No Sun, No Problem

The sun did not shine it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house all that cold cold wet day.*

Well, it was cloudy and it was wet, really wet, but never ever too wet to play. We weren’t going to be put off by a little lot of rain. There was a conference to attend, ribs to eat, a mansion to visit, and a quest for yarn.

A spot on Beale Street served up some pretty fantastic ribs. I don’t remember the name, but I know what spot it wasn’t, rumor had it that spot didn’t have the finest ribs. Michael would enjoy the block of blues and food, I remember saying to my hosts. I stopped in a shop to pick up shot glasses for Dani’s collection and I didn’t spill any food, this night.

Saturday morning dawned dreary and rainy, but daunted we were not. Off in search of a fabulous, maybe famous local eatery. No such luck, no funky little spot was to be found. Equally, missing any people sighting. Daytime Memphis seemed eerily empty of shoppers, diners, walkers and talkers. Very odd. Yet, there was still food to eat, a conference to attend, a mansion to visit, and a quest for yarn.

Breakfast for me was an egg white frittata. I made a promise to be good with regard to food choices, rib platter dinner Friday night not-with-standing, I did fairly well. I’d not had an egg white frittata before so I have no comparisons to make. It was edible and I ate it. And then, the mansion. Graceland was a treat. I’d not expected to enjoy the experience, but I very much did. The company may have much to do with that, still, the mansion and the grounds are interesting history lessons.

The yarn quest, alas, ended before it could really start in earnest. Names of stores secured, addresses obtained. Yet calls to clerks for directions yielded no positive results. Apparently, clerks who work in these yarn stores do not know how to get around Memphis. I was disappointed. I was really looking forward to learning the ways of yarn.

I arrived in Memphis, into the open arms and spirits of two lovely ladies from Texas. With humor, warmth and wine Elizabeth and Maxine welcomed me, made me feel at ease, at home. I rode back to Illinois with that feeling fueling the journey, even the ticket I got on the way didn’t dampen my spirits. I was going home knowing I’d taken an important step in my journey and with the knowledge that I’d found two friends, in living color, having materialized from cyber-space before my very bespectacled eyes.

The sun may have boy-cotted the weekend in Memphis, but it made no difference to me. I was feeling sunny the entire time.
*Dr. Suess The Cat in the Hat