To both my Mom and my Grandpa Ed, Elvis Presley signifies and has influenced a great portion of their life's. And even though I might not admit it to
everyone I meet while strolling down the street, I have, over the years, come to appreciate his music. This past spring/summer I gained a new
appreciation for Elvis Presley the person.
In April 2007, my Dad took my sister and I on a trip to Florida to see our grandparents(Grandpa Ed and Grandma Irene). We had never been to
their beautiful condo in sunny Florida.
During our first hour in our Grandparents condo, my sister and I were introduced to the Elvis Room. How does a person explain wonder and awe?
Lets put it this way, if its an Elvis Collectable, my Grandfather has it. From the great Elvis Movie Posters, to the last scarf that Elvis through out to a
fan during a performance. This scarf is in mint condition and stored in a safe deposit box. This gives you an idea of how valuable Elvis collectable's
can be.
During the month of June 2007, my Grandpa Ed came to Michigan to see us before we moved to Washington State. He also came back again
for another visit with us in July. While visiting Michigan my Grandpa stayed at his brothers house. He spent the days visiting with his old fogies or
cronies(so he called them) and during the early evening hours he came to our house to visit. One of my best memories of his visits, are from when we
would all sit out in the family room and just talk about Elvis. It would be my Mom, both my sisters(Meghan and Amanda), Grandpa Ed and myself. We
could sit for hours and listen to what Grandpa had to say about Elvis Presley. Not the gossip stuff. My Grandpa knows so many different things about
Elvis the person. One of the things that impressed me the most was Elvis' giving personality.
The memory of watching my Grandfathers face while he told these wonderful stories will always bring a smile to my face and song to my heart. His
wonderful face with a huge smile that seemed to go all the way to his eyes, which I swear twinkled with joy.
My Mom and I could listen to Grandpa's Elvis stories for hours, which we did for many evenings during the summer of 2007. We really hope we get
a chance to hear more of Grandpa Ed's stories about Elvis sometime soon.
As a child I always told Mom to turn it up when she played Elvis music, because I appreciated his music. But now I say turn it waaaaay up because
I appreciate and respect a very special and talented human being who gave himsefl to other, and because my family shared him with me.
The Elvis connection (he leased it for a year in 1966 and honeymooned here in 1967) still gets top billing. But increasingly, visitors are drawn to the house as a hallmark of mid-century modern architecture, a style that shaped Palm Springs from the 1940s to the '60s. A revived interest in that sleek, bold style has brought new vitality to this desert resort city of 45,000, once considered God's waiting room. Now, after years of languishing touristically, Palm Springs is heating up with a passel of re-invented lodgings and new restaurants that are drawing a younger, hipper crowd. The Hip living room! Honeymoon night was spent here! Nice! Elvis's Honeymoon Hideaway , where Lisa Marie was apparently conceived. It's a marvel of modern architecture on top of being a major tourist attraction for Elvis fans.
