Hey, y'all..we're back

Yes, Ma'am, we're back from the sunny South. You have to love the veneer of Southern civility, hospitality and friendliness, even if it's just a pose for tourists. All those smiles and ma'ams leave you feeling happier and, yes, a bit older. Nothing like a six foot tall bouncer at a blues bar, patting your arm and saying "y'all have a good time now, ma'am" to make you feel like it's seniors night, grannies out on the town.

Gary in a Glenn car.

It was a really fun trip. Gary had cooked up an itinerary (not for the faint-hearted) that mixed golf, history, and music over 1600 miles and 9 days. Luckily, I was the navigator, assisting our British GPS lady who spoke in slightly annoyed, crisp syllables and admonished us often with "recalculating", when we ignored her sometimes goofy advice. 

Gary: "I can see the New Orleans Hilton straight ahead of us." 

Me:  "No, the Voice said to turn right, then left and left again."
Gary: "But that would put us back on the same street!" 

We wised up after that and often relied on our printed out Google directions (old school) or gut feeling.  The best part of navigating is the possibility of the delicious afternoon nap, lulled by the road and a fat lunch of fried okra, fried green tomatoes, fried peanut butter and banana sandwich (Elvis favorite) after a morning of golf. So much fun to wake up in a new state! I played golf three times, while Gary did five rounds.

In Memphis we visited Sun Records, where Elvis got his start, recording

a speeded up version of an old blues tune: "It's alright, Momma".

Sun Records Studio, Memphis



Elvis impersonator



 Also checked out Stax records, the home of soul and the first label for Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave and many others. 

No trip to Memphis would be complete without the requisite visit to Graceland.

Graceland front entrance



View from living room into music room. Elvis loved the color blue.

Gold records and gold studded jumpsuits

 

We hit Beale Street on Saturday of Halloween weekend and enjoyed the crazy costumes parading up and down to the sounds of rockin' blues.  Here I am with the Transformer guy, who was hands down most popular:

We thought this guy with a buttoned down collared shirt, black porkpie hat, and religious sign was very creative, posing as a religious fanatic, until he set up his folding stepstool, propped up this sign and quite seriously asked us what we believed about Jesus: Lord, Liar or Lunatic?

I backed slowly away, sure now who was the lunatic, but Gary was already half way down the street, quite fascinated with the turquoise Lady Gaga outfits that several young ladies were sporting even though it was a chilly night for that much skin exposure!  Hmm...sorry no picture snapped on that one.






Our favorite B&B was the Big Pink in Clarksdale, Ms, although the General's Quarters in Shiloh was a close second. The manager of Pink was named Pal Casey and Pal was full of great stories about the owner of the place who had dated Elvis when she was 16, about Morgan Freeman who owned a restaurant and blues club in town and about writer Eudora Welty drinking Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner under the table. "The lady liked her bourbon."  (We stayed in the Eudora Welty room)

More favorites:
Breakfast:
Delta Donuts in Clarksdale at the Crossroads (where the Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil and the blues was born). freshly baked, although I swear there was a bit of cigarette ash on my glazed cinnamon twist from our lovely server.

Lunch:
tie between Chris' Famous Hotdogs in Montgomery--Gary had a double chili dog, with Southern fried peach pie for dessert and 16 oz of soda, a free refill and a traveler when we left. Wow-that's 48 oz of soda!

and

Johnnie's Drive Inn in Tupelo, MS -- I sat by accident in Elvis' booth right under his picture, where I chose the AM cheeseburger (all meat) over the ever popular doughboy (mixed with flour).  Gary had bbq with fried hushpuppies.

Dinner:
Morgan Freeman's Madidi Restaurant in Clarksdale (He didn't make an appearance, so I had to be content with his life size cardboard cutout smiling at me from behind cool shades). 

Favorite museums:
history: National Civil Rights Museum which incorporated Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated and the boarding house across the street from which James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot. We spent hours here -comprehensive history of the movement and very affecting video.
music: toss up between Sun and Stax Studios, although we had a very funny guide at Sun. The Smithsonian Rock and Soul museum was also excellent.
most unusual: The Cotton Museum - we were killing time because our flight was delayed, so stumbled upon this history of cotton, set up in the old Cotton Exchange building in Memphis.

Best quotes:

Gary to waitress in Greenville, AL: "What do you mean there's no alcohol served on Sundays?"





Ginny: "How many holes are left to play?!"

Waitress to Gary: "Gravy with that, sir?" 

Gary to waitress: "Yes, ma'am." (He never met a fried food he didn't like starting with beignets in New Orleans and ending with fried pickles in Memphis)

Ginny: "How can this be called history, when we remember living through it?"

more thoughts tomorrow....and Arkansas!