Welcome to part 2 of my post about summer time fun.
I mentioned at the conclusion of part 1 that the water battles I fought "then" helped me create a memorable day in the "now." That's because those memories serve as a guideline when it came time for some hot weather fun with my grandchildren. I want to share the story of that day with y'all.
Last Friday was the final day of 1st grade for my grand daughter. My wife and I went to her school to see her participate in the closing ceremonies for the school year.
After we saw her receive citizenship award from her principal, we brought her home to spend the day with us. Later that afternoon, her little brother joined us.
It was a bright sunny day in south central Kentucky but it was unseasonably warm for May. The kids wanted to play outside. They love to play outside. When my wife and I insisted that it was too hot to be playing outside, my 7 year old grand-daughter suggested we get some water balloons.
Unable to come up with a reason not to, we acquiesced to her idea. Her Nana took her to the Dollar Store to get some balloons.
We decided that the front yard was the best place to access the outside water supply and have fun.
Even though they were sold as "water balloons" and came with their own faucet adapter; these were so small and thin half of them ripped before I even got them over the spigot.
I could quickly tell that with these balloons, playtime wasn't going to be as much fun as we had anticipated.
I decided we needed an balloon upgrade so I went back to our local dollar store. While I was gone, Paula kept the kids entertained by trying to fill some of the "defective" balloons.
As I made my way through the seasonal aisle of the Dollar Store, one of the little guys in my brain went into my mental filing cabinet and accessed the file marked "front yard water fun". He read me the items on the list.
I browsed up and down that aisle collecting the items I had recalled from my childhood.
Soon I was back at my house with a hose, a faucet divider, 100 blue easy-fill, self-sealing water balloons, and a toy puppy dog sprinkler. All I thought we would need to have a great time.
I put the water balloons in a large grey plastic storage bin so they wouldn't break. Once they were filled it was time for the fun to begin.
The kids had a great time throwing the balloons at me and at each other. Their Nana sat on the sidelines watching and taking pictures.
We played catch with the filled balloons but the kids weren't getting very wet. The balloons weren't breaking until they hit the ground.
So I got an idea that would have the balloons bust on the kids and soak them get. I got a blanket and spread it out on the ground. I had the kids get on it. I tossed the water bombs up in the air yelling "Bombs Away".
The only problem was that the blanket was too thick and the balloons didn't bust. The kids thought it was great but they weren't getting wet.
That's when we changed the game a 2nd time. I sat in a lawn chair and let them break the remaining water bombs over my head and on me. They had a blast soaking Papa.
All too soon, all the balloons were gone. All that was left in the gray container was water.
I had one more watery trick up my sleeve but I had to convince Aria to volunteer for it. She was reluctant but eventually agreed. I picked up the gray container and poured the water over her head.
The only thing left for the kids to do was run around in the doggy sprinkler. At least that was the only thing I could think to do.
But kids are creative and soon they made their own new fun. They started trying to fill up the gray container by tilting it toward the sprinkler. But that only got the water to a certain level. Paula got them a couple of red Solo cups to use.
With a determined effort, and the big sister serving as project director...
...they filled it to the top and Aria got in.
She basked in her improvised pool for a while but then her brother wanted his turn.
Eventually, it became necessary to get my grandson his own container to create his own private pool. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the two of them side by side in their private improvised gray and bright green "pools" .
Soon, it was time for our front yard fun to come to an end. We all needed to dry off because their mom was coming to take them home.
As kids usually do, our soggy pair protested the end of the water play. But we reminded them that this was just the first day of the summer; promising them even more front yard fun when they came back again. It's going to be a fun summer.
Thank you for reading this two part blog post. Playing with my grandchildren on our front lawn got me thinking about our neighborhood water battles during those summers back "then"on Green Street. I just had to share the details and connection of both with you. I hope my recollections brought back memories of some fun times from your "then" too.
Have a good weekend. In my next post I will share with you my return to Nashville and an rather unique restaurant.
Since this entry is being posted on Memorial Day, I would like take the time to honor some military veterans who are part of my family.
I want to recognize the service of:
My son, James Conner; my brother-in-law, Gene Havens; my cousin, Llewellyn Thomas; my 2nd cousin; Gary Stump Jr.;Mark Quigley and Amy Quigley (they are both part of my Christian Family) and last but not least, two no longer with us, my cousin, Roland Stump, and 2nd cousin, Roger Seguine.
If you know or did know any of these men please take the time to show your appreciation for their contribution in allowing you to have the freedom you enjoy every day.
Now on to what I want to share with you today.
This week's posts are connected even though the events that serve as their individual focus happened 50 years apart.
For "part 1" I'm taking you back to the days of my childhood. Hopefully the recollections and pictures I share with you will spark some happy memories of your own.
For many in the US, each year, Memorial Day is the "unofficial" start of summer.
When you are a kid the first two things summer means to you are: no school for 2 months and the getting to play in the water.
The latter can happen on several different levels. You can do it a water park, at a public pool, a private pool of a friend or relative, or you can do it in your own yard.
When I was a kid, the pool outside Brensinger School was where I spent a lot of hot days during my elementary school days. It's where I took swimming lessons given by the Red Cross.
Until I was 10, I lived in a public housing project on Green Street, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. It was a decent neighborhood made up mostly of lower to middle income families.
A couple of years ago I went back to see how the old neighborhood was holding up. It still looked the same. Our 3 bedroom unit was the second one going left to right.
I refer to it as a "neighborhood" but it really was a community. All the adults were friends with the other adults (or at least they knew each other well enough to engage in a decent conversation).
On most summer evenings the grown-ups, including my parents,hung out together sitting in lounge chairs just out in front of "the unit" socializing.
The kids, and there were plenty of them, gave everyone a circle of friends and playmates around their own age. Quite frequently on summer evenings, all of us from the oldest to the youngest would get together and play games together. Kickball was our favorite.
During the first 9 summers of my childhood, when, for one reason or another, I couldn't go to Brensinger to swim, cooling off was limited to a playing in a small wading pool, tossing water balloons or getting squirted with a water hose along with the other "project kids."
Our community "water park" was limited to the sector bordered how far the hose could reach. It was the grass in the upper left portion of the picture above. With no fences, of course, it was everybody's front yard.
Although it didn't happen all the time, the most memorable cooling off days occurred when all the kids would show up for a "water battle
Rather than try and describe the sequence typical of one of these soaking situations, I have uploaded a two-minute segment of one of my family's home movies. I believe it's from the summer of 1969 or 70.
There are a lot of kids in this film. I'm not going to try and name every one of them. I don't even remember some of them. But rest assured they were all good friends and part of our neighborhood. I do want to identify a couple of them.
The little girl in the black two piece bathing suit is my 4 year old sister, Shari. The teenage girl in the yellow and green one piece suit is my older sister, Peggy.
Of course the skinny kid in the yellow trunks with black stripes down the side is 9 year old "Ronnie"...that's me. I'm wearing sunglasses in the beginning because of an eye issue I was having that summer.
Throughout these 2 minutes there are multiple "battles" for control of the hose but it was all in good fun.
I recommend that you expand the video to the full screen so you can enjoy it better. Remember it was shot with a Kodak movie camera on Super 8 film over nearly 50 years ago and transferred to a digital format. Hope you enjoy it.
Although after five decades I may be seeing that video through an idyllic filter but I can't help but smile when I do.
So there you have a sample of some of the front yard fun I had back then. As a kid, where did you play in the water?
If the video or my recollections brings back to your mind some of the your favorite summer time moments I'd like to read about them. Just comment on the Facebook post I put up with the link to this blog post.
Come back next time for part 2 of this post when I share with you how my childhood summer experiences helped me create some front yard fun "now". Thanks for reading see you next time.
Karaoke...You either like it or you hate it. There is no "fence sitting" when it comes to that technology based form entertainment that originated in Japan decades ago.
My wife, is on the "uh..NO!" side of the activity. She likes to sing but, except for in church, not in front of strangers in public. As for me, I like I love it. I want some more of it.
Since moving to the South, I'd not had much of an opportunity to sing in a "traditional" karaoke setting.
I have used Karaoke tracks when performing my ventriloquist act and in church but not in a club or other public venue.
About 2 years ago, a couple named Beverly & David Long started hosting Karaoke nights on Fridays at the Mexican restaurant a few blocks from my house.
In the summertime they move their equipment out to the restaurant's outdoor patio for "Karaoke El Fresco."
Although I don't make it to there every Friday, I go whenever I can. I enjoy it.
I have used this "stage" to take the opportunity to sing some of the parodies I've written over the years.
A song parody is changing the lyrics of popular song but keeping the melody. You can find all kinds of examples on You Tube.
I have written parodies to "Rockin Robin" by Bobby Day, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco by Tony Bennett and "Under The Sea" from Disney's Little Mermaid.
But for this post I want to share with you my most recent parody. It's the reason I am wearing this metal.
Last Friday night Beverly and David held a karaoke parody contest at Cinco De Mayo (that's the name of the Mexican restaurant). It was open to anyone who came to sing that night.
Beverly started announced that it was going to take place about a month ago so I had time to work on my entry.
What I came up with is sung to the tune of "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town." It's the reason I am now the owner of the first place metal as the winner of the first ever Karaoke parody contest.
I don't have a recording me actually singing at the competition but I've made a video. It's posted on my You Tube channel. It may not be the most professional video but it gets the song's message across. The link is below. Hope you like it.
Judy, Don't Drink & Shop Online Parody Video
I am proud of winning the contest. It gave me a reason to be creative. Not just by writing the words but performing it and making the video. It's also cool to be applauded and honored by the other singers. I want to thank everyone of them who voted for me.
I will have more on karaoke nights and my friends, Beverly and David in a future post.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this post. If you have any comments or questions please post them on my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/ron.havens.50
Please come back again on Friday for the next entry on the"Yankee Near Nashville" blog.
On May 8, for the 2nd time this month, I enjoyed an evening of entertainment in Nashville.
My wife and I went on a mid-week date to Zanie's Comedy Club in South Nashville.
Over the last 2 decades, I've gone to this club an average of two times a year.
I've seen some of my favorite comics perform there. John Pinette, Jeff Allen, Rik Roberts, Taylor Mason, Jeff Dunham, Greg Warren, Ken Davis, Paul Aldrich, and Brad Stein to name a few.
The comic we went to see this time we actually saw for the first time in the comfort of our home.
Back in the summer of 2017, he was the runner up on NBC's America's Got Talent, season 12. That's the year that the young ventriloquist, Darci Lynne, won the competition.
Over the years Paula and I have seen
3 acts connected with AGT, in person. We saw season 2 winner, Terry Fator, and judge, Howie Mandel, at our local performing arts venue, SKYPAC.
We saw a third AGT contestant, The Russian Bar Trio, an acrobat act, perform at a local minor league baseball game.
We would make our 4th IRL connection with an AGT alumni during the 2nd show at Zanies on May 8.
This visit to the comedy club would be different in several ways. Never before had I been to a 2nd show. I liked going to the early shows. Also, the room was sold out. This meant the club, where the tables are very close together to begin with, would be very very congested.
The third change would be the club's policy regarding cell phones. More on that later.
The night started out on a good note. as Although we got there just 10 minutes before the doors opened the one handicapped parking spot behind the club was unoccupied.
The line to get in was already wrapped around 3 sides of the building to the back of the parking lot. All we had to do was step out of the car and we were in the queue.
The doors opened at 8PM with the show scheduled to stat 30 minutes later.
The third thing different about this visit involved cellphones. Patrons were required to set their ringers to vibrate and put them in one of these pouches.
The pouch has a lock that once closed requires a special tool to open it. This is done a couple of reasons. One is short term and the other is long term. It keeps people from using their phones and disrupting the show. It also prevents recording of unauthorized audio and video that could be posted online.
We knew about this new cellphone policy ahead of time. Paula decided to leave her phone locked up in our car. I brought mine in just in case we got the opportunity to get a picture taken with the headliner.
Once inside the showroom, for only the 2nd time since we started coming to the club, we were seated at a table on the upper level; the first one at the top of the stairs. This was our view of the stage.
We settled in and ordered our food and drinks. Even though it's just the usual unimaginative bar/lounge menu the food at Zanies isn't bad. The fries are rather tasty and the best thing I've ever had there.
Now that I shared the details of getting to the show, let me tell you who we were there to see.
This guy was so funny on his initial appearance on AGT and most recently on AGT: The Champions shows, Paula and I both agreed we'd enjoy seeing him in person.
Back in March when I saw that he was going to be in Nashville, we bought tickets.
The only thing I was a little apprehensive about was that his "clean" act from AGT was not going to be the one we saw at a club. Although not surprising it would a bit of disappointment if his club act was "blue."
At 8:30, as usual, the song "Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers, played loudly to signifying that show was about to start; hushing the crowd. The club spokesman took the stage making announcements. He also requested that everyone lock their cellphone pouch.
Usually, a Zanies show includes an emcee, a featured comic and a headliner. But not on this night. Only Preacher's younger brother, Justin, preceeded him on stage. He did about 15 minutes and was pretty good.
Preacher was funny from the moment he stepped on stage. His starting point was talking about his history with and experience on AGT. He began by explaining how he lost a million dollar prize to a 12 year old girl. But he did it in a very humorous way.
I am happy to say that he was the same clean likable guy on this stage as he was on TV. He kept us laughing for about 45 minutes.
I think my wife enjoyed him more than I did. She laughed all the way through the night. This made me smile because she really needed a night out to "let go".
My moment in the spotlight came at the end of the night. Just before Preacher set up for the post show meet & greet he asked the crowd if they had any questions.
I took advantage of the opportunity to shout out from the balcony, "How did you get your nickname?"
He said that when he was just a few months old, a woman at church looked at him and told his mother that he was going to grow up to be a preacher. From then on, Jovan Lawson, became "Preacher."
Like I mentioned there was a "meet & greet" afterward but being on the upper level I knew I'd be way back in the line to get meet him. Rather than wait 30 minutes or more we just decided to leave.
A Zanies staff member unlocked my cellphone pouch on the way out. We walked to our car and our night out was over. But it was one we'll remember and talk about for a long time.
If this famous comic comes to a venue any where near you I highly recommend make the effort to you go see him. It will be well worth it. Because when it comes to comedy, Preacher Lawson, delivers the "gospel of funny."
Have you ever been to a comedy club? Who did you see? Who's your favorite comic? What's was your best mid-week date night? Please post your answers along with any other comments or questions on my Facebook page.
Thanks for coming by to read this post. I hope you enjoyed it. Come back on Monday and I will share with you yet another aspect of being a Yankee Near Nashville.
It's a new week and I'm going to get into my regular posting schedule of Monday, (the occasional) Wednesday, and Friday starting this week. So here I go.
I really like living so close to the 25th largest city in the country.
So many things to do there. It's a city on the rise in regard to national popularity.
Nothing is more evident of that than downtown Nashville recently hosting the NFL draft.
For 3 days during the last weekend of April, an estimated 200,000 spectators crowded Broadway from Bridgestone arena to the riverfront to witness the selection of this year's NFL picks.
Fortunately, the plans I had made for my next couple of visits down I-65 didn't require traveling to Music City until after that weekend. One which, also, saw 30,000 runners participate in the "Run Rock & Roll" marathon.
One of the interesting things about Nashville is that it has quite a long history in regard to television production, an industry that's alive and kickin today.
Thanks to networks such as: RFD-TV, Trinity Broadcasting, CMT, and a variety of independent companies, television production continues to be part of the Nashville business culture.
Nine years ago, my son, Michael, and I went to the TV studio in the Grand Ole Opry house to be part of a CMT special featuring the guys from the Blue Collar Comedy tour. I wrote about it on the RH Factors blog. I will put the link at the end of this post if you want to read about it.
On April 30, I went to be part of the studio audience at a taping of the TBN show, "Huckabee".
It is a politically based talk show hosted by the former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee.
Just like it's host, the program conveys a clearly defined conservative political attitude. And while it can be a little more to the right than my views, I find it rather entertaining most of the time.
The show is taped on various nights throughout the month at the Huckabee Theater, right across the street from TBN studios, in Hendersonville,TN.
It is a stand alone building that from the moment I approached it, reminded me of a theater you'd see in Pigeon Forge, TN.
As recommended on the program's website, I arrived about an hour early for the taping.
I went through the security check and found myself in a large open lobby.
There was a very nice little catered reception featuring cupcakes, snacks, and soft drinks.
I sat on a bench looking around watching the other soon-to-be audience members enjoying the reception. Most of them were my age or older. This made me feel even more like I was in the Smoky Mountains. The place just had that feel to it.
There was a trio of reasons I was there. First, to see how a TV show is produced. Second, to say "hi" to one of my favorite stand-up comics, who warms up the audience. Third, a ventriloquist I like was a guest on the program.
Rik Roberts is very funny stand-up with 20+ years experience. He's a past president of the Christian Comics Association and hosts my favorite podcast about the art & business of being "funny for money".
On stage and off an important part of his act is impersonating one of TV's continuously popular sidekicks, Barney Fife. He has the stature and a lot of the mannerisms of Mayberry's favorite deputy.
In full uniform and a single bullet in his shirt pocket, Rik mingled with the guests in the reception area; greeting, talking and taking pictures.
I talked with him for a while and got a two-shot of us.
When it came time to go into the studio I did my best to become a sponge; soaking up all I could. From the minute I walked through the door, my head was on a swivel. Taking in everything to see involving the taping process.
As luck would have it, I was seated on the front row all the way to the left; right next to the station where announcer, Keith Bilbery, would look into a camera and segue between each segment and the commercials.
One of the things I will always remember about the night happened during a break. I joked with Mr. Bilbery about a mistake he had been making in pronouncing a guest's name. He didn't get mad. In fact, he laughed and even repeated the joke to Mike Huckabee.
The show started when Rik Roberts, transformed back into himself, came out on stage and warmed up the audience. The stand-up material he did I'd heard before. But it was nice to hear the laughter of an audience who hadn't.
The show's host came out on stage to greet and joke around with the audience and thanked us for coming.
Once he was finished the director spoke to us from the production booth. He gave us basic instructions and explained what our "job" would be during the show.
Soon after he was finished the house band began playing the theme song. They provided the music and some sound effects as they were needed throughout the show.
Bilbery announced the show's line up as the opening billboard appeared on the screen. He then introduced Governor Huckabee. The host's 5 minute monologue came first. He talked about the recent White House correspondent's dinner and blasted the "liberal press" for calling out the president for choosing not to attend.
I closely watched the switching of cameras. They had a red light when they were "on" and a timer on the front counting down the length of each segment. There were 3 cameras mounted on wheels that moved around the production floor, a hand held roamer, and crane camera that moved around both vertically and horizontally getting overhead and panning shots.
At one point I began playing a mental game, guessing which shot the director would choose next. I watched the nearby monitor to see if I was right.
The program they were creating was a combination of segments taped that night and some previously recorded.
Comedian Chondra Pierce promoting the upcoming theatrical release of her documentary, "Unashamed" was
one of those already finished.
In addition, some segments for future shows were taped. A couple of them came under the heading "Huckabee's Hero".
While the production staff and cast were setting up for the next thing, a group of enthusiastic theater staff workers would prepare the audience for what was coming up. They endevoured to keep our energy up by engaging different individuals in conversation and tossing out Huckabee themed t-shirts. One was thrown toward me but the guy next to me intercepted it. No biggie. He was at least 10 years older than me and it gave him something to remember the night once he got back to Oklahoma.
One of the live segments featured ventriloquist Taylor Mason. He was promoting his new auto-biography, Irreversible. During his act he appealed to the political bias that presides over the show with a joke about...
Well, rather than tell you let me show you. Here's a link to Taylor's segment.
Taylor Mason On Huckabee
The last guest of the night was country music star, Daryl Worley. After being away from the country scene for a few years, Worley is now back on tour. Here's his interview with Huckabee explaining his absence and promoting his return.
Daryl Worley Interview
Worley performed 2 songs. One to be used on this show and his popular hit about 9/11, "Have You Forgotten" to be included on an upcoming program this September.
The conclusion of the music performance marked the end of production.
There was an opportunity for "Meet & Greet" with Mike Huckabee but I didn't want to wait in line.
Instead I went out into the theater lobby and talked with Rik Roberts for a few minutes.
Having dropped a family member off at the Nashville airport at 6AM that morning; I had stayed in town all day. At that point I was tired. I just wanted to go home.
There you have my experience with the Huckabee show.
The following Saturday night, the show aired on TBN. I managed to catch a glimpse of myself on screen several times during passing overhead crane shots of the audience.
I really enjoyed watching the whole process of making a TV show. I have always been very interested in entertainment production. But I know there were things that went into creating the show that I missed. But that's okay, I plan on going back again one day. I may ask questions in order to learn more when I do.
I think my wife might be interested in going with me the next time as well.
Thanks for coming by and reading my first blog post. Hope you enjoyed it.
Later this week I will write about another evening in Nashville that has a direct connection to yet another TV show. I will let you know when it is posted.
Here's the link to my the RH Factors post I mentioned earlier
Welcome to the introductory post of the "Yankee Near Nashville" blog.
Before I explain what I want to do here, I want to "put a bow" on the RH Factors blog.
Over the course of the 11 years, I wrote about many many life changes and memorable events; way to many to list here.
I used the forum as a way of keeping up with family and friends I didn't see on a regular basis.
In what I now see as a mistake, I tried to write for RH Factors the way a journalist would write a daily newspaper column.
I very rarely kept up with that premise and frequently got burned out trying to do so.
But now that my first blog is in the rear view mirror, I can truly say that the posts I enjoyed writing most were the ones recounting the places I traveled to and what I did there. I'm going to try and continue that premise with "Yankee Near Nashville".
I will be sharing my perspective about the people, places, and things I encounter while venturing in and around my "old Kentucky home".
However, I will only be posting 2 to 3 times a week. This will, hopefully, keep both my readers and me interested in what I have to say.
Here are several things that will influence what I decide to write about.
Up Bringin'
Because I was born and raised in a small town in northwest New Jersey, as a "Yankee", I sometimes have a different perspective on things I see here in the south.
But having lived in Kentucky for 20 years, I also understand southern culture quite a bit. In a lot of ways I consider myself a "southerner" now; but I'll always be a bit of a "Jersey boy".
My Generation
I'm a Baby Boomer; born the year John F. Kennedy was elected president. The world I grew up in was very very different than what it is now. Quite often I find myself experiencing something that's new or very different. That's when I find myself asking, "When did that happen?". There will be posts centered around the preponderance of that question.
Hobbies & Interests
Pop music, Disney, Lego, game shows, movies, baseball, hockey, stand-up comedy, listening to podcasts & audio books, and some TV sitcoms: are some of my specific interests. I will be writing about where learning about and enjoying these things takes me. Also, I am always curious about discovering new things as well.
Location, Location, Location
Although I didn't realize it before I moved to the midsouth, the area I live in is a great home base for driving to see a good portion of the country. I am within a day's drive of about half the USA. That drive may mean 12 hours on the road; but if necessary, it's do able.
Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and St. Louis are destinations where I can be there and back in the same day.
The place I'll most likely be writing about the most often is Nashville. I live only an hour away and go there quite often.
As a matter of fact, my first post is going to be about the two trips I took to Nashville in the month of May.
I do want to let you know that "YNN" will not be exclusively a travel blog. I will have other types of posts as well. You'll see what I mean as I write.
Once again, thanks for coming by and reading this new blog. My hope is to share with you in an effort to for a little online community. One where we share our experiences and keep in touch.
My next post will be available near the end of the week. Hope to see you here, then.
