Memphis -- The Third Day

It's Wednesday.

We had planned get up early for the 7:30 a.m. Flat Elvis Ceremony. What happened? It was 8 a.m. before we got up. Sandi had a spitting headache.

The air conditioner was nice and cool after yesterday's beating sun. It was 62 degrees this morning inside the Casita.

We were still in the disaster recovery mode. I pulled up the plastic carpet runner and put it outside. Sandi purchased a fan, and we pointed it toward the wet carpet. Hope it works.

Meanwhile, it's hot. So we had lunch. It was microwaved! Just too hot to cook. I noticed that the temperature has been creeping up all day. It's 2 p.m., the air conditionser is straining. The inside temperture shows 83 degrees. At least we have a fan!

It's too hot for shorts and short sleeves. I'm changing into jeans. I have my wide-brimmed Indiana Jones hat. It's 100 Plus! I'm going out. (Mike Goode said that people have died in Memphis. I believe it!) Someone in this RV park was taken to the hospital.

On the way up to the Plaza, we stopped in at the Heart Break Hotel. The shops in the lobby were so full of fans I could not get in. I walked to the dining room. Everyone was seated watching an Elvis Las Vega$ performance. No one was talking! The hotel's menu still has the famous peanut butter and banana sandwiches. They are grilled in butter on Texas toast. Wow! Heart attack!

We walked up the hill and found the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales were also Elvis fans! These horses are celebrities. Their handlers had fans on their shaded stables. Armed guards were standing nearby. Sandi got to pet one. They had just sprayed them with water to keep them cool.

We walked on up to the Plaza Annex. While I got some fake "Elvis" shots, Sandi ducked into a shop. In a moment, she ran out and asked me to step inside. Famous Elvis Photographer Albert Wertheimer was about to start signing autographs. First some history: All of those old Elvis photos you are familiar with were shot by Wertheimer. He was a snot-nosed photog when the RCA publicity department gave him the assignment to follow the the "unknown" Elivs around for a while. Wertheimer rode with Elvis on a train back to Memphis. He caught images of Elvis in a concert, interacting with fans, sitting around on a train. He shot the famous kissing shot of Elvis with an unknown fan just before he went on stage.

We had to purchase a $71 Wertheimer photo book to get his signature. He was very nice and even got Sandi's picture.

Then we went to the ice cream store. While eating two ladies from British Columbia, Canada, asked to sit down. We spent the entire time talking about Elvis. What a hoot!

As we walked back to the Casita at 4:30 p.m. we noticed that fans had begun to line up for the Candlelight Vigil -- in 100-plus heat. Police and medical personal were everywhere. About 7 p.m. police will block off Elvis Presley Boulevard. After sunset, a ceremony will occur at the Meditation Garden. Then a flame which was lit from the Eternal Flame at Elvis' grave will come down the hill. Then fans will be given a candle. A long line of fans with candles will march up the hill and around the graves and come back. The lines should last well into the night.

We are waiting in the Casita for night.

We were please when we got back to the trailer. The temperature had fallen to 73 degrees. We think it was because we turned off the exhaust fan in the bathroom. With the door close, the bathroom heated up. We thought the exhaust fan would alleviate that. It did. We think the fan pulled in outside air also. Right now, we are pleased to just have the inside air being recirculated. Also the carpet is getting dry! The fan seems to be working.

We're going to listen to Sirius Satellite Radio's Elvis Channel until after dark. One thing that is working great! It's the solar panel. The battery is fully charged!

I've decided to post the blog now and then make updates later.

More coming .....