This is Alex's new jacket that Neil bought him in China. He wears it in the car when he draws. We told him he should wear it to Graceland because Elvis would appreciate it. By the way, the kids were fully prepped for this one as far as music goes. Neil and I aren't really true Elvis fans, but we had the music ready for inspiration. I think it's a done deal that Alex is a huge fan, now.
"Why is there so much ELvis stuff here?" and "Was he really a King?"
"We're going to Graceland! Memphis, Tennessee!"
CDC Monkeys at Graceland!
Alex at Elvis' grave (alongside his mother, father, grandmother, and twin brother). This was the only time during our tour that Alex was not shaking around and dancing to the music on the audio tape.
The waterfront in Memphis...and the Mississippi river! Exciting! The kids didn't quite get it..."Mommy, it's brown."
Sorry, Arky. I think this is all we may see of Arkansas. We detoured a bit...
Outside the Civil Rights Museum.
The Civil Rights Museum is a gem. If you can, visit this place someday.
April 4, 1968. The wreath shows the spot where MLK got shot. Inside, you can see his room just as he left it. Unexpectedly and overwhelmingly moving.
Rowan Oak - home of Faulkner
Faulkner and his wife's grave in Oxford.
Don't know why this image is on its side. Alex, Eleni and I spent quite a bit of time in the three main bookstores around Oxford Square. Awesome books store that we felt right at home in - Square books, Off-square books, and Square jr. When we finally left Square jr. we heard that someone had been in all three bookstores within the same time frame as we had and had turned all of the books with Barack Obama's face on them around! It was quite the stir!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Kirsti note:
Some blog remorse – I’m sorry if I offended any country music lovers yesterday. I’ll try to be more open-minded in my writing.
Neil’s entries:
Today was the Three Big Famous Dead Southern Men day. We cut down on the driving, but the interest quotient went way up. For the first time, we seemed to be in a very different world: we are not in Jersey any more…
We started in Memphis. We fought the first real traffic we’ve encountered (rush-hour) to get to Graceland. I tried to dodge the tour, but Kirsti persuaded me that getting personal with Elvis would help me understand America a bit better. $54 later, we were sitting on a shuttle bus just to cross the road to the Graceland estate. I do here have to confess that I’m glad I went: I’ve never seen carpeted walls before, so now I know how to redo our living room. Seriously, there was something compelling about the kitsch of it all, even down to the grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich afterwards. Alex is now confirmed in his desire to be a rock star. And we can now reveal to you that Elvis had a twin brother that died at birth…
We needed to recover from all the glamour, so we sat by the mighty Mississippi for a while (Alex wanted to swim in it), and gazed at Arkansas (sorry, Arky, that’s as close as we get), then explored the music joints downtown before moving to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. This did not quite hold the kids’ attention to the same extent, but I was impressed with all the information presented- Kirsti said it was a reprise of her class. Sitting on Rosa Parks’ bus and then looking out through the hotel room at the balcony where Martin Luther King was killed was really moving. It is still stunning how crazily divorced from justice this part of the world was even so recently. It was a bit depressing how few visitors there were to the museum. The Civil Rights movement involved so many courageous individuals refusing to accept the status quo. As we drove out of Memphis we were struck by the post-industrial blight. Who will step up to fight the injustices of today?
Our last stop was Oxford, home of the University of Mississippi, but more importantly, Faulkner’s home at Rowan Oak. After the heat of the city, it was lovely to sit on the square and watch people go by. Kirsti kindly took the kids to Squares bookshop, while I scooted over to the house. I’ve been teaching in the States for six years, and in that time I’ve gone from Faulkner rookie to groupie, so this was a real treat for me. The Sound and the Fury makes so much sense now! Faulkner was certainly grounded in his surroundings, so he rendered much of the detail into his writing: he had a two-generation nurse servant living in a shack behind the main house; Faulkner’s favorite room was the kitchen, sitting next to the fire; and his neighbors even had a mentally handicapped son. The contrast with Graceland couldn’t have been more complete: everything was understated, austere and well ordered. Faulkner’s riding kit was displayed in his bedroom. Plot outlines were written out on the wall in the study. When he died, Faulkner was laid out in the dining room. His wife had an A/C unit installed the day after his funeral! If the house was gorgeous, the grounds were even better: an arcade of fragrant cedars, stables and paddocks, and an overgrown maze.
I abandoned my reverie and rejoined the family to head for the motel. We unwound with some local kids in the pool (Alex giving swimming lessons). Oxford is definitely a livable town. We should have looked up Allan Strand to see if it makes a good retirement spot!
View from the front door of Faulkner's home
Faulkner and his wife's grave in Oxford.
Don't know why this image is on its side. Alex, Eleni and I spent quite a bit of time in the three main bookstores around Oxford Square. Awesome books store that we felt right at home in - Square books, Off-square books, and Square jr. When we finally left Square jr. we heard that someone had been in all three bookstores within the same time frame as we had and had turned all of the books with Barack Obama's face on them around! It was quite the stir! Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Kirsti note:
Some blog remorse – I’m sorry if I offended any country music lovers yesterday. I’ll try to be more open-minded in my writing.
Neil’s entries:
Today was the Three Big Famous Dead Southern Men day. We cut down on the driving, but the interest quotient went way up. For the first time, we seemed to be in a very different world: we are not in Jersey any more…
We started in Memphis. We fought the first real traffic we’ve encountered (rush-hour) to get to Graceland. I tried to dodge the tour, but Kirsti persuaded me that getting personal with Elvis would help me understand America a bit better. $54 later, we were sitting on a shuttle bus just to cross the road to the Graceland estate. I do here have to confess that I’m glad I went: I’ve never seen carpeted walls before, so now I know how to redo our living room. Seriously, there was something compelling about the kitsch of it all, even down to the grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich afterwards. Alex is now confirmed in his desire to be a rock star. And we can now reveal to you that Elvis had a twin brother that died at birth…
We needed to recover from all the glamour, so we sat by the mighty Mississippi for a while (Alex wanted to swim in it), and gazed at Arkansas (sorry, Arky, that’s as close as we get), then explored the music joints downtown before moving to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. This did not quite hold the kids’ attention to the same extent, but I was impressed with all the information presented- Kirsti said it was a reprise of her class. Sitting on Rosa Parks’ bus and then looking out through the hotel room at the balcony where Martin Luther King was killed was really moving. It is still stunning how crazily divorced from justice this part of the world was even so recently. It was a bit depressing how few visitors there were to the museum. The Civil Rights movement involved so many courageous individuals refusing to accept the status quo. As we drove out of Memphis we were struck by the post-industrial blight. Who will step up to fight the injustices of today?
Our last stop was Oxford, home of the University of Mississippi, but more importantly, Faulkner’s home at Rowan Oak. After the heat of the city, it was lovely to sit on the square and watch people go by. Kirsti kindly took the kids to Squares bookshop, while I scooted over to the house. I’ve been teaching in the States for six years, and in that time I’ve gone from Faulkner rookie to groupie, so this was a real treat for me. The Sound and the Fury makes so much sense now! Faulkner was certainly grounded in his surroundings, so he rendered much of the detail into his writing: he had a two-generation nurse servant living in a shack behind the main house; Faulkner’s favorite room was the kitchen, sitting next to the fire; and his neighbors even had a mentally handicapped son. The contrast with Graceland couldn’t have been more complete: everything was understated, austere and well ordered. Faulkner’s riding kit was displayed in his bedroom. Plot outlines were written out on the wall in the study. When he died, Faulkner was laid out in the dining room. His wife had an A/C unit installed the day after his funeral! If the house was gorgeous, the grounds were even better: an arcade of fragrant cedars, stables and paddocks, and an overgrown maze.
I abandoned my reverie and rejoined the family to head for the motel. We unwound with some local kids in the pool (Alex giving swimming lessons). Oxford is definitely a livable town. We should have looked up Allan Strand to see if it makes a good retirement spot!
1 comment:
Hi Mr. Stourton! I'm very jealous of your excursion to Rowan Oak. Oxford is officially on my list of places to visit. I just picked up Absalom, Absalom! the other day and cannot wait until I can be a huge literary geek and visit Faulkner's home. You guys sound like you're having a fantastic time, don't forget to post about your TOK moments :)
~Sam Pivetz
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