The Tennesse Capitol Building

So we dashed during my lunch break on Thursday downtown to the capitol building..we have been spoilt with the Texas one and the California one..it was not so impressive, but the people were lovely and it was good to see it.

I am learning to make Spanish rice

So my wonderful cleaner, GuDelia is teaching me how to make Spanish rice. Gudelia made it for our new years eve party and it was delicious, so now I am learning.

The secret that I can see is to liquidize the tomatoes ( x2 Roma) garlic cloves(x3) and about a finger size of onion. Put three teaspoon of chicken stock powder in as well and about 16 oz of water..ah forgot the teaspoon of cumin


Cook the rice in about 2 tablespoons of oil-with a clove of garlic and lump of onion until it turns light brown, then add the liquid .. Adding more if needed. Keep it uncovered.. It takes about 15 minutes..

Delicious



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More...

This is the snooker room..it is totally covered in material

This si the coridor leading upstairs from the snooker room, and it is covered, floor and ceiling with this , fairy disgusting, green material, meant to look like grass..we are heading to the jungle room. The green 'stuff' was used to help the sound in the room.as it was used as a recording studio for a while.

the jungle room

Lisa Marie favourite chair

more photo's

His parents bedroom, this is downstairs next to the formal living room

This is the kitchen, where they say it was always producing southern food, as the house was always alive with people

We are in the basement now, this is the TV room. it has three TV's on one wall so he could keep up with all the news channels.his music collection was also down here

On the wall is Elvis logo and motto. TCB, Take Care of Business. he always had a lightening bolt with the initials. He believed in family first and taking care of business. that came through very strongly on the tour

Graceland's

Well, we  made it there, and I must say, even if you are not a huge Elvis fan. it is well worth the visit. so much history, feelings, and just a part of our history now. the world over knows Elvis and it is nice to be able to say 'I have been to Graceland'.

Memphis is not what i expected, it is very run down, and has the unkempt feel to it, down town is sad, boarded up stores, police station, restaurants, littler on the ground and not much foliage about the place. I have spend a few days now in Memphis and it is not coping well with this recession. There is  homeless people and you feel sad at how it is looking, but the tourists sections just keep rolling, although they are not kept clean or vibrant either. so i hope Memphis does manage to pull through and regain some of its vibrancy.
Gracelands, which is named after the aunt of the previous owner. aunt Grace gave the house to her niece as a wedding present, when Elvis bought the house, for $102,500 he loved the name so kept it. It sits on Elvis Presley boulevard, also a badly maintained road, area etc, and across the way is a tourist trap for you all to spend loads of money. in such a small area, it is amazing how many shops they managed to fit in. It is where you get your tickets, ride the shuttle across to the main house, see the cars his two airplanes, and other exhibits to do with his clothing, movie career and Elvis himself.
It was laid out well, and you can get around it all easily, yes we shopped, i of course, got myself a christmas decoration, and then some bits for the kids, but over all we ahd a wonderful time.
I was pleasantly surprised by how small Graceland was. it truly was a  family home and although his money would have bought him much more, from the family videos and notes , you get a feeling he loved Graceland's so much, it was his sanctuary.

i will post many pictures so you can all see, you can not go upstairs at all. that was for Elvis and his close family. It is said still today nobody has gone up there unless they are close family. it is kept private, as Elvis kept it. he never came downstairs unless he was ready to be seen, i like the fact they have kept part of him private.

Our excitement today

so today we are off to Graceland's, then on to Nashville for 3 nights, i will post photo's later from Gracelands.
have a good day y'all

more Elvis

Elvis statue at the top of Beale street

Elvis photo's

We took many photo's of Elvis memorabilia..so here is some.

and on we went

Our tour guide..he was great

A photo on the wall of Elvis in that very studio

Me with the same mike from the photo above..not sure i have the right stance

Allan also giving the Elvis look a go

So we then went and had lunch..i enjoy eating my way around the world..and enjoyed the hard Rock cafe..got the t-shirt and then carried on walking..down to Sun Studio, where Elvis first recorded. Now that is another great place to go. the tour guide was so passionate about his music history, it is still a working studio, which was fun and although it was only a 40 minute tour..it was fantastic.

We enjoyed the tour, took lots of photo's of rock and roll legends and soul singers..a great time.

photo's

This is Allan

outside the FedEx Forum stadium and the Rock and Soul museum

The start of Beale street

Allan and Elvis in the visitors center on the banks of the Mississippi

Me and BB King

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3, memphis TN

We arrived safely and had a good nights sleep, then we started day 3 walking, and kept walking all day. It was very cold ( actually as I write this it is -1F or -18 C outside..so damn cold for us, we have become soft while living in Austin) but we loved it, and walking was fun. The wind was bitter and there was not many people around, this is inclement weather for the southern states as well, and cafes and places were closed, but we found somewhere to have breakfast and walked by the Mississippi, discovered the Graceland's is closed on a Tuesday, Mud Island is closed for the winter and that we can adapt to what we can do very well.
Allan and I set off to walk to the Rock and Soul Museum, had a Starbucks along the way, trying to buy the Memphis mug, which was sold out ( the little Rock Starbucks said they did not do a Little Rock one..so bought a Starbucks mug and wrote little rock on the base with the date!!! I will not be thwarted in my quest for mugs!!)
The museum was amazing, really really good, so if any of you come to Memphis, you have to visit it,  we loved it and learnt a lot, enjoyed the history and music.

was about to upload some photo's, and none there..I just uploaded them...ahhh..me and computers so will post this and go and try to find them..what this space

Our real day 2

Well, yesterday was sent in a car. Really. It took us 14 hours to go 375 miles, really an awful journey . We kept going and reached our hotel just before 11pm last night. Tired but so happy to have arrived.
The journey was a tricky drive on ice and behind lorries and cars with no traction and sliding every which way.
At our hotel a fully functioning bar awaited us.. Oh yes.

Here are some pictures from yesterday.
Allan's arm reflection and a snowman out the window.. That is how slow we were going.. Kids had time to build them.


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Still on day 2

So I named the last post day 2, when it clearly was day 1.. I was going to write more and bring you all upto date to today, but then remembered my phone is not always good at posting long posts and photos' so I posted .. So after Southfork we headed on towards Little Rock, AR, but the weather just kept deteriorating, so I rang our hotel in Little Rock and canceled it , and we stopped at Sulphur Springs.. A small town that had next to no restaurants open and is a dry town.. No alcohol for us last night. We ate at a place called Furrs.. Not great and they were closing at 7pm because of the weather.. The cinema was also closed , so back to our room, Allan watched The Fugitive and I crafted.. Need to make lots of swaps for Leadership in Nashville on Thursday and Friday .. A relaxing evening. , which I am sure a nice glass of wine would have added to.. But hey, we were warm and safe. The amount if Cars of the road was amazing. Driving in these conditions is not what they are use to. The cold front has past through and we now have the Arctic front coming for the next 36 hours. Atlanta airport is closed, what a great time to travel.

So we are behind, but happy, heading for Little Rock and the Capitol building, then onto Memphis tonight, hoping to visit Graceland tomorrow..home of Elvis

I wonder if I will be canceling that reservation and we end up somewhere else. As long as I am in Nashville by Wednesday night all will be good. And if I am lucky we will get there Wednesday afternoon to go around that Capitol building.

I am off to watch the snow and ice called a road.


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Day 2 of our week away

We set off yesterday, later than we wanted, but the septic tank was working when we left which must please the kids!!!

It was not long before we hit the cold front and for the first time in a LONG time we are driving in ice and snow.

We stopped at Southfork Ranch, home of the TV series Dallas, the famous Ewings. But due to extreme weather conditions for the area they had closed early.


But I got to see it from behind the gates... Now I will have to have a girly weekend away with Cara and come back.. Cara of course will wonder why I need to see this place... But I live so close now.. I really ought to..


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Will's surprise birthday

On the 18th of December we were in El Dorado Hills , CA for a surprise party, the theme was Raiders , as in Oakland, or silver and black.. As you can see A and B got raiders t-shirts and Allan and I went for the silver and black.. Great night, loved seeing friends again and we all had so much fun


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New Years Eve

Allan and Steve.. Very dapper


Alan and Cara.. He was as always a great bar tender.. I think people come to my parties for his bar tending.. always great. This year it was Vodka martini's.. Made with a polish vodka in the most beautiful bottle I have ever seen


Friends..


We lit the garden with tea lights, I made the holders from jars and wire.. It looked lovely.. I need to make more for the next party.. my 45th.. How did that happen!!!


Kevin and I comparing knees, not sure I came off best..


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