"Never feel sorry for a President"

In the mid 1970s I was studying Journalism/English Literature at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.  I volunteered at be a driver for the ABC White House Press Corp..  I was cleared by the FBI.  Later in the afternoon I picked up the Press Corp at Portland International Airport.  I dropped several off at KATU Channel 2.  I drove the Producer to President Ford's speech at Lewis and Clark College.  I sat in the front row of the Press Section next to Helen Thomas of UPI.  I mentioned to her how tired President Ford looked.   She said to never feel sorry for a President; they are exactly where they want to be.

2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner

This evening I watched the 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner with a speech by President Biden followed by featured speaker Roy Wood Jr.  I really enjoy watching the event on CNN.  The Dinner speech I enjoyed most was President Obama's 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner Speech roasting Donald Trump  I don't think Trump ever attended another Dinner. 

Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee Trip, April 1-8, 2023

On Saturday, April 1, I took a cab to Portland International Airport (PDX) at 3:30am.  I flew Alaska Airlines from PDX to Seattle (SEA) and on to Nashville (BNA). I took Super Shuttle Nashville to Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown.  I could see the Batman Building from my fourth floor room. I sent an April Fool text message to my daughter that my plane was diverted (tornado warning)!  I had the fruit and cheese platter from the flight for my dinner.  I watched "Pretty Woman" on the television. 

I hosted a Geocaching Event on Sunday April 2 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm at Tennessee Brew Works, 809 Ewing Avenue. Great turnout.  Returning to the hotel I went to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and then to the Conf. Room for Orientation at 5:00 p.m. We had dinner afterwards at the hotel.

On Monday April 3, we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville City Field Trip, and Studio B.  I went to Bajo Taco for lunch inside the CMHOF. We took a Nashville City Field trip and then visited Studio B, originally RCA Studios, is home of thousands of hits that helped to define the “Nashville sound.”  Chet Atkins was one of the originators and Elvis mastered more than 200 songs here.  We went to dinner at Blake Shelton's Ole Red where I had a Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich (dry).  We listened to live music. 

On Tuesday, April 4, we went to the Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry House and evening Performance.  I rode Uber while they walked as a group to the Ryman Auditorium for an expert-led field trip.  I got the info and photo for a Virtual Cache.  The Ryman Auditorium was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974.  I got a Vanilla Gelato and a Chocolate Chip Cookie Duo at Le Macaron French Pastries Nashville.  I listened to the band at the Johnny Cash's Bar for about 45 minutes.  We boarded the motorcoach and rode to the Grand Ole Opry House for a tour.  We went to The Aquarium Restaurant where I had a Shrimp Platter.  We saw a Grand Ole Opry Show.

On Wednesday April 5, we checked out of the hotel and began our journey to Memphis, TN.  We visited Belle Meade Plantation and winery where I sampled Carriage House White, Red Muscadine and Blackberry wines and had lunch in the 1800s Carriage House/Stable House.  We traveled to Memphis, checked into the Hampton Inn & Suites Memphis - Beale Street and ate dinner at B.B. King's Blues Club  I watched "Survivor" on my room television.

On Thursday, April 6, we were joined at the hotel by a local expert for a lecture about the famous Memphis music and why Memphis is the "home of the Blues and the birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll." Next, we boarded the motorcoach for the short drive to the National Civil Rights Museum, a privately-owned complex of museums and historic buildings built around the former Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.  We had lunch at Central BBQ.  We took a field trip to Sun Records Studio, an iconic recording studio where some of the most famous artists recorded in the 1950s. Led by a Sun Studio expert, we finished our day with a field trip to the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum (2004).  

At 5:00pm we watched the famous resident Mallard ducks march through the Peabody Hotel lobby from the fountain to take the elevator to the Duck Palace on the rooftop.  I purchased a Lansky's Lucky Rubber Duck.  Linda, Jean, Ruth and I had Peabody Duck Cocktails with a floating keepsake mini rubber ducky.  Later we had a light dinner at Aldo's Pizza Pies.  This evening I watched a movie on television: "Walkaway Joe".

On Friday, April 7, we boarded the motorcoach for a field trip to the 14-acre Graceland estate that was the home of Elvis Presley.  It is now a virtual shrine with museums, films, and exhibits for a unique glimpse into the life and times of The King.  We had lunch at Vernon's at Graceland.   We had our farewell dinner at one of Memphis’s most popular restaurants - Majestic Grillle.  It was a grand 1913 movie house showing silent films.  Time to pack for home.

On Saturday, April 8, I returned to Nashville aboard the motorcoach with eight others from the RS group. We drove about 214 miles, approximately 4 hours riding time. They dropped me at the Nashville International Airport (BNA).  My flight did not leave for five hours so I stayed in American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge.  I flew to Seattle (SEA) and then Portland International Airport (PDX) where my daughter picked me up.  Good trip but glad to be home. 

I put the mini yellow rubber ducky from the Rubber Ducky Cocktail on my bedroom nightstand.  The Peabody Memphis Fountain Postcard is propped up against my Apple G5 Computer.  And the Peabody Duckmaster that I purchased is sitting on my desktop HP Printer,  Great mementos of a great trip.

There were so many Road Scholar activities during the trip that I did very little geocaching.  I did host a Geocaching Event in Nashville and found two Virtuals to get the state of Tennessee.  I have now geocached in 39 states.