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Voices: Winky from Seattle, Our Trip to Memphis.
Written by Seattle - Winky
I’ve divided our recent trip into two different blogs – one on the Magpies and one on our trip to Memphis. photos of Graceland Too near Memphis. This is about Graceland Too. My husband and went 3,700 miles across the southern belt of the US this past spring, stopping in Memphis, Nashville, Baltimore and Boston on our way to Vermont. The city I loved the most was Memphis. So this blog tells you the road to from Oklahoma City to Memphis, with our magical driver and navigator David.
Backtracking- we left oklahoma city by 7:15am and put another 11-12 hours in the car to get to Memphis that evening by dinner time. along the way we stopped at random as the whim struck us. First was “okemah” where, no joke, the boys pulled off the highway (still route 40) because they had been making fun of the name then decided it is not fair to do that and not actually check out the town. so off we veer.
who knew? we sure didn’t. but Okemah is Woody Guthrie’s hometown. The sky was crystal blue and enormous. the clouds were scattered but puffy. the buildings were red brick and mostly abandoned. we stopped by the hardware store on main street to take some photos and David strikes up a conversation with Ron who is in charge of the town basically- head of the chamber of commerce. the historical society, the boys and girls club, the fire department…you get the picture. he knows Arlo and he unlocks the museum for us so we can see all the archives on Woody and also on the pioneer life around here. (there was also a super scary tucked away section with militia displays and swastikas and we did not linger there or ask about it, can i say). We walked and drove and chatted and photographed and did not want to leave. there is a woody guthrie festival and “pioneer days” in okemah. one day we will come back in an RV and do it all.
we stopped and gassed up and stretched after that all the way to little rock. we were on a mission to find the central high school that was the site for the little rock nine who integrated the high school in 1957. we found it and the modest museum alongside it. it is a huge imposing and beautiful building. it housed 2500 students in the 50s and is still a school today. the primary source black and white media was really compelling.
also amazing was our lunch at adam’s in spitting distance of the capitol (hello bill clinton). they serve two things- fried catfish and fried chicken with hush puppies and cole slaw… that’s it. oh wait- and peach pie patties for dessert. we could not believe how delicious they were. (at this point i think of my pal cautioning me about getting out of the car in NH “fat and stiff” and she is totally correct. but what can you do? as our down home memphis guide says “diet when you get home”)
the good news is we got to go for our first run in memphis the next morning because we woke up and were actually not leaving that very day. seemed like such a treat as did our HUGE hotel room for $89 a night. we were across the street from the super fancy hotel peabody, right in downtown. loved our location.
the time and encounters in memphis all blur but what really stands out is how incredibly and genuinely friendly people were. i suddenly understand why people say seattle folks are unfriendly. have never really thought so but in contrast to the folks in memphis? yeah. it’s true. here you cannot be sitting in a restaurant, pumping gas, strolling the street, or waiting in line at a museum(or recording studio, as the case may be) without someone striking up a conversation with you. “where y’all from?” the ultimate experience was on our last night. david had gone off to bed but peter and i were having dessert in a place right by our hotel. there was the mom dad and junior. junior was in his late 30s maybe? we were the only folks left in the place as it was kind of late and oh yes- it was another local couple who had overheard us and directed us into the restaurant and hugged the owner and asked that he stay open to get us dessert.
so there we are. some sort of decadent bread pudding thing (see “fat and stiff” above) but here comes maureen- the mom- asking me about my bangles and where y’all from and how did you get here and you kidding you drove here from LA? and the next thing i know she has taken off her gold bangle, completely encrusted in sparkles, and is insisting that i add it to my collection. i had no intention of doing so but i REALLY had no intention of doing so when junior mouths to me when mom is not looking that those are real diamonds and he should know because he gave it to her…after thanks and hugs and oh but no you must keep it, peter and i extricated ourselves and left for the hotel. we were half a block away when here comes junior, at a dead run, to say i HAVE to take the bracelet it will bring them bad luck if i don’t and mom insists. yikes! i told him not to tell her i did not take it and see how she felt in the morning.
we have the photos to prove it.
and i have to stop here without telling the truly MOST amazing story of all- because words fail and i think even the photos might too. we drove 5 hours into mississippi and back to check out “graceland too” in holly springs. met paul mcleod, age 70, completely elvis obsessed since age 13, in his indescribable ante bellum mansion dedicated 10000% to elvis, floors walls and ceilings. peter, david and i laughed and shuddered about it nonstop for the entire rest of our time together. a truly out of body experience. See pictures below
there is more- the soul arresting view of the lorraine hotel balcony where MLK was assassinated, being there after reverend hooks had died and was having his funeral with thousands in attendance, finishing BBQ at payne’s on lamar street as his funeral procession went past- for miles and miles- then being in elmwood cementery that afternoon right after he had been interred- NCAAP flowers and the dirt still fresh.
memphis is struggling but it is magical. we cannot wait to go back. Anyway- before we even went to graceland too and met Paul Mcleod, Peter and i went to a hole in the wall music place the night before called i think the hi tone. and playing there were the Magpies — see separate blog. The place was tiny, the sound was deafening, the musicianship was incredible…and there were about 10 people in the audience. and all 8 (excluding peter and me ) must have been musicians. so the attention paid was as rapt and and as focused as i have ever seen in a concert of any size. they were watching fingers, chords, riffs…you name it. very cool. I know nothing about any of that but i liked what i heard. there was a keyboard guy- young, 20s, flying curly hair (okay, kinda cute too) who did the rockabilly piano thing that i associate with jerry lee. Peter and i started to leave in the middle of a very loud song and their manager came right up to me. he wordlessly held up two of their CDs. i held up a 20 dollar bill and with mutual thumbs up i walked out with both of them. My favour line that stood out: “why should i give you diamonds when i get your kisses for free?” But I told you that already.
And I promise a blog about Nashville next and the music.
Winky
Photos of Graceland Too: We did not go to Graceland. We went to “graceland too”, 30 miles across the border in Holly Springs, Mississippi. that place is truly the definition of “words fail”. what is amazing is that photos fail too. it is an indescribable experience. Google it- just for a taste!
Winky