Polaroids of the King Edward taken in July, 2007.
Other King Edward pieces:
The Shadow of the King Edward.
The King Edward (Jackson, Miss.).
Related:
The Four Signs of the Cohen Bros., 1970 (Jackson, Miss.).
NOW, let us turn, Gentle Reader, to the shaded and julep-soaked grounds of The Grove, in Oxford, Mississippi. Imagine a bright and sunny day—say, Saturday, October 13, 2007. Imagine it is late afternoon, and the friends have watched a classic SEC struggle, filled with high scores, dramatic turnovers, game-changing reversed calls, and even a blocked punt.
Let us further imagine one of that group in this idyllic setting holds in his hand a frosty pewter cup, engraved with the words “OXFORD AXXAULT” and “GORJUS.” Let us further imagine him wearing a t-shirt with “CRIMSON TIDE” emblazoned thereon. See the gentle smile playing about the corners of his mouth as he watches the crowd of under-tens clad in #11 jerseys wrestle over a pee-wee football; see his head bob as he leans back in his chair, the 5:30 a.m. wake-up time beginning to take its toll.
Then, let us fast-forward some hours later, as he stuffs himself with grits at the City Grocery—not long after having discovered a false Alabama fan in the legendary bar above. When offering a drink of his choice to the man who appeared to be a brother-in-arms, the False Fan—clad in Bama hat and shirt—whispers in his ear that “my wife works for Alabama, and I gotta dress like this, but—” and watch the entire crowd withdraw from the False Fan in utter horror, as underneath his crimson and white he wears Rocky Top Orange. The Orange of Hate; the Orange of Failure. The False Fan is nearly decapitated, the entire crowd loathes him so.
Let us turn the clock forward a few more hours, as our hero watches a heroic third-overtime victory in Lexington, the vaunted Tigers stumbling at last. Yes, and see him as he collapses on the floor of a Motel 6 in Batesville, Mississippi, utterly in bliss.
Basically, it was an awesome trip.
Can you just walk in, or do you have to know someone? I want to wander through closed-up buildings.
RD, you have to BREAK in. While your chickeny friend stands outside, wringing her hands and sweating profusely.
Or you can do so with a willing accomplice who wants to take some more photos inside anyway.
I think you post these just to make me insane—want to go King Edward!