Nashville Trip: Monday

Because we did so much on Sunday, we planned to make Monday a much slower day, and we met up with Sister Velda. We sat in her condo and visited for several hours, and then she joined us for a little drive around the area. She even showed us the expected new site for the Bethel Primitive Baptist Church building. In the midst of the visiting and driving, we stopped off for lunch at Chick-Fil-A. They aren't too common up here, so this was Mom and Dad's first visit to one. The day with Sister Velda was so relaxing and wonderful, and she was a wonderful hostess for the city. She called to welcome us to town when we first arrived, and she called to check on us through the week.

(Sidenote: The next day, the family planned to hold a party for Sister Velda's mom, Sister Edgie. Tuesday was her 92nd birthday. I spoke to Sister Velda since we returned, and she reported that the party was wonderful. Over 20 folks were in attendance from the family and church, and they had a nice little reception with cake, nuts, and fruit. Sister Velda said Sister Edgie seemed really young that day and that she was able to see everyone out of her peripheral vision and call everyone by name. Sister Velda was glad the Lord blessed her family to have a wonderful day together in celebration!)

After a nice supper in the condo, we set out to find a particular jazz supper club, F. Scott's. (Please excuse my photography experiment in a dark room!) That night, a young lady named Brianna Thomas was the featured performer (outstanding vocalist!!), and we were excited to see her. Brianna is originally from central Illinois (Peoria), and Dad has accompanied her several times on piano. Brianna has lived in Nashville for a couple of years... but is now heading off to study in New York City. We wish her the best in this journey, and we had a great time listening to her beautiful voice before she leaves. Dad was even asked to sit in on the piano for a few tunes, Route 66 and All of Me.
As we exited the club, we weren't sure what we were going to do - go back to the condo or go hear some western swing music downtown. But, we received a call from Aaron and Ketra just a moment later that confirmed they'd be arriving in moments. We were excited to have them join us so we could head out the next morning together on our next portion of our trip.