Memphis Tennessee - Chuck Berry

Well, if you thought yesterday was quiet then maybe we should have stayed at home today. Looking south across the back-water and towards the sea-front clouds were already gathering,

while passing Ferry Bridge it looked even gloomier over Portland where what looked every bit like Funnel Cumulus Cloud was hanging low over New Ground.

A walk along Barleycrates Lane out to the West Cliff produced just a single Common Whitethroat and c4 WHEATEAR

while Reap Lane could add no more than c6 YELLOW WAGTAILs. Good job then that Secret was on hand to offer up a cup of coffee and a few 'tales of the sea'! A few may not quite be the correct description, as a full 3 hours later and a couple of heavy down-pours I caught the bus home. The short day did have its benefits as if you are going to drop out of society there is much to do before taking the final plunge. For weeks now I have been committing many hundreds of Compact (Music) Discs to the i-Pod, and likewise scanning 'thousands' of photographs which are slowly taking up residence on the external hard-drive! We all have them, but it brings a realisation as to just how often we flick through these dust gathering albums, not very often me thinks?

It is a God-send for any man to have a daughter, but a dream come true if that girl decides to go travelling with her dad which was just my luck back in the late 90's. As I flicked open yet another book early evening, I found myself back in TORONTO, Canada where my youngest offspring Lisa and I had arrived after 2 days in Montreal at the start of what was to be a trans-USA tour. 

 From there we progressed to the giant Amusement Arcade that is the town of NIAGARA FALLS

and onward to NIAGARA and HORSESHOE FALLS themselves. Buffalo was only an overnight break before a visit to

the Big Apple plus LIBERTY and Ellis Islands.

The view south to LOWER MANHATTAN, before the Twin Towers were destroyed, followed by stops at Washington DC, North and South Carolina then back up to Knoxville and Nashville Tennessee. A very early morning departure from the latter had us in conversation with a man and wife along with their two sons Jason (16) and Justin (14) while waiting for the Greyhound. The 2 boys took the short journey with us to Memphis, enjoying some great conversation on the way. On arrival we bade them farewell, only to be told that their dad had given them money to show us around the city, what came next was totally unexpected! Taken to their home by taxi we were given breakfast before Jason disappear round the back and soon returned driving

Long distance in formation, give me Memphis Tennessee
Help me find the party trying to get in touch with me
She could not leave her number, but I know who placed the call
'Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall

this FORD MUSTANG and started the tour by driving us over the MISSISSIPPI BRIDGE (in the background just a half a mile away) into Arkansas, a State we had no intention of visiting.

Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd phone me here from Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the south side, high up on a ridge
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge

Back to Beale Street and Sun Studios where we were treated to some original recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and The King himself before popping into Elvis's favoured diner for a slice of his much loved Banana Pie.

 On to the RUM BOOGIE CAFE for some midday Blues, including legendary blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite,

Help me, information, more than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her and all the fun we had
But we were pulled apart because her mom did not agree
And tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee

before arrival at GRACELANDS and Elvis Presley Airport including his collection of aircraft. Leaving our signatures on the wall along with 1,000,000 others we quickly headed back to town to witness one of the most famous daily ceremonies Memphis has to offer. At the world famous Peabody Hotel, there are a flock of Mallard which have the freedom of the place until 18:00 precisely when the Bell Hop summons the elevator from above. Without coaxing the Ducks enter the lift and are transported to the roof and the Duck Palace which is there roost, and the humans return to street level. Perhaps needless to say much of our conversation was about music, and during our farewells at the Greyhound Station I was handed a scroll of paper from the lads saying "knowing your love of Jimi this will be better in your home than in ours", then quickly departed. 

Opening it on the coach we discovered that it was a charcoal rubbing of Jimi Hendrix's original grave, which I lovingly frame on our return to England - again there were tears before bedtime!

Last time I saw Marie she's waving me good-bye
With hurry home drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye
Marie is only six years old, information please
Try to put me through to her in Memphis Tennessee