Roadie Gran rocks with Rose at Cracker Barrel!

Melanie let me have a cuddle with baby ROSE! Too hot to play checkers outside. There is a joke somewhere about "draughts" being welcomed to cool us.

You know you’re in the south when the temperature is so jolly high, the steering wheel is too hot to touch and you have breakfast at Cracker Barrel!!

Jason, the Pastor of the Calvary Chapel here and his family took us here this morning. I love this place.

I had eggs over ease, grits, biscuits and gravy, sourdough toast and jelly/jam…. Also had a rock with Rose on the porch in a rocker. TT enjoyed his breakfast, without the grits and gravy. It was, a sort of,  “last supper” as he has put himself on a diet to lose a little weight. He has only had salad, porridge and fruit since. What a hero! This was my breakfast, with biscuits, grits and gravy.

He did 2 performances today at Heritage Academy, the school where the church meets. It was part of the Augusta Arts weekend festival.  This school was started by a benefactor to provide good affordable education for the children of less affluent families. They provide scholarships and meet in a gorgeous building on a lovely street that reminds me of  “Gone with The Wind”.

TOmorrow he will do “Prisoner of Passion” in their morning service. We are staying in this hotel tomorrow night, which will be nice. So we don’t have to pack up and move until Monday lunch time when we retrace our steps to Virginia for a Tuesday “gig”.

Not sure whether it was the breakfast or the heat. (The latter I think), but I felt so tired this afternoon that I stayed in tonight and TT was his own Roadie. Poor man. Sorry darling one.

While he was doing his second show of the day I dozed at the hotel with the air conditioning full on. I was delighted to find lots of British TV programmes on the Public TV channel. I watched snippets of  “Last of the Summer Wine”, Mr Brett as Sherlock Holmes and Lark Rise to Candleford. Deep joy!

Tender, tearful, Tennessee State Line sighting.

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Yesterday and today I got a bit emotional. “What’s new?” I hear my family and best friends asking. In just over three weeks, we have traveled over three thousand miles and have lived out of suitcases, computer roller bags and a mobile fridge.

Our hotel rooms have looked like this.

Hotel room = Organized chaos?

We have had a fantastic time but it has been busy and even stressful with deadlines and 13 performances so far.

Niagara Falls was a wonderful break. We packed an awful lot into a few hours and had a nine hour plus journey afterwards to get us to our next “gig”.

TT’s plan worked. After this wonderful treat I would never dream of leaving his employ or even our marriage for another “Roadie” position. It certainly made up for the hectic, slightly crazy times when I just wanted to pack up and go back to sleepy Somerset and retire.

Like the time I mislaid the Brylcream just before the show or made his tea with Redbush/Rooibosh tea , just before he went on stage with it in the teapot. I  should have used Yorkshire tea bags.

Poor “C.S. Lewis” had to pretend to enjoy this African grown tea instead of that distributed by the U.K. Yorkshire tea company!

Back to Niagara . I haven’t even told you about the boat trip, right up to, and into the spray of the falls.

It was AMAZING!!!

Those of you who have done this “Maid of The Mist” trip, know that each passenger is issued with a big blue waterproof plastic Macintosh with hood to keep you dry. Well of course it doesn’t completely,  which adds to the fun, especially if like us, you were on the top deck right at the front.

Excuse me I should say the ” Bow” or “Poop” for my nautical readers. (If there are any) Actually I think I have one. My sailing son Daniel, who knows his “poop” from his “stern”!

Anyway it was fantastic ! Have I used that adjective before? I yelled and screamed my lungs out as we got closer into the falls and got soaked with the spray.

Everyone should do this before they die. Unfortunately I dropped my new camera while I was taking pictures of the Falls and broke it. Another emotional high and low all mixed up together.

Happily TT has ordered me another one from Amazon. He is working hard to keep me on an even keel, emotionally speaking . See I am keeping with the nautical theme!

Yesterday I was feeling a bit travel weary on the 8 hr drive from Virginia to Georgia. Then I had an attack of “the warm fuzzies”. Why? We were crossing the state line into Georgia, when I realized that our beloved Tennessee is the next state to here. I even saw a sign for the I40 and Knoxville!

I nearly made TT swerve off the road as I suddenly burst into a rousing chorus of “Good Ole Rocky Top. Rocky Top Tennessee. Click here and sing with me. Yeee Hii!!! Here are the lyrics.

“Good ‘ole  Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee!! You’ll always be, Home sweet Home to me!!”

So… I’m feeling very comforted to know that we are so near our Nashville home and will soon be seeing our dear dear friends from there and even our house in Mt Juliet!  Deep joy!!

We arrived in our Augusta hotel a few hours ago. We are unpacked and my lovely jubbly husband is out visiting Panera to collect our supper. Veggie soup and “Orchard Harvest Chicken salad” for me. He will have their wonderful French Onion soup and a Panini.

Bon appetit and good night all,  from The Paynes in hot hot Georgia.

P.S. May have another outside swim before I go to bed. It’s still in the 90deg F/?30+C here.

Love hugs and prayers.

From Marilyn aka Roadie Grandma and David aka TT “The Talent”! xxx

Tour is hotting up as we head south. Plus Niagara pics!

In Canada on Tuesday morning it was very cold at dawn. I had 4 layers of clothing on including my PJ bottoms under my jeans and big winter jacket with hood! The temperature rose as we drove south and we are nearly melting in the unusually hot 90F deg heat and have had to dig out our summer clothes again.

Eastern Mennonite University campus has been our home for 2 nights. This 100 acre Uni is in The Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. With The Blue Ridge Mountains as it’s backdrop.

Yesterday TT took the Chapel service, a theatre class and did “An Evening with C.S. Lewis”. They will pod cast the chapel service in a couple of days. I thought he was really good. There were about 400 students in the chapel and they sang acapello in four part harmony. Lovely. I didn’t want them to stop. Here is the link to their Student life events page that should have the pod cast on soon.

On Tuesday, we had a 9 hour journey to get to the Uni. from Niagara Falls, in Ontario Canada. But it was worth the long drive.

On Tuesday morning we went on The Maid of the Mist right up to the Falls. It was FANTASTIC.

To go back one more day and start our Falls adventure at the beginning. It was on Monday that we drove 1.5 hrs from Rochester New York to The Crown Plaza hotel right by The Falls. On arrival I sat in Big Blue the van while  TT disappeared inside the hotel. He was gone for ages. He then appeared and escorted me up to the 11th floor. The room overlooked the falls and had a balcony. This was the view!

TT updates our travelog on film!

I kept jumping up and down, screaming and shrieking, “I don’t believe this. This is amazing, incredible. etc etc”.

The weather was perfect and we had some left over salad in our mobile cold box.  We had a great picnic outside with this amazing view.

A room with a view and left over salad from Pennsylvanian church

After lunch we had a walk along the river to Table Rock.

Roadie Gran in great excitement mode.

Time for Random pics

This is one for the "loo" (restroom) wall

Log home built in 1780. Tractor Gran Roadie?

A non-starter Roadie job for Gran. Better stay with TT and BB

Job hunting. Looking for a slower paced Roadie position

Thought I would try this:-

"Please let me come and work with you". TT is working me too hard.

Pretty tired after busy 5 days of work. Unfortunately I didn’t get the job with the covered wagon outfit. They said I didn’t have the right experience.

TT as "Jack" C.S. Lewis has to console tired Roadie Gran in the Cry Room

Shut myself in the “Cry Room” aka “Green Room” where TT found me weeping and chewing the carpet. He said we now have two days without “gigs” and is taking me to Niagara Falls tomorrow! So I’ve decided to stay put.

Lovely day. A bit tiring. I forgot TT’s white shirt for his C.S. Lewis costume tonight. Nice new Ethiopian friend rushed me from the church to hotel and back in double-quick time before the curtain went up. Phew.  Roadie Tip Check the check list.

2 people today said they heard me on the radio!!!!

Night all.

Lunch with lovely new friends yesterday.

Lovely new little and big friends at Calvary Chapel Rochester yesterday. Some of the children watched "Paul" on the TV in their classrooms. "I know who you are" said one to TT. "You're Paul". How sweet. Free lunch for all after the service every week here. Donations going to missions. I love these people!

Pennsylvania, BB and TT triumph and bridesmaids wilt

Rest stop at the PA welcome centre. 2nd time in 36hrs

Sunday September 19th 1:30am

Just arrived back from another 7.5hr round trip to PA. This performance in Christ Wesleyan Church. They have about 1100 to their Sunday services, but only about 200 turned out tonight. Anyway they were a great audience. THe Pastor said, “I wish I had seen the DVD before hand. If I had know it was so good I would have known how to get more people here. Hey ho. C’est la vie. We enjoyed our day as it was lovely weather and we stopped to admire the views and take photos of interesting things including some dear little goats and a horse.

Saw some more interesting things on our return to the hotel just now. A bevy of tired bridesmaids were outside the hotel. Their flowers were wilting a bit as were some of them. Poor dears. I didn’t think I should take a photo as their male companions seemed a bit strange. Some were looking a little the worse for wear. One sported a Sombrero. “Go to bed dear ones” I felt like saying. Then realized I’m not everyone’s Grandma or mother even.

TT did another sterling job driving although I drove some miles myself while he  filmed  the beautiful PA countryside. I quite enjoyed it. Not much on the wide roads and BB behaved beautifully.

We have an early a.m. call for 7:30. Tt is doing Prisoner of Passion in the 10:00am service tomorrow a.m. in Rochester. Our 6th performance in 5 days concludes with “An Evening with C.S. Lewis” at the same church tomorrow night.

Thanks for your prayers. Keep them coming. A nice lady has offered to give me a free massage tomorrow. Can’t wait.

Night night all.

Photos of new chums made this week.

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I am trying my hand at putting photos in my blogs. After about an hour I have managed these two of Patrick, radio producer man and his family. Have loads more to put on and there must be an easier way. I am a v. frustrated Roadie Gran.

Actually we have had a brill day.

Nice lazy start to the day and we Skyped our son Jonathan and wife Nicola. Lovely to see them and Mr Dog asleep under the desk at the Monkey house in THe Old Mill back home in deepest Somerset.

I had a nice work out on the treadmill watching the TV. Very happy to see live coverage from Westminster Hall London while the Parliamentarians  awaited the Pope’s arrival.

So nice to see the current Prime Minister and Deputy and all the ex Prime Ministers happily chatting with their wives to each other. There was Mrs Thatcher, well poor Dennis wasn’t their of course, but she was sat next to Mr John and Mrs Major. Dear Gordon Brown seemed so much more relaxed now he is not in power and was having a very happy chat with Mr Tony Blair. I think they are very good chums in spite of all the press did to persuade us otherwise.

TT did an excellent “Prisoner of Passion” at Webster Calvary Chapel again tonight. We have grown to love the folks here that have made us feel so at home and are so helpful.They have a wonderful cafe too and brilliant hot chocolate and coffee.

Yummy hot chocolate and lovely new friends

Lovely jubbly new Radio thespian friends and super supper

Yummy supper of Cornish hens, bread pudding, PG tips Tea bags and digestive biccies.

Lovely jubbly new friends.

TLC day for TT

BB has some TLC

Actually this is where we were….

Here we are.