Shinybass journal entry 03-10-12

What did you think would happen?

Happy Saturday – which, as you know is not the usual time for this journal.  I took a little personal trip early this week in honor of my bachelor party.  I seem to have a habit of extending personal ‘holidays’ an extra day or two. My birthday usually runs the whole weekend, and if it falls on a Tuesday, then all week.  This bachelor party lasted three days.  Most of it was spent driving, but I was driving with my best man for the wedding, and I can think of no other male outside of my family that I would rather spend 24 hours in the car with.

When thinking about a suitable bachelor party, we were sort of stumped.  I wanted family to be there, but with my Dad out of the country, and my brother spread across the Eastern seaboard, logistically it became a nightmare.  With Jeff having to drive to DC anyways, I thought maybe we could tie in a trip to Charlottesville and DC and get some good eating, drinking, and sightseeing in.  Well, after 8 hours in the car, we hit my brother’s house (on his birthday), and went to bed, excited for getting up to DC for a full day of sights and food.  Then Mother Nature intervened and dumped 6″ of snow on the ground, effectively shutting down the notion of driving to DC, and then Monticello, Ash Lawn, and most wineries were closed.  So in a day of driving and historical disappointments, we actually had a really good time.  There are so many beautiful old homes and farms dotting the landscape around Charlottesville, and to see them covered in snow was even more of  a treat.  Plus, in our journey, we found some treasures.  Like a Gusburger at the White Spot, a really old tree that gave shade to James Monroe, and the day before we arrived – Foamhenge!

With our change in travel, we decided to hit the downtown mall in Charlottesville, and I was really happy with that decision.  First of all, we were dropped off by my sister-in-law, and of course she had the 2 kids in the car, so I felt totally rock star being dropped off for my bachelor party in a kid transporter.  Either way, we hit 3 very hip bars, had one of the best ribeye steaks ever (with a Dijon and Tabasco marinade at C & O, and during the night we had some fantastic wine, and my head pounded like an anvil being hit by a hammer the next morning.  But we had more to see, so we were headed to DC for the real treat – the new Air and Space museum.

I am an airplane nut, so this was heaven on Earth for me.  In seeing this museum, it also re-sparked my want to fly.  Someday, someday.  I was amazed at the number of rare and one-of-a-kind aircraft that were on display.  If you are in the area, get to this museum – it was worth every bit of the drive and effort to be there.  After a couple hours of plane gazing, we headed into downtown DC to see Ford’s theater, which was where Lincoln was assassinated.  In the spirit of the week, the balcony was closed that day, so whereas we were in the museum and the Peterson Boarding house where the president died, we didn’t get to see the ‘spot’.  Again, we made the best of it.  We also hit the National Cathedral, and then ended up in Georgetown, where we would be bedding down for the night with relatives.  All in all a long but fantastic day in our Nation’s Capital.

So after all the history we could muster, we drove like Burt Reynold’s in Smokey and the Bandit to get home.  While I was out, I had a call come in from Luke Bryan’s folks, and they asked me to sub once again for my friend James.  I was very happy to help out, and with Phil not on the road, it worked out great.  I did have to practice in the car on the way home, and that definitely helped.  We rocked 12,000 people in Plant City Florida Thursday night, and tonight I will be playing the Grand Ol’ Opry for like the 35th time.  This will be the fourth artist I have backed on the Opry. I don’t know if that’s a testament to my ability or inability to keep a long-term gig!! Either way, I am hoping to shake little Jimmy’s Dicken’s hand again.

So there is the recap of the week.  Before you pass judgement on my choice of bachelor party venue, remember, I have been on the road for 17 years, so there aren’t many places that I haven’t seen, plus my attitude towards the whole thing is a little more refined than that of a 22-year old about to get married.  Plus my friend Sarge has filled my stomach with more than enough Jager to last me the rest of my life.  The countdown begins…

See you on the road!