Memphis Part Two: Graceland

The day after the big storm dawned bright and sunny.  This was appropriate as we were about to check another one off our bucket lists, Graceland!  Yes, both of us had Graceland on our bucket lists.  John has been an Elvis fan "forever", and as for me, well, I became a fan as a very young kid. One of my brothers, Steve, was/is a huge Elvis fan. In my family you couldn't miss the sound of "The King" permeating up the stairs for everyone to hear. So, it was off to Graceland with high hopes.  We were not to be disappointed.

Here's Suz, outside the Graceland complex.

Once you purchase your ticket, you then get on shuttle buses that take you across the street to the Graceland mansion.  Here's a view from the street, looking in.  Did you know Graceland encompasses 13+ acres?  We had no idea.

Here's my "Mr Wonderful" on the steps leading into Elvis' home. What a dream come true for us!  Many people say that they are surprised at the size (or lack thereof) of the home.  Visitors are NOT allowed upstairs at all, but the main floor and the basement did seem somewhat small for such a huge star. Somehow, that fact endeared him more to me.  He didn't need the biggest house in Memphis. Graceland was built in 1939 and Elvis was the second owner. He purchased the home and acreage in 1957 at the age of 22, for around $100,000. The home and property was named "Graceland" by the first owners and Elvis decided to keep the name because his mother liked it :)

Again I must remind everyone that the photos taken inside were done without flash.  Many didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but that's okay.  Here's a shot of the living room.  This home is a time capsule, still the same from the day Elvis died in 1977. 

The dining room.  

We went downstairs and saw the "Jungle" room. Again, not great quality, but you can see the green shag carpet on the floor.... the exact carpet was also on the ceiling. We were told that Elvis actually did some recording in this room, but I can't remember which song(s). 

Here's a close up of the chair seen above. Gotta love how the arms were carved to look like... well, like some jungle creature!

After touring inside the main home, we went outside. Who knew Graceland had horses?  Apparently Elvis kept horses as well.  

There are several other buildings on the property.  One of which houses the "Hall of Gold". I guess we shouldn't have been surprised that Elvis had SO many gold records?!  Amazing.

Here is one of my personal favorites.  It's the song I remember playing on our old record player downstairs as a small kid.  Over, and over, and over.

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Another building showcases many of Elvis' jumpsuits and awards. 

Just love this portrait of the young Elvis.  We learned he was such a down to earth kind of guy, giving lots and lots of money to charitable institutions and needy persons.   

We then went out to the "Meditation Garden". Here, Elvis is laid to rest next to his mother, his father, and his grandmother.  

I love this portrait of a very young Elvis and his parents.  Did you know he was a twin? I think I'd heard that years ago, but had forgotten it.  His twin brother, Jessie Garon Presley was stillborn 35 minutes before Elvis Aaron Presley made his appearance. Imagine if there had been TWO like Elvis?!  We considered going to his birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi but didn't make it. Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis in 1948.

Here's another view of the graves.  The grave closest to us in this photo is his grandmother's, Minnie. I had no idea that she lived at Graceland with him! 

We went to several exhibits across the street from Graceland. His airplane, the "Lisa Marie" is there, as well as stuff about his movies, his car and motorcycle collection, and how he loved Hawaii.  Shoot, I sure wish I'd been able to see him in concert!  Guess this is about as close as I'll ever get.

Here's our buddy, the White Knight.... checking out one of Elvis' Cadillacs, and on the table inside his private jet!

We enjoyed nearly everything about Graceland. The folks who work there, while well organized, really don't seem to have their heart in it.  Definitely not like Disneyland, where everybody is all smiles and pleasant.  Oh well, it didn't really affect our enjoyment of this very special place.  One thing that bugs some folks is that there are gift shops every time you turn around - although not in the mansion itself. It IS a money making venture, so I guess that's not too surprising. I didn't find it annoying.  It's pretty easy to ignore a gift shop, even if you are forced to walk right through it.

Elvis' demise was sure one sad story. Unfortunately so many big celebrities get caught up in prescription drugs and other bad stuff.  I'll never forget the day he died.  It was the day my first born son came home from the hospital... his name is Aaron.  Seems fitting, somehow.

Next up.... we head further south again!

Memphis Part One: Sun Studio

We never really planned to go to Memphis, but when the weather got a little warmer, we decided to head north and check it out. Memphis, particularly Graceland, was on both of our bucket lists - so we were thrilled to finally go there.  Our campground was the Graceland RV Park, and our rig was parked on "Don't Be Cruel Lane".  :)

The RV park was located behind the "Heartbreak Hotel" and down at the end of "Lonely Street".  Seriously.  Graceland itself is on Elvis Presley Blvd, so it's clear they really get into the Elvis theme in this part of Memphis. Some may think it's dumb or cheesy, but I liked it. I think hubby did too, huge Elvis fan that he is!

As you can see by the above photo, the weather was not exactly pleasant when we arrived. It was warm, but certainly not sunny.  On day two, we'd heard a storm was coming, so we got going early to visit Sun Studio and the Rock n Soul Museum - with the thought that we'd be back before the worst of it hit.  One great thing is that there is a free shuttle from in front of the Heartbreak Hotel that takes you directly to Sun Studio in downtown Memphis. We took advantage of the shuttle that blustery morning.

Here's John, in front of the historic place...

Again, just keepin' it real folks... here's Suz, getting a bit wind blown in front of a photo they call the "million dollar quartet". Do you recognize the four guys? 

Of course it's Elvis at the bottom right... and the other three are Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash.  Sun Studio and Sun Records helped launch the careers of all of these guys, plus MANY others as well.

We went inside and took the little studio tour.  Upstairs they have Sam Phillips office (original owner of Sun Studio) all set up, similar to what it would have been like in the 1950's.

This post is really going to show my age I'm afraid.  The next photo shows broken records on the floor.... apparently Sam Phillips was known to toss records he personally didn't like onto the floor and break them. I'm sure a LOT of people didn't know that records could be shattered like that...(literally), but.... as the older person I am, I clearly remember the old 78's that if dropped, were toast.  

I need to explain that ALL pictures taken indoors were done so without flash. This was a rule that was strictly enforced.  Hence, the quality of these photos are not that great. Sorry 'bout that.

The tour then led us down stairs where the actual recording studio still stands (and functions) to this day.  We were told they do tours during the day and recordings in the evening.  There is acoustic tile all over the walls and ceiling. They leave studio instruments in there at all times.  Suz checks out the drum set below:

Our tour guide was great -- she played music for us and told stories about how everything happened back then... how Elvis came in and cut his first record, paying $4 to do so. Sam Phillips (owner of the studio) wasn't impressed until one day when Elvis sang "That's Alright". The rest is history.

Next, we hopped the free shuttle again, and went downtown near Beale Street to the Rock N Soul museum.  I had NO IDEA that the Gibson guitar company/factory is located in Memphis!  

Here's the hubs in front of the Rock N Soul Museum.

We spent a several hours enjoying the exhibits here.  So many people got their music start in Memphis - we sure learned a lot. A couple of my personal favorites, Issac Hayes and Al Green are two examples.

Another favorite from years gone by was Minnie Pearl.  I had to take a photo of a dress she wore for the Grand Old Opry many, many years ago. 

Again I have to remind our readers that without flash, the photos didn't come out as clear as we'd like, but we're posting them anyway.

The next four photos convinced me that I am indeed a relic and should be in a museum.  Anyone who remembers seeing/using these things in real life apparently can qualify as an antique.  Oh well.  First up, the old radio.  We had one of these in the basement when I was a kid.  Not exactly this model, but very similar.  It was on this contraption that I played the aforementioned 78 RPM records.  The radio/record player now resides with my older brother, Steve, in the Seattle area.

The transistor radio....  yes, I had one. Not sure if it was mine or my brother Brian's, but it was oh-so-cool in it's red leather case, with a little carry handle. Yes, I remember laying out in the sun in the summer, transistor radio next to my ear. It was just what you did back then.  We really didn't worry about skin cancer. We worried about being tan. Dumb, I know, but you live and learn.

I honestly don't know HOW MANY pairs of saddle shoes I owned, but there were lots. My mom even got "saddle soap" so I could keep them clean. They were cute and comfortable, so who could complain? Yes, I really DID think they were cute, back then. :)

The juke box.  They did have even earlier versions, but this is the one I remember.  Hubby said he had these type too, in England. It's kinda sad that they are a thing of the past.

After viewing the Rock N Soul museum we wandered over to a Starbucks while waiting for the free shuttle back to the Heartbreak Hotel. The shuttle driver had warned us earlier in the day that it was "gonna get stormy about 4 pm", and sort of advised us to get back to our abode before then.  Our timing was great.  We were back in our motor home by 3 ish and took Jinx out for a bit of fresh air.  He didn't like the wind, so was back inside in no time.  Right on cue, at 4 pm, the rain began in earnest. It rained and it blew like crazy.  At 4:20, John and I heard some strange sounding sirens.  It didn't take us long to figure what the heck they were. After all, we'd heard those tsunami sirens in Maui a few years back... they were TORNADO sirens. OMG. I quickly brought up Memphis weather online and there it was in black and white.  TORNADO WARNING!  The website said that if you were in a car, get out of it, and go into a building or storm shelter. Okay... well, that applies to motor homes too, right?  I was ready to head for the Heartbreak Hotel, with Jinx on his leash... but John phoned the RV office.  He asked, "should we evacuate to the hotel?"  The girl who answered the phone, OVER THE TORNADO SIRENS, said "oh, no worries, it's just a warning".  Well holy crap.  It's JUST a warning. I kept running around the RV, looking out every window for a funnel cloud, thinking we were about to fly to Kansas. In the end, after lots of prayers, they lifted the warning. All right, maybe we overreacted... but I've never been in a tornado and really don't want to break that record. I honestly don't know how people live in tornado prone areas, and I'm thankful that we don't have them in the Northwest. Yes, we have active volcanoes, tsunamis, and falling trees, but please NO tornadoes!

Next time: Memphis part two - Graceland!

The Myrtles Plantation & Vicksburg

First, a quick update on our tree damaged house. With the explicit help of neighbor Paul, our insurance agent, and a very efficient contractor, the offending tree has been fully removed and the roof temporarily secured. The contractor assures us that it's now totally stable and water-protected until we get home to oversee the repair. We are SO VERY thankful.  We wondered if this tree incident might call a halt to our once in a lifetime RV trip, but it looks like we'll be able to continue. :-)  If, perchance you didn't know about our unfortunate tree experience, please check the previous post.  The photos say it all.

This post will be a long one with lots of photos. I'm combining two sightseeing stops in one post this time.  Number One: The Myrtles Plantation. We were in Baton Rouge, Louisiana a few days ago, and made a 30 mile trip north to a "haunted" plantation called The Myrtles.  They say they are one of the "most haunted" homes in America.  Well, this was something that needed checking out!  Haunted or not, I just love these plantation homes!  

First view of the plantation home as we drove into the driveway.

Here's Suz going over the little bridge towards the gazebo.  The pond (which looks green and brownish here) was full of water - with some sort of living substance floating on the top.  Not at all sure what it is.

We then took the tour inside.  Unfortunately, they didn't allow any photos at all --- EXCEPT --- photos of the "haunted mirror".  Well, yes, of course we had to see what we could capture on "film".  The only thing of any interest is a small orb-like flash of light (not associated with the camera flash) in the upper left quadrant of the mirror. 

If you read The Help, then this will make sense to you. I love it. This was inside the restaurant at The Myrtles. 

This statue was out in the front garden. What a setting!

Another view of our garden statue as we bid The Myrtles farewell.  It was an interesting place to visit.  I just wish the tour included the upstairs.  It was the downstairs only.  The guide who took us around was great, though. 

After returning to our campground, Jinx was ready for a bit of fresh air, so his daddy took him on a walk :)   People always stare when we take Jinx out for a walk in his pink, bone-embroidered, dog jacket.  Why I don't know, but they just do!  One guy hollered at me in a strong southern accent, "you are an amazing person, to get that cat to go for a walk!" I don't know about amazing, but we were persistent, and he now runs for the door, as soon as his jacket is on. :-)  

A few days later, we made the drive from Baton Rouge due north to Vicksburg, Mississippi.  There was some discussion about skipping this leg of the trip and continuing in a westerly manner, however since the weather has taken a considerable turn for the better, we went ahead with it.  Vicksburg is about 140 miles from B.R.  I knew little to nothing about it, except that there was a national military park there, and that there had been a major battle there during the US Civil War. We found a place to camp near the Mississippi River, called the Ameristar Casino RV Park.  This time we didn't enter the casino, not once. On a cloudy but warm day, we went to the battlefield. Sightseeing stop Number Two: Vicksburg National Military Park.

We arrived here knowing really very little about this particular battle.... but it didn't take long for us to learn all about it.  First we watched an informative movie in the visitors center and then we took off on the "Road Tour", which is approximately 16 miles.  Such a shame, the whole Civil War thing.

One of the battlefields.  One may ask, "who won this battle?" Technically, the Union won.... but so many lives were lost.  The Confederates held off the Union from May until July 1863, but the Union Army & Navy surrounded Vicksburg and finally the Confederates surrendered due to the inability of supplies to get through.

A close up of the Ohio monument which is shown from a distance above. Most, if not all of the states on both sides of the war have monuments and statues placed in the park to honor their war dead.

A row of cannon, overlooking a battlefield.

A large statue of Ulysses S. Grant - one of the generals involved in the battle of Vicksburg.  The other general was John C. Pemberton. 

Part of the Vicksburg National Cemetery. The small square grave markers below denote unknown soldiers.

The larger markers actually have names engraved.

Scattered here and there were plaques with rather solemn poems on them. I'll only post one here.  Rather sad, but apropos. (pardon the bird poo)

This photo shows the number of soldiers interred here. The vast majority were unknown. 

A pleasing view of the "mighty Mississip" from the high bluffs of the park.

The cat-mommy beside another one of the state's monuments.

One more plaque, reminding us that during that horrible war, brothers fought against brothers.... cousins against cousins.  We can only hope that our differences never cause us to take up arms against one another again. We are all Americans and should remember President Lincoln's words, "A house divided against itself cannot stand". 

History lesson done for today.  Next up..... well, think of Paul Simon's song....

"We're going to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis Tennessee......"