Rotary International District 1270
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Home | Our GSE back from the USA
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Please read the blog form our team in the USA
Our team in Tennessee
May 6th
Everyone arrived in good time for our flight to Schiphol at 10 o’clock. Transfer for our flight to JFK Sunday was no problem. We departed on time and in an emptyish plane for the lengthy flight to America. We had a four hour wait at JFK for the flight down to Nashville, so after getting written instructions on how to get to the connecting gate, we had something to eat, before settling down at the departure gate to pass the remaining hour. At the half hour point, enquires were made to find out that we had been directed to the wrong gate! It was also in the wrong terminal. By the time we had got across the airport, our plane was already in the air. Delta accepted full responsibility and arranged transport to and accommodation in a hotel. After, phone calls to Nashville, we picked up our taxi and set off for the hotel. Our suitcases were, of course, on the plane to Nashville!
May 7th
An early, 5.30 am, start for, not JFK but La Guardia, the flight to Nashville. We arrived on time at 10.00am and were hustled along to pick up our suitcases. We opened them up against a wall, took out our uniform, changed in the Executive Boardroom of the Airport and by 12 noon we were 45 miles south giving our first presentation to Pulaski Rotary Club. Back on schedule! We had an interesting and informative tour of the town and were then transported the 40 miles back to our host’s homes. We had our first BBQ in the evening, no further comment.
May 8th
The day started with a tour of Civil War battlefield before our next presentation at the Rotary Club of Murfreesboro, an excellent start. In the afternoon we split up for vocational visits which the team thought were very pertinent and informative. Thank you RC Murfreesboro! A ”fish fry” at one of the member’s house finished off the day nicely.
May 9th
We had a full day visiting the National Space Centre in Huntsville, Alabama, a two hour drive south, before returning north for the handover to our next hosts and our second BBQ. Understand, we are not complaining!
May 10th
Visited “The Hermitage”, the home of Andrew Jackson, Ex President of the US, in the morning, another stunning museum. We had a private tour given by the CEO of the museum, a very knowledgeable man. Lunch and the early afternoon was spent at Lipscomb University before we split up to visit further vocational centres, Bukky to a museum, Simon to a newspaper and the rest to a High School.
May 11th
Bit of a culture shock this morning as we attended our first Breakfast Club meeting! Our hosts at Green Hills meet at 7am so by 6.45am we were there and ready to sit down for a meal. We delivered our presentation following breakfast and then spent time talking to those members who, luckily, didn’t have to rush off to the office. Simon had an interesting visit to the Nashville News whilst we experienced a Mall. A super “behind the scenes” visit to the airport had been arranged for us in the afternoon. We attended a fund raiser in the evening at a local High School. The show was the 11th the organising club had put on and was very entertaining.
May 12th
After breakfast, we were taken down to downtown Nashville to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Again, our hosts had come up with the goods as our guide was the daughter of a founder producer in the industry and she herself had worked with all the top artists of the 50’s and 60’s, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Everly Brothers, to name but a few. We had a little “rest time” before eating with our hosts and preparing for the next move tomorrow. Or thanks go to President Ann and the Members of RC Green Hills for their wonderful hospitality, our individual hosts and particularly 0ur “taxi driver” Hank.
May 16th
After breakfast, we all met at the Tourist Offices to go on our various visits. Simon to the local paper, Mark to school and David and Bukky to the museum. David dipped out on a vocational visit because Savannah TE isn’t large enough to support a college. There was an opportunity for some to visit the newly opened medical facility which includes a cancer treatment wing. An afternoon visit to Shiloh battlefield followed a lunch in downtown Savannah. We went from the battlefield directly to a riverside restaurant famous for its catfish, a super meal in great company. We were taken back to town via the river in Kent’s boat. What a great way to finish the evening despite the fact that Bukky tried to throw me out of the boat by her harsh use of the throttle. She was thrilled to get the chance to drive a speedboat.
May 17th
The day was spent with a trip to the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg. Peculiarly, the distillery is in a “dry” county, so visitors can’t have samples of the whiskey following their tour. Unless, of course, you happen to be with someone who can arrange a private tasting which complies with the local laws! We returned for a “Mexican” meal at Paige’s house, spicey stuff! We were also treated to Blue Grass music by the State’s champion fiddler and his friend on guitar. Paige’s mother, who is something else again, joined in with vocals. What a night!
May 18th
Today, we transferred to Brentwood Morning who were to be our hosts for the District Conference. We arrived before lunch which gave Mark time to download our presentation ready for the afternoon. Following the Welcome Lunch it was showtime again. The Team members are now getting to the stage where they could deliver each other’s presentation! The evening was spent at the Rodeo run by the Rotary Club of Franklin, yet another experience for us all to remember.
May 19th
The day was spent at the Conference, a Foundation Breakfast, with TRF Awards followed by a superb presentation by three Youth Exchange students started the programme. Before lunch, a Speech Contest on “The Four Way Test” was held with the three finalists delivering excellent speeches on the given theme. A range of awards and trophies were given out by DG Dick Bowers. The Governors Banquet was held in the evening with great entertainment by an Elvis lookalike. To round off the evening, Mark, Simon and myself were treated to a famous “Krispy Kreme” doughnut, or two!
May 20th
Today the boys experienced a breakfast at a Cracker Barrel restaurant, Bukky had already sampled one last week! We transferred to Jackson at various times during the day depending on when people were leaving after the District Conference. We were due to be at a baseball game in the Pringle Stadium (as in crisps) at 5.30 pm. As we approached the slip road directly opposite the stadium, the heavens opened. The downpour was such that the game was cancelled. Plan B was to go to an Italian restaurant for food. Mark, David and Simon tucked in to massive portions whilst Bukky and myself were a little more frugal!
May 21st
Following last night’s rescheduled programme, this morning was covered with vocational visits and a visit to a local Rotary project. This project provided work opportunities for disabled people covering such areas as machine parts assembly and shipping carton production. The whole operation was fantastic to see and the staff there worked hard to gain contracts with many of the local businesses. We visited Jackson Old Hickory Club and gave them our presentation. Following this visit we went on to see the baseball game which had been postponed from yesterday.
May 22nd
An early start saw us on the road to Memphis. Our first call was to the FedEx hub where the business started. The operation covers a vast 900 acres of the airport in Memphis and the operational statistics of parcel/package throughput and aircraft movements are absolutely staggering. Not surprisingly, our second call was to Graceland. A very interesting and worthwhile visit even if you are not an Elvis fan. Rather embarrassingly, I was interviewed on the worldwide “Elvis Live” satellite radio station and called on to introduce the next track being played! We went on to have a cruise on the Mississippi on a mock paddle steamer. The guide was excellent, not only giving us plenty of information, but interspersing it with lots of humour. We then visited the Peabody Hotel to see the famous procession of ducks and had a private tour of the building with the Duck Masterr. After a meal at the well known Flying Fish restaurant, we went on to tour Beale St and listen to the Blues in its various guises. I found an authentic group playing on the sidewalk at the end of an alley so was in Blues heaven. We were somewhat late back into Jackson but well worth the late night.
May 23rd
Our days started with vocational visits around the town including a visit to another Rotary Project before our lunchtime presentation at the Country Club to the Jackson Club. We had a quick change into casual clothes before hitting the toad to Memphis again, this time to see the Civil Rights Museum, another moving experience. The museum occupies the whole of the Lorraine Motel where the assassination of Dr King took place and also the building opposite from which the fatal shot was fired. We ate at Hueys, another famous eating place where, besides the food and live entertainment, the accepted pastime seems to be adorning the walls with graffiti, not that we did, and firing cocktail sticks into the ceiling through drinking straws, which we did do, well, some of us managed. I hesitate to say who showed signs of a misspent youth, suffice it to say that Grandpa Power rules, with a vengeance!
May 24th
I can see why we don’t have any breakfast clubs in D1270, We made our presentation to the Jackson Good Morning Club at 0700 at the Old Country Store in the Casey Jones Museum Village. After the meeting, we were able to browse around the store with its thousands of artefacts hanging from the roof and in display cases and also buying the odd souvenir. We met the owner who explained how his father had worked as a boy in a similar store and was determined to open his own so that future generations would be able to witness that part of American history. We then went across the street to tour the railway museum and the actual house of Casey Jones before hitting the road to Dyersburg and our second presentation of the day to that Club.
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