I suppose a lot of kids don’t look forward to family
vacations. But when I was a kid, as long
as we were going somewhere that I could swim, you weren't gonna hear any
complaints.
My dad was the treasurer for a brick and block company for
many years. He used to have to
coordinate his vacation time with the slower season at the plant, so that
usually meant our vacation was in March.
Living in Ohio , the thought of escaping
the snow and lying on the beach in the Florida
sun wasn't exactly bad news.
One year when I was a teenager, Dad threw us a curve. He wanted to go to Memphis instead. My first question…are we going to Graceland ? His
answer…of course! My response…do we
really have to wait until March?? LOL Being a huge fan of Elvis, I couldn't believe that I hadn't come up with this vacation destination myself.
When we arrived at Graceland ,
the fan frenzy left me almost speechless!
Each line for tickets was running over with people. And even more were roaming around waiting for
their turn on the shuttle that would take them to the front door of the mansion. People were literally shoulder to shoulder,
and it was difficult to make a few steps either direction. Even though Elvis had been gone for probably
10 years at the time, you could see his memory and his fan’s dedication lived
on…and still does by the way.
While I waited for Dad to get our tickets, I started trying
to make my way through the crowd to look at all the memorabilia they had for
sale. Anything from key chains to
posters to mugs to cassette tapes and 8 tracks, etc, etc, etc. (Yes, I said cassette tapes and 8 tracks. I realize I just aged myself, but alas it was
the technology of the time.) I found an awesome poster of Elvis in one of his
white stage jumpsuits. I HAD to get that
for my sister. She put it in a frame and
it hangs in her bedroom to this day! God
love her husband for putting up with it. J
Dad finally emerged with our tickets and much to my delight,
explained that Elvis’ custom jet, the “Lisa Marie,” was sitting close by and
you could take a tour through it, as well as Graceland . So, off we went.
It was so exciting to walk through the plane. The thought that Elvis had once been where I
was now walking….very cool. And, I found
it very sweet that he named the plane after his daughter. It was said that he spent over $800,000
remodeling the plane. Somehow I believe
that since there were gold-plated seat belts, suede seats and gold-flecked
sinks! To say it was extravagant would
be the understatement of the year. But I
guess I look at it this way…he came from such humble beginnings. He had forged a path to super-stardom, so why
not enjoy the luxuries that he had worked so hard for!
I remember thinking that other than the color scheme and design
chosen (a lot of white with gold and blue accents) the living room could have
been anyone’s living room. It wasn't huge. It had your normal sofa, coffee
table, and end tables w/ lamps. Pretty
normal except I somehow can’t see my mom choosing to put bold-colored stained
glass in between the banisters leading into our dining room. J
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting; perhaps massive
rooms with cathedral ceilings, spotlights, etc.
But this was a “home” in every sense of the word. Other than the luxuries that his wealth
afforded him….it was a simple, southern home. It was the antithesis of his
rock star existence. I can see how he would have been able to relax and recharge in that environment.
Our tour guide explained that the upstairs was off limits because
Elvis’ aunt still lived there and that was her quarters. Can you imagine thousands of people stomping
through your house everyday? I was
hoping she would come downstairs while we were there, but she didn't. I do believe I caught a glimpse of her,
though…..read on and you’ll see what I mean.
As we moved outside, I excitedly discovered that some of
Elvis’ cars had been put on display. They
actually let you sit in the pink jeep. As
you can see below, I couldn't let that opportunity pass me by! Oh…….remember the aunt who lived
upstairs? While we were walking around
outside, I suddenly felt like someone was looking at me. I looked over my left shoulder, toward the
house, and up at an upstairs window.
Someone, I assume his aunt, was peaking out of the curtains. When she saw me look, she closed them. If I said that didn’t raise the hairs on my
arms, I’d be lying!
On our way out, we walked through Meditation Garden
“He was a precious gift from God we
cherished and loved dearly. He had a
God-given talent that he shared with the world.”
Copyright ©2012 Alicia's View On All Things Music All rights reserved
Copyright ©2012 Music Central All rights reserved
...not having been to Memphis or Graceland, I thank you for the tour.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome :) It was awesome, and after writing this blog I've decided that was too many years ago. Time to go back! :)
ReplyDelete