Dan planned to visit Memphis TN on Spring break to tour the National Civil Rights Museum, and he invited us to join him. It was a delightful five day visit. We stayed in a cute carriage house in one of Memphis' historical districts. We got to the museum, enjoyed the rivier walk, blues, barbecue and catfish. Memphis was a very welcoming city, and we'll go back even if it's not St. Patricks Day.
A Good Morning Catching Beads at the Memphis St. Patrick's Day Parade
News & Notes
The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel tells the story of African Americans in the US from 1619, when the first slave arrived, until the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. He was staying in room 306, and was shot from the rooming house across the street as he stood on the balcony in front of his room. The site has become a memorial.
Martin Luther King's Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel
The museum's thorough presentation covers slavery, the African American experience in the Civil War, reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s. It was sobering to see a photo of a protest on the University of Washington Campus from 1968.
Protest in Red Square on UW Campus, 1968
Everyone we spoke to about our planned trip to Memphis mentioned Graceland, Elvis Presley's home. We now realize why: It is an American icon, like the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon. Having paid little attention to Elvis over the years, it was fascinating to see his home and to get an understanding of who he was. Yes, the place is over the top, but it is not palatial. What we discovered was Elvis is the icon. Graceland is a period piece reflecting his personality.
Graceland in Memphis TN
Memphis is home of the blues and the best reason to visit. We spent quality time on Beale St. We watched the St. Patrick's Day parade by the W. C. Handy Memorial Park on Beale. We stopped in at The Blues Hall of Fame, where we learned
. . . The blues singer is as brutally self-examining as the true philosopher, recounting his desires, acknowledging his faults, stating his thoughts with almost frightening honesty.
And we stopped in at Lew's Blue Note Bar & Grill, to spend some easy time listening to three guys whose names we never learned.
Jamming at Lew's Blues on Beale Street
Our grand niece Devin was elected Worthy Advisor by her Rainbow Girl peers. Congratulations, Devin! J was also elected Worthy Advisor when she was a Rainbow Girl. Devin took office fifty-six years and one day after J!
J and Devin, Two Worthy Advisors
Our grand niece Anna graduated with her bachelor's degree from Western Washington University. Her grandfathers were on hand to celebrate. Anna will start grad school in the fall at the University of Puget Sound to earn a doctorate in Physical Therapy.
Jim and Anna
