Day 1

It wasn't until I hugged my sister before leaving  that it all really sunk in.  I'm doing this.  It's a strange to say considering how long I planned the trip.  My first stop was Memphis, where I'd meet a couchsurfing host named Madison.  Madison was warm, welcoming, and seemed just as excited about me being in Memphis as I was. She brought me to a local BBQ called "Central BBQ".  If you ever find yourself there, try the BBQ pork nachos.  From there she showed me the famous Beale Street where she suggested a well known dueling piano bar called Silky O' Sullivan's.  I was AMAZED by the talent I witnessed.  Piano playing like I've never seen before... my best efforts to offer up a challenging song to play were shrugged off like it was nothing.  No music required, they just played.  Bars have never been my thing, but this was more like going to a concert where they didn't charge an arm and a leg for a drink.  It was a win-win situation UNTIL Madison decided to get "The Diver".  This was a concoction of beer, liquor, and wine mixed into one gallon sized jug.  Challenge accepted.  As we tackled the behemoth of a drink I had a chance to sit down with one of the pianists and ask about his job and how he ended up there.  The man was a brilliant musician with far more knowledge of music than I've ever known.  We shared our diver with him and eventually he asked if I'd like to play for a while.  I had just about enough liquid courage at that point to say yes. So there I was, playing piano on Beale street.  Check that one off of the bucket list.  The next morning Madison suggested a local coffee shop.  This place was no Overall Co, but sometimes it's not the coffee that you go for.  This was the case here.  We sat outside and began to chat when someone near us started playing the Ukulele.  Then they started singing an amazing song I had never heard before.  That's how we met Tiffany.  Tiffany had so many great suggestions for things to do while I was in town, so many that I had to ask if she'd like to come along and adventure with us.  She accepted without pause and off we went.    TO BE CONTINUED!