Little Rock Arkansas!!

Bit of a mish mash today to catch up on some pictures I haven't been able to post.  We left Memphis headed to Little Rock Arkansas, saying goodbye to Elvis and Graceland.

Even at 10:30 in the morning it was foggy over the Mississippi River, just a few minutes out of Memphis.  

In the middle of the river was the Arkansas State line.  I had no idea we were so close!!  I have a message for Arkansas ... the first 20 or so miles of road is horrible.  Can you replace that piece too please??  I say "too" because for the NEXT 20 miles they ARE repairing the road.  It was single lane squeezing in between the barriers for miles and miles!!  From there on we stayed on Hwy 40, dodging trucks right and left.  Wednesday must have been "truck" day, because it was a continuous long line the entire trip.

Unlike Tennessee, Arkansas has lost most of its trees to farmland.  This looked like rice or maybe barley.  We arrived in Little Rock at the Moose Lodge, just in time for the radio to scream out a severe thunder storm warning with golf ball size hail.  As time went by, the hail reduced in size to nickels and just swept East of us.  Good thing we left Memphis, because they got hit with that one!!   Then another pops up out of the blue!!   I just hope no golf balls start flying around today!!

Here's one of Elvis' cars and the entrance to the Car Museum.  He even has a big John Deere tractor inside along with some motorcycles and golf carts.

The famous Pink Cadillac he gave to his Mom ... still in great shape.  Behind some of the cars are videos of them being driven ... this one in the snow!!

1966 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud ... and if you have a WHITE one, you should also have a BLACK one ... which is parked next to this beauty.  Can you see me going to the grocery store in THAT??? A little more interesting stuff on Elvis.  He hired a maid in 1963, Mary Jenkins Langston.  When Priscilla arrived in 1966 (actually she moved in some time BEFORE they got married) Mary was upgraded to cook.  Fried biscuits, crispy bacon, caramel cakes, banana pudding and of course the peanut butter and banana sandwiches, fried in a cube of butter.  No wonder he gained so much weight!!  Elvis thought of her as part of the family, buying her lots of cars and a new home.  She stayed on 12 years after Elvis died.

The Trophy Room had a "Gold Room" filled to the brim with all of Elvis' gold records, awards and trophies he received, not only for his music, but for the charity work he did that wasn't well published.

Another one of his outfits .... the Tiger suit!!

I think there were five gift shops, each with mostly different things for sale.  There was even the Elvis Home Store if you need a new bedspread!!

This one I HAD to have ... an Elvis Presley watch!!  Don't worry, I didn't pay that much for it.  The nice lady did give me a good tip that I've never heard before.  If you have several watches you wear, pull the stem out when you put one up.  It stops the battery and increases the life significantly.  You'll have to reset the time when you want to wear it again, but the battery will last much longer.  That's a big savings if you have to take them to a jeweler for a new battery like I do.

We've been sightseeing so much, the puppies really appreciate any time I can spend with them.  They are glued to my hips every time I sit down!!

This is my favorite piece ... in Lexington at the Primitive Crow I found this architectural piece from one of the old buildings in town.  It's in great shape.  So what am I going to do with it??  I don't know!!  Just kidding ... I'm thinking of incorporating it into a half canopy for my bed.  I also picked up a set of old dark green shutters for the wall of windows in my family room and some very old stair railing.  I still have LOTS of room in my Jeep for more!!!

So that's it ... not much going on yesterday.  We pulled in to the Moose Lodge via the dirt road alley (Barbara always calls first and asks the bartender the easiest way in, saving lots of headaches) where we have four 30 amp hookups, good for A.C. since it's rather hot along the Arkansas River.  They don't ask for paperwork or money ... so we volunteered a donation for our two night stay.  Today we will check out the Clinton Presidential Library.