“You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self.
Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them.”

~ Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull ~


Sunday, October 17, 2010

Driving Down the Highway . . .

Last Wednesday I left for a trip with my Dad down to visit my sister in Houston. Along the way, we stopped in Memphis and visited Graceland. I'd been before with my sister, but it was my Dad's first visit. He was most impressed by all the gold records and awards collected over Elvis's lifetime. An achievement which has been unsurpassed. There will never be another Elvis.

We arrived in Memphis late Wednesday night and camped over at the Graceland RV Park which was right next door to Graceland. In the morning, before visiting Graceland, I took my Dad's little dog for a walk in a wooded area adjoining the RV Park. As I was walking through the trees I came upon a stand of three trees which really struck me with awe. It was as if the Maiden, Mother and Crone were awaiting my arrival to pass on some long forgotten secrets . . .

This tree was magnificent . . . he reminded me of an old, wise grandfather . . .

This stand of trees struck me as a dance with the gentleman in the middle and the ladies dancing around him . . .

I spent about a half hour in the trees basking in their beauty and grace. I left feeling uplifted and ready to face the day.

Elvis's Graceland . . .

The magnificent living room . . . I love the stained glass peacocks!

And this picture of Elvis . . .

Elvis promised his mother when he made it big he would bring her to live in a big house . . . this is the room he had added on to the house for his parents.

The dining room . . .

Picture of Priscilla and Lisa Marie . . .

The kitchen where many fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches were made . . .

The media room . . .

The billiard room . . .

The Tiki room with it's working waterfall at one end of the room . . .

Elvis's gold suit . . .

Just some of his hundreds of gold records and awards . . .

Priscilla's wedding gown . . .

The office where Elvis spent his days 'taking care of buiness' . . .

A beautiful tree standing on the 13 acres that comprise the estate . . .

At this point my camera decided it's memory was full so I couldn't take pictures of the beautiful memorial garden at Graceland where Elvis, his parents and grandmother rest. There's even a plaque commemorating Elvis's twin brother. Graceland is a beautiful place to visit and definitely a step back in time . . . when Elvis ruled as the 'King' of Rock n' Roll.

After Graceland my Dad and I hit the highway and made our way to my sister's. We arrived at about 10 pm and after a quick visit, I went to bed, totally exhausted. After the weekend I went with my Dad to the Poodle Rescue where he had rescued his little dog 'Buddy' a few years earlier. Dad wanted to show the people there how far Buddy had come from when he was adopted.

I hadn't intended on getting a dog (as you know I have three already), but I just couldn't resist walking through the kennel. There, looking up at me, was the cutest little thing and I knew I was in trouble. Long story short, I adopted this little munchkin and flew him home with me. We renamed him Bailey (after Bailey's Irish Cream - my favorite drink) and because, well he has the coloring of Bailey's Irish Cream!

Bailey has made himself quite at home. All three of my other dogs accepted him without any kind of fuss and I'm relieved in the fact that he doesn't seem bothered by the birds and vice versa. It's as if he's always been here. I wonder if this was the reason the psychic I saw several months ago told me I 'needed' to go on this trip. Hmmmm . . .

Anyway, it's good to be home, settling back into my own routine and also getting ready for my friend Sharon's visit next weekend. It's going to be fun to share Halloween and Samhain with her and I'm really looking forward to her visit, which is a whole other story that I'll share with you at another time. For now, enjoy your day and . . .

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2 comments:

Plumrose Lane said...

Oh my gawd!!! He's absolutely ADORABLE!! I love his name too ~ so cute!! Looks like you had a wonderful time too, great pics of Graceland and I'm so happy you could find settling moments throughout your trip ~ thank goddess!
♥Sharon

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I also appreciate the beauty of old, gnarled trees. Thanks for sharing.
As a rescuer I appreciated that your dad wanted to share news of the good life his poodle now has. So often we put heart and soul into a dog, worry sick over adoption applications, see the happy adoption and never hear any more about it. It is always a blessing to get a report of a happy life together.
And sometimes there are powers at work we do not understand, which is why yours and Bailey's paths croseed.