My Main Reason for Travel

Why Do I Travel?

       Traveling to see the world is a lot of fun, but this is not my main reason for doing so.  My wife and I truly enjoy experiencing different parts of the country and if that were our only reason to travel then I'm sure we'd do that.   However our biggest reason for gallivanting about North America is to see people--friends, family, and most of all, grandchildren.

Arlee, Thomas, Lillee, Grace, Betty (my wife),  and Celeste
(Marley was at her music class)

         In the photo above you see my wife and I on the boardwalk along the beach at Asbury Park, NJ with four of our grandkids.  I had donned my A to Z 2016 tee shirt to parade up and down the Asbury Park boardwalk with my family.  Unfortunately our plans were sidetracked by a massive thunderstorm that came along and caused us to make an early retreat to the sushi restaurant where one  of our daughter's husband works.  Since that had been part of the plan then that was okay even though we had to spend more time at the restaurant than we had anticipated.

         The oldest of the grandchildren was around the corner from the restaurant at "rock and roll school" which is the prestigious Lakehouse Music Academy.  Marley, who will soon be eight, has been taking a regimen of various music classes geared toward learning the skills of singing and playing instruments as well as practical experience in performing.  Their recitals take place at the famous concert venue The Stone Pony which is where many famed artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi got their starts and which showcases many well known and lesser known acts throughout the year.  Not a bad place for a kid (or anyone for that matter) to hone their chops for a potential future career in music.

My daughters and their spouses along with all five grandchildren.

      

      A number of years ago I would never have expected that I'd be eventually making so many trips to New Jersey, but then one daughter moved there and then the next until three were living there.  The other moved to Houston, Texas which makes for a bigger circle of travel when we set out to see everyone.  With our girls and their families so far away from us out here in Los Angeles we feel the obligation to make massive road trips just for those few precious days each year when we can spend time with all of them.  Maybe after my wife retires the situation can be changed, but for now what have what we have.

Then There's Tennessee

        After I moved to Los Angeles from East Tennessee, I made it a point to try to come back at least once a year to visit my mother and my siblings who still lived there.   My mother passed away in 2014, but going back to Tennessee still seems like a necessary ritual for me.  My brothers and sisters still live in that beautiful part of the country and we have such a darn good time when we all get together.  If I'm going back east anyway, then it just seems like the natural thing to pay a visit to East Tennessee.   After all, millions of vacationers go to that part of the country every year because there's so much to see and do in that area.    When we go, we try to get out and around, but mostly we just hang around and talk and enjoy the wonderful summer evenings in Tennessee.  

        This year we did take a couple of day trips around nearby counties and into neighboring Georgia and North Carolina.  As usual I forgot to take photos most of the time, however I did manage some shots at a Bible based attraction called Fields of the Wood outside of Murphy, North Carolina.  We'd already had a full day by the time we'd gotten there and since it was getting late we didn't stay long.  Just long enough to take a few photos and then move on down the road. 

      In the above photo you see my sister-in-law Hallie, my brother Jay, me and my wife, and my sisters Joni and Joy.   We are posing in front of what is likely the world's largest depiction of the Ten Commandments which are written on the side of a mountain.   There was so much to see at this park that we didn't have time to take it all in.   This is one of those places that I want to go back to visit one day.

        After driving to the top of the Ten Commandments mountain, my wife and I posed for one more photo.   Take note that I once again wore my A to Z shirt to be a walking billboard for the event.  Be watching the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog for news.  We've slacked off on that site during the summer, but activity will be stirring soon.    You won't want to miss some important announcements that are to come.

          Also, I have what I think is an interesting Battle of the Bands post scheduled for this coming Thursday September 1st.  Might be musically educational to you and I hope some fun.  It's a song about hair, but it has nothing to do with the musical Hair.   In fact on first hearing the song you might never even guess it was about "hair".

         Do you travel to visit family?    What is your ideal vacation?   Any idea about the song I'll be using for my next Battle of the Bands entry?

Related articles

• "Hand Me the Mic" Rock Star Birthday Party
• Asbury Park, New Jersey: Where to eat, hang out and stay
• The Go-Go's & Best Coast played Central Park (setlist) & The Stone Pony (pics)
• The Bouncing Souls / Beach Slang / Cayetana - The Stone Pony - Asbury Park, NJ - 7/28/16

Wings of Love (BOTB)

No Flying for Me

       If things are going according to schedule I'm now in Tennessee.  Though I may have been flying down the highways, my wheels (and my feet) have been planted firmly on the ground.  It's not that I don't like flying when I travel--actually I do enjoy the experience of flying.  It's the process that I don't like.

         Security and the entire hassle of getting to and through the airport before even getting on the plane is something I don't much enjoy.  I can deal with it all, but preferably I'd rather be behind the wheel of my van driving and enjoying the scenery and having the luxury of going where I want when I want and doing what I want to do when I want to do it.

           Planes can be so uncomfortable as well.   A long flight cramped into a small seating area is something I find unpleasant.  Now if I had a luxury jet to myself it would be grand.  I do enjoy looking down on the land as I pass over it.  Seeing the world from several thousand feet up can be rather spectacular.

           As long as I can make the trip across country driving in my own vehicle that's the way I'll do it.   Well, unless I get that private jet.   And someday if I have to fly commercially in order to see my loved ones then I'll deal with the inconvenience and discomfort of the experience.

          Or better yet, maybe one day I'll live closer to my children and grandchildren where I don't have to deal with airlines or marathon driving trips.   They can visit me easily and I them.   Just wheels of love in short doses.  Not wings of love.   Someday maybe that will happen.  Then I hope I can still make long driving trips, but for the love of the travel and not the necessity of travel for the love.


Battle of the Bands

       Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.


Nirvana  "Wings of Love"  (1967)

         Don't be confused by the name--this is not the grunge band Nirvana from the 1990's.  Instead this Nirvana was a psychedelic band formed in London, England in 1965.  In 1967 they released a narrative concept album called The Story of Simon Simopath which predated the Who's Tommy by two years.  I first discovered this album in the cut-out bins in the early 1970's and still own my copy.  It's light orchestrated rock music--a style that I still enjoy hearing.  "Wings of Love" comes from this concept album.





Herman's Hermits "Wings of Love"  (1968)

        Another English band, Herman's Hermits was part of the English Invasion of the 1960's.  Initially fronted by pretty boy Peter Noone, the Hermits had a string of popular songs on the charts.  "Wings of Love" was not among them though it was featured on their Best of Herman's Hermits Volume 3 album released in 1968.





Time to Vote!

         Same song with very similar presentations--but they are slightly different.  Can you notice the differences?  Let us know what you think about these two recordings. Is there one that you prefer over the other?    If you're visiting a Battle of the Bands post for the first time then let me briefly explain.  Please give each song version a fair listen to decide which one you enjoy the most.  If you don't like either then at least tell us which recording was least innocuous to you. This comes down to your preference and it's as easy as that.

     Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:


 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

 ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ 

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

DC Relief Battle of the Bands

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Cherdo on the Flipside  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Janie Junebug Righting & Editing.
  
J. A. Scott  

Quiet Laughter

Holli's Hoots and Hollers

Be ReInVintaged


Winner Announced on Monday August 8th

          I'll try my best to make my voting rounds and tally up votes for my Battle before Monday August 8th.   There shouldn't be much problem doing this, but life (and vacations) can happen so bear with me if my intentions aren't carried out as I have expressed them.   Hope to be back next Monday.

           Do you like flying on commercial airlines?    What is your favorite airline?   Do you have to go very far to visit family or do you prefer not to visit them?


Question of the Month

The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael prior to event day. Click on the link to his blog for more participants. 

This month's question:

“What’s your favorite beach?”
         
One thing that is fairly certain for me that is if I were to travel anywhere be it by air or otherwise, a beach would not be my primary destination. I've never been a big fan of going to the beach. I like to look at the ocean or even walk along the beach at sunset or on a cool day, but going into the salt water, languishing on the sand, or baking in the sun is not my idea of a good time. My favorite beach is probably the one I see in a picture or from a distance. During my visit to New Jersey we took a stroll on the boardwalk at Asbury Park. That beach looked okay, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite. I guess I really don't have a favorite beach.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog.




Speaking of Flying

        Here I am with another year over half gone and none of the writing goals I had set at the beginning have been accomplished. Not many at least. But it's been a good year otherwise and I've had some good times. I don't guess it's really insecurity that I'm talking about here. It's just that time flies and I keep missing planes.

Question of the Month

Please vote on my Battle of the Bands if you haven't done so yet!   Click Here.

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Question of the Month

The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael prior to event day. Click on the link to his blog for more participants. 

The question for this month is:

“Of all the places in the world that you haven’t yet been to, where would you like to go next?”

    


         That's kind of a crazy question for me.  I get asked and my head starts flooding with places I want to go.  Many of the places where I think about going I've already been to and many of those I have to go back to because that's where my family is.   For me, travel to visit family precedes any travel I'd want to do for sheer pleasure.  It's an issue of love I would say.  I enjoy traveling, but I love seeing and spending time with family members.  If doing this requires travel, then that's where my travel time will go.    And of course my finances dictate how much travel I can actually do.

      Then there are those places that have fascinated me, but I'd be wary about going because of the situation in those places based on what I've heard in the media and elsewhere.
    
         One place that would be logistically easy for me to do and probably inexpensive would be a road tour of Mexico.  A tourist can just drive across the border into Mexico and drive around.  From what I've seen in documentaries and articles, there are some nice places to go in Mexico.  I've been to Mexico City and that was interesting to take in the sights of that area.  But there's that safety factor.  I've known people who have gone there and had some bad things happen and I've read about worse.  

       Not sure about driving around Mexico, but I'd sure like to.  Good food, some fine people, and interesting places to visit.   Since my wife is a native Spanish speaker I'd definitely want her along since my Spanish is not all that good.  However she has no interest in going there--even if it were safe with little travel risk.  She's from Ecuador and isn't interested in going to Mexico.  Truth be told, she's said that she doesn't even want to go back to Ecuador.   She probably would if I asked her to go and money were not an object, but if left up to her she wouldn't go back to her homeland.  At least that's what she usually says.

         By the way, regarding this world travel issue, travel isn't all that cheap.  At least not the way we prefer to do it.  When I'm traveling I prefer to stay in nicer hotels and eat in decent restaurants.  I'm not the roughing it adventurer that I used to be when I was younger.  I've grown softer as I've grown older.    My kind of travel takes a fair amount of money though not as much as a true luxury traveler.  

        So Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin American will be places I might dream about visiting, but the closest I'll probably ever get will be someone else's vacation photos or travel documentaries I see on television.  Also there are the places in my sleep dreams.  I like to sleep in my own bed at night in my own house and I go to some pretty exotic places in my dreams.  That works for me too.

          Do you enjoy watching travel documentaries?    Did you travel much in your younger days?   Are you able to travel much now? 

     Battle of the Band results will be on Wednesday June 8th.   

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