Sadie had stayed a few days in Little Rock. She thought she would do a little sightseeing before she headed on to Alabama. She was looking forward to visiting her friends there. She really enjoyed the one time she had visited Alabama before, but it had been about four years since she had been there. The friends she intended to visit were people she had met while she was working. Bob and Ginny had retired about five years before she did and they had made the decision to relocate in Alabama. Bob had been sent there on temporary assignments for his company and realized he really enjoyed the country. Ginny had come down there with him on a couple of his trips and fell in love with the place too. So after retirement they traveled there, found a house and returned to Seattle to pack up and move. That had been five years ago. Sadie had visited them about a year after they moved and had a great time with them. �Sadie, you have got to come back again when you can stay a little longer,� Ginny had told her. So Sadie decided it was time to go back for a visit.

Sadie was just a few miles out of Memphis when she decided to stop there for a while. She hadn�t been much of an Elvis fan, but she thought as long as she was going through there she would take a couple of days to look around. �Of course, as long as I�ll be there I might as well take in Graceland. If it�s not too crowded that is!� She found an RV park fairly close to Memphis and decided to stop there. It would be easier to drive her car around town than her motorhome. It was getting close to supper time anyway and she was getting a little hungry.

After she had something to eat she decided to call home to see how things were going. It had been about three weeks since she called and it was time to do it. She heard the phone ringing at Ralph�s, her oldest son. He finally answered on the third ring, �Hello.�

�Hi there Ralph, this is your long lost mother,� Sadie joked. �I thought I�d better give you a call and let you know that I�m all right. I�m in Memphis tonight. I�ll be here for a day or two I think, then I�ll head to Athens to see Bob and Ginny.�

�Geez mom, I was getting worried. I was hoping you�d keep in better touch with us. I have a little bad news to tell you, but nothing that you have to come home for.�

�Oh my God Ralph, what�s the matter? Are you sure I don�t need to head for home? Please tell me what has happened.�

�Don�t get excited mom, it�s just that Tammy has told Dan that she wants a divorce. It really came as a surprise to all of us, but Dan was really shocked.�

�I can hardly believe that. I thought they were doing pretty good. Did Dan tell you what was the matter?�

�No mom, he really doesn�t want to talk about it right now. All I know is that she told him that a couple of weeks ago. She is planning on moving out this coming weekend.�

�I�m so sorry to hear that. Divorce isn�t an easy thing to go through. I know, I�ve been there and done that. I�ll give Dan a call in a couple of days to see how he�s doing. Thanks for giving me the news Ralph. Now, how is everything else going? But if it�s anymore bad news I would just as soon wait on that.�

�Actually, other than Dan�s news, everything else is going along alright. It�s been raining here, but not too bad. Just the usual Seattle drizzle!�

�That�s not a big surprise,� Sadie laughed. �I�ve been lucky so far on this trip. I haven�t run into any really bad weather. But I can�t expect my luck to last forever. I have a feeling that after I visit with Bob and Ginny for a few days, I�ll be heading up north. I have some friends in Massachusetts that I would like to see and then I will start heading back toward home. So far I�ve been having a great time. I only had one little bit of trouble and that was a flat tire in Oklahoma. A nice fellow stopped and helped me and I really appreciated that. Give everyone my love and I�ll be in touch with them in a few days.�

�Okay mom, just drive careful and don�t take so long to call again. We all send our love too. Bye bye.�

When Sadie hung up she sat and thought for a minute. She was sad to hear about Tammy and Dan. But there wasn�t anything she could do about it...even if she was home. She decided she would call Dan in a few days and see how he was doing. It had been a long day and she was going to get ready for bed. Tomorrow she will go out and do a little sightseeing and try to enjoy herself.

When Sadie woke up the sun was shining and she could hear some birds singing outside. �Well, that�s a nice way to start the day....with a serenade from the birds.� Sadie laid in bed and stretched and yawned. �Wow, I�m feeling kind of lazy this morning but I�d better get up and put on the coffee. Then I�ll figure out what I�m going to do today.�

After Sadie finished her coffee and cereal she sat down and looked at some of the brochures she had picked up at a gas station the day before. �Wow, I�m sure glad I decided to stop in Memphis for a couple of days. I see a couple of places I�d like to see before I leave here. I think today I will take in as much of Beale Street as I can. That sounds so interesting and fun to see.�

Sadie found a good place to park her car and she started out on her walk around the Beale Street area. She knew she was going to enjoy this day. There were a lot of shops and boutiques selling souvenirs, t-shirts, and all kinds of interesting things. She found some t-shirts for her sons and their wives...she even bought a couple for herself. Sadie was really glad she remembered her camera. She also walked along the Walk of Fame where there were musical notes embedded in the sidewalk honoring the musicians of Memphis. There was a Police Museum that had many interesting exhibits from old time police days. �Whew, I didn�t realize there would be so much to look at here on Beale Street! I may have to stay longer than I expected if I want to see everything.�

Another place that Sadie found interesting and entertaining was Schwab�s Dry Goods Store. It is the only original remaining business on Beale Street. It had been in the family since 1876 and Sadie found that it sold all kinds of things from voodoo powders to 99 cent neckties and cookware. The store was on three floors and Sadie was having a wonderful time looking at everything.

After Sadie left Schwab�s, she realized she hadn�t eaten any lunch yet so she found a small restaurant and decided to grab a sandwich and something cold to drink. �Besides, my feet need a rest! I�ve done more walking today than I have in quite a while.� She went inside and found a table, then put her packages down and the waitress brought her a menu. �Oh my, it certainly does feel good to sit down for a while.� Sadie ordered a BLT and a glass of sweet tea. She had heard about the sweet tea and decided to give it a try. As long as it was cold, that�s all Sadie cared about!

Sadie took her time eating and enjoying the sweet tea. She loved sitting there and enjoyed watching the people. She started studying some of the other brochures she had picked up and decided that her next stop on Beale Street would be the Gibson Guitar Plant. She thought it would be really interesting to see how those beautiful instruments were made. Also inside the plant is the Smithsonian Institution�s Rock �n� Soul Museum. She really wanted to take that in today too. Sadie finished her lunch, gathered her packages together and headed out of the restaurant and toward the Guitar Plant.

After a couple of hours of going through the Guitar Plant and the Museum, Sadie headed out again and saw a statue of W.C. Handy, a famous blues songwriter. The statue of Handy overlooked a park that was named after him. It was a beautiful place and Sadie decided to sit for a bit and just enjoy the scenery. �Well Sadie old gal, this has been quite a day for you. I think you�d better get your tired bones up and get back to your car. Tomorrow is another day!�

By the time Sadie got back to her motorhome, she was ready to really relax and have a light supper. �Ooohhhh, it feels so good to get these shoes off! Maybe tomorrow I won�t be so anxious to do so much walking.� Just about the time she got really comfortable, her cell phone rang.

�Hi Sadie, this is Sam. Did I catch you at a bad time?�

�Oh no Sam, I just got back from a really full day. My feet are killing me and I was just relaxing for a bit. How are you?�

Sam paused for just a minute and then he spoke, �I just got home from my wife�s funeral. I�ve been so busy with her in the hospital and then with all the arrangements that I just haven�t had time to be in touch with you.�

�I�m so sorry to hear that Sam. It�s so terrible to watch a loved one die. Please accept my sympathies.�

�Thank you Sadie, I appreciate that very much. I�m so tired after all this I think I just want to take it easy and try to get things in order. It�s been at least 5 or 6 years I�ve been going through this, but I�m so grateful that my children made me get away for a while. I think it really helped to keep me from going over the edge, so to speak.�

�I�m sure you�re right Sam. They knew you needed the time away for a while. Being a caregiver is not an easy job. I remember what my mother and I went through with my dad.�

�Where are you now Sadie? I�ve kind of lost track of your whereabouts. The last time we talked you were in Oklahoma visiting some friends.�

�I had the most interesting day today....nothing but sightseeing and a little shopping. I got into Memphis last night and today I walked all over Beale Street! It was a really fun day. And I think I will go to Graceland tomorrow. Then I will be heading to Alabama to visit some other friends there.�

�You really do sound busy. I hope you�re having a good time. I know it might not sound right since I just came back from a funeral, but I would sure like to see you again. The time I spent with you was just great. I�m very fond of you, you know.�

�Sam, I know what you mean. The time I spent with you was very special. And I am looking forward to seeing you again. But I will be with my friends in Alabama for at least a week, maybe longer. Then I�m not really sure exactly where I will head. But I do know one thing, I am still planning on coming home through Kansas and if you�ll have me, I�d like to stop and visit with you for a while.�

�Of course I�d love to have you visit me here. I can�t think of anything I�d like better. But don�t rush your travels on my account. I�ll be keeping in touch with you, you can be sure of that!�

�That�s a deal Sam.....call me whenever you are able. We�ll see how things go.�

�Alright Sadie, it sounds good to me. Just know that I�m thinking of you a lot and I look forward to seeing you. I�ll let you go now so you can relax. Goodbye my dear Sadie.�

�Bye Sam....you are on my mind quite a lot too. Take care.� And with that Sadie hung up and smiled a little to herself. �I�m not sure where this is going, but I�m sure I�ll find out one way or another.�

When Sadie woke up the next morning she thought over her conversation with Sam the night before. She realized that her feelings for him were growing, but she was a little nervous about that. �My gosh, I�m acting like a teenager with a crush. It�s time I started acting my age! So I�d better have a bite to eat and get ready to enjoy my day.� She looked through a few of the brochures she had and picked one. �As long as I�m in Memphis, I would be crazy if I didn�t go and tour Graceland.� She quickly got dressed and headed out to her car.

Sadie found a place to park....though it was a little bit of a walk she didn�t mind. It was a nice day, but not too warm and she could use the walk again. She had been doing more driving than walking and it felt good to be walking for a change. The Graceland Mansion was very impressive. There was an audio tour telling very interesting stories about Elvis and how much he loved his home. There was also music playing throughout the tour. Sadie was really interested in seeing all his costumes and jewelry and there was a fabulous collection of gold records. She found out that the gold record collection was the largest privately owned collection in the world.

The tour ended in the Meditation Garden where Elvis and members of his family are buried. There was also an automobile museum where Elvis� 1955 Pink Cadillac was on display. Sadie was amazed to see that his custom jet, the Lisa Marie, was even on display there. When she finished the tour she went on the look through the shops that were there. She was hoping to pick up a souvenir or two.

The tour had taken longer than she expected and she found that she was hungry for a bite of lunch. She found a nice little place to eat and ordered a salad and a cup of tea. Sadie thought back about the tour and she was so glad that she had decided to take it. It was such a beautiful place and she had taken as many pictures as she was able to. �My family will never believe all the places I�ve seen! I�ll bet they didn�t think I could do it.....but darn it I did. And I�m so glad I decided to do this.�

Sadie got back to her motorhome at supper time but she wasn�t very hungry. She just fixed herself a bowl of soup and some crackers and put her feet up for a while. �The last couple of days you�ve sure put some miles on your feet Sadie old gal! Wow...it sure feels good to get my shoes off and my feet up!� She looked over her map and decided to give Bob and Ginny a call. She figured it would be about a four or five hour drive to get to Athens. Sadie would leave around 10 in the morning and that would get her there sometime in the afternoon. She was ready for the next leg of her journey.