Memphis Adventure

On Saturday, Austin and I went to Memphis! We attended the lovely wedding of our friends, Bri and Jonathan at the Olford Center at Union's Germantown campus. Neither of us had been there before! It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect! We were so happy to celebrate Bri and Jonathan's special day! 

The ceremony took place at 2 p.m. followed by the reception across the courtyard in the back sunroom of the big house at the Olford Center. Following the reception, we had already made plans to eat dinner at Jim N Nicks on the way back to Jackson, but it was barely 4 p.m. when the reception ended. So, we decided to head into the city!

Memphis is a historic city for both of us! Austin's grandparents lived in Memphis shortly after they were married. My grandparents met in Memphis while Granddaddy was finishing medical school and Grandmommy was a nurse. Their first date was in the Peabody Hotel for one of Granddaddy's medical fraternity dances. So, the Peabody has always held a romantic charm for me. It's easy to get lost in time when you're there.

The trademark of the Peabody Hotel since the 1930s has been the ducks that swim in the gorgeous marble fountain in the center of the lobby. In the 1940s, one of the bellmen (who was a former employee of Barnum and Bailey) decided he wanted to train the ducks to march down a red carpet from the fountain to the elevator, take them up the elevator and to their penthouse on the roof. He did just that and became the first 

Duckmaster. So, every day at 11 a.m. the ducks leave their house, come down the elevator, and march down a red carpet into the fountain to John Philip Sousa. There they remain all day until 5 p.m. when they march out of the fountain to music, get in the elevator, and return to their house for the night. The last time I saw the ducks march was when I was 10 and visited Memphis with Grandmommy and Granddaddy.

When we arrived at the Peabody at 4:40 p.m., I was so excited when I saw the crowd gathering to see the ducks! It was such a lucky coincidence! We found a great spot, right next to the red carpet! There were hundreds of people crammed in that lobby and the second floor balcony. The guy in the red coat is the current Duckmaster. 

The march of the ducks only lasted a few minutes, but it was so fun to see the ducks come up that red carpet! There were lots of little kids who were delighted, and the ducks are so well trained! They paused every once in a while so everyone could get pictures and video. I think the march of the ducks is a great reminder that people still enjoy the simple things in life :-) 

The ducks made their departure in the elevator and then the lobby returned to normal. Austin and I enjoyed exploring!

I tried to capture all of the elements of the lobby in this picture: the beautiful marble fountain (daytime home of the ducks), elegant chandelier, gorgeous woodwork and stained glass ceiling. I love how historic, elegant and timeless the lobby is. 

This fountain is just so lovely! And I love the flower arrangement! 

As we walked around the lobby and talked, an older lady adorned in a shiny gold jacket played big band era music and show tunes on the grand piano. She was so talented! We gave her a small tip in her jar, and tried to be inconspicuous, but she thanked us warmly and asked if we had a song request. At the same time, we asked for our song, "The Way You Look Tonight". It was so special. We went up onto the second floor overlooking the lobby where we could hear the music really well and danced. :-) It was so romantic! 

After our dance, we took some pictures :-) 

My handsome man! 

We stayed at The Peabody for almost two hours and then decided we were hungry, so went back to our van in the Parking Deck! We couldn't figure out how to exit the parking deck, so we ended up on the top level and decided to take more pictures. Here is the side-exterior of The Peabody. The Duck condo is on the right :-) 

A look into the sunset over the Mississippi River. It was much more beautiful in person. 

We did end up going to Jim N Nicks and ate DELICIOUS food! We were so stuffed, but it was so worth it!

We loved our date in Memphis! :-)