Hello there, little darlins, and welcome to Providence, Rhode Island, where you'll find things that go together in a way you've never really expect to see. Things like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. Or Oreos on a pizza. Or perhaps even maybe...the Father of the American Calvary and Elvis Impersonators???

Yes, it's true. Today the beans had the honor and privilege to hang out with none other than "Elvis' Lil Sister", AmyBeth Parravano. AmyBeth wrote to the beans a couple of months ago, expressing regret that she and the beans hadn't met up back in January when they were at the Elvis Extravaganza in Las Vegas. But since the beans are such huge fans of the King, and AmyBeth just happened to be in RI (the only state they hadn't seen yet), the beans felt it was imperative that they head East to see Elvis' Lil Sister ASAP.

So as we alluded to above, while in Providence the beans went to visit Casimir Pulaski State Park, an entire greenbelt dedicated to the man who was known as the Father of the American Cavalry. Good ol' Casimir was born in Poland back in 1747, and after meeting up with Ben Franklin in Paris, he decided to come to the U.S. and support the colonies during the American Revolution, where he led the horseback forces in many decisive battles.

Alas, things didn't work out so well for General Pulaski -- at the Battle of Savannah in 1779, poor Cas caught a cannonball where he shouldn't have, and died two days later at the ripe old age of 31. But all is not lost - General Pulaski has monuments and statues dedicated to him all over the country, and there was even a Casimir Pulaski Day this past March.

The beans salute General Pulaski for his skills and patriotism for this country, and promise to think of him the next time they're in Savannah, Providence, or Churchill Downs.

Okay, there's your history lesson for today. Now back to Elvis' Lil Sister! AmyBeth says that she's been an Elvis Impersonator for close to 20 years now. She sings blues, rock and roll, country and rockabilly, and has recorded 10 albums (which is exactly ten more than the beans have!). She tours throughout the country and the world with her band, AmyBeth and the Hounddogs, and in 1995 she was honored in Nashville by Airplay International with the "Trailblazer Award" for her contributions to the music industry.

Even cooler yet, AmyBeth has been inducted into the Blackcat Rockabilly Hall of Fame, which the beans think is outstanding. The beans have been hoping to be voted into a hall of fame -- any hall of fame will do -- but so far the offers have been slim. But maybe one day, right?

If you'd like to know more about AmyBeth and her music, be sure to check out her Web site for more info. She'll also be seen in an upcoming movie, appropriately titled "Providence".

The beans had a great time in Providence getting to know General Pulaski, AmyBeth, and all of the local attractions. And they're still trying to finish writing an original screenplay about how Elvis somehow timewarped back to the days of the Revolutionary War, and ended all the bloodshed by inviting all the colonists and Redcoats to a clam bake on the beach. Sounds like a blockbuster, doesn't it? Someone call an agent!