Graceland & Memphis, TN July 4th, 2009

Melanie is fascinated with signs, so here are a couple she took pictures of in Memphis, on our July 4th visit to Memphis and Graceland.

Since it was the 4th of July, we thought it might be appropraite to pay tribute to Elvis, who did serve in the US Army in Germany, by putting on a link to his "American Trilogy" performed in 1973. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpM3pQDezrU

Also, a little search of the rumored Elvis / Mormon connection yielded this little tidbit of information from Alan Osmond that some of you may find interesting. Fact . . . or Mormon Folk Lore ? http://elvisbofm.com/

Melanie at the Private Elvis portion of the Graceland Museum. Inducted at age 21 in 1958, served in an Armored Cav unit in Germany.

More Graceland & National Civil Rights Museum

At Graceland, in the meditation garden and private cemetery, are buried Elvis, his parents, his paternal Grandmother and his twin brother, Jessie Gabon Presley. who was still born, (supposedly) According to the debut novel by New York Times writer Steve Carlson entitled "Almost Graceland" . . . well you'll have to read it to see the premise, but it is a book that "explores the power of loss and redemption in a moving portrait of Elvis at the end of his life".

After Graceland we visited the National Civil Rights Museum at the old Lorraine Hotel, the site of the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968. This museum tells the history of the civil rights movement in the USA and the world. While purchasing our tickets, Melanie handed the girl working at the ticket office her ID and credit card. The girl exclaimed, "You're Melanie Gray ?" Melanie said "Yes, why?" She girl replied, "I'm Melanie Gray too !" Melanie said show me your ID and sure enough, there were two Melanie Gray's looking at each other face-to-face. Couldn't pass up an opportunity to take a picture of that in front of the wall at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Leaving Memphis - 2009

On the corner of Beale Street and Second Avenue, just west of BB King's place was this poster advertising the Cochran Firm. We took this photo for Jared.

In Germantown, TN, a suburb of Memphis, while stopped at a stop light at the corner of Germantown Road and Farmington Ave, we were rear ended, not once, but twice by a lady from Illinois. Guess we should have called the Cochran Firm to bolster our retirement fund, but instead we called Hertz and the Germantown police.