Homeward bound (I wish I was . . . )

Yes, I know that's Simon and Garfunkel, but that is the leading sentiment today. . . and in fact we will be headed home, right after hitting Target #3, Graceland.  It's 29 May 2011.

I admit I've always enjoyed Elvis' music, but I never had any great desire to visit Graceland.  It struck me as excessively commercial.  That said, having come I enjoyed visiting his home.  For the tour of the home you are given a headset before boarding a bus to the house across the street from the staging area.  As you walk around the house, there are small signs telling you which numbers to push to get the discussion and any special topics related to that area.  A nice, simple system which worked well.

This would have been a really nice place to live.  The grounds are comfortable.  There are places to relax outside.  The interior is very well maintained.

It's not to my taste in all areas, but then it wasn't my place, and I'm not in the rock star business.  Even at that, the rooms I thought were overdone were, as I remember that period, pretty contemporary.  I recall seeing pictures of decorations in magazines or TV shows back then that reflected some of the looks of these rooms.  With one or two exceptions it looks like he found examples contemporary rooms he liked, and had the best in the business come in and give him a room like that.  Everything was well done - nothing cheap.   

He did seem to like mirrors, a lot, by any era's standards.  The shot above of his living room is only the start.  Here's a staircase with more,

and a formal dining room (with fewer mirrors than elsewhere).  There was some furniture in this room that both Ann and I liked. 

The kitchen is pretty good.  Ann liked it the minute she saw it.  The discussion from the headsets said this was basically the center of activity in the house which sounds like most folks' homes. 

These next two are the jungle room featuring green carpeted floors and ceilings.  Apparently this was one of Lisa's favorite rooms.

Next is a TV room featuring three TVs and mirrors all around and in the ceiling.  The recording said he heard the President watched three TVs at once, and decided he wanted to do the same.

The last room we toured in the main house was the pool room.  Ann noted that's a paisley fabric on the walls, draw together with pleats to a button in the ceiling directly over the pool table, from which the table lamp is hung.   

The grounds are a nice, with room for a stable, some open grass land, and a pool attached to the house.  He had a business office out back, and there is now a trophy room with all his gold records and a summary of various stages of his life.

As we walked through the Gold Record area, Ann overheard a small child asking her mother "What are those?" to which her mom replied "Those are records, honey.  That is how they recorded music."  Okay, now that we all feel very ancient, we'll move along.

From the house tour we are bussed back to the main reception area where you have your choice of small museums.  The first we toured was the car museum

This featured a Cadillac Convertible,















two Rolls Royces (the black one not shown)














 and an eclectic variety of other vehicles.

Then there was the airplane museum.

Although there were some pretty extravagant fixtures in these aircraft, the business end was pretty conventional.  The gold sink and gold plated seat belts were perhaps the most extravagant features on either. 

There was also a Fashion Museum, and a few lesser exhibits. 

You have to accept the premise this place is all about celebrating the life and career of a guy who made a lot of music.  A lot of very good music.  He was, like most of us, a lot of other things as well.  In addition to musician and singer, he was part actor, part business man, part carny pitchman, part family man, and part private man, among others.  Although he may have started out in very humble and simple conditions, he led a very complicated life, and did it pretty well for a long time in the glare of his willingly chosen public spotlight.  

I heard someone describe Elvis, after their visit, as a kid with way too much money and no sense about how to spend it.  Not sure I agree with that.  He was a kid no longer than the rest of us, and had clear tastes whether you like them or not.  There are critics that seize on the drugs that eventually did him in, or his broken marriage and use those negative elements to summarize the whole life.  This is the kind of assessment that sometimes passes as enlightened analysis -- one event or outcome held up as representing a whole person.  I find that simplistic and lazy.  There is more there.

I'm no great Elvis historian, not even a particularly avid fan, but I'm not aware of anything other than personal drug use that was ever even remotely illegal, and nothing else that was dangerous to those around him.  It's sad what became of him at the end.  From the looks of his estate, through, he did pretty well by his family, giving both Priscilla and Lisa an above average chance to carry on (which they've each done well).  As legacies go, that's head and shoulders above the music and all the rest.

For not even being particularly interested in going, we've sure got a lot of thoughts.  Only sure way to clear the mind is to go burn some avgas.  So back to the airport and off on our final two legs.

We have a bit of tail wind and a smooth ride.  About half way back to Frederick MD is a place called Stanton, KY (I50).  This is a little 3000 ft strip set among lush green, tree covered rolling hills.  The main attraction is the cheapest gas on the trip at $4.30.  There is no one there when we arrive -- just a self-serve pump, a small building with an open door and working plumbing, and a small business located on the field.

We're not at Stanton very long, but it seemed the kind of place one might want to visit.  Nothing extraordinary stuck out.  On this Memorial Day weekend, there are what sound like drag races going on somewhere nearby, and the occasional fire cracker.  Mostly it's just peaceful and beautiful. 

We take on 72.5 gal, inspect the indoor plumbing and begin the back taxi to rwy 24.  As we taxi Ann notices a father and daughter just off the ramp under the trees.  They must have heard us landing and drove down to see.  Dad is on a knee pointing and talking, and his daughter is waving.

We get her rolling and circle back to the north of the field.  Ann smacks me, but I can't help but waggle the wings.  It's a small encounter, but for all the scenery and famous places, its frequently small encounters with people that are most memorable.  We'll probably never get back to Stanton, but I wouldn't hesitate to see who and what was behind those trees if in the area again.

A little over two hours later, that's Frederick off the nose. 

You can always tell when the great adventure is over.  Landmark has decided to welcome us home with a splash of reality.  Good thing we got a big gulp back at Stanton.

All that's left is to put her back in the hangar.  Well, that and cleaning the bugs off the leading edges and wind screen, vacuuming, hauling out the trash . . . 

Oh, and did I mention paperwork.  Let's see: 18 legs, 37.2 hours by the Hobbs meter, 34.5 hours by the tach, 423.63 gal, 4180.6 nautical miles (4808 statute miles), engine maintenance and an oil change.  The new Duo is a success.  All the wine and wedding gifts delivered.  A few snacks and apples and a lot of laundry to bring home. 

Ann drives us back to Waynesboro.  It's late, but we stop at Applebees for an appetizer and a drink.  What have we been up to?  Not much.

Long Distance, Information, Give Me Memphis Tennessee . . .

28 May.  Our next to last day of scheduled visits before two legs home. 

It's a pretty good way to conclude our vacation.  My brother Don is flying into Dallas from Chicago this morning at 0830.  Don's being picked up by his son Patrick, his wife Angela and her son Austin.   Patrick suggested last night we meet at our hotel at around 0915 and we'd all get together for breakfast.  That's how it all worked out.  Mostly.

Except for one thing.  I mentioned how Ann and I are so much on the same wave length.  Well, in a team effort reminiscent of some of the finest vaudeville of any era, we checked out, did the bag drag one more time to our car, and with great panache, I set the keys down and Ann closed the trunk.  Teamwork.

So, the whole family shows up just as I'm contacting AAA to come unlock the car.  Seldom in the annals of unscripted comedic art has a performance displayed such timing, such finesse.  A round of applause, please.

Notwithstanding the opening act, breakfast is good and the visit terrific.  Patrick is doing well as store manager at Party City where his business is steady in spite of the overall downturn.  He still plays softball, and is gamely heading out to a tournament this afternoon in what is forecast to be over 100 degree temperatures.  Don says he is finally retired from softball as his knees have gone on to a better place.  All else is apparently well in Chicago.  Angela is charming and sharp.  You can see she is good for Patrick.  Their son is due in August.  Austin is smart and attentive with an active mind.  An engaging young man full of ideas.  We're looking forward to seeing them for a longer stay sometime, especially if they can come to PA to visit.

As they all have plans for later in the day, we are off to the airport once again for the usual drill.  I get to fly my first departure procedure on the Garmin 430 getting out of Dallas airspace.  Arrival and departure procedures seem to be big in Dallas Regional airspace.  That's what they call it, by the way, Regional.  Not Dallas approach or such.

In breaking news, while enroute to Memphis we obtained additional evidence of the conspiracy to kill trees in the center of towns.  Carlsbad may not have had a choice, but what is their excuse in Stuttgard AR!?!  Look at all that greenery surrounding the downtown area.  

After taking a deep breath (maybe I should hook up the oxygen more often ;-), we continue on and see the lingering effects of the flooding that occurred a few weeks ago in the vicinity of the Mississippi. 

We're at 9,500 feet, I don't think this is supposed to be lake front property,

and this is supposedly long after things have crested. 

That is a lot of water. 

If there are any geographers or geologists out there (Vickroy comes to mind), hopefully you can say whether this will be good for farmers in the long run.  I seem to recall being told the Nile basin was very fertile because of periodic flooding.  I suspect it is not so good for what appears to be a road that disappears in the murk below.

We finally arrive in Olive Branch MS, a nice little airport southeast of Memphis which suffered no impact from the floods.  Luck is with us.  The car is there and pulled right up to the plane again, bag drag is easy, we find our hotel west of the main airport (and get a pilot discount, no less), and we do not lock keys in any part of the vehicle (thank you very much ;-).  Life is good.

So, we are off this evening to see two of the three reasons for coming to Memphis:  The Peabody Hotel and the Rendevous rib place.  We're not sure what to expect on this Memorial Day weekend, but we head off to the downtown area.

Not sure what to make of the twin engined aircraft located on top of this sign, but if anyone can help, feel free to comment below.

Target #1 in sight.  Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous.  Advertised as the best BBQ anywhere.  If you are ever looking for this place, be sure not to get too wedded to the idea that it ought to be on a main street where its address says it should be.  Ann, with a map, can be formidable and was leading the way to . . . a blank storefront.  I had to admit, this was the address, so I could not fault her map reading skills.  We backtracked to the corner and asked a policeman where the Rendezvous might be. 

He pointed to an alley part way down a crossing street.  The alley is actually named after the restaurant.  The main entrance to the Rendezvous is located in an alley on the back side of the address.  There are a huge number of people standing around in the alley waiting for tables, and an even larger number inside doing the same.

 Of course, those on the inside have certain advantages.

This is somewhat of an icon in Memphis, and we have to agree, they have outstanding ribs.  If you are ever in the area, this is a place you will want to try.

After dinner, we set out to see Target #2, The Peabody.  Now this is a very nice hotel, and the theme of its associated ducks is everywhere.  Once a day they bring a load of ducks down the elevator from the roof and they make their way through the lobby to an indoor pond.  Later in the day, they reverse the process.  We looked at staying here back when the trip planning was taking place, but at over $200 a night, we settled for a visit, an after dinner Amaretto Di Saronno and dessert instead.

As the evening wore on, we made our way to Beale Street, the "Home of the Blues and Birthplace of Rock and Roll".  This was not on the original target list, but is now designated Target #4.  Memorial Day weekend meant Beale Street and several streets in the vicinity were blocked off, multiple bands were playing,

and thousands of people were converging.  It was still early so there was still room to maneuver, but it was filling even as we strolled along.  I could not get a good picture of it, but there were gymnasts doing back flips the length of the street at one point. 

That's BB King's place on the corner. 

No particular reason for the following pics other than they added to the local color.

Just in case you think there wasn't enough going on in downtown Memphis this particular evening, there was also a minor league baseball game as well.  The Memphis Redbirds have their ballpark right downtown -- looked like it had recently been renovated.

 For the record, Memphis beat Omaha 6 - 5 in regulation with a 2 run home run with two out in the bottom of the 9th.  It don' git much better than that.