REWIND IV: ALMOST THERE?

April/May, 2021

To finish up our time in Memphis we decided to explore recommendations suggested by Atlas Obscura. Afterwards it would be 210 miles and a few days at a campground in Nashville before that final leg into Bloomington, Indiana and that first indescribably wonderful hug from one of our grandkids.

We enjoyed our time visiting The Crossroads, the honor paid to blues greats along the small section of the Blues Trail we followed, our visits to B.B King’s museum and Elvis’ birthplace. There were a couple of days left to our stay on the banks of the Mississippi, and we found enough to keep our interest.

Memorial Park Cemetery is home to The Crystal Shrine Grotto, which Atlas Obscura describes as a “head-spinningly bizarre Depression-era art cave that is wall-to-wall quartz and Jesus.” What’s not to love?

The grotto and the cave it leads to (technically known as The Cave of Machpelah) were the work of artist Dionicio Rodríguez who had been tasked with beautifying the cemetery grounds. To this end he dug a cave almost 60 feet into a hill, and decorated the interior with faux crags made of cement and quartz crystals. All of the stonework surrounds a series of biblical tableaus which were later added on to with little two-dimensional figures that just increased the strange feel. By the way – no one is buried in the Grotto.

Memorial Park Cemetery is also the burial site of “Black Moses.” Elected as a member to the songwriters hall of fame and the rock and roll hall of fame, Isaac Hayes was an American singer (Theme from Shaft), songwriter (Soul Man), actor (‘Three Tough Guys,’ ‘Posse,’ ‘It Could Happen to You,’ ‘Uncle Sam,’ ‘Reindeer Games,’ ‘Hustle & Flow,’ ‘The Rockford Files,’ ‘Miami Vice,’ ‘Tales from the Crypt,’ ‘The Hughleys,’ and ‘That ’70s Show’) and producer. He was the voice of “Chef” on ‘South Park!’ Hayes was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a session musician and record producer.

Brian found a feline adoption agency in Memphis that doubled as a place for cat lovers to hang out and get some lovin’. He wanted to surprise Barbara with an opportunity to spend an hour or so nurturing and being nurtured. Unfortunately The House of Mews was closed due to continuing Covid concerns. However, the ability to have some limited interaction with the cats sunning themselves in the storefront window brought such a smile to Barbara’s face…

In 1852, fifty Memphis gentlemen committed $500 each to purchase land and establish a new cemetery 2.5 miles from town center. Since then Elmwood Cemetery has become the final resting place for veterans of the Civil War, mayors, governors, madams, blues singers, suffragists, martyrs, generals, civil rights leaders, holy men and women, outlaws and millionaires. It is a classic example of a garden cemetery with a park-like setting, sweeping vistas, shady knolls, large stands of ancient trees, and magnificent monuments. Elmwood Cemetery is the final resting place of those who created Memphis history, and has been recognized by being entered on the National Registry of Historic Places.

So why did we visit?…Well, during the Victorian Era, death became romanticized, and was heralded by symbols including angels, bas-relief images and life-sized figures of the deceased. We thought this was pretty creepy.

Pulling into Nashville, we paused just a moment to remember brother-in-law Elliot, who passed away just about a year ago. The last time we had the chance to be together was here in The Music City. May he be of blessed memory.

No trip to Nashville is complete without spending some time soaking up history at the Ryman Auditorium, touring and/or attending a show at the new home of The Grand Old Opry, and for us foodies gorging on hot chicken.

We had enjoyed hot chicken at Hattie B’s on the way west…it made perfect sense to eat at Prince’s on the way east – after all it was James Thornton Prince’s womanizing that gave rise to this amazing dish (look it up – we can’t put everything in the blog!).

Since it had been more than 2 years since we had eaten at Hattie B’s it was hard to compare the 2 restaurants. Suffice it to be said that both know how to fry chicken! An absolutely delicious mild chicken breast, fries, and greens, and a hot half chicken (bet you can’t guess which order was whose) later we were able to waddle on our way.

Listed in the National Registry of Historic Places and as a National Landmark, The Ryman Auditorium was built in1892 by Nashville businessman Thomas G. Ryman as the Union Gospel Tabernacle Church. Yup – the word of God was heard there long before Minnie Pearl ever uttered her first Howdy! After his death in 1904, the Church’s name was changed to Ryman Auditorium in his honor.

But then in the 1920s, promoter Lula C. Naff rented the building and started booking talent creating the showplace it remains to this day. Talent? Well, how about musicians across the spectrum of genres from classical, opera, gospel, to country, jazz, blues and rock. Politicians gave speeches, authors read from their works, comedians, scholars and religious icons entertained…you pick a decade and its stars and they probably played at the Ryman! Neff’s philosophy, which ran contrary to that of this southern city, was to book talent regardless of race or gender, and that regardless of race or gender all were welcome. Not only was the talent top notch, but all of Nashville could enjoy the performances in the same building at the same time. Imagine that in 1920’s America!

The Grand Old Opry called The Ryman Auditorium home from 1943 until 1974, when it moved to its new location. We loved our backstage tour of the venue considered to be the home of Country Music. Brian must have been in awe as there just aren’t many pictures of the dressing rooms, the wall listing opry members, or pictures of pictures of stars throughout the years…

Centennial Park is directly across the street from Vanderbilt University in downtown Nashville, and was developed for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition. The Exposition’s buildings, of which there were over a hundred, included those devoted to agriculture, commerce, education, fine arts, history, machinery, minerals and forestry, and transportation, as well as those in which the special exhibits pertaining to children, African Americans, the United States Government, and women were shown. Most of those buildings are now long gone, but the space has been developed into one of Nashville’s best parks. In 1905 the City of Nashville built a replica of The Parthenon right in the center of Centennial Park, and to this day stands as the primary attraction for the now 132-acre park, which includes a one-mile walking trail, Lake Watauga, the Centennial Art Center, historical monuments, and green space for outdoor activities.

We spent a delightful couple of hours enjoying our time at Centennial Park, walking around the Lake, checking out the reliefs carved into the facades of The Parthenon, and…

…visiting with Lizzy The Dragon who sits about 100 yards from the north entrance of The Parthenon.

For us seeking out unusual public artwork and other stuff is normal…

In 2003 local Nashville artists created fifty-one catfish statues in support of an effort to raise awareness of the poor water quality in the Cumberland River and to raise funds to clean-up the waterway (which is now quite clean!) The statues were all auctioned off later in the year, and most of the statues ended-up in private residences…a few remained on public display.

Just down the street from The Heart of Music Row is RCA Studio B…the recording studio that put down tracks for so many in the early years of rock and country music.

We just find ’em, but sometimes can’t explain ’em! Human-Play polar bear statues guarding the entrance to a retirement home, frozen in the middle of a snowball fight!

Last on our list of places and things to visit on Nashville’s unusual list may not be that unusual after all – it is the central attraction in Fannie Mae Park. “Sea Serpent” was built during 1980‐81 and is a ceramic tile sculpture set in reinforced concrete designed and constructed by New York artist Pedro Silva. It measures 12 x 36 x 61 feet, and takes the form of a huge sea serpent which appears to be partially submerged beneath the surface of the playground. The “Sea Serpent” is covered in ceramic swimming pool tiles of bright turquoise and primary colors. The individual images are of sea creatures, clowns, popular personalities, animals, etc. It was so wonderful to see families having such a good time with the sculpture. Very, very cool!

We really did have a great time making our way back east – there really is so much to see and do no matter where you may be, and we’ve really only scratched the surface no matter where we have been. BUT, enough already…it’s time for grandkids!

Barbara and Brian

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.“ – Henry David Thoreau