The seventies station (7 on satellite radio) played the top 700 songs of the seventies during the 4th of July weekend.

This made it very interesting for us having the 70’s playing in the background all weekend and while each of us picked what we thought would be #1, none of us were right (James thought Three Dog Night “Joy to the World”, Mom thought Captain & Tenniles “Love Will Keep Us Together” and Dad thought Simon & Garfunkels “Bridge over Troubled Waters).

While it appears that the European Hard Rock Bands were ignored (Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Yes, etc) below are the top 25 as voted on by the seventies on seven listeners but before you click, what 70’s song do you think won. Continue reading “Top Songs of the 70’s” →

After missing this event due to weather and date changing, we were back on for the Blues Festival which takes place annually in Marshall Michigan. This event used to take place two weeks after the Fourth of July, now it takes place two weeks prior to the Fourth of July. This means the Halloween decorations are not yet out at Cracker Barrel which used to be part of this trip. While Mom was at the Blues Festival, James and his Dad took a trip to Colon, the Magic Capital, to see what was going on there, then stopped at the Marshall K Mart as finding an open K mart anywhere is rare. The day ended with a feast at Los Tres Amigo’s in Jackson.
Continue reading “Marshall Blues Festival 2019” →

The annual Blues Festival in Marshall Michigan took place this weekend, but unfortunately mother nature did not cooperate as she has in the past the the event was delayed due to everything being wet which created an electric threat. Even so, Mom got to hear some Blues, it just started a little later. Mom spent most of the delay checking out the many antique stores on Marshall’s mainstreet and taking the vast majority of the pics on this trip.

On the way up we stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and they already had some Halloween stuff out which we took a look at. We also bought an old style root beer and candy bar for the trip West to Marshall. On the way home we found a great Mexican restaurant in Albion MI.

Despite the weather, it was a great family day for all of us. Not too many blues this day.

Continue reading “Marshall Blues Festival 2015” →

This was the ten year celebration of the Marshall Blues Festival and I think we have attended the last four. This year we did it a little differently as James and Dad stayed for the event with Mom. The music was great and the weather was absolutely perfect.

Strolling around town we stopped in almost every store on mainstreet. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. A very pleasant experience as always in the town of Marshall.

Marshall is located at the intersection of 94 and 69, about an hour and 40 minute drive from Detroit.

One the way home we stopped in Jackson for dinner at a Chinese buffet on 127 (James really enjoys the Chinese buffets).

Continue reading “Marshall Blues Festival 2013” →

This was the second Blues Festival we attended. A very very hot day, Mom went straight to the Festival while Dad and James snuck off to Colon to visit the magic shop there. Later we picked up Mom and walked the streets of Marshall listening to music. On the way home we decided to stop for Chinese at a restaurant in Jackson which we found courtesy of our phones GPS. All in all a very fun day.

The pictures below are of the streets of Marshall during the Blues Festival, however most of the shops on main street are open throughout the year and we would certainly suggest a trip to Marshall anytime of the year.

Continue reading “Marshall Blues Festival 2011” →

It was a very hot July day and the traffic and construction tie ups were terrible, but we made it to the Blues Festival in Marshall Michigan for the first time. James and I stayed for a bit then went on to the park and a magic shop, while mom enjoyed the music while shopping for antiques on the Marshall main street. We left around 6pm as the place was just starting to get real crowded. Mary bought a cd of the music of one of the bands and we listened to it on the way home.

That evening James watched a dinosaur movie then did his own version of it in his puppet theatre. Lots of entertainment this day!

Continue reading “Marshall Blues Festival 2010 – Then Puppet Show” →

We took James to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Many classic items there but flash photography was not allowed so some of the pics may look dim. They say the flashes can actually damage some of the stored items, who would have thought that.

My family has long been Hank Williams fans, both Sr. and Jr., and Johnny Cash well I think everyone likes Johnny Cash. Lots of interesting things to see but what impressed me most was all the gold albums that lined the walls. A pretty awesome display although you would have a hard time ever finding your favorite song because there are so many.

The car display was cool as well and there was alot of computer/video interactive devices. You could easily spend a whole day at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Continue reading “Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame 2006” →

We visited the Grand Ole Opry and shopped at the mall across the street (the same one that has the aquarium restaurant).

The hotel is a huge complex which reminded me of the Walt Disney World hotels but grander. We took an indoor boat ride similar to the one we took in Vegas at the Venetian, except there was no singing on this one. Lots of shops but what really was amazing was the plant life. The ceiling is made of glass which makes for a greenhouse effect. Each level was different and meticulously maintained. We saw Dolly Parton’s room when she stays there which looks out over a huge garden.

It kind of made me feel bad we were staying at a Holiday Inn when there was something like this available. However this whole area is on the other side of town from where we are staying and it would have been much further to get to James Grandpa if we stayed here (besides it probably cost a fortune to stay here).

Continue reading “Grand Ole Opry & Opryland Hotel 2006” →

Mary really enjoys Lyle Lovett and when he came to do an outdoor concert in Michigan we decided to go and sit outside the pavilion. James was far enough away from any loud noises and was able to play in the grass, but Mary was close enough to enjoy the concert.

This was James first concert and looked pretty bored throughout, however he enjoyed going for strolls in the field, probably because it was unusual for him to be outside after dark.

I am not sure but I think this facility is the old Pine Knob facility where we use to attend concerts as kids

In the end, everyone had a great time.

Continue reading “Lyle Lovett Concert 2005” →