Home Again

         After Memphis, it was pretty much ....."let's head home".    Spent one more night in TN.    Arrived in Winston Salem for a visit with Tom's aunt, uncle & cousin on Sunday afternoon.    Spent Sunday night in High Point for an early morning app't with the RV person to see what has to be done to replace the awning that messed up during a storm in South Dakota.   That appointment went really fast and we were home by 12:30 p.m. Monday.
         Exactly 7 weeks ...... 49 days .......  8695 miles ........ 
         Wonderful trip .....but so nice to be home also.
         Hope you've enjoyed the blog.      We are now closing this chapter.    Thanks for joining us !!!!!

Homeward Bound!

Many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased.    ~  John Steinbeck ~ 



    

Sun Studios & Beale Street, Memphis

     What a fun day!   Ironically, Vicky & I have chosen "Million Dollar Quartet" as one of the Broadway shows to see in NYC in November when we go.   And today we visited Sun Studios and had the most awesome tour and snapped photos of the photo of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley in Sun Studios ......which is the story of "Million Dollar Quartet".     So many artists got their start at Sun and our tour guide (who looked like Maggie Wilkins) was the cutest thing and made it all so interesting.    A simple little building but a whole lot of history.

Rock 'n' Roll began here !!!

Lots of big stars got their start at Sun Studios

The only recording studio ever given the distinction

of being designated a national historic landmark.

In the recording studio

I'm using the actual mike that Elvis used.  Really !!!

The Million Dollar Quartet

Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins,

Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley

Tom purchasing t-shirts, cds and milkshakes !!!!

After Sun Studios, we rode the shuttle to

Gibson Guitar Factory for a tour of the factory.

A $7000 Wurlitzer jukebox

Free shipping and hookup.

A Wurlitzer piano at the Gilbson Factory

 Memphis Cafe and B.B. King Cafe on Beale Street

$180 potty seats in a shop on Beale Street

A really fun day!

Homeward bound tomorrow !

See you all early next week.

xoxoxoxox

    

Graceland, Memphis, TN

     Photos from tour of Graceland.......the mansion itself, Vernon's office, the raquetball court which has been converted to his trophy room and the meditation garden where Elvis, his parents and grandmother are buried.  There is a marker in memory of his twin brother who was stillborn and is buried in Tupelo, MS.  There are mirrors all over the house and many of the photos inside the house didn't turn out because of that and........visitors aren't allowed to use flash because of deterioration of fabrics, etc.

Tom waiting at the front door of Graceland

Back of Graceland

25' long white couch in the living room at Graceland

Dining room at Graceland

Waterfall wall & Lisa Marie's favorite chair

 in the jungle room at Graceland

Another back of Graceland shot 

Tom between the back of the house

and the horse pasture at Graceland

The Memorial Garden

Elvis' favorite car ~ Stutz Blackhawk

Have a great day, Everybody!

Hugs to all!



Memphis

      Albuquerque and the balloon fiesta was great fun and we really hated to move on.   Left there Monday morning and have driven for three full days.   We were in Oklahoma this morning and crossed the state of Arkansas today and are sleeping in Memphis tonight.   We are staying in the Memphis-Graceland RV Resort behind the Heartbreak Hotel and within walking distance of Graceland which we'll tour tomorrow.   After getting setttled and resting a while, we walked over to the Heartbreak Hotel and had a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich (Elvis' favorite) with a glass of milk (Tom's favorite) with French fries with malt vinegar.  Big screen running Elvis singing in practice sessions as well as in concert.     

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta ~ Oct 2 2010

Awesome show of about 600 balloons lifting off ......with the crowd able to mingle amongst the balloons.   So interesting and so beautiful.      Fireworks tonight.

Dawn Patrol Show. 

Some balloons go up early to determine the direction and strength

of the wind before the choreographed lift-off of the masses.

It was about a two-hour show altogether.   Beautiful!!!! 

Albuquerque Balloon lifted off to a quartet singing

"The Star Spangled Banner"

Very early morning sky

Getting ready

This balloon was a fish

Pepsi

More getting ready

Another group waiting for lift off

This is a Foscato balloon

A Miller balloon

Arizona to New Mexico

     Today was a travel day to get closer to Albuquerque for tomorrow's entry into the balloon fiesta park.  It took almost all day to make the trip from Williams, Arizona to Grants, New Mexico and about an hour and a half to get to Albuquerque tomorrow.   The sky was gorgeous today and a few photos below show the landscape along the way.   The only major stop was in a small town called Winslow where we spent a little time in an old restored hotel.

Following our new friends from Venice CA into the town of Winslow, AZ

Tom & Ken going into the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, AZ

The back of La Posada Hotel, Winslow, AZ

Enjoying the beautiful AZ sky

Along I-40 in AZ

Cave with teepees above along I-40 in NM

Beautiful sky and landscape in NM

Dry camping without benefit of electricity & water at the balloon fiesta

so may be a few days before you get photos of the colorful hot air

 balloons that we expect to see.

Hugs and love to all!!!!