4/21/14 Graceland - The Airplanes

(Memphis, TN)

The planes were the very first thing we saw that said “Graceland” to us.  They are visible from the highway.  I mean how do you hide a pair of jets?


 

We were actually allowed to walk all the way through the Lisa Marie, named for Elvis’ daughter, his only child.

There’s another one of those long sofas.
 

 

 

This plane was usually used for tours. It transported Elvis and his entourage from city to city.  It was used for planned family vacations but one day the pilot was called in for an impromptu trip to Colorado from Memphis.   Elvis realized that Lisa Marie had never seen nor played in SNOW!  So the trip was made, Lisa Marie played and then they returned home a few hours later.

We also got to the bathroom on board.

Yes, folks, that is a GOLD sink!

In addition to the made from gold sink and faucets the buckles on the seat belts are also gold.

The King’s chair.

Green must have been his favorite color.


Elvis slept here!

Another bathroom and closet/changing room.

That concludes your tour of the Lisa Marie.

The smaller jet we were only allowed to enter in behind the cockpit and look into the body of the plane.  It wasn’t nearly as elaborate as the larger plane. Colorful….that can certainly be said about it.

We are both wondering how they got these planes in the parking lot.

4/21/14 Graceland - The Grounds

(Memphis, TN)

A lot of the original grounds have been sold off.  In fact, there is a housing development on two sides of the property and the resident’s backyards back up to Graceland.


Lisa Marie’s swing set.


The pool and patio.



This is the Mediation Garden.  We were told that Elvis would come out here and sit when something was troubling him or he had to think through a problem.  It was one of his favorite places.

For security purposes, Vernon Presley, with permission from the city, had the gravesites of Elvis and his mother Gladys moved here from Forrst Hill Cemetery in October, 1977.  Since then, the garden has become the final resting place for his father and paternal grandmother as well.  A small marker has also been placed for his stillborn twin brother.

The large marble cross was the original grave marker at Forest Hill Cemetery for Gladys Presley.  The statue of Jesus with outstretched hands was gift one Christmas from Elvis’ friends.

This is what the inscription on his grave says:

 

Elvis
Aaron
Presley

January 8, 1935
August 16, 1977

Son of
Vernon Elvis Presley
and Gladys Love Presley

Father of
Lisa Marie Presley

He was a precious gift from God
We cherished and loved dearly.

He had a God-given talent that he shared
With the world. And without a doubt,
He became most widely acclaimed;
Capturing the hearts of young and old alike.

He was admired not only as an entertainer,
But as the great humanitarian that he was;
For his generosity, and his kind feelings
For his fellow man.

He revolutionized the field of music and
Received its highest awards.

He became a living legend in his own time;
Earning the respect and love of millions.

God saw that he needed some rest and
Called him home to be with Him.

We miss you, Son and Daddy. I thank god
That He gave us you as our son.

By: Vernon Presley

 

4/21/14 Graceland - The Awards

(Memphis, TN)

Elvis’ many awards, in the form of Gold Records, Platinum Records, citations, trophy's, plaques and any other kind of award a human being can be given are tucked here and there throughout Graceland.

Elvis enjoyed playing racquetball and had a court built on the property.  In addition to the court itself  was a sitting room so that friends could watch the game being played.  This room now holds many of his awards.

Elvis played this piano and sang in the morning of the day of his death.

 

4/21/2014 Graceland - The Home

(Memphis, TN)

Since we were within walking distance of Graceland, all parts of it, we decided to take that in first.

As you go through the turnstiles to get to the bus you had to stop to get your picture taken in front of this.


Yes, you read that right, we had to pay for our tour tickets on one side of Elvis Presley Boulevard and get on a shuttle bus and be driven across the street to the actual home.


Everyone was given headphones and a little black doohickey thing to hang around our necks and at appropriate time we pushed a series of numbers to hear a pre-recorded explanation of what we were seeing.

This is the formal living room with grand piano music room beyond.

A sixteen foot long sofa.


Stairway up to the private quarters.


Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in a two room house.  His twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn and the Presley’s didn’t know they were having twins. 

The Presley’s moved to Memphis when Elvis was a young boy.  When he turned twelve years old he was taken to the local general store and told by his mother to pick something out for his birthday.  His first choice was too expensive so he settled for a guitar.  He went to the local radio station and asked the musicians there to teach him how to play it.

When his career first started taking off he bought a $40,000 home in Memphis and at first the neighbors thought it was kind of fun having a celebrity in their midst.  However, that novelty soon wore off and they got tired of the news people and constant fans hanging about waiting for a glimpse of Elvis.

He gave his parents $100.000 and asked them to find a farm type house with a  bit of land and they found Graceland.  It was a 13.8 acre parcel.  In 1940 the mansion was built by the owner at that time.  Now the home is a good size, it is after all, 23 rooms, with 8 bedrooms and baths.  That said,I expected a much grander home, something palatial, and quite frankly, it isn’t.  Perhaps it seems small, if you will, because we didn’t get to see all the rooms but only a half dozen or so and then only from the doorway.

A guest room on the first floor.

The formal dining room.




The kitchen.  Take note of the 70’s Harvest Gold refrigerator.



The famous Jungle Room.  That green carpet is everywhere, including the ceiling.






A chair fit for a king.

Did you know that Elvis wasn’t one to drink?  He didn’t like the taste of alcohol and was a Pepsi drinker!

The TV Room.  He always had three TV’s on at the same time.


This room has a mirrored ceiling.

This is the game room.


There are 400 yards of pleated fabric on the walls and ceiling of this room.


This is what we were allowed to view in the home itself.  I hope you enjoyed the tour.

4/21/2014 Mystery Solved!

Before I get started on our latest adventure I have something I want to follow up on from yesterday.  I told you about me mentioning to Bob that we had a blog reader in Russellville, Arkansas, where we were driving through, and just minutes later a car came up on us and the people in it waved to us.  We both wondered if that was our reader Debbie.  Well, we’ve come to find out it wasn’t Debbie but it ….well, I’ll let you read what we received for yourselves.

Hi Snookie & Bob,
  
You have more readers of your blog than you know about. I have been following you since you began your adventure. I told my wife as we left Russellville to go to West Memphis for Easter with her folks to watch for Snookie & Bob. I felt you might have spent the night close to Fort Smith because you only like to drive until about 2 in the afternoon if I remembered right. And right after I said that I saw the Texas plate on a Mobile Suite. As we pulled up beside you I saw the beast and Bob. So we were the crazy couple waving at you right out of Russellville. Sorry if we startled you. By the way, I have a sister named Debbie and I told her about your blog several years ago. Don't know if she is the Deb from Russellville, I'll have to ask her if she's been following your blog. Something else about Russellville - they have an ole time burger & homemade malt place by the interstate that has a butchers case with fresh ground (in the building) hamburger balls stacked in it. When you order they take a fresh ground ball, slap it on the grill and cook it right then. Along with their fresh cut fries and homemade malt you'll think you went to heaven. You come through Russellville again email us and we'll meet you there if we're in town. (We deliver RV's across America and Canada)

Have fun and hope to meet you guys some time on the road.

Dick & Cathy
 
Now how cool is this! Dick & Cathy, we would love to meet you on the road sometime!  Send me another comment with your email address, I won’t publish it, so that I know how to contact you when we get on the road again in the fall.
 
By the way, IS your sister the Debbie I know from Russellville?
 
Thank you so much for contacting us and clearing up that mystery and thanks so much for following along on our journey.

4/19-4/20/14 Elvis, Here We Come!

(On the Road to Memphis)

Got as far as Arkansas on Saturday, Fort Smith I think.  The towns are all becoming a blur.

We got off the road by two which gave me plenty of time to do some laundry and get it dried outside.

We picked out a campground from our Trailer Life book again.  There weren’t many in the area to begin with and we didn’t want to go far off of I-40.  Usually, we’ll check RV Park Reviews if we are going to stay a few days or longer in a particular place.  If we are in travel mode then we’ll pick a Good Sam Park or an Escapee park or even better an Elk or Moose Lodge to stay in if one is available in the area we want.

We saw some rather large windmill farms on the way.

I had been taking in all the green we had been seeing with new leaves on the trees sprouting out and the green grass along the roadways. This is really a welcome sight!  The “yellow” really threw me though.  I wasn’t expecting this.



I was disappointed that Arkansas didn’t have a state line sign out when we crossed over into it.  Here’s the best I could do.


Driving through Arkansas we started seeing signs for Russellville.  Now I know I have a reader, Debbie, from that town and mentioned it to Bob.  Not ten minutes later this car came up on the left and started beeping its horn.  Naturally, we looked over and the two people in the car were waving.  Rather enthusiastically.  Bob and I looked at each and shrugged because we didn’t recognize them or the car.  A few minutes later Bob said, “Do you think that could be the blog reader you told me about?”  I had just been thinking the same thing when he spoke it aloud.  So Deb, did you pass us on I-40 and wave?

We passed this church and both remarked what a pretty church it is.  It sure was crowded too, being Easter Sunday and all.


How’s this for an off ramp sign?


Crossing over the Mississippi.

Ahhhh,,,,Tennessee!


We found the RV park we’re going to be in the for next few days.  Memphis-Graceland RV Park.  We’re on Blue Suede Lane.

Everything here is ELVIS!