ELVIS, HAPPY 75TH.

If Elvis were alive, this month he would celebrate his 75th birthday. I wonder what kind of festivities would be planned... maybe a televised concert special featuring today's best talent, or maybe a pot luck surprise party at Graceland! Awesome!

In August of 2009, I took a road trip with Sean back down to Tennessee. We've been there a few times in the past, but on this trip we made the three hour trek from Nashville where we were staying, to Memphis. I had to see Graceland in real time. I remember as a kid in the 80's, watching a taped T.V. special featuring the legendary mansion with Pricilla as host offering a guided tour of the entire grounds. I LOVED THAT VHS!

Bright and early we bought our tickets and waited for our bus to carry us past the gates and to the front steps of Elvis' house. We were given a set of headphones to wear as we walked from room to room like herded cattle with cameras, and a pre-recorded voice told the stories and history of the house. We weren't allowed to use flash as a preventative measure to preserve the original decor colour, so forgive a few of the photos taken with a trusty point and shoot set to manual control.

Our tickets...

We were here! Can you believe it!!!!

Some self-snaps of us in various museum buildings on the grounds. Sweet headphones huh? Don't be jealous!

Check out Elvis' wedding tux. I love a man in paisley. ha.

After a loooooong day of touristy Elvis features, we were both beat. However, we couldn't possibly leave Memphis without a stop at the world famous Sun Records Studio. Sam Phillips' legendary corner recording joint where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and a host of others kick started their careers.

The privacy wall surrounding the Graceland mansion is C-O-V-E-R-E-D in names and messages from visitors over the past 30 something years. Its quite incredible to see. Guess who found her name?

So driving home, we notice an unusual cloud formation catching glimmer from the setting sun. Tell me this isn't totally Elvis' silhouette... Okay, okay it kinda looks like batman's head here, but Sean and I swear that when we first saw it, it was a dead wringer with detail and everything! By the time I dug my camera out of my oversized purse, it had shifted a little.

Happy 75th Birthday (on January 8) Elvis.