I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . .at a welcome road sign: 2019! But first, I, Two Eight One, want to celebrate with one last blog from 2018 (my first full year in action). It has been my privilege to report to you from the road this past year. I do not take for granted your regard for the limited point of view of a machine. Which brings me to the subject of our 61st blog – creativity. Yes, my glaring limitation. I can go a lot of places, but I can’t go there. Creativity, by design, is absent from my nature. It is not a skill I can attempt to develop. I can observe it, and marvel at you all – my passengers – for being so rich in this capacity. But I, like all motorcoaches, am bound to the strict observance of my factory authorized manual and the rules of the road. So, with you in mind, I saved a special tour from a few months back to close out the year. And with this final sample of 2018 travels, I applaud you and champion every resolute stride into a creative 2019 . . . especially where touring the the USA is concerned!

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

I picked up some Californians at the airport. Quilters. We went to a store, then another, then another . . . and at each location they returned to my lighted spiral staircase with bags of fabric. Lots of chatter about quilting, about stitches and patterns and prints and the latest skill-assisting paraphernalia. Nothing to which I could relate. And not the most dynamic beginning to a tour. That all changed when we got to Paducah Kentucky. I only have one example of this quilting thing they were all so jazzed about. But the one example was enough to change every dull impression I had of their invested obsession. OK, it’s not actually a quilt. I found it on a concrete wall, a painted replication of one of the more celebrated quilts created by one of their more celebrated colleagues. I captured it for you in my mirror (sorry, it’s the best I could do).

Motorcoaches were not allowed in the National Quilt Museum, or the convention the Californians traveled all this distance to participate in – both apparently loaded with these dazzling creations.

So I set out to find more exterior wall ornamentation, which led me to all sorts of creative nooks in Paducah.

Then . . . wow, jackpot! I am pretty sure this guy is among your superstars of mural art. His name is Robert Dafford (here with fellow artist Herb Roe).

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

MURAL NEWS: History on a wall – a floodwall to be exact. Colorado, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Great Britain, Canada, France . . . Robert Dafford has been commissioned to transform architectural facades of various kinds in many places with his artistic skills. But his transformation of a long concrete barrier into a historical gallery and public attraction along the Ohio River in Paducah might be the most dramatic transformation of all.

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

The 1857 Hotel event space is architectural repurposing at its best. The exposed brick interior of the 1857 Hotel (not just a name, but truly dating back to the 1800s) is a uniquely classy/informal private dinner venue. And my passengers gushed about the quality and variety of the buffet offerings.

And Must See #2: Motorcoachblog 27 for more on Robert Dafford’s artistry. (You can also see more of his art and learn more about him and his mural projects at robertdaffordmurals.com.)

Quote Of The Day samples

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

“Solitude is creativity’s best friend; and solitude is refreshment for our souls.” – Naomi Judd