Author: boomingbanter

Just as we were having dinner at the Guest House at Gracelands a huge storm blew up.

The power in the hotel went down but was soon restored thanks to good back up generators.

You can see it was pretty strong and the generators did a super job.

Well this same storm preceded us all the way home to Columbus.

We could see it ahead and another one coming behind us but with the exception of a few tail end showers we dodged them all the way.

We has such a great time but after more than 2000 miles and 600 of those today we are so glad to see Dad and Dibs.

Blessing # 43 – Dodging storms and safe returns

 

When we started out on our tour of the south Aaron and I decided to eat local.

We had a good breakfast at the hotels and a snacky lunch and gallons of water along the way.

Each evening Aaron did some google research and located a popular place. He used Yelp to rate each place and we were not once disappointed.

We went to roadhouses for BBQ and we went to buffets where we joined the locals in all you can eats

We had fried everything, including green tomatoes! We had catfish, ox tails, liver, shrimp and delicacies like collard greens, okra, yams, dressing (aka stuffing), creamed corn and biscuits a go go.

One thing we missed was grits so we absolutely need to go back for that!!!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures of our plates and that this wets your appetite for the southern states.

This was so much more fun than eating fast food it was such a feel good thing to do. Also we loved all the wonderful people we met at these places they were so hospitable and a real blessing.

But we confess that on our way home we cracked for convenience and speed and went to McDonalds for lunch. You can guess which portion was mine!!!!!!

 

On Day 6 our other surprise was the discovery of Elvis Presley’s birthplace in Mississippi.

He had humble beginnings. His boyhood home was tiny but so clean, warm and cosy.

Elvis was very much influenced by gospel music and the blues.

When we arrived at our hotel the Guest House at Graceland his music and magic were everywhere.

It is an absolutely fabulous hotel and highly recommended as a place to stay in Memphis.

Our last day was an all Elvis event with a visit to his beautiful home.

Graceland is so touching because it is really a family place.

It is a mansion of course but not that big at all.

Most importantly it is really homey and has such a welcoming and happy feel about it.

There are so many family photos and home movies and in them all you can see how much he loved his wife and little girl.

Bless him he was such a good soul and died so very young at only 42.

Loved his music especially Suspicious Minds.

What was your favorite one of his tunes?

Blessing # 42-Homes that Welcome

 

 

On the road from Birmingham to Memphis we made some more magical memories on Day 6.

The first, thanks to a tip from my friend Harris was a visit to the Irondale Cafe that was the inspiration for the book and movie Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe.

I remember so well going to see that movie with my friend Patricia and we both cried at the end. It is so lovely. I must read the book .

When we were there, with perfect timing  a big old train just whistled past!

 

Next we stopped at the Mississippi border and fell upon a group of musicians playing instruments I hadn’t seen before called Dulcimers.

They played the Sweet By and By.

This was very appropriate given our next planned stop the infamous Lorraine Motel.

Here we said our Bye and Bye and gave our thanks to MLK Jr.

We had one more surprise stop today but more of that tomorrow,

 

Blessing- #41– Last minute stops that add much joy to a journey

 

 

 

Day five we spent in Birmingham with a detour this time to Tuscaloosa.

Aaron wanted to see the Alabama football stadium!!!

The Alabama team is one of the greatest challenges that our own dear OSU faces each year so it is important to weigh them up!

Success on the field is in the hands of the team. No team can win unless each player works with the others.

Back to Birmingham and the impression it left was one of hope.

It reminded me very much of Belfast my own home town.

In spite of the tragedy of bullets and bombings that both places experienced they are marching on.

Many have played important roles in this journey as leaders and as inspiring role models.

Poverty is still out there to conquer but is it really more difficult than going into space?

Blessing # 40 – The progress that teamwork makes

Day four was hectic on our road trip but was absolutely wonderful.

We started with a visit to the river front at Montgomery where slaves arrived from Africa.

We ended by taking the road from Selma to Montgomery that resulted in the achievement of voting rights for all.

In between we had a planned detour to the very special place that is Monroeville.

Here two literary geniuses met as children, inspired each other and became best friends forever.

They were Nelle Harper Lee and Truman Capote.

Seeing where they grew up, how close they were and how deeply they cared for each was so very touching.

Visiting the site of the courthouse where Harper’s father worked and that played such a key part in To Kill a Mockingbird left me with a memory for a lifetime.

Just outside the court there was a little market where we stopped so Aaron could buy a gift for his Dad.

The farmer who sold us the gift knew Nelle (Harper) and he told us a story about her.

Seems she has a parrot that she had trained to become a great talker. When anyone knocked at the door the parrot would greet them and sounded just like her and she found this very amusing.

We asked him if we could take his photo and he happily agreed.

Finally to make the visit even more special you would not believe it but a Mockingbird came right up beside our car as we were leaving as if to say “Come Back Soon”

Blessing # 39 – When magical moments touch your life

 

 

Day three we had a very warm welcome at the visitors center as we entered Alabama.

We then went straight to downtown Montgomery. It is a beautiful capital city so clean and well cared for with so much to see.

Our first stop in the city was the Legacy Museum covering the history of black people from enslavement to the present day.

It was really eye opening and heart breaking.

There is still much to be done to secure equality.

Maya Angelou’s words capture so well the sentiments of the day.

Blessing # 38 – Each individual working for justice and equality

 

On the second day of our road trip Aaron and I visted the birth place of Martin Luther King Jr. and the area in Atlanta where he grew up.

His father was a Pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The community, though plagued by segregation, was vibrant.

Education was very much encouraged and the young Martin was an exceptional scholar gaining admission to Morehouse College at only 16.

We also visited the College and learned how so many of the young people who attended, including Martin himself, were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. His principles of non-violent protest became the foundation on which the civil rights movement was built.

 

Blessing #37 – Wisdom from Generation to Generation.

We sure covered a lot of ground on day one of our road trip and Aaron was a champion driving most of the way.

When he was resting I was able to tune in to country and it was so cool to be in the BLUEGRASS land where it all started too.

Whats your favorite country tune? Mine is Doug Stone’s Too Busy Being In Love.

As we visited the magical Look Out Mountain where the battle of Chattanooga was fought I thought of what must have gone through the minds of the men who climbed that mountain.

Surely they thought  of their loved ones and were distracted at least a little from their struggles by Being Too Busy Being in Love.

Blessing # 36 – Country in the Big Country

 

Aaron and I are off on a road trip leaving Dad and Dibs at home with the AC on full blast.

As it is fifty years since Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated we are retracing his steps in honor and memory of his life and light.

We will cover Atlanta where he was born and grew up, Montgomery where he first became a full time pastor at the Dexter Baptist Church, Birmingham where the civil rights movement built momentum and finally Memphis where he was killed.

Blessing # 35– Sharing history with my son who loves it so much.