Very Important Animal Room🦆
Have you ever seen ducks waddling down a red carpet in a hotel lobby?
No freaking idea what you’re talking about, you say.
OK. Here’s proof.
The Peabody in Memphis is an iconic hotel with 464 rooms. The Presidential Suite costs $1,200 a day.
My Uncle Simon and Aunt Tracy worked there in the eighties as managers (they were damn good).
Tracy (my mom’s sister) and Simon in Holiday Inn Memphis Tennessee at the Paul Anka concert
Recently I visited them in Germany.
While we were eating pizza with grilled peppers, lots of stories began to surface.
Simon said that he had been offered a job by the director of The Peabody while on a flight from San Antonio to Memphis.
He and Tracy moved to Memphis and so the adventure began.
They lived the movie star life.
They lived in Germany, Egypt, Louisiana, New Jersey, Dallas, New York, Livingston, California, Hollywood and Memphis. They worked for hotel chains such as Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Ramada and The Peabody.
So far, so good.
Tracy in New York
Years later, when Simon became president of the Lions Club in Hollywood, Tracy became the PA of actress and hotel owner Beverly Garland.
Beverly Garland
Simon and Tracy did what others could only dream of. In a way, they were superheroes, unafraid of anything.
Sometimes they made a decision in just 60 seconds.
It went like this:
Simon: “Let’s move to the States.”
Tracy: “Waaaay,” she replies. “The cats…”
Simon: “We'll take them with us.”
Tracy: “I’m in!”
Simon in ice cream parlor, set up by Tracy for The Peabody.
—OMG I need that wallpaper—
Back to the ducks …
In the center of the lobby of The Peabody Hotel in Memphis is a huge fountain.
Every morning at 10am a red carpet is rolled out from the elevator to the fountain.
A nicely dressed gentleman steps out of the elevator with four ducks. Meanwhile, marching music blares out through the lobby. The ducks waddle down the red carpet to the fountain.
At exactly five o’clock they wander back again, along the red carpet, to their special VIA (Very Important Animal) room.
Moral of the story…
Visiting your aunt and uncle is an excellent way to forget your own troubles.
Binge-watching a new show is not the solution. Get out of bed and start creating is key.
Serendipity is a fact. Not a religion or a fairy tale.
Be a rebel. Manifest and follow your dreams.
Always bring your drawing supplies (plus your resume) wherever you go. Because we’re not in this world to waste our talents.
Don’t eat ducks. Why would you? They haven’t done anything wrong.
Thanks for reading my stuff,
Love,
