We go to Branson for some foot stompin'

For all of you who think that Foot Stompin' is dead, I say you haven't been to Branson, MO.

Yes! Foot Stompin' is very much alive in this little Ozark town of 6,000 happy souls. Country show places line a three-mile stretch of Highway 76 going west out of Branson. They call it The Strip. The highway rides along the crest of a hill, overlooking restaurants and hotels.

In years past, we always saw The Andy Williams Show at the Moon River Theatre. This year we decided to go country and gospel. The country show was The Pressleys. No relation to Elvis. But this show was the show that started it all in Branson. It is still going after 30 years.

Otherwise, what can I say. It was all country and corn-pone humor. No big names...just the family!

Again this year, we stayed at our Wyndam Resorts Time Share. It was called Branson at the Falls. It was very confortable and not far off of The Strip.

One thing that Branson is famous for is the dining. We chose a local restaurant the first night. On the second night we dined at Ruby Tuesday's. The rest of the time we took in the sights.

We have come to love the old downtown Branson. The town is situated on the bend of an Ozark river which we have never learned the name. We were surpirsed that a new Hilton Hotel was built since our last stay. Also they built a new shopping center and a full scale railroad that takes visitor around the Ozark Mountains.

The old downtown is still there and seemed to be busier than ever.

The second event we saw was a comedy gospel show. It was a family act. They were good, too.

The drive to and from Branson is one of the best parts. Nothing like The Ozarks.

We go to the State Fair of Texas

I had to wait three weeks for our schedules to allow us to go.

My print, Veracruz Dancers, won second place at the State Fair of Texas in the photojournalism category.

It was hanging behind a glass case in the Arts & Crafts center at the State Fair.

Meanwhile, I am thinking about going semi-pro. I submitted some photos only on a website where photographers can display and sell their photos. I got a nice phone call from the agent who asked me if anyone else was acting as my agent. They wanted to market my images!

The other day, I broke out my Muvee software and created two "shows". I uploaded two versions to YouTube.com and you can now click on the link at top left to see my YouTube trip to Las Vega$.

I entered a photo in the Plano Photo Club photojournalism photo contest and won honorable mention for one of the print.

The other print got a score of 11, which placed it just outside of HM.

The HM image was of a potter I photographed at a market in Croyden, south of London England. I named it English Pottery.

It was shot with my old Nikon CoolPix 5700, 5.1 megapixel camera.

The other picture, I named Protected Music. I found this image while walking on Burbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Several kookey Zydeco players were playing in the middle of the street. The dog seem to be protecting the musical instruments from all "threats".

Our New Cat: The Hunter

That's right! His name is The Hunter.

A co-worker of Sandi had to find a new home for The Hunter. He arrived two weeks ago last Tuesday. After a quick trip to the vet, I brought Hunter home and turned him out.

Immediately, our boy cat, Frankie, went to the protect mode. There were two days of hissing and spitting and growling. Then all of a sudden, they started acting like old friends. Our girl cat, Ellie, reluctantly accepted The Hunter, too.

Here are pictures of Hunter. He's a white cat with a tabby tail and tabby markings on his face. He has black pads on his feet.

Images show Hunter hiding behind the day bed on the first day (above left). Hunter getting his first bowl of tuna (middle right). Frankie in the "predator mode" (below right).

Hunter has a very nice disposition. He comes in and sleeps between my legs at night. His purr is soft. He also sits on the back of the couch in the evening when we watch TV.

Veracruz Dancers: Wins 2nd Place at State Fair

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Perhaps a little boasting is in order.

For the past two years, I have been submitting prints to the State Fair of Texas Photo Contest. I have won a ribbon every year.


This year I won 2nd Place for my print entitled, Veracruz Dancers. (See image at the top left of the blog.) It is a picture of two dancers in a troupe dancing to the music of Mexico. These dancers were wearing the costumes of Veracruz State. After I looked at the images on my computer I realized right away it may be contest grade. So I submitted it to the State Fair in the Adult Division. The category was People. The contest's theme is images from Texas.

I shot it with my Nikon D200, using a 18-70mm Nikkor DX lens.

The print was mounted on a grey cardboard. It will be displayed with a red ribbon behind a showcase in the Arts and Craft Building. The building is behind the Cotton Bowl.

I submitted a second image in the Floral Category. It won 10th place. It will not be displayed. The title of that print is Rose Swirl (top right). It is a simple image of a 'American Veteran' rose in my back garden. That day I noticed the rose bloom was almost perfect in that it was not fully opened. It looked like a red vortex of petals. One tiny tear drop of dew was on the rose. We planted the rose in 2001 to remember September 11. The tear drop seed to convey sadness for the victims of the tragedy of 9/11.

This year's wins add to the 3rd Place finish in 2006 for A Mature Tulip (above left) and Honorable Mention for My Friend Bill (see below). Earlier in 2006 Star Burst (bottom right) won 3rd Place in the Dallas Master Gardeners Photo Contest.


I had set up a meeting with Bill at Starbucks in Carrollton. He was seated and sipping coffee when I got there. I brought in my D200 sat it down and ordered coffee. While we talked, I snapped the picture that won Honorable Mention in the People Category.


A Mature Tulip was shot at the Dallas Arboretum. It was the Dallas Blooms celebration it holds every year. This was March or April 2006. I noticed one tulip was older and had opened. It seemed to have the elements of good composition. So I snapped it with my then new Nikon D200. I was sitting on a tripod because the tulip was in deep shade. It captured the subtle pastel of the tulip.




Rio Samba did not win any awards. It was published in the Plano Insider newspaper in May 2006. I submitted Rio Samba and several over prints to the editor of the newpaper for a feature article on the Collin County Rose Society's annual garden tour. I thought one of the gardens submitted by another photographer would be use. Even then I thought the image would go on an inside page. I was shocked to see it on the front page with my name as the photographer. A neighbor noticed it and asked me about it.


Star Burst was a shot using a flash. I don't really like flash as lighting. However, flash will help freeze a close up image. So when I submitted images to the Dallas Master Gardeners Photo Contest I looked for images with natural lighting and pastel colors. I had two good images that I liked, but the contest allowed three entires. I decided to submit Star Burst anyway. Oddly, the first and secon place winners were images using artificial lighting, too. The Master Gardeners invited me to their presentation meeting. They had a slide show of every entry. I was presented with a certificate and a prize. It was a very good day.

Labor Day at Glen Rose

It's Monday, Sept. 3

The pictures from top to bottom are CliftTex Cinema, Thompson Gallery, our egg home, and Sandi in the galley. Left click on the images to see a larger view.

Labor Day was very cool and relaxed. We got up after a very relaxing night. After breakfast and lunch we decided to drive down to Clifton. My cousin, L.A. Thompson, is rumored to be running a fine art gallery there. I had prepared a map using AAA Texas' mapping service, but we took the wrong turn before getting out of Glen Rose. To make a long story short, we drove 150 miles out of our way. Actually, it was a very nice diversion. The terrain was very hilly. A juniper and live oak forest covered the hill sides. Dotted amoung the trees and grassy valleys were quaint ranches and ranch houses.

We arrived in the Bosque County town of Clifton at about 2:30 p.m. So where is the gallery? The town's population was 3,671. We thought it would be easy to find an art gallery in such a small town. NOT! We stopped on the highway at a Shell gas station. The people there did not know that there was an art gallery in Bosque County. Finally, we found someone who thought there "might be" a gallery downtown.

"Jest take ah left at the red light. It's easy to find," she said.

She was right. No problem finding the red light. It was no problem finding the downtown either. This town is the poster kid for The Last Picture Show! The picture show incidently appeared to be still going strong. It was called the CliftTex Theatre. A sign said it was opened in 1916. Rush Hour was showing...maybe it will be showing next week. I don't know.

We kept looking for "the gallery". Finally, we found a gallery. We milled about in front only to determine it was closed. We walked down the street to find another gallery. This time we found it. A sign said, "Thompson Gallery". It was also closed! We called the number on the door. No answer. We left a message. We think she lived on the second floor. Perhaps she looked out the window, saw us, and decided to be "not at home". LOL!

On the way out of town, we stopped at the local Dairy Queen for a ice cream cone and a hot fudge sundae. Sad to say, Dairy Queen no longer tops their sundaes with a cherry. Bummer!

We drove back to Glen Rose, taking the short cut. It began raining when we got to the Casita. I snapped a picture of our "egg home" just before the rain.

Labor Day at Glen Rose

It's Sunday, Sept. 2

We got up before 8 a.m. It was a very pleasant night in the Casita. While Sandi dressed, I walked around Tres Rios again. The sun was right and I managed to capture an image of the confluence of the Brazos and Paluxy rivers.

It was afternoon before we got out. We drove over to Granbury. This time we walked around the old town square and visit the curio shops. The shops have expanded to the streets adjacent to the square since we have been here last.

The town was inandated by a motocycle gang. They billed themselves as a Christian MC gang. However, I noticed several motorcycle "preachers" were preaching to nobody. Nearby a group of bikers were shining their gleeming, chrome bikes or bliping their loud engines. In another 100 years, it will be an Islamic Motorcycle Gang. A motorcycle imam will be giving Quo'ran lessons.

We decided to get an ice cream cone. When started to leave, it was raining. So we ordered a meal. It was 5 p.m. by the time we finished eating. We drove back to Tres Rios in the rain. I think tomorrow we will drive to Clifton or West.

Labor Day at Glen Rose

It's Saturday, Sept. 1

Click on the images to get a larger view. The images are Somervell Courthouse, upper right; confluence of the Brazos and Paluxy rivers , bottom right; and dinosaur track, bottom left.

We got up at 8:30 a.m. and had a leisurly breakfast. The Casita was comfortable and cool. I set up the Casita's awning, although we are in partial shade from a huge elm tree.



I walked around the park and observed the three rivers -- actually it is two rivers and a creek. LOL! This is a beautiful setting for an RV resort. It's a pity that it is so remote and under utilized.




One of nature's wonders is where one river joins another. The Paluxy River empties into the Brazos River at the southeast corner of Tres Rios Resort. I have an image to document this natural wonder. (See photo.)



I wandered around the park while Sandi dressed. It was cool and the park showed signs of a recent rain. I hope it don't rain again; but again, perhaps it would cool things off a bit.

We stayed in Casita until noon. We had lunch inside. We carry enough food for every meal inside, but sometimes eat out. Tonight we will go into Granbury and see a live theatre performance based on the country singer Patsy's Cline's early years.


We drove into Glen Rose to go to -- yes you guessed it -- the nearest Dollar General store. LOL Sandi cannot pass up a DG! LOL. Then we went to a supermarket. The rest of the afternoon was in downtown Glen Rose. Get this picture. Glen Rose is the county seat of Somervell County. The old limestone courthouse, which is typical of Texas-style county seats, occupies the center of the square. (See picture.)


There was one bright note. Where 20 years ago there were empty buildings, the quaint curio shops have moved in. All of the town's businesses have moved to the highway. Besides ranching, the town's economy is princapally the Commanche Peak Nuclear power generating plant run by TXU utilities. Before 911, this facility was open to tours.


We visited the Somervell County museum and had a nice conversation with the docent. She was young, but reasonably knowledgeable of the county's history. One disppointment was the dinosaur tracks exhibit were close for renovations. Bummer! However outside and on the town square there are other incidental exhibits of large three-toed dinosaur tracks. (See pictures.)


I can only imagine what it was like when Somervell County was overrun by big, lumbering three-toed beasts! The best site for dinosaur tracks is Dinosaur Valley State Park. To see an internet site CLICK HERE. Go here to see a video CLICK HERE.


We cut our stroll around Glen Rose short when we noticed a dark rain cloud coming. Before we got to Tres Rios, the cloud turned into a heavy down pour with wind, thunder, and lightening. Luckily, we got back in time to save our awning! After the rain, the park was left standing in pools of water, which were still draining the next day. Mushrooms sprang up everywhere.

Sandi cooked dinner. Later we dressed up and and went to Granbury, which is about 15 miles away. They have an od restored opra house on the town square. Sandi and I love live theatre. Every seat in this house was nice. We got fourth row center seats. Get this! The play was written by a member of the old Waltons TV show cast. Her name was Judy Norton. She was Mary Ellen on the Walton series. The internet notes that she posed nude for Playboy back in 1985. Hmmmm! She wrote the play with a five-piece country band and a four-woman singing ensemble. Of course, there was only one Patsy Cline. No one can sing as well. These ladies did a very good job. We thoroughly enjoyed it!

On the drive back to Tres Rios, we ran into fog ... in September! Quite incredible!

Labor Day at Glen Rose

It's Friday, Aug. 31st

So we've decided to spend our Labor Day at Glen Rose, Texas, and the beautiful Tres Rios RV River Ranch Resort. Tres Rios means Three Rivers in Spanish.

Not going to New Mexico is unusual for us. We really enjoy Ruidoso, but we could not find an RV campground. They were all booked up! We had changed our plans about Yellowstone NP. It's the fuel cost. Ruidoso was our second choice.

Sandi got off of work at 3 p.m. Loaded up and drove over to the storage site. Our Casita had a minor repair. The plastic hose that connected the shower head to the sink, sprung a leak. I had repaired it with a new hose, but it was stiff and a bit longer. I think this will be a minor irritation.

We hooked up and started out to face the hated Dallas traffic. Now get this! Glen Rose is only 88 miles from our home. That should take perhaps an hour and a half. Right? Wrong! It takes one hour to drive out of Dallas!

We left the storage lot at 4:40 p.m. and arrived at 7:20 p.m. One hour was drving 20 m.p.h to 30 m.p.h. in Dallas.

Upon arriving at Tres Rios, we were surprised! The park was full. Get this! We called for reservations and were informed that it's first-come-first-serve. They tried and failed to park us on the end of a row. I refused to accept what I consider a substandard spot. I eventually got a simi-shaded spot between two BIG RIGS. Oh well, such is the life of a Casita owner.

Our neighbors were very nice. They talked to use while we set up. They were a family of five from Stephenville which is about 50 miles away.

The image at top right is our Casita. The Brazos River is top left. The Paluxy River is bottom right. Squaw Creek running into the Paluxy is botton left. Click on the images to get a larger view.

The Brazos is a Spanish word meaning arms. The original Spanish name for this river is the arms of God, Los Brazos de Dios. It was so named because a Spanish explorer, near death from thirst found the river and was saved. He proclaimed that he was saved by The Arms of God. So he named the river Los Brazos de Dios! The river flowes southeastward across Texas into the Gulf of Mexico. It begins at the edge of the Llano Estacado near Lubbock, Texas.

The Paluxy is famous for being the river of dinosaur tracks. Some traks from the Paluxy are display at the Museum of Natural History in New York. In fact, Dinosaur Valley State Park is just a few miles up river. When the Paluxy is low, large dinasaur tracks are revieled in the riverbed. There won't be any tracks visible this year because of the recent rains. However, Somervell County residents find dinosaur tracks in many places, chisel them out of the rocks, and display around the town of Glen Rose.

Tomorrow we will go into Glen Rose and drive over to Granbury for live theatre.

Memphis -- The Sixth Day

It's Saturday

(Left click on the pictures for a larger image.)

Today is much cooler. Clouds are building. It may rain. You can left click on the images to get a larger view.

We went to Tupelo, Elvis' birthplace. The fact that the fans have preserved The King's actual birth home, which is nothing more than a shack in a part of town referred to as "across the tracks", quite a tribute.

It's 90 plus miles from Graceland to Tupelo. It seems so ironic, he passed on only 90 miles from his birth place. Fans not only preserved his birthplace, they built a chapel and a museum, and erected a statue to the 12-year-old Elvis.

The museum is very nice. It centers in on Elvis' Tupelo years, and how the family lived. Bet you did not know that Elvis' father, Vernon, was sent to prison for forging a $4 check? That's right! The incident probably led to Elvis, his mother Gladys, and his father moving to Memphis.

We stopped by Elvis' church for a quick picture. Later we visited Tupelo Hardware Co. The story goes that Elvis wanted a hunting rifle. Gladys purchased a guitar for $7. An "X" on the floor marks the spot where Elvis received the "magical" guitar. If $7 was an investment, then what a return on investment that was!

We we arrived at the hardware store at 12:20 p.m. The sign on the door said it closed at noon. As we started to walk away, a grey-haired man stepped out and said, "Y'all come on in. We'll stay open fer ya." I'm glad he did. When we walked inside there were at least 20 people hearing the story of Gladys, Elvis, and the "magical" guitar from a store guide.

I noticed that the visitors were reverent in respect to the "X" on the floor. (See picture.)

The store guide was into telling yarns, too. "Last week Prince Albert of Monico flew in. He was standing on the "X" when I told him what it was. He immediately stepped back. I told him, 'Prince, if you step on that "X" too long, your lip will curl'. He laughed and stepped up to stand on it." The visitors laughed.

The hardware store was selling souvenirs, too. Each with an inscription, "Tupelo Hardware. Where Gladys bought her son his first guitar."

"We can't say Elvis, because it is copyrighted," the store guide said.

I purchased a harmonica (I'm practicing), a post card, and a key chain shaped like a guitar -- all with the inscription.

Sandi walked across the street and purchased a handbag with a picture of the 1957 Elvis Tupelo reunion. He returned to Tupelo and performed at the fair. That arena has since been razed. Another Elvis moment lost.

On the way back to Memphis, we ran into two rain storms. We were glad! After we returned it rained again. The heat has been broken.

We will be returning to Texas tomorrow. It looks like the water problem has gone away. The propane detector finally started working.

Memphis -- The Fifth Day

It's Friday.



First, thanks for the responses and comments. The water problem in the Casita is all but gone. Perhaps there may be some water behind the cabinets or under the seats. I will have to unload everything when we get back. Right now, the carpet is dry every where we can see. I gave up on getting the propane detector to operate. (Oh well!)

We got "home" well past midnight and got up past 8 a.m. The heat wave may be over! The forecast is for only 98 today! Hope there are no more heat related deaths.

When we got to our Casita home last night, we heard on the radio that more miners were killed in Utah! That's very disconcerting!

We've enjoyed the interviews from the old Memphis Mafia on Sirius Satellite Radio. They have been telling some great stories of the days with Elvis on tour and at Graceland. For those who don't remember, the Memphis Mafia was what the men who grew up with Elvis and work for The King during his career was called. They were and are renouned for their loyalty and devotion. They include George Klein who has a regular show on Sirius' Elvis Channel 13. Jerry Schilling who has a new book. Joe Esposito was another old Elvis friend. Dick Grobb was another. Red West was another. All grew up with Elvis in Memphis and remain loyal. Charlie Hodge was another. Hodge sang harmony with Elvis and is now passed on. Larry Geller was another.

Last night, George Klein was being interviewed. He remembered that Elvis would be cracking jokes before a show. About two minutes before the show Elvis would become very quiet, Klein said. He would be thinking about what he was going to do, he remembered. Sometimes Elvis would do something completely different, Klien said. He even put in a new song, he said.

This morning we spent the most time ever in the Casita. We are finding is more and more confortable as we get used to it. It's very quiet at night. The air conditioner is better since I learned how to operate the thermostat control. Ha Ha!

I found a nice out of the way place in a cabinet to put the radio. I want to install an outside antenna for the Sirius Satellite Radio. Incidcently, we have two Sirius receivers -- one in the car and one in the Casita.


We walked to Graceland Plaza to take the "Tour". Sandi got reservations for the 2 o'clock tour months ago. The lines were horrendous. All tours were more than one hour late. That is convenient for them perhaps. Those waiting on the tours were in the curio shops. So we went to the Elvis car museum. This museum featured the pink Cadillac that he gave his mother, who never drove it. It also contains the grape colored Caddy which Elvis drove to a shop, smashed some grapes on the hood and said, "Paint it that color!"

While waiting on the tour, we struck up a conversation with Tina and Alan from Scotland. They had been here since last Saturday and had taken the mansion tour every day! Wow!

Once inside Graceland, I tried to get those little shots with my Nikon D200 that no one else ever gets. I was looking for the little things. So we went through the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, dowstairs to the TV room and the pool room, up stairs to the Jungle Room, out into the Elvis Museum, and outside to the garage, Vernon's office, Elvis' firing range, the back of Graceland, and the Trophy room. Then we saw the racquet ball court where a most magnificent display of gold, platinum, and double platinum records are displayed along with some of his jump suits. The awards in the Racquet Ball Court were what he had received since he died. Then we toured the Meditation Garden for the second time in three days.

While in the garden we met up with four people from Canada who we met two days before at the Alfred Wertheimer book signing. They were Christina, Jenn, Nicole, and Jim. I got photos of Sandi explaining all the details of the Meditation Garden to Jenn.

After boarding the bus and returning to the Plaza, we toured the Elvis Jumpsuit Museum, which was new this year. I remember a Elvis quote on the wall: "If they don't like the songs I'm singing, we can always do a medley of costumes." Ha Ha!

We stopped for ice cream and met two Britishers from Essex. They were Londoners who had moved to Essex, Sandi corrected me. They had wonderful stories about first hearing of Elvis.

In Britain, once the only independent pop music radio was only available from an entreprener who purchased a sea-going vessel and set up a radio station in international waters between England and Denmark. That station was the first experience with Elvis music for many British fans. Another source for the pop-starved Brits was Radio Luxembourg or American Armed Forces Radio.

After touring the mansion, we went up town Memphis again. This time we stopped in at The Pig. This Beale Street restaurant serves barbecue with an attitude. Actually, it is Memphis' famous pulled pork barbecue. Afterward, we walked up and down a very crowded Beale Street and visited all the curio shops.

When on Beale Street we always visit Swabs. I'm not sure what to call Swabs. It's a relic out of the past. It is the old-time store that sells everything and nothing in particular. I'm not sure how it stays in business, but it is fun to see.

It was after midnight when we got back to the Casita.

Memphis -- The Elvis Concert

It's Thursday.

It continues to be hot in Memphis. On Wednesday, we stepped out of our Casita to find the police in the RV park. We thought someone had been overcome by the heat. But today we heard someone died. This is what the Memphis Commercial-Appeal newspaper said:

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The searing summer temperatures contributed to the deaths of seven other people, including a New Jersey woman in Memphis for Elvis Week who died Wednesday in a tent behind the Heartbreak Hotel.

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So someone did die! Perhaps it was an Elvis fan who ironically died on The Kings death day. The forecast is for milder temperatures on Friday.

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We got up late after coming in a 5 a.m. from the vigil. We ate breakfast/lunch and sat around listening to Sirius Satellite radio. At 5 p.m. we dressed and drove downtown for the Elvis Concert.

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We paid $93 for tickets and were seated on the ground floor. Not bad seats except for the lady in front of me who held her camera up over her head. I watched much of the concert through her viewfiender! Finally, a man got up and told her to put it down! She did for a short while. Another example of the entitlement generation and their self centered attitudes!

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The concert is at the FedExForum. It's a nice arena. The concert was a conbination of a large screen video of Elvis singing with live performers. The live performers for the most part of Elvis' old TCB Band or the combo that accompanied him in the early days.

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The show was a mix of 1970's, 1960's, and 1950's Elvis music. I enjoyed the 1950's music with old scenes from the Milton Berle Show and the Ed Sullivan Show.

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The best part of the concert (my opinion -- not Sandi's) was a section on Elvis' Gospel music. Four of Elvis' Gospel groups who sang mostly backup were on stage. They sang gospels by the Jordanaires, the Stamps Quartet, The Sweet Inspirations, and The Imperials. Then there as a wrap up song with all four groups.

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Sadly, some of the old gospel performers had passed on. One of the "missing" was J.D. Sumner, a Texas-born gospel singer who died a few years ago. They played his beautiful gospel song, Why Me Lord. This is a gospel song that brings tears to your eyes and won a Grammy Award for Elvis. The video screen featured Sumner and that deep, deep distinctive voice.

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Priscilla Presley opened the second half with a walk through the crowd shaking hands. I thought that was 30 years too late. She kept repeating, "Don't I know you?" It made her sound like she was in a senile, drug-induced haze. Wow! Someone tell that lady to just SHUT UP!

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Then little, thrice-divorced Lisa Marie sang a video "duet" with Elvis to the song, In the Ghetto. To refresh your memory, this is the theme song of the entitlement generation. It's a Mac Davis written tune about a Chicago-born youth who grows up, buys a gun, robs a store and gets shot in the head. (It's like we are susposed to care?) It's been written that Elvis did not want to record this song. He thought it was too political. Not so for Little Lisa Marie!

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I like Paul Shanklin's version re-titled In a Yugo about a liberal guy and a liberal girl who wants to save the environment. They buy a Yugo, and get squished by a 18-wheeler hauling chickens on a LA freeway. That's a song with a REAL message!

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Lisa was really terrible! When I see the over-weight Lisa Marie I think "Jacko's woman". She's so, shallow, transparent, and superficial it's ridiculious! She came on stage after the video performance and announced the tune was available for downloading on iTunes. Gag me with a spoon!

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The remainder of the performance was very nice. Priscilla said that is the last performance of the show that has run worldwide for 10 years.

The audience stood up for the most memoriable American Trilogy. It's still one of Elvis' best songs.

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Beale Street this year was a BIG disappointment! We tried to get in at the Kings Palace Restaurant, but found that it had turned into a smoking restaurant. Apparently, the smoking laws in Memphis has changed. We walked out. No way am I going to "smoke" someone else's smoke. We tried several other restaurants and found the same situation.

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We walked to the west end and found Elvis Presley's Memphis Restaurant had re-opened as EP Delta Kitchen. Five years ago it was really nice. This time, it was a big, big, big disappointment. Not only had renovations not been completed, but the service was slow. They promised but served no bread with the meal. After we dined, they handed us a bill that attempted to over charge us by $18! We had to get them to correct the bill. If you are in Memphis, don't go to that restaurant.

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We didn't bother to walk around Beale Street after that bad experience.

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Sorry for the "dots" between paragraphs. That's the only way I could get elevation between paragraphs.

Memphis -- The Candlelight Vigil

It's Still Wednesday

The Candlelight Vigil is over! What a wonderful time we had! It's not only taking a candle and slowly walking up the hill past Elvis' gravesite, it's really talking to the Elvis fans. It's the sharing fond memories of the "Elvis times" we all had. "Where did you last see Elvis?" someone asks. Then the fond memories start pouring out!

This is what the local newspaper had to say about it:

"More than 50,000 people paid their respects to the King of rock and roll throughout the night Wednesday, the largest attendance estimate ever for the candlelight vigil that has become the focal point of the annual Elvis Week in Memphis."

It was hot Wednesday in Memphis! The temperature index was 106! Ouch! Some fans were lined up at 2 p.m. next to the wall on Elvis Presley Boulevard. We stayed in our Casita until well after dark. Only problem was that line was really long. It snaked in back and six times. We stood in line and chatted from 9:45 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. The line was still just as long as it was at 9:45 a.m. I have no doubt that fans were walking up the hill well after daylight. The news media was there. Helicopters circled overhead until well past 4 a.m. It's hard to believe Elvis' fans would be so loyal after so many years. It's hard to believe a singer who passed from this life 30 years ago has so many young fans, too! It hard to believe so many people all over the world are so loyal. Sandi got tired and sat down on the curb. Soon she was talking to a Japanese girl about Elvis.

After we marched past the gravesite in Meditation Garden, Sandi and I noticed many fans were in tears. No one spoke. It was a solemn occasion. Many fans and fan clubs left tributes in flowers. Sandi, who has been here many times had never seen so many tributes.

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We finally got back to the Casita at 4:30 a.m. We went to bed at 5 a.m. and fell right off to sleep. We were extremely tired.

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 .....

Memphis -- The Second Day

It's Tuesday.

We're here! We droved from Texarkana to Memphis. We arrived at the Graceland RV park at 2 p.m. We're celebrating Elvis' life on the 30th anniversary of his death.

To refresh your memory, Elvis died 30 years ago. He was first buried in a mausoleum in a cemetery up town. Then after police foiled a plot to steal his body, his remains was moved to the Graceland Estate. He now rests in the Meditation Garden alongside his mother, father, and grandmother or aunt.

The temperature was 100-plus. We set up the Casita in the sun. It took three hours for the air conditioner to cool it down. Haha!

The traffic on Elvis Presley Boulevard was horrendous! The largest crowd we have ever seen was milling around the Graceland Plaza which is across the street from Graceland. The parking lot of the Heartbreak Hotel was full. The parking lot behind the Graceland Plaza had more cars in it than I have ever seen. We parked our 2000 Honda Odyssey at site 32 behind the Heartbreak Hotel. We only have to walk across a parking lot into the rear entrance to Granceland Plaza.

The Flat Elvis -- a picture of Elvis which went around the world -- ceremony will be tomorrow. To see Flat Elvis' website CLICK HERE. The Flat Elvis even went to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan! Now it has come to Graceland for a ceremony.

We have been listening to Sirius radio's channel 13, the Elvis Channel. It is keeping us up to date on what is happening.

Sandi and I knew it would be hot. We found some funny neckerchiefs that you first soak in water to "inflate". Then you put them around your neck for cooling. They work great.

Then disaster struck. I started filling the galley sink with water. While it was filling, I started re-arranging a cabinet. Suddenly, I looked around and and saw water pouring off the sink! I realized the sink had run over, spilling water all over the carpet. We had to roll up the plastic runner. Tomorrow we will purchase a fan to hopefully help dry it out.

This spill will probably take weeks to recover. I just hope this does not result in a mildew or mold problem! The Casita is built like two bath tubs join together. There is no "drain" for the water to run out. I estamate about a gallon of water went on the carpet. Drat!

So after setting up the Casita and taking another cold shower, we dressed up and went up to the the Chinese buffet restaurant at the corner of Elvis Presley Boulevard and Lonely Street. Haha! They have a nice cheap buffet.

After dinner we walked over to the plaza. A lot of changes are in the works for the Elvis Presley Enterprises that runs Graceland. It's going to be a $250 million project. They are going to build a new hotel. They have already taken over and improved the little shops around the Graceland Plaza Annex. Around the Graceland facilities the shops, restaurants, and museums are already showing signs of big things to happening.

The "Elvises" were everywhere -- on the sidewalks, in the Plaza, playing "air guitar", riding motorcycles, buying souvenirs, eating snow cones, and eating at the restaurants. Every year they put up a tent for the Elvis impersonators to perform. The heat did not stop the music nor did the heat slow down the gyrations of the "Elvises" on the tent's stage.

This year, for the first time Graceland opened it's grounds for fans to come in and watch Elvis videos on a giant screen.

We were sorry to see that Lansky, Elvis' clothier, no longer is selling shirts at the plaza. That's a sad sign. However, we will be going up town to the Peabody Hotel where Mr. Lansky's clothing store is. Maybe we will be able to see Mr. Lanksky's store before we leave.

I will start posting pictures tomorrow. Also tomorrow is the Candlelight Vigil. They expect 100,000 Elvis fans to participate.

Memphis: The first day

The first day has been traveling. We left Plano at 4:30 p.m. It was hot -- possibly 101 degrees. The refrigerator was cold, and it had been loaded up on Saturday. The solar panel was doing a nice job. The Casita's battery was fully charged.

We normally dump the holding tank before we drive out of the storage; but this time, someone was blocking the way. We decided to drive on. We drove out of Dallas on I-30. We stopped two times. One time for a bio break and one time to refuel. I calculated we got 12.3 m.p.g. on this leg of the trip. We mostly drove 55 m.p.h. to 60 m.p.h.

We pulled into the Texarkana KOA at 8:15 p.m. We were set up and ready for bed by 10 p.m.

Tomorrow we will try to leave by 8 a.m. We hope to drove up I-30 to Little Rock, AR. Then we jump I-40 into Memphis. We should arrive at the Graceland RV camp by 2 p.m.

I don't like to drive full speed in the hot weather. So tomorrow morning -- before the temperature rises -- we hope to put the hammer down on the 2000 Honda Odyssey.

Tomorrow Graceland!

Going to Memphis

Our trip starts with hitching up our Casita trailer and heading up I-30 to Memphis, Tenneessee. It's a seven-hour trip. We're going to break it up into two days of travel. We are going to stop at Texarkana at a KOA campground overnight.

It's hot here in Plano. I mean really HOT. We are going to drive slow and just enjoy ourselves. I installed a new solar panel on our Casita. I am anxious to see how it keeps the battery charged as we go down the road. We keep the refrigerator on while running to keep the food cold and ice in the freezer. Will the battery hold up on Solar? We will see.

Two days ago, I turned the referigator on gas to cool it down. Today I noticed that the ice trays were frozen. Before we start, I will switch the power to DC mode and solar power.

When we get there we will camp at the Graceland RV Camp behind the Heartbreak Hotel down at the end of Lonely Street. No kidding! That's where it is!

The weather report says it is 100 degrees plus in Memphis. We will be having so much fun we will not notice the weather at all!

We will get up late on Tuesday and drive to Memphis from Texarkana. We think we will be pulling into Graceland RV around 2 p.m. After setting up, we will relax and go to the Graceland Plaza which just across Elvis Presley Boulevard from Graceland.

Day two will be a long one. We will get up early for a 7:30 a.m. ceremony for the Flat Elvis which is a photo of Elvis which has been all over the world. Then we will be around the Plaza for most of the day. We'll rest during the hot part of the day before going back out around 9 p.m. for the Candlelight Vigil where a predicted hundred thousand Elvis fans will march up the hill holding candles. They proceed around the Elvis' gravesite and back down. It's a very solumn occasion. They usually have appropriate music playing on speakers around the property. The procession five years did not end untio 4 a.m. It's a time for Elvis fans to meet and make new friends.

On Day Two, we get up late and go to the Plaza. Later that evening we will go up town to Corky's Barbecue to eat some of Memphis' famous pork ribs and barbecue. Then we see a consert where Elvis will "appear" in a bigger than life sized image. After walking around Beale Street we will call it a day.

On Day Three, we will go to Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis' birth hometown. We will see his home and a museum, and a chapel. Perhaps we will go to the hardware store where his motgher purchased his first guitar. We may even go to the church where Elvis got his start singing Gospel music.

On Day Four, we will catch a shuttle to tour the mansion where Elvis lived and loved so much.

On Day Five, we return home.

Solar Cell Installed

I installed the solar panel atop our Casita. It's a SunForce 15-watt cell that fits neatly in the trough behind the awning. I had to drill four holes through the roof to install it.

The 14-volt passes through the ceiling and plugs into a accessory power outlet. I have a 7-amp controller in line to keep the battery from over-charging.

We keep the Casita in a commercial storage site. I had been recharging the battery every two weeks. Before trips, I had to remove the battery and bring it home for charging. Now I can keep the battery hot. I can even turn on the refrigerator before leaving and allow solar energy to keep the battery topped off.

Now we can even charge the battery while travelling down the road.

I would like to add more solar panels and have enough energy to keep fans and conviences running while dry camping.

Hot Springs Arkansas

Next we went to Hot Springs, Arkansas. This was our first real outting in our new Casita. We had been to Hot Springs before, and have enjoyed it ever time.

On the way to our RV campsite, we ran into two other Casita owners. They were Dave and Lue who live in Hot Springs. It was very nice to meet them.

The most interesting thing about Hot Springs is Bathhouse Row and the Grand Promanade. All of the hot mineral water bath houses have closes save for one. Hot Springs is actually a national park. The springs actually come out of a side of a mountain and are almost hidden. In the cool days of winter, the springs are seen by the steam coming out. Each bathhouse captured a spring to use for the mineral baths.

Sometime during the 1940's or 1950's bathing in hot mineral water lost favor. Places like Hot Springs now depend on the surrounding lakes, museums, a beautiful garden, and horse race betting to keep tourists returning.

Rhyolite

The ghost town of Rhyolite is a must see if you are in the Death Valley National Park. Actually, Rhyolite, is outside of the park. It is on the road to Beatty, Nevada.

Rhyolite refers to a quartz mineral rock. Gold was discovered in the mountains above the town. Soon a town sprung up with a bank, retail stores, rail station, and a school. There were homes in Rhyolite, too. Only one house remains. It the famous bottle house. That's right! The house is made entirely out of glass bottles. I visited Rhyolite 30 years ago. Since then I had seen it in several Hollywood moves. Most recently, the Cooke Bank building ruins was seen in the movie, The Island. The old general store was also in the movie.

Rhyolite began to go into decline in the 1920's when the gold mine was closed. It was not closed because the gold was mine out. Actually, they still active mine gold at the mines around Rhyolite.

It was a very eerie place. Sandi refused to get out of the car. She was scared! We were glad when we got out of Rhyolite and found lodging in Beatty.

Scotty's Castle

Scotty Castle is a must see when you visit Death Valley National Park. It is a beautiful hacienda in the upper reaches of Grapevine Canyon in the north end of the valley.

One unusal thing about Scotty's Castle is that is was not owned by it's namesake, Walter "Scotty" Scott. He was known at the time as Death Valley Scotty. It was actually owned by an excentric millionaire who was unconcerned that people thought it was owned by his hired hand, Scotty.

The "Castle" is not a castle either. Actually it is a Spanish style hacienda.

We visited Scotty's living room, the dining room, and Scotty's bedroom. Most interesting was a music room complete with a room sized player pipe organ.