What a week we had, fortunately no tornado warnings, just rain and wind. Actually, not too strong, so that was good as well. We are stayed in Marion, Arkansas, but where only 15 minutes away from Memphis. Last Sunday we did some exploring and went to the Peabody Hotel and watched the ducks play in the water.
Our site for the week. As you can see, it had
rained a couple of days before we arrived.
The view of downtown Memphis skyline.
In front of The Peabody.
Cute little ducks.
They were enjoying their fountain.
In 1930's Frank Schutt, General Manager of the Peabody Hotel, came back from a
hunting trip in Arkansas. Back in those days you could use live ducks as decoys,
so after a few drinks, he placed the decoys in the fountain and everyone loved
watching them. It is still the tradition to this day. The ducks come
down from heir suite on the roof at 11:00am in the elevator
and go back to their suite at 5:00pm.
The beautiful ceiling. The Peabody was built across the street
in 1869 and then built at this location in 1904.
On top of the roof of the Peabody. The Mississippi River is in the background.
Also, on Sunday, we walked around downtown and then went to the Bass Pro Shops. Originally built in 1991 as a venue for sporting and entertainment events. Then in 2002 to 2006 it was used as a church. In 2007 it closed and then in 2015 it reopened as the Bass Pro Shops. It was an amazing place to walk through. Lots of people there as well.
This sign intrigued me so I had to look up the history.
Union Major General C.C. Washburn was in Memphis during the Union Army’s occupation of the city during the Civil War. The alley, which runs from Front Street to Autozone Park, backed-up to the General’s home.
In 1864, General Washburn declared martial law in Memphis in an attempt to prevent Confederate sympathizers from providing aid to Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest was undaunted by these measures, however, and, in the early morning hours of August 21, 1864, he raided the city of Memphis, destroying Union supplies and lines of communication as well as looking to capture several Union generals.
This raid surprised a sleeping General Washburn, who fled his home and escaped through the alley wearing only his nightshirt. His uniform and sword were seized by the raiders but returned under truce the following day.
"The pyramid shape is said to hold many secrets and amazing properties.
One of them is a sense of wonder." Vera Nazarian.
I love old trucks.
Yes, there is a wahlburgers in side the Bass Pro Shops
and it has a bowling alley in the restaurant.
"Keeping it real" we were going to tour Graceland, but after I saw the price, hubby and I agreed we didn’t need to go. $49.00 per person will only get you on the grounds and not into the house. We both aren’t huge Elvis fans, so it worked out.
Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee.
Elvis's plane named Lisa Marie at Graceland.
Memphis has some amazing history; it was not founded until 1819 and is named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River. It rapidly developed as a major trading center for cotton cultivated at the region’s large plantations and dependent of the work of enslaved African Americans. In the 19th century, and especially 1878 and 1879, the city suffered severe yellow fever epidemics. In 1878 tens of thousands of residents fled and more than, 5,000 died, with hundreds more dying in the next year's epidemic, causing the city to go bankrupt and give up its charter until 1893.
My dad used to farm cotton.
Memphis grew into the world's largest spot cotton market and the world's largest hardwood lumber market. During the 1960s the city was at the center of civil rights actions, with a major strike by city sanitation workers in 1968. Having come to the city to support the workers, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a lone sniper on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel.
The Lorraine Motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum.
Memphis is well known for its cultural contributions to the identity of the American South. Many renowned musicians grew up and around Memphis and moved to Chicago and others are from the Mississippi Delta, carrying their music with them to influence other cities and listeners over the radio. Some of these artists included Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Justin Timberlake, also, Aretha Franklin, who was born in Memphis.
Elvis Presley
Jerry Lee Lewis
Johnny Cash
B.B. King
Aretha Franklin
Fun fact: just about everyone loves some delicious Memphis barbecue. It has a rather unique and distinctive taste that is on the sweeter side. In general, at least in the United States, there are four basic barbecue styles: Memphis, Texas, North Carolina and Kansas City. So how did Memphis barbecue end up the way it is? The other three locations were forced to rely on local products to create the sauce. However, as Memphis was a prime shipping destination thanks to its location on the Mississippi River, chefs were able to pick and choose ingredients. This resulted in molasses becoming a cornerstone ingredient in what is now one of the top barbecue styles in the world.
Memphis style BBQ sauce. Recipe from Taste of Home.
Monday, we ran errands and prepared for the coming rain. I was able to take a picture of the sunset and as always, God out did Himself.
Love the colors.
Well, we endured through the rain on Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as predicted, I was happy about that.
Friday was date night and we ate Paulette's Restaurant at the River Inn of Harbor Town. It was fun walking around and seeing more sights.
Date night!
Sunset over the Mississippi Rivers.
Beautiful!
Saturday, we stayed at the Decatur/Wheeler Lake KOA for the night and today we drive to Raccoon Mountain, Caverns and campground. I am excited to share more of the campground on the next blog. This is in Chattanooga, Tennessee and hubby has some co-workers that we will be meeting up with over the next two weeks. It will be our first time in Chattanooga, and I am excited to do some more sight-seeing. Need to Goggle all about the area.
"How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"' Isaiah 52:7 (NASB).
If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!
Drop a comment for me and let me know your thoughts on the blog.
God, the RV & me...
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