I’m gonna say, for Jim and I, MOST days are diamonds, but if you are familiar with the song John Denver recorded for RCA in 1981, you know that the song goes on to say, “Some days are stone.”
It would be absurd to think everything in life should be perfect and flawless (like a diamond). We do our best to make good plans and avoid as many problems as possible but….
Sometimes, life throws a big fat stone in our way!
Right now, we are in the middle of another cross-country road trip. This time our drive starts in California (our home) to Maryland, Pennsylvania, back West to Arizona, then Colorado, then back home to CA (whew!) When we get ready for these trips, we do everything possible to be fully prepared and anticipate any obstacle. We make detailed lists…everything is checked and double checked.
Off we go! June 16, 8:00 am… But our tally-ho suddenly turned into a tally-NO! 4 hours into our trip, driving through Havasu Lake (a balmy 113 degrees) when the air conditioner stopped working. We rolled the windows down and suffered. We stopped at an auto shop in Kingman, AZ, but our van is too big for his lift, so we went to the Ford dealer – they needed 2 days to work on it. We didn’t have 2 extra days; we HAD to get to where we were going….so we moved on.
Thankfully, with some midnight mechanics and a new compressor from Auto Zone, Jim was able to get the air conditioner working a little bit. The entire system eventually needs to be taken apart and flushed to get it to operate correctly, but Jim did the best he could do in hotel parking lots along the way….and we made it to our destinations on time. We sure appreciated the air-conditioned comfort of the beautiful theaters we performed in!
How did we ever survive without air conditioning? What is your experience in a car without such luxury? Share your experience in the comments!
Never say never is a term we all use when we are caught doing something we said we’d never do. Well, I got caught twice this month!
Never say never #1 is the fact that there is a black car sitting on my driveway. I am KNOWN for saying I’d never own a black car….but there it is, gleaming in the sunlight and soaking up the heat from the sun to temperatures that would cook a Christmas goose. Other than the heat, black cars show the most dirt and dust – so I prefer white cars (because I’m lazy).
Never say never #2 was my stubborn dislike to be TOLD I should have an electric car in California. I was determined NOT to have one just for the pure reason that I thought it was ridiculous to own an electric car in a place where electricity is very expensive and sometimes restricted in use during the hottest summer months.
So yes, makes sense that I am now a proud owner of a black EV……right??!!! I was perfectly happy with my white 2007 Pontiac but it wouldn’t pass the smog test – we tried everything – mechanics wouldn’t work on it, so we were forced to replace it. We were lucky to find a 2017 (old by EV standards – but it had a new battery) Chevrolet Bolt in a price range we could barely afford
There she sits, in the driveway next to Kirby2 (the van): A politically correct vehicle next to a non-politically correct vehicle – yin and yang – order and anarchy – cooperation and defiance. Our neighbors can’t quite figure us out and I can’t quite figure us out either.
The only thing that made this possible is also in the picture. If you look up, you will see (new) solar panels on our roof and these are what will make it all work. The van will be used for long distances and the car will be used for city driving. We are making lemonade out of lemons here, not solving any world issues.
Husband Jim and son Matthew are very optimistic about the economic advantage we will have with solar panels and an electric car. They are not as optimistic about dragging the dinosaur (me) out of the tar pits of the past.
I have a long way to go before feeling comfortable with the changes. What do you think? Do any of you have a good or bad experience with solar panels? What about an EV? Let me know in the comments below:
In the past, Jim and I have organized 3 different John Denver Tribute Cruises. Each time we did a group cruise we had so much fun, people asked us right away when we would do the next one. Well, we haven’t done a group cruise since 2017! It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed, and it really feels like we need to do another one. The memories of our travels, the friendships that we’ve made, the places that we’ve seen, it’s a shame that it’s been so very long since we’ve planned and organized another opportunity to travel with our friends.
So guess what?
WE ARE GOING TO DO ANOTHER GROUP TRIBUTE CRUISE!!!
This time, in true Curry fashion, we are going over the top by adding MORE:
MORE…. Entertainers!
James Taylor – presented by Sam Hyman
Carole King – presented by Suzanne O Davis
Neil Diamond – presented by Jay White
John Denver – presented by Jim Curry, featuring Chris Nole
MORE….. Concerts, Activities, Sing-A-longs and Group Meetups!
MORE….Cruisers! We’ve reserved over 100 rooms for this cruise (that’s over 200 cruisers!)
Norwegian Cruise Line adds MORE with great food, entertainment and amenities on their beautiful ship, the Escape!
All of this means MORE FUN for ALL OF US!!
Come and join us! Follow the links and reserve your room today…The cruise departs April 12, 2026 from New Orleans and returns to New Orleans April 19. Ports are Cozumel Mexico, Harvest Caye Belize, Roatan Bay Islands Honduras, Costa Maya Mexico
We can only hold rooms for our group for a short time, so you need to get your reservation in for the room you want before the ship sells out. We already have MORE than 50 people signed up to go on this cruise with us since announcing it earlier this month!
Join us now for MORE because….
NONE of the group activities will be available to cruisers who have not signed up with our group.
John Denver died on October 12, 1997. Almost 30 years later, one of his hit songs re-appears on 2 Billboard charts that didn’t exist during his lifetime.
The song is “Take Me Home Country Roads,” written by Bill and Taffy Danoff (Fat City) and John Denver. If ever a song stood the test of time, this one has and will continue to stand, and it will be “growing like a breeze” for generations to come.
The event that propelled the song back to the Billboard charts was February’s 2025 Superbowl game, with the innovative idea to make a television commercial interactive with a live audience by inviting everyone to sing along – joining the fans and players of opposing teams in a few moments of blissful unity.
Of all the wonderful John Denver songs we are privileged to perform, the very first notes of “Country Roads” brings the most excitement and happy reactions during our tribute shows. Heck – in West Virginia, we are required to sing it twice, once at the beginning of the show and again at the end…lol, it’s how they do it in West Virginia!
In my years of performing. I’ve heard a lot of stories about how this song has brought back many memories of home and family.
Please, take a moment and share in the comment section what Take Me Home Country Roads means to you:
People STILL ask if Jim had ever met John Denver… it is one of our most frequently asked questions – so please forgive me for repeating an old story (originally posted in 2012 and again in 2021).
:
Jim and Anne Curry, 1978
As long as I’ve known Jim, I’ve known that the one person in the world he most wanted to meet was John Denver. It’s a common question we get at every one of our concerts, and we’ve met so many people and heard so many stories of how they met John and how nice he was to them. We wish we had a story to share!
Jim has never met John Denver, but not for the lack of trying.
The summer after Jim graduated from high school, he bought tickets to see a John Denver concert near his home in Houston, TX. Somehow he obtained a precious backstage pass….this was his chance to meet John! Jim went to the concert with a girlfriend and two other friends from high school. Being a gentleman, Jim handed the pass to his girlfriend and said, “We’ll take turns, you go first.”
But she didn’t return to share the backstage pass.
Jim and his two other friends found themselves waiting for her in the parking lot after the concert. They were an hour away from home, and they didn’t know if they should leave her there, or how they were going to explain to this girl’s parents that they lost her in Houston. After about a half hour, she finally returned to where they were waiting in the parking lot. She was overjoyed and full of stories about hanging out with John Denver and the entire band, and how nice everyone was, and what a wonderful time she had…..
Not too long after that Jim moved to California to resume a relationship with me (we had dated earlier, before Jim’s family moved to Texas). The rest is history, MY history. I kind of think it’s possible that if this girl had not been selfish, Jim might have been able to realize his dream to meet John Denver. But then again, he might have stayed with that girl in Texas instead of moving back to California and marrying me in 1979.
"It was an amazing evening. We have had many different performers at our conferences; The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Three Dog Night, America. Jim Curry ranks among these acts. I would book Jim and his band again in a heartbeat."
Daniel Young Corporate Function, Keystone, CO
"I have to tell you I don't know when we've enjoyed a show as much as we enjoyed yours. It just swept us away and we did not want it to end! You are all so gifted. And the music of John Denver speaks for itself. It touches the heart."
