Welcome James & Anthony!

WooHoo! My friends Anthony and James paid me a visit from Fort Worth this weekend. We made it to a few new places I'd been wanting to go to and hit some of my favorites.


They arrived Friday afternoon, timing it to get here just in time for the Cellerman drawing at Boscos. You might recall that last August, I won the drawing for the cellerman on my birthday, and I got to tap the cask-conditioned keg that afternoon.

And whaddaya know---this time, James won! :-) Okay, okay, yes, James asked me repeatedly if I'd had anything to do with that. I'll just tell you what I told him: He saw the drawing, and did it look like it was fixed? Nope. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. (And Keith the bartender is getting a major tip next time I'm in.)

Friday night we went back to the house and enjoyed dinner there and catching up--staying up much too late. But it was all fun and a great time.

Up relatively early Saturday, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at home then headed . . . to Graceland!


I'd been wanting to go once while I was here, but I'd waited until I had guests in who also wanted to go. Sure, it was a little cheesy, and sure, it was everything I'd heard, but I'm really glad I went.

Here are some highlights (pictures had to be taken without a flash, so this is the best I could get) that include the front living room, the dining room, a view upstairs, Elvis's parents' bedroom, the Jungle Room, a view of the back, and the pool. (click on any picture to see a larger version)







We also did the tour of the car museum, and there my favorite was the Pink Cadillac.




Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed some Memphis BBQ at, of course, Interstate BBQ---my favorite place for ribs (and BBQ Nachos---yummy!) After that, we, naturally, had to stop off at the Flying Saucer in Memphis (recall, James is my Saucer buddy from Fort Worth). We then just enjoyed a laid-back evening at the house.

On Sunday, we were up early. We did breakfast at Brother Juniper's--a fantastic spot near campus. I had an open-face omelet with a chipotle avocado spread on top topped with black beans, sauteed tomatoes, and cheese. Just divine. (Anthony had an omelet with spinach, feta, and tomatoes.) We then headed over to Sun Studio, one of the favorite places from when my sister was here. We did the tour, finishing up, of course, with a photo opp. at the most famous microphone in rock and roll---the one at 706 Union Avenue, where rock and roll was born!

They headed back to Texas after that. We'd had a fabulous weekend---great visiting, great sites, and fun times in all. I'll be in Fort Worth in just about five weeks, and James and I already have plans one night!

Of course, I was tired from the weekend, and this afternoon, and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon with a few movies and a nap. :-) Then I hung out next door for a while. But I'll be up early tomorrow, readying for a BBQ here with the neighbors!