Friday night we packed again - I had gotten Blackie out for the Colorado trip. That's my ancient wheelie suitcase I inherited from my mom. It must be one of the original Samsonite bags, and it's so old that the wheels are about shot. But I used it these past 4 years commuting and it's like part of me. Everything has its place.
Dwight and Marilyn Conover picked us up Saturday morning. They are our former Creston neighbors, though they moved to Okoboji a couple years ago and had spent lots of time there even before that. Dwight was the prez of the bank I worked at when we first moved to Creston, so we've known them ever since. Nice people, and as a bonus, huge Cyclone fans - especially Marilyn (we call her Merle). She and I have had discussions about how it's not logical for adult women to lose sleep over college athletics...yet we can't stop ourselves. Ah well...I guess it's better than being addicted to bath salts (that's a drug I saw information about on the news...bad stuff!)
Our drive to Memphis was pretty uneventful. We dropped our car off at the Reynolds home in Osceola. You might recognize that name - yes, our car is now famous because Kim Reynolds is the Lt. Gov. I told Paul that we might return to find my car soaped if Kim knows my political persuasion...but she restrained herself. My Republican friends cautioned me to lock the doors just in case..
Our friends Don and Diana McKim arrived at our motel, Residence Inn just before we did. They were traveling from Dallas where they went just after Christmas to see relatives. Don's nephew and wife gave birth to twin sons on Thursday! Don already had a drink mixed when I rolled Blackie by his door. The hotel was old but rooms were recently re-done and each had a raised bedroom/bath with a sitting area and kitchenette below.
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| Love this pic of us 3 girls! |
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| Another good shot. Damn we have good school colors! |
We soon ventured out to the streets of Memphis. Barbecue was the meal of choice, so we put our name in at Rendezvous - a wait of 1+ hour so we went around the corner for a drink instead of standing outside in the cold. No heat wave in Memphis - I think Denver was much warmer! When we returned to the restaurant, the food was good and they were quite efficient moving folks in and out.
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| Waiting for Barbecue |
Next stop, the famous Beale Street! Now I finally know just what Marc Cohn is saying in the "Walking in Memphis" song - "walking with my feet ten feet of of Beale" I alway sang pier. But I knew that wasn't quite right!
We went to Silky O'Sullivans, where some tailgating friends were. It's a rickety old structure with some outdoor areas covered with plastic that did nothing to keep me warm! Kevin and Carrie from Davenport were there along with Kleins - parents of our star linebacker, A.J. who will play in the NFL next year. They park their RVs near where McKims park the Pace Arrow for each home game - so through the years they've all gotten to know each other. Small world department Kevin and Carrie's son worked at the landfill at one time and knows Kathy the manager there. Only in Iowa...
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| Coach Paul Rhoads! |
Did I mention Memphis was inundated with cardinal and gold? Cyclone fans were everywhere! I love it. It's like taking the state of Iowa on vacation with you, with lots of familiar faces. I saw Amy's college roomie Rachelle first thing. Later I cruised through the other rooms of the labrynth - the dueling pianos were great! The rest of the clan joined me there - it was much warmer, and ISU's athletic director introduced CPR (Coach Paul Rhoads). The crowd went wild. The singers did Sweet Caroline and a pathetic version of the fight song. A good time was had by all! By the time we left we WERE walking with our feet 10 feet off...
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| Isn't that street cool!?! |
1 comment:
The 10 Feet Off Beale photo is priceless--dad looks like a Jazz singer.
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