Are we there yet? 2013: September 28, 2014 Starting a week in the Memphis area

Sunday September 28, 2014 This morning we pull out from the Cahokia RV Park.

Again we're not going a great distance. We're off to our next destination in West Memphis, Arkansas. Heading down the highway, leaving Illinois behind.....

approaching the Mississippi River!

Hello Missouri!

OOOH I wish I was riding with them!

But mom....then you wouldn't have me!?!

Cotton fields in Arkansas

We've made it to Arkansas.....

& our destination Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park & it IS right on the Mississippi River!

Nice ride in! We have been to this RV Park before. In fact once already in the beginning of our trip, & it was raining too hard for pictures!?!

Today it is HOT here! I'm rethinking my desire to live in Arkansas!!! We had brats for dinner, now time to take Otis for a walk & to enjoy the Mississippi River! I also threw a load of laundry in at the park laundry room, the washers/dryers here are FREE!!!!

Not sure who's enjoying it more, Len or Otis!?!

Sun setting!

Looking good!

Oh yeah, that's a nice sunset!

Maybe Arkansas wouldn't be a bad place to live?

Monday September 29, 2014 Today is another hot day! We don't want to leave Otis too long even tho we have the A/C on.....what we're going to do is go to the Welcome Center get some brochures & get a feel for what we're going to do while we're in this area.

This was no ordinary Welcome Center!

OH WOW!

Only in Memphis!

B.B. King of the Blues

Elvis, King of Rock & Roll!

This Welcome Center could be a tourist attraction!?!

The Mississippi M Bridge in the background.

We decided we had time for one attraction before heading back to Otis!

We drove to the Historic Elmwood Cemetery.

This cottage, which now serves as the office, was built in 1866. The bell on top has been tolling at funerals since 1870 to present.

75,000 people are buried here, with space for 20,000 more. There's a LOT of history here! There are people from every walk of life & every culture. Veterans of every American war, Generals, senators, governors, mayors, madams, murderers, & of course....perfectly ordinary citizens.

The saddest headstone:NO MAN'S LAND. victims of the yellow fever plague. Buried in mass graves, at the rate of 50 bodies a day....

The tallest & most expensive!

Also on the grounds is the Chapel at Elwood

Not only does the chapel serve for funeral services......it also serves for WEDDINGS......

We weren't gone long enough for Otis to earn a McDouble, he doesn't understand that logic....he thinks every time we're gone & he isn't with us, he's earned a McDouble!?!

Tonight, fish on the grill

& the start of another beautiful sunset!

Monday September 30,2014 We have a busy day ahead of us! Lennie was busy studying the brochures last night! Our day starts right after breakfast as we have a 10:00am Tour of The St Jude Children's Research Hospital

Everyone knows the hospital was founded by Danny Thomas after praying to St Jude(the Patron Saint of Hopelessness) during his struggling days as an actor/entertainer & vowed to build a memorial to St Jude if he would only answer his prayers. His prayers were answered & the rest is history, & what a history!

Our tour was led by Brandi Davis in the cutest southern accent ever! Having just graduated from College, she'd only been working at St Jude since August. She loved her job,& she loved the hospital!

St Jude Hospital depends solely on donations.When you become a patient at St Jude, EVERYTHING is FREE, not just to the patient, but the patient's family. When you become a patient, you are a patient for life, even if you go into remission, or are cured, your follow ups continue for life, & your appointments continue to be free.Out of respect for the staff, patients & family members, picture taking was very limited.Even tho we weren't allowed to take pictures, you couldn't help but see the little kids being pulled in the wagons by their family or staff. It just pulls at your heart to see these kids, & yet they seemed so upbeat!?!

The story behind the beads.Each time a child goes through something, good or bad, from a band aid to chemo....they receive a bead.We can see how many beads this little guy received....

The bust of Danny Thomas, notice his NOSE is discolored? The staff, patients & family rub his nose for good luck. We rubbed it too!

St Jude is not just the hospital of Memphis, or the United States. The flags here represents all the countries of patients & staff here at the hospital.It is truly a hospital for EVERYONE!

Alphabet wall, written & designed by the patients at St Jude.......

Reading the wall will bring tears to your eyes.

Letter "W" was another sad one, the patient wrote WHY ME & you just have to ask yourself Why Kids? Kids shouldn't have to be soooo sick

Danny Thomas & his wife Rose Marie are both buried here at the Memorial Gardens.

If you ever feel down & out like the whole world is against you.....just take a tour of St Jude Hospital. Look into the faces of those little kids & you'll see things in a different light.......

Next after our tour.....lunch! More research by Lennie, we are going to a Guy Fieri restaurant! This one is called Leonard's & it's a barbecue place. You can't go to Memphis without having BBQ!

They offered a lunch buffet, but we resisted the temptation to have the buffet & settled for a BBQ pork sandwich with shared onion rings. That was plenty!

The King of Rock & Roll &

the King of Food hanging in the same restaurant!

Moving on.....& this has been a problem, as we have been depending on "Flo" our GPS to get us around!

It seems she has a case of dyslexia as she's been making us turn left when we need to turn right. She even wanted us to turn left on a one way street! Lennie & Flo have really been having some words! But finally we get to our next attraction.....