We're home....

and it's still hot. But....it was every bit as hot in Memphis as it is here. whew! We had a good time and were able to do everything we'd planned. I've gotta tell you, I fell in love with Memphis' quirky coolness. Everyone we met was so polite and knowledgeable. We heard the most interesting stories from shop clerks and restaurant workers. And those tours that I wasn't too excited to take? My bad. I actually enjoyed them, and I don't usually enjoy tours. We ate well, slept well, and (except for the heat) thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

A few words about Graceland. I found Graceland to be a very personal experience for many. If you'd asked me if I was an Elvis fan (pre-Graceland visit), I'd have said yes. But....after visiting Graceland and seeing all the different people and their reactions, I now know I barely qualify fan-wise. This may help explain: When we were finally, thank GOD! finished, I was waiting under a shade tree for J to get the car and pick me up. There was a man from Galveston, TX sharing the shade with me. He was waiting on his wife who was giving blood in exchange for a free Elvis tee shirt. By that time, that didn't even seem odd to me. I heard more foreign accents and languages at Graceland than anywhere else we visited in Memphis. The King must really be a King.

Now, for the Peabody....if you go to Memphis, stay there! I now understand how some hotels become dear to people. I find myself smiling when I think about it. And the ducks? I'll post pictures as soon as hubby downloads them. I fell in love with the ducks (or, maybe the idea of them). Hint: the love-the-ducks test meter sky rockets with a drink/glass of wine from the lovely lobby bar in the Peabody.

So, now I start planning for the Gulf Shores trip. I'm getting excited. I'll not only be seeing three of my kids, but visiting a well-loved place. And....the weather's going to good. Right? No hurricanes. Right?

I got my maternal DNA results. I'm H haplogroup. There were three or four insertions and deletions, and I'm not sure what those mean. I'm working on understanding it now -- as best I can. But, it pretty much verified that (on my mother's side) I'm pretty much British/Irish. The American Indian link that I remember my grandmother talking about didn't show up -- as far as I can tell. I need to send the results to my daughter (who is a few courses shy of being qualified to interpret DNA). But....I know what she's going to say. "Mom. I told you that most places don't test enough markers to be able to show specific results." And....she'd be correct.