Memorial Day Weekend

Most Americans are enjoying a day off from work today, and Im happy to see many friends and family posting messages honoring those who helped make it possible for the rest of us to enjoy many freedoms. Don served his country for 26 years plus civilian service for the Navy, and his son Craig and many friends and family members served in their own way. For all of them, I am grateful. Thank You!

To pick up where I left off on our service experience at Tiffin, we spent Friday getting several more items checked off the list. There are still a few more, including getting the cover for the new water heater painted to match the coach. We were actually pleased to be able to stretch out our stay to include the holiday weekend, as we didn’t make reservations and would have had difficulty finding space if we had left Red Bay. We could have stayed here even if we didn’t have additional work to be done, of course. But since most of this work is covered under warranty, our campground fees are more likely to be covered or at least reduced. And we want to make sure to get everything fixed before departing.

The electrical hookup for the new water heater was put in on Friday, and a new breaker added to the panel in the bottom of our clothes closet. I was amazed to see this cabinet with the cover removed, and marveled at the wiring and how organized it is.

We went shopping in the Tiffin store and found an item we’ve wanted for a long time: an electric reel for the 50A cable. Our neighbor in the next work bay had one installed in his Phaeton, so we could see how it was installed and knew that it would work for us. This will certainly save Don (and possibly me, on occasion) a lot of trouble in reeling up the cord, especially in cold weather.

It will easily fit, and Daniel said he can install it in no time. So that has been added to our growing list of “To Do” items. And over the weekend we’ve discovered yet another one to add: two of our 3 air conditioners aren’t putting out cold air. It’s a good thing this happened here so we can get it fixed before hitting the road again. Temperatures have been moderate, in the low 80’s, with humidity at varying levels and the resulting comfort levels also varying. So our one operational a/c has managed to compensate and keep us comfortable inside.

Daniel took Friday afternoon off, so we had time to go across the street to McKinney RV and have the wiring from the motorhome to the car checked out. It turns out the plug into the car had gone bad, and was grounding out. This was the likely cause of the failure to start after being towed. And it explains why the turn signals had quit working correctly. Now, with a new plug installed and all the lights checked out, we’re ready to be safer on the road. We also have a new device that trickle-charges the battery while the car is being towed.

On Saturday, with beautiful weather, we drove to Tupelo, MS, about 50 miles away, to visit the childhood home of Elvis Presley. This is the house where Elvis was born, and where his identical twin brother Jesse Garon was stillborn.

The shotgun-style house only contained two rooms, and was built by Elvis’ father Vernon in preparation for the twins’ birth on January 8, 1935. The house sits on its original location. The land around it was later purchased and several other buildings were erected to create a historic site honoring Elvis’ early days. Here’s a view of the rear of the house:

Elvis received his first guitar for his eleventh birthday in 1946. His mother purchased it at the local hardware store. The statue shows him at age 13, just before leaving Tupelo. Evidently he carried the guitar with him everywhere and could be heard singing frequently around town.

Elvis’ childhood church was moved from across the street when a new building took its place, and became a residence.

It was later restored and became part of the historic site.

The site includes a chapel with colorful stained glass windows adorning two of the walls.

This shady courtyard offered a peaceful place to relax and read comments from childhood friends posted on the external walls of the museum and gift shop.

The 1939 Plymouth owned by Elvis’ father provided the family’s transportation when they moved to Memphis, TN in November 1948, in search of a better life. It is on display in front of the museum.

We returned to Red Bay via Wal-Mart in Fulton, MS, and later enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our site at “Camp Red Bay.”