Goodness Gracious...

We left Pine Bluff this morning and it was POURING again. Thank goodness it wasn’t snow, or we’d’ve been snowed in for days. Lightening hit very close too. Interesting to watch, but really, I could’ve lived without it.

The weather did cooperate though as it cleared by the time we hit Little Rock. We saw LR Central School - it’s HUGE. I mean - castle like and the biggest school I think I’ve ever seen. HUGE! Never mind fighting segregation, I would have been terrified to walk into a school that size!

We did our usual tour of the city too. Again - a capitol city that was mostly very dull. It seemed more kept up than Jackson and certainly more than Montgomery but not really any more lively, We were there Sat morning and it was mostly a ghost town. Worse than Hartford - except for a stretch of a few blocks by the river. This area - known as the river walk, had narrow streets, multiple coffee shops and bars, lots of self absorbed people and was hoppin’. It reminded in feel to New Haven and we had to wonder if that was Pre-Clinton or created by?

The River Walk ends at the Clinton Library and Museum. It too was huge! A monster structure. Though he is one of the few presidents in my life time that I actually liked, most of the time, I could not bring myself to pay an entrance fee to go in and look at his stuff. We were happy to take the photo op and move on.

And of course, as soon as we did, it began to pour again. It probably didn’t matter all that much as there is nothing between Little Rock and Memphis, but it made the driving seem that much slower and longer. By the time we hit Memphis we were both a little beyond needing to stop and eat.

But we did manage to find a place to stay and a BBQ restaurant without killing each other - and finally decent, heart stopping, diabetic coma producing food. It is goooood Though it would no doubt literally kill me if I had a steady diet of it.

After lunch we headed toward more touristy sections to walk (waddle?) off lunch. We ended up downtown and walked the length of Beale St. It was just late enough that the street musicians were starting etc. but not late enough for everyone to be out and trashed. Our timing was pretty good.

It did remind me in some ways of Bourbon St - without the strip clubs - a vast improvement in my opinion. The feel of the place was also different, I soooo hated New Orleans, but so far Memphis is just a southern city and Beale St no where I’d want to be at 11 pm, but …

I was very impressed that every establishment had very large signs reminding people they couldn’t take their guns inside. Given who I am, I also noted just how many places are monitored by security cameras at all times, with the notation that it’s also on tape.

Since we were in the neighborhood and walking - we HAD to go see Gibson Guitars! Martin’s factory was more interesting on a lot of levels. We did not take the tour, as no people were working today and M, figured that seeing on guitar factory was probably in kind to seeing another. We did go look at all the g’tars though.

Then on to the Rock and Soul Museum! How very cool… first the museum is set up for a self guided audio tour. They give you headsets and this groovy player contraption. Each station of the museum has a number, you enter it and listen to the talk, but also the music! Today’s thing learned was there was an all women run radio station (WHER) supported by Sam Philips (Sun Records) and I we saw old juke boxes, Sam Philips recording equipment, Elvis’s clothes, but more exciting Jerry Lee Lewis’s clothes and Sam the Sham’s motorcycle and got to hear the recordings and… and… and …. Needless to say I found the whole thing pretty exciting.

We think we will spend the next day or so here in Memphis before we need to head back to Huntsville. It is a great place for music and food and really… those are definitely the most important things… add in books and, why go