thomas who is probably best known for the song from the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie. Think about it? (Are "Raindrops Falling on Your Head? - grin).

He opened with his first hit: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and sang all of his hits including "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head".

When B.J. sang "Peace in the Valley" (A cappella) you could literally "hear a pin drop".

Others songs that were on our "Regular Play" list in the car that he sang were: "Hey Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song"; "I Just Can't Help Believing"; "Mighty Clouds of Joy" and "Rock and Roll Lullaby". He sang other songs that we were not familiar with; but most of the crowd definitely were.

There was not much "Stage Movement" during the show as B.J. recently had surgery (knee replacement?) just 3 weeks ago; however his voice, one of the most distinctive in American Pop music, was terrific. The audience was appreciative of his effort. It was a great show.

We returned to OMS after the show. There we hurriedly prepared Charlotte's "Chicken Spread/Ritz Cracker" snacks (yummy) and ate while watching the local news before heading to the Rec Hall for "Solid Gold". This is literally a "Karaoke" show. One plays (keyboard) and sings while the other just sings to the tunes. This is a free show sponsored by OMS which provides pitchers of draft beer and soft drinks for those attending. It was still packed this evening despite 80 couples being off on a "Sea Cruise" this week.

There was a light rain falling as we walked back to the motorhome. This is forecast as continuing (off and on) throughout the night. It is too light to lull us to sleep as it can not be heard on the RV roof.

Off to bed after 20/20 on TV.

It was a relatively restful day.