I went to Graceland yall!

My parents drove up to visit my family this week — and during their stay my mother had a sensational idea ...

I'm going to Graceland yall!

Elvis Presley's Graceland

Despite residing in the Memphis area since the early 1980's, I've never driven over to Graceland to see what all the fuss is about. It was a first for all three of us. Although I was expecting gaudy and kitschy, it was anything but. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how tasteful and inviting Graceland was, and also impressed with Elvis Presley's talent and generosity.

I also have new respect for Elvis Presley Enterprises. With lots of tourists in Memphis for the weekend's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, things were already busy when we arrived shortly after 9am. Graceland staff are crowd control masters, and always gracious despite the sticky Mid-South heat. This doesn't mean that I'll return during Elvis Week in August.

The three remaining stubs indicate the attractions we skipped

My feet called it a day after touring the mansion, memorabilia, car museum and airplanes, although our tickets allowed entry to several other Graceland attractions. I opted against bringing my bulky old-fashioned camera along, but postcards and refrigerator magnets were available for sale in all four of the souvenir shops I visited. And with our Photographer Extraordinaire along, we didn't even bother posing for the standard Graceland customer portrait. See Mother's photos on flickr:

LIVING... MAEDEANS STYLE
Elvis and Graceland

My trip down Memory Lane ...

During today's museum tour I learned that the 1993 Elvis Presley commemorative postage stamp remains the most highly publicized and biggest selling stamp of all time. I was one of several thousand visitors to the two area post offices doing First Day Cancellations. (Yes, I went to both. It was the overhyped social event of the season.)

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