2013 NASHVILLE
8 - 12 September 2013
JIM AND DOT BEASON / GEORGE AND BETSY GREER

For our 2013 reunion we returned to the Radisson-Airport Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, the site of our 2007 reunion.
The 14 shipmates that attended were joined buy 22 family and friends for a total of 36 attendees.  The 8th (Sunday) was spend in registration and catching up.  Monday the 9th was scheduled to be a full day that started with a full hot breakfast.

Serve yourself

Plenty to choose from

Following breakfast, we boarded our bus for a tour of Nashville.

Where we were joined by our host and guide to Nashville, Carl

We then embarked on a tour of the city.

Need some help - this house was part of a TV show - which one?

It was easier for James to ride in his son-in-laws card the bus.

Glad to let the bus driver handle the traffic.

We then stopped at "Studio B" for a recording session.  We recorded a CD of us singing Anchors Away and America the Beautiful. 

Our CD probably did not match any of Elvis's hits (but we tried).

After the successful launching of our musical career, we moved on to lunch with American Legion Post 5 at the Piccadilly cafeteria.

After the meal several of us ave short talks on our time on the Merrick.

We then moved on to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

They were having a special celebration of the career of Reba McEntire

Time for a break.

Then it was back to the Radisson to get ready for the evening entertainment.

After a short rest at the Radisson, we boarded the bus (again) for a ride to the Nashville Nightlight Dinner Theater for dinner and a show.

It was an enjoyable show -

Even our guide got into the act.

The it was time to hang it up for the day and get ready for tomorrow.

'The 10th was scheduled for a busy day, Memorial Service, the farmers market, the Parthenon dinner at the Cock of the Walk, and a wrap up at the Grand Ole Opry.  We left for the Memorial Service about 9:00 and on the way stopped at a State of Tennessee display area just down below the State Capitol building. 

Of course there is always time

to get a picture of

the Merrick ladies.

We then moved on to the Bicentennial Mall for our Memorial Service.

Mary read the names of our honored departed shipmates and

Farrell rang the bell for each one.

Time for the group pictures

This is a good one.

The ladies turn

They all look good.

After lunch at the Farmers Market across from the Bicentennial Mall, we toured a full size reproduction of the Parthenon

After a restful afternoon back at the Radisson, we took a trip to the Cock of the Walk for dinner, (although some of the chairs were a little big.  Following dinner, we attended a performance at the Grand Ole Opry.

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Then back to the Radisson after long day.

After Breakfast on the 12th, we gathered to discuss possibilities  for the 2014 reunion.

After much discussion, Jim and Dot, along with George and Betsy, agreed to work on a 2014 reunion.  They will look and Chattanooga, TN and Mobile, AL for the best fit to our group.  The rest of the day was free time until time to gather for the banquet.

As we gathered, we looked over the items that had been brought by shipmates for the auction.  Then it was time to eat.

Before, during and after the dinner, we were entertained Steven Whitson, a young singer/songwriter who Jim and Dot had met while touring the Barbara Mandrell  "cabin" outside Nashville while they were setting up the reunion.  He is a talented young man and we enjoyed his music during the evening.

After dinner we took time to thank Dot and Jim, and Betsy and George for their hard work on the reunion.

Then it was on the auction.

Of course we wrapped up the evening with a Cake.

We end this remembrance with the last time we were able to take a picture of James Purdy - Plank Holder and Robert Dolehide - Decommissioning crew as James passed away in October shortly after the reunion.