Oh, the Memphis story!

I know I said I would do this a long time ago - sorry. I'll save the list of excuses for another time. Okay, so I went to Memphis to visit our friends, Vonnie and Wendy, and their two dogs, Jack and Georgia. Wendy recently bought her first house and Jack is a new member of the family I'd not yet met. I had my camera with me the whole time and yet, somehow, I managed to take no pictures of the house or the dogs. Hmmm. Okay then. I guess I'm going to have to start traveling with a shot-list.

Vonnie told me they'd pick me up from the airport Friday night and we'd go right downtown for the surliest service in town courtesy of The Rendezvous. She said the place is famous for it. So, off to dinner we went. We parked in the garage across the alley from the restaurant, made our way down the stairs to the "groud level," and had dinner. We had chicken and slaw and beans and beer, all served to us by the nicest possible waiter. Made a total liar of Vonnie. (She hates that.) After dinner we walked Beale Street until the rain drove us back to the car and out to the suburbs. Saturday involved lounging, Starbucking, buying rocks for a house-warming gift (it's complicated), and a really good dinner out. Sunday we woke up to an active thunderstorm, which pretty much ruled out the options of going to the botanic garden or zoo. We lounged for a while until I convinced Vonnie we should go to Graceland. Wendy was up for up but Vonnie was so against it she'd denied even her own mother a couple months back. How did I finally sway her? Well, I did something I'm not really proud of - oh yes I am, kidding - I played the my-husband-is-at-the-war card. She caved. Thanks Brandon! We headed across town to Elvis Presley Boulevard, showed our AAA cards for our ten percent discount, got our headsets, and boarded the bus for the trek to the other side of the street where we began the tour. The rainy day kept the crowds at bay and only two other people started through at the same time as we. My headset had one ear out so I could hear the other tourists yell to each other, pointing things out. I looked at the staff, none of whom were chuckling. I imagined they go over that in orientation, "People will yell, it will be funny, do not laugh. They all do it." After Graceland we went for another fabulous dinner out then back to the 'burbs. As we drove around I couldn't help but notice the massive churches everywhere. They looked like office buildings or small colleges only differentiated by crosses. There were so many I'll bet the streets are deserted Sunday mornings. We were drinking coffee and reading the paper Sunday morning, so I can't be sure.

Well, that's what happened. Oh, my trip home was fun, many extra hours spent in Atlanta while a storm passed through. I panicked a little at the thought I might not get back to Raleigh in time for my planned Costco run. Thankfully I got back in time to make it not only to Costco, but also Whole Foods. It just felt so - reassuring.