December 30
What a day! Clan and I started the day early with a walk to
the meditation garden at 7:30 a.m. It was COLD!
This has to be one of my very favorite things about coming to Graceland,
and I don’t think I could ever get my fill of quiet time at the graveside of
Elvis and his family.
Before Graceland opens each day, the meditation garden is
open to the public-free of charge, and anyone can walk the driveway of
Graceland and visit Elvis’ grave. The Meditation Garden was built by Bernard
Grenadier at Elvis’ request in the mid-1960’s. The garden was a place where
Elvis could reflect, pray, meditate and rest. It was one of his favorite
places.
Walking up the driveway, you pass the Nativity that Elvis
placed at Graceland years ago. It is placed there every year, just as it was
when he lived.
The driveway is lined with blue lights and a special message that still speaks for Elvis...
There are metal Christmas trees in assorted colors next to
the front of the mansion. They are such a reminder of the times when Elvis
celebrated the Christmas Holidays here at his home.
In October of 1977, with special permission, Vernon had the
gravesites of Elvis and Gladys moved to the Meditation Garden for security
purposes. Today, not only Elvis’ and Gladys’ graves reside there, but Vernon
and his mother, grandmother to Elvis, Minnie Mae Presley, known by Elvis as
“Dodger” are laid to rest there as well. There is a marker in honor of Jessie
Garon, Elvis’ twin brother who died at birth.
On his grave his father wrote, "God saw that he needed some rest and called him home to be with Him".
The white marble cross was the original monument Elvis had placed
on Gladys’ grave at Forest Hill Cemetery
After we returned from our morning walk, Cassidy and Cam
were up and ready to check out the Duck March at the famous Peabody Hotel in
downtown Memphis. When we left the Heartbreak Hotel…snowflakes were peppering
down!
It was a COLD walk to the Peabody!!!!
The Peabody, located on Union Avenue, was built in 1925. It was designed by Walter
W. Ahlschlager of Chicago. The Italian Renaissance Hotel holds many historical
and cultural significances of the Mississippi Delta region.
We got a table close to the fountain and waited for about 40
minutes until the ducks were marched from the elevator to the fountain on a red
carpet.
The marching of the ducks at the Peabody dates back to the
1930’s when the General Manager of the time returned from a hunting trip. He
and his hunting buddies left three of their live English call ducks in the
hotel fountain overnight as a joke. The guests loved the ducks and raised a
protest when the ducks were to be removed. Since then, five mallard ducks (one
drake and four hens) have played in the fountain everyday.
Cam was so excited to see the ducks! Aunt “C” found him a
stuffed duck in the giftshop and it is truly a favorite. It has put a new spin
on his bathtime duckys that he loves so well.
Our timing for a Peabody visit coincided with the
Mississippi State football team in the lobby of the hotel to get ready for
their battle later today at the Liberty Bowl.
The elevators at the Peabody...
We planned to take Cam to the Memphis Zoo to take in the
Lights, but the temperature was a freezing 33 degrees, after traveling to the
Zoo and checking it out, we decided to drive around town….
We never imagined to end up at the Lorainne Motel on 450
Mulbery Street where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968. We didn’t tour the Civil Rights
Museum, but we did see room 306 where he was staying when he was assassinated.
After we found the Lorainne, we got a little brave (or crazy
you might think) and we decided to look for Humes High, the high school where
Elvis, George Klien, and Red West attended. It is now known as Humes Middle
School and it is a preparatory school. We found it! What an amazing feeling to
stand on the steps where Elvis went to school.
After we had found his high school and his apartment, we
really got adventurous (or crazier) and decided to hunt for 1034 Audubon Drive.
This was the home Elvis purchased for his parents and himself from his
royalties from Heartbreak Hotel-his first million dollar seller. This was where
he and his family lived for 13 months until he purchased Graceland in 1957.
The home is vacant. It was purchased by a nonprofit to
preserve the heritage. It is very nicely preserved with a locked gate to
prevent onlookers from intruding. Now this is what I call an Elvis tour.
Cassidy was talking to her dad and he was laughing at us. He couldn’t believe
we haven’t toured Graceland yet, but that adventure is schedule for
tomorrow….stay tuned! Honestly....I am ALL SHOOK UP!
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