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Why and How

2/27/2016

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Ready for the start of our adventure.

  Since we began this adventure 17 months ago, we frequently have been asked why we are doing this and how we got started.

  Once both of us retired from our respective careers, we came to the conclusion that we no longer wanted to live with snow. While deciding to sell our house and give all of our belongings away to the working poor (none of our children wanted any of it) was easy, trying to decide on a new location in which to settle, was not. No place jumped out at us and said..."This is the perfect place for you to be!" So...we came to the conclusion that since we were "homeless" and "jobless"...let's travel!

  Lori was an elementary school teacher and I was a psychiatric social worker. We each have moderate monthly pensions, so our next decision was to use those as our budget perameters, and, as much as possible to stay away from any savings we had accumulated.

  After doing some research, we concluded that renting furnished apartments through Vacation Rentals By Owners (VRBO), Home Away, or AirBnB would be better (and cheaper) than staying in hotels. Using these sites, one can rent apartments anywhere from a few days, to a month or more. Thus, we can fully explore all aspects of each location, and not just the touristy venues, allowing us to come away with the essence of each. Using that as our guide, we found that planning at least two months in advance would be necessary in order to secure apartments that were centrally located (or at least on public transportation lines that allowed us easy access to where we wanted to go).

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We were in the walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia in March.

One question we often hear from our followers relates to "Do we plan out an itinerary for what we want to see each each day?" The answer to that is an unequivocal..."sort of." We do research about what each location has to offer in terms of attractions and decide which ones we would like to explore. That being said, we have also learned that some of the most exciting and interesting attractions we visited were those that we just happened across. There are hidden gems (e.g. secret staircases and hidden rooms) all over Europe. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open to the opportunities that aid in their discovery. Flexibility became our watch word. Speaking to locals about what they feel are interesting places to visit (which may not be in any tourist guides) brought us to many surprising attractions. This also allowed us to be more interactive with the inhabitants. We found that, no matter where we were, everyone was very friendly and helpful. There was always someone who spoke English, and many even helped us to learn some basic coversational language.

We kept ledgers on all daily expenses (meals, travel, rent, admissions, etc.). At the end of each month, we totaled all of these up and converted them to U.S. dollars, in order to make sure we were staying within our pensions budget.

The sum total of all the clothing we brought with us was minimized to fit into our two carry-on wheeled suitcases and two personal item bags, which did not include any heavy nor bulky winter clothes. Lori and I simply layered our clothes when the weather became colder. One of the requirements necessary in each apartment we rented was having a clothes washer. With minimal clothing, we needed to be able to wash our clothes frequently.

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On the streets of London.

  During our planning, being in warmer climates was a goal. However, the biggest problem we encountered in this process was the Shengen Treaty. Thirty countries in the European Union signed this treaty in an effort to create open borders and a singular currency. For us, being non-citizens of any of these countries, we were limited to staying within any of the 30 Shengen countries a total of 90 days out of any 180 days. This meant that after three months, we had to be out of the Shengen area for an additional three months. As our travels through Europe progresses, this becomes increasingly difficult to plan (our goal is to not repeat visiting any country we have already seen).

  There are many ways to see the world. So far, this way is working for us.

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The Pink Palace

2/23/2016

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  One of the Memphis attractions we really wanted to see was the Pink Palace, designed for Clarence Saunders, founder of the Piggly-Wiggly self-service grocery chain. A twenty minute ride on the number 5 bus out of downtown Memphis, brought us to the 155 acre (now mostly gone to developers) site of this beautiful mansion. It was sad to learn that Saunders never got to live here, as he lost everything in the collapse of the Memphis economy (1923) before it was completed. Unlike many of the mansions-turned-museums we toured in Europe, there are no period furnishings to show how the Saunders family would have lived here. Instead, the many rooms are setup in typical museum exhibit style. While it appeared grand on the outside, being devoid of the Saunders family's personal touches seemed to take away from the experience (imagine touring Highclere in England to see what life was like in Downtown Abbey, only to go through a bunch of empty rooms).

  Don't get us wrong, the many natural and scientific exhibits throughout the mansion were informative, but we had seen this style before. We were hoping for a look into the luxurious life-style of the rich, which was not here. It was missing. Too bad! What was also missing from the tour was access to the basement level bowling alley, movie theater, swimming pool, and shooting gallery, which we felt would have been interesting to see.

  If you are interested in more history about the Pink Palace and Clarence Saunders, here are a couple of links to look at;

       www.memphismuseums.org

       www.piggly-wiggly.com

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Street plaque with a brief history of the Pink Palace.
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View of the grand mansion from the street entrance.
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Angled view of the front of the mansion taken from one of the later additions for the museum complex.
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Entrance hall with a staircase leading to the second floor bedrooms (which are not open to the public).
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Old photo of Clarence Saunders following the loss of his fortune and his mansion in the 1923 collapse of the Memphis economy. He tried a number of other ventures but none were ever as successful as the Piggly-Wiggly chain.
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This would have been the living room for the Saunders mansion.
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Circular sun porch with tiled floor. One of the 12 entrances to the mansion was in this room and was to be used by visitors arriving by car.
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Some of the pink Georgian marble used in the construction of the mansion and which gave the house its name.
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The arched doorway in the dining room was somewhat unique in its time.
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This ballroom was outfitted with a movie screen and projector, as well as a stage for an orchestra.
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The Changing Roles of Women exhibit is setup in what would have been the mansion's library.
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The Lorraine Motel

2/17/2016

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  1968 was the height of the Civil Rights movement, when Martin Luther King, Jr. Came to Memphis in support of the sanitation workers' strike. He stayed at the only African-American owned motel in town, the Lorraine. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of the motel.

  Following nine million dollars of renovations, the motel, and associated buildings, opened as the National Civil Rights Museum in 1991. The history of slavery in America, dating back to the 17th century, and the advent of the Civil Rights Movement are well depicted. Lori and I were in our teens and early twenties as this movement gained momentum, so it was important to us to see how history looked back on these events. There is an awful lot to see in this complex, which includes the rooming house on Mulberry street across from the motel, from where James Earl Ray shot Dr. King. We were quite moved by many of the exhibits and impressed by the thoroughness of its presentations.

              www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

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The Lorraine Motel (now part of the National Civil Rights Museum) is less than a block off of downtown's South Main Street.
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The balcony where Dr. King was standing when he was shot. Vintage cars remain parked below.
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Famous photo right after Dr. King was shot, with his supporters pointing towards the rooming house on Mulberry St.
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The National Civil Rights museum traces the history of slavery in America back to the 17th century.
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Rosa Parks' defiance of an order to move to the back of a bus is memorialized by this statue of her.
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The Woolworth's lunch-counter sit-in of February 1, 1960 was one of the major turning points of the Civil Rights movement.
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In May of 1961, a group of Freedom Riders trying to promote integration, were attacked in Anniston, Alabama and their Greyhound bus was burned.
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The August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom inspired an estimated 300,000 to voice a call for change. This is when Dr. King made his famous "I have a dream" speech.
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Martin Luther King, Jr.'s room (number 306) in the Lorraine Motel as it looked in April of 1968.
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Across the street from the Lorraine Motel is the Mulberry St. rooming house from which James Earl Ray shot Dr. King.
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This is the actual room from which the shot occurred.
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View of the Lorraine Motel from the Mulberry St. rooming house.
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Some of the fake I.D.'s used by James Earl Ray when arrested in London two months after the assassination.
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Huey's Restaurant

2/16/2016

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Something we have learned during the past 17 months of traveling is that some of the best places are those that we just happen upon. One evening, we went in search of a quick bite to eat around the neighborhood of our apartment. Two blocks away, we came across a little corner restaurant called Huey's. It is not much to look at from the outside, but we quickly learned that it is a Memphis landmark in its own right. Opened in 1970, Huey's ( the childhood nickname of founder Alan Gary) has been voted as having the best burgers in Memphis every year since 1984. And it shows: the place is always packed. Huey's is a fun place to visit and eat - the employees are always smiling; there is live music; and customers get into the spirit of the place by joining a competition to see who can blow the most toothpicks into the ceiling through a straw (apparently there is a prize). We loved it, and the food is good too.

  www.hueyburger.com

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The little corner Huey's restaurant. From the street, it did not look like much, but locals we asked raved about the place.
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Is this a bar or a pharmacy?
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The back of the menu provides insight into the history of the restaurant.
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In addition to all the toothpicks blown into the ceiling by customers, is the out-of-place crutch. A long-time patron wanted to throw her crutch into the Mississippi after a year's recovery from an injury. Huey's owner took it, instead, and shoved it into a hole in the ceiling. It has become a Huey's tradition in all of its restaurants.
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The side room, complete with its own set of ceiling toothpicks.
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One of the live bands that perform here daily.
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Quirkiness also carries over to a collection of license plates tacked to the walls. Not sure of the significance of the fish, but it was a nice touch.
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Stax Records

2/15/2016

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Stax Records is the other big recording studio in Memphis. Synonymous with "Southern Soul music", the company was originally founded in 1957 as Satellite Records by Jim Stewart and his sister, Estelle Axton. The name was changed to "STAX" in 1961 as a combination of the brother and sister's last names. Their integrated staff and performers was completely unheard of in those early days. Stewart and Axton set up shop in the Old Colonial theater ( six miles from downtown Memphis on the number 4 bus) because they liked the acoustical sounds of the old building. Artists, such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Rufus and Carla Thomas, recorded on their label. The house band was Booker T. And the M.G.'s. Many of these artists lived in the neighborhood of the old Colonial theater, so they were easily attracted to the studio for recording their songs. The museum is a wonderful history of Stax Records and of Soul music in general. We were thrilled to have been able to visit it.

www.staxrecords.com

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Stax Records studio at the old Colonial Theater.
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The memorial plague outside the studio was erected by the city of Memphis.
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Although "officially" under contract to Atlantic Records, the group, LED ZEPELIN (1968-1980) recorded some songs here.
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Soul music developed out of the sounds of Gospel songs. The African Methodist Episcopal church in Memphis was one of those places where Gospel music was often heard. This Hoopers Chapel of the AME church was donated to the Stax Records Museum to commemorate the link between Gospel and Soul music.
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The original African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church.
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The museum traces the history of Soul, as well as Rhythm and Blues, music in exhibits like this one of Ike and Tina Turner.
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Many of the artists that recorded at the Stax Records studio grew up in the neighborhood surrounding the old Colonial Theater.
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Aretha Franklin's home not far from the Stax Records studio.
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Jim Stewart, founder of Stax Records, at the control panel.
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His sister, Estelle Axton, co-founder of Stax Records, was a driving force in the management of the office. She was affectionately known as "Lady A."
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The first piece of recording equipment used by Stax Records.
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The recording studio ( which was the Colonial theater's auditorium) as seen from the control booth.
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Wall display of some of Stax Records recordings.
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More records display by Stax Studio.
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Isaac Hayes' 1972 Peacock blue Cadillac, leased by Stax Records for his exclusive use. It had a refrigerated bar, a television set, and 24-carat gold plated exterior parts.
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Southern Food

2/13/2016

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It's just not possible to say you have visited Memphis without eating barbecue food. There seems to be BBQ restaurants on every corner. So...stops at a number of the more famous restaurants in the downtown area was "mandatory";

* Silky O'Sullivans on Beale Street is where the "Father of Barbecue" (Silky) reigned. He was the originator of BBQ contests in Ireland, Bankok, Russia, and Cuba.

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The patio entrance to Silky O'Sullivans on Beale street.
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The main dining room. It was not very busy during the early lunch time, but gets quite packed and somewhat rawdy during the late evening hours. Note all the college banners hanging from the ceiling.
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Silky reigned as "King" of five different New Orleans Mardi Gras carnivals. These are his costumes.
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The long bar.

  *Central Barbecue, located just behind the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, is one of the best places in Memphis for slow cooked BBQ ribs. The owner, Craig Blondis, has been on the "competition style" BBQ circuit since the early 1980's. The "wet" or "dry" ribs (i.e. With or without sauce) are really good. We just had to eat here twice in order to eat the ribs and BBQ chicken.

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Central Barbecue's main entrance.
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The main dining room is always packed.
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The first time we ate here, we had the barbecue chicken. It was really good.
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Since it is truly known for its BBQ pork ribs, we just had to return...
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...and it was really, really good.

  *The Rendezvous Charcoal Ribs restaurant is down an alleyway opposite the Peabody hotel. Its motto is "Not since Adam has a rib been this famous." Opened in 1948, it now serves several thousand patrons on an average Saturday night.

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Charles Vergo's Charcoal Ribs is an institution in its own right.
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Although the full restaurant does not open until 5:00 pm, you can come in for its ribs over lunch.
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It is also a sort of museum as well as a restaurant.
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Some of the memorabilia found on all of the walls.
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Portrait of Charles Vergo, the founder of Rendezvous.
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The slow-cook rib cooker is always full ( they are served dry - i.e. without. sauce).

  * The other famous southern food is fried chicken. Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken is located on Front Street, just a block from South Main Street's Orpheum Theater and Beale Street. Gus's began in a roadside shack in a tiny town east of Memphis over sixty years ago. It has attained worldwide recognition as having some of the best fried chicken ever eaten.

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The building's front is not much to look at, but like many "Mom & Pop" style restaurants, the food is good and the place is always packed.
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The standard fare is not fancy looking but is REALLY good "eatin."
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We got there early, before the lunch crowd arrived. Shortly afterwards, the place was packed.
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You can watch them cook your meal in the open front kitchen.
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Memphis Folks

2/12/2016

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From time to time, we like to acknowledge some of the interesting people met during our travels. Here are the folks from Memphis;

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James is a greeter at the Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale St. He is pointing to a decades old Coca Cola sign on the side of a nearby building. The colors are still vibrant.
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Steve was our waiter at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken restaurant.
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We met the very talented Ples Hamilton at the Sun Records Studio museum. He is demonstrating Johnny Cash's raspy strumming technique.
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Anthony is the current Duck Master at the Peabody Hotel...
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...and of course we met the ducks as they exited the elevator and headed towards the lobby fountain.
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Jacqueline Smith was the last of the Lorraine Motel's housekeeping staff. Her story can be found at: washingtonpost.com (Washington Post>local>2014/15/16).
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Luis, Henry, and Cam barbecuing ribs at the Rendezvous restaurant.
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Calvin, the founder of the Cotton Exchange Museum, spent a long time with us, explaining how the cotton exchange worked.
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A full-time art student, J.T. works part-time at the Cotton Exchange Museum in order to pay some of his bills.
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The Peabody Hotel

2/9/2016

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Known the world over, the Peabody hotel is one of the top attractions in Memphis. A few months ago, our son, Carl, and his wife, Valerie, stayed here and upon learning that our travels would take us to Memphis, encouraged us to have a look at it.

www.peabodymemphis.com

It is luxuriously appointed, with the lobby centerpiece being a beautiful water fountain, sculptured from a single piece of Italian marble. What makes this fountain even more memorable is the fact that it serves as the daytime home of the "Peabody Ducks." Precisely at 11:00am each day, the five mallards (1 drake and 4 hens) are paraded from the rooftop "Duck Palace"; herded into an elevator; and then marched across a red carpet to the lobby fountain. It is a huge spectacle! At 5:00 pm, the process is reversed, so the ducks can spend the night in their rooftop accommodation.

YouTube - Peabody Ducks on Animal Planet's Most Outrageous Pet Digs.

One day, following the morning ritual, we met with the current Duck Master, Anthony, who gave us a wonderful two hour tour of the hotel. We learned that many famous folks have stayed at the Peabody (e.g. Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Queen Noor of Jordan, and every U.S. President since Harry Truman). We had a fabulous time! The staff at the Peabody were all very friendly and helpful, especially Anthony.

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The Peabody hotel, circa 1921.
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The beautiful marble fountain, as seen from the mezzanine. All of the flowers are kept fresh daily.
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Duck Master Anthony delivering his introduction just before the Duck March...
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...and here they come...
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...finally entering the fountain.
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The official "Legend of the Ducks."
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The Memorabilia Room on the mezzanine level.
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Included here is an original brass cash register from the first Peabody...
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...and an early telephone, also from the original hotel.
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Elvis Presley's signing bonus contract with RCA records, which was signed in the lobby in 1955.
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The shoeshine stand from the first Peabody hotel.
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Current Duck Master, Anthony, in front of a portrait of Edward Pembroke, the first Duck Master. He served in that position for 51 years.
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Location of the rooftop Duck Palace. The front of the building was designed to hide the maintenance equipment for the hotel, while the Duck Palace is around back.
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The ducks have their very own pool within the living quarters...
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...along with a replica of the hotel.
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None of the "wood" on the elaborate lobby ceiling is real, but rather plaster which is painted to look like wood.
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Off the lobby is the Lansky Brothers Clothier store. They provided suits, shirts, and shoes for Elvis and many of his contemporaries (e.g. Johnny Cash etc.).
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Graceland

2/9/2016

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No trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Elvis' home for 20 years - Graceland. As we were riding towards the estate, we wondered what it would be like. How did Elvis live? After all, he grew up in a poor family, out in the little town of Tupelo. His home there was a shot-gun style two-room dwelling. When we arrived at Graceland, we were totally blown away by the opulence of the place. The first hint of the unexpected was the front gates, made of white painted wrought iron, designed to resemble the G-clef staff, complete with musical notes and a silhouette of Elvis. It was here that hordes of teen-age girls would gather, hoping to catch a glimpse of Elvis - or, if he came down to the gates, perhaps to be noticed by him (on several occasions, he was known to invite some of those teenagers up to the mansion for a visit).

Once inside, we expected to see a frat-house style bachelor pad, complete with typical, well-used, solid furniture. Were we wrong! Elvis, despite his poor upbringing, and his typical 20 something outlook, and a constant flow of young people in and out of the house, had a seriously sophisticated style of decor. His living room contained a custom made oversized (15 foot) sofa and a ten foot coffee table. Most of the living room furniture was upholstered in white leather. Beautiful stained-glass panels separated the living room from a large addition that he had made into a music room. Elvis was quite devoted to his parents. They lived with him here at Graceland (their lovely bedroom, decorated by his mother,was on the first floor, next to the staircase). The basement consisted of a poolroom, and a very large room, complete with three televisions, a bar, and many sofas and chairs.

The 14 acre grounds, with several outbuildings (e.g an office, trophy building, and a racquetball court) are beautifully maintained, with a granite kidney-shaped gunite swimming pool, horse stables, and riding areas. Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother, are buried on the grounds in the Meditation Garden. This place was well worth the rather pricey admission. It was time well spent.

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We have arrived.
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The main house at Graceland. The original owner had named it after his daughter, Grace. Elvis liked the name, so he decided to keep it.
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The custom-made wrought iron gates (during our visit, these were swung open, so we could not get a good picture of them. This was taken off of the official website: www.graceland.com).
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The unexpectedly opulent living room with the custom made oversized sofa and coffee table. Notice the peacock stained glass panels separating the living room from the music room.
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The white carpeted staircase leading to the second floor bedrooms (not open to the public at the request of the family).
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Elvis's parents bedroom, decorated by his mother.
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Elvis' parents, Gladys and Vernon Presley.
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Elvis loved to entertain. He would often have up to 20 people eating here in the dining room.
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The kitchen was always open and stocked with food.
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The "Jungle Room" den was an addition that Elvis had made for him, complete with a waterfall at the far end. Occasionally, he would have recording sessions in this room because of its acoustics.
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The basement pool-table room.
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Next to the pool-table room, is this entertainment room. Elvis had seen video of President Nixon watching three televisions at once, so he had three t.v's installed here.
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One of the out-buildings on the grounds contained this office in which fan mail was read and responded to.
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Elvis loved to ride whenever he could. He kept several horses here for this purpose.
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Part of the trophy building in which the 150 plus gold records and other awards were on display.
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The Meditation Garden in which Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother are buried.
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Just down the street is the "Lisa Marie" jet that Elvis used while on tour.
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Sun Records Studio

2/6/2016

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  Originally called "The Memphis Recording Service", Sam Phillips' Sun Records Studio is located just a mile from the Rock-N-Soul museum. This is where Elvis got his recording start. The studio does not look like much from the street, but once you get inside, the history of the Blues and Rock-N-Roll just surrounds you. The shear number of famous recording artists we recognize today, that got their start at Sun Records, amazed us (e.g. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Howlin Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc). The tour itself was a fascinating historical journey from the early days of the studio, until today - it's still an active recording studio. Lori and I grew up during the birth years of Rock-N-Roll. It was a thrill for us to relive some of this history.

              sunstudio.com

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The front window of Sun Records.
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This plaque on the street depicts some of the history of the studio.
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The first floor all purpose lobby.
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Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records. He loved the Blues sound.
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In the early days, Phillips only had portable recording equipment such as this.
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Phillips felt that Howlin Wolf was his "...greatest discovery", even over Elvis.
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One of Sam Phillips' innovations was to use a singing group from the Tennessee corrections system, known as "The Prisonaires." They were so popular, this group eventually earned a pardon from the Governor.
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Marion Keisker, Sam's assistant, was responsible for convincing Phillips to give Elvis a chance to record, although it took her a year to prove Elvis's talent to her boss.
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The front office, where Marion met all those who wanted to audition.
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"THE" recording studio ( it's still active today).
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In 1956, this "Million Dollar Quarter" (Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis, and Johnny Cash) got together in the studio for an impromptu jam session. Recognizing the importance of these four stars singing together, the studio recorded the whole event.
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In the early days of his career, there were no drums available for Johnny Cash's recordings. He improvised by wrapping a piece a paper around the frets to get the raspy strumming sound for which he was famous. Our tour guide, Ples Hamilton demonstrates how this worked.
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The original recording microphone used in the studio.
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Gibson Guitar Factory

2/2/2016

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  Memphis, home of "Rock-n-Roll" and the "Blues", is our current stop. During our exploration of the city, we happened upon one of the iconic businesses here, the Gibson Guitar factory. Gibson is THE name in guitar manufacturing and since they offered tours of the factory, we signed up immediately.

  Orville Gibson developed and patented a single-piece mandolin design in 1898. Four years later, he opened his first Gibson Guitar and Mandolin factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The company has been at the forefront of acoustic guitar manufacturing ever since. Anyone who is a serious guitar player, including B.B. King and Elvis, owned a Gibson. Today, the whole process, from start to finish, takes 3.5 weeks to create a "perfect" Gibson ( they do not sell seconds; less than perfect guitars are crushed). The Memphis factory completes 60 guitars per day.

  While Neither Lori nor I play guitar, we found this to be an immensely fascinating tour and were impressed by the organization of their manufacturing process. With prices ranging from around $2000 to around $6000 each, these instruments easily are the most expensive on the market. We had a great time!

   www.gibson.com

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The main entrance to the Gibson Factory.
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The guitar lobby where we started our tour.
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Our tour tickets.
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Next to the lobby is the Gibson store, where you can purchase your very own, for a mere $2000 to $6000.
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The start of the process is to frame the body of the guitar.
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Once the framing is done, the front and back pieces are glued on and then rapped in 75 yards of linen straps while it dried.
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Attaching the neck.
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Waiting for the next step in the process.
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Once the paint has been applied to give each guitar its distinctive look, ten coats of varnish are applied.
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Buffing up the final product.
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    Carl and Lorraine  Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.

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