Sunday - Ducks, Rock, River and Plan B

Peabody Ducks

Duck Master

Following a tip we received from a couple in Nashville, we decided to check out the apparently famous Duck March at the Peabody Hotel - led by a Duck Master, no less. This tradition dating back to the 1930's has five ducks who are housed on the roof of the hotel come down the elevator everyday at 11:00 a.m. and march to great fanfare along a red carpet into the fountain in the grand lobby of the hotel. At 5:00 p.m. they make the return trip. Crowds (sometimes numbering close to a hundred) gather in the lobby to witness this event. So here we sat (getting there an hour early!) and sharing a ring-side table with a really nice couple from Australia, Bev and Brian. Incredible what will capture our imagination - and cheers to the hotel for capitalizing on this event which started as a prank by a  General Manager some 80 years ago.

Sun Studio

Lana, our guide

Million Dollar Quartet

Since Memphis is steeped in music history, we took a trip to Sun Studio where Sam Phillips founded what is known as the "Birthplace of Rock & Roll". Small place, but made big to the tour group by our energetic guide Lana (from British Columbia), a musician and songwriter in her own right. So many of the R & R greats recorded there and many still do. Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Roscoe Gordon. I myself skipped the opportunity to do a recording session as part of the tour. The listening public may not be ready for that. But please note the really cool hat I picked up at Lansky's at The Peabody! One of the wise souvenir purchases and totally Memphis!

River Walk

The Mississippi and Bridge to Arkansas

Our Sunday afternoon brought us down to the River, the Mississippi, that is. I wanted to be sure to get up close and personal with this great waterway. A trip to the peninsula known as Mud Island and its River Park provided just such an opportunity. One of the features of the park is a scale model of the Lower Mississippi River flowing from its confluence with the Ohio River at  Cairo, Illinois 954 miles south to the Gulf of Mexico. Such a great experience capturing the feel of this mighty river, which happened to be quiet that day- muddy, but quiet. The park seems to need some tending to - its upkeep leaves something to be desired. But it still offers a pleasant and comfortable way to take in the river. 

You know when you have an agenda in your mind and then reality gets in the way. Well that is how our Sunday ended. Plan A - to take the trolley to dine at Rendezvous, famous ribs place. Reality - trolley stops running at 6:15 on Sunday and the restaurant closes after lunch! On to Plan B. Getting late, tired, hungry and not sure of the area, we head back to the Peabody (now a known quantity) to have dinner. Reality Part II - Peabody turns out to be about three times the cost of the rib dinner in Plan A. I guess we learned something from that. But the bread sticks were really good - so was the Cabernet. A horse-drawn carriage ride back to the hotel capped off the evening of a really good day.