The air conditioning is definitely on and Mother Nature is controlling the thermostat! It was chilly in Independence but today when we left the wind was blowing a gale which made it seem even colder. But wait I am ahead of myself. I was so tired last night, I lay down after dinner for a short rest and the next thing I know it is morning! So I have an interesting couple of days to relate.
This statue stands before the Court House in Independence where Harry Truman was a judge and had an office when he was in the Senate and after he left the White House.
We went to the Truman home and then the Library. Since it was Sunday things were late in opening so we took advantage of a little extra sleep as well as "falling back" one hour. We first toured the house where Harry and Bess lived their entire married life. It was the home where Bess was born and she and Harry both died there. It was like visiting old friends. One of the favorite stories I heard yesterday was when President Johnson insisted that the Trumans have Secret Service protection. Harry could not stand to see these guys just standing around so, the story goes, he asked them to mow his lawn which he hated doing. The Secret Service did it for a while until he hired a gardener. The house if very modest and no nonsense!
Well, now here is an interesting development. I can't seem to post any more pictures. Will continue with the text and maybe there will be a healing before I am finished. If not we can all throw rocks at blogspot.com!!!
From the house we went to the library which is a couple of miles away. Planned to only spend a couple of hours and as usual ended up not having nearly enough time to see everything. The building is not as imposing as the Clinton Library but the displays were knock your socks off great!. There was a special exhibit from all the presidential libraries and we saw such things as hats from Mamie Eisenhower and Jackie Kennedy, John Kennedy's rocking chair, Ronald Reagan's saddle, Millie (the dog) Bush's satin outfit, Eleanor Roosevelt's worn suitcase, Gerald Ford's football shoes, a WWII helmet from Eisenhower, and on and on! The Presidential Libraries under the direction of the National Archives preserve so much of our history. They are doing a grand job! We ended our day visiting the Truman graves. Bess Truman is buried to the right of Harry Truman. It is traditional for the wife to be buried to the left but Truman said Bess was always his "right arm" and he wanted her on his right. They were truly a devoted couple and it was a privilege to spend yesterday with them.
We were up and on the road this morning headed north. The wind was blowing a gale and we decided there would be no leaves left on any trees but we were wrong. We were headed for Belleville, Kansas where Judi and Lee's father was born. We soon realized as we crossed from Missouri into Kansas that we were following the beginnings of the Oregon and California Trails as well as the route of the Pony Express. The road is marked and there are even places along the road, if you seek them out, where you can still see ruts made by the wagons as they travelled West. One thing I learned today is that the number one killer of those westward moving pioneers was not Indians or accidents. It was cholera! And they would carry it with them from place to place infecting others. In spite of all the dangers, they forged on in wave after wave. As we drove along the highway warmly ensconced in our great steed, The Green Avalon, we would shake our heads in amazement.
While reading the guide book, Lee came across the little town of Marysville that we would be travelling through. We decided to do a little exploring to see the 1000 maple trees that residents planted a number of years ago. Well, New England, eat your heart out! The pictures or words cannot do this setting justice. Streets were carpeted in billowing yellow and red leaves, and the trees were ablaze with color. It is a sight I will never forget.
On down the road we came to Belleville which is in the middle of nowhere. We drove around the town a bit and Lee and Judi tried to remember places they had been 30 to 50 years ago. They were coming up a bit short so we decided to stop at Dairy Queen for a bite to eat and decide what to do next. Well, the Belleville DQ is the place to meet apparently. No one was under 65 except the employees and everyone knew everyone else. It was truly a "clubhouse"! When we finished eating Lee walked over to a table of ladies who were having coffee and snacks and introduced herself and asked if any of them knew a great aunt by marriage whom she had lost touch with a few years ago. Of course they knew her and she had died. We heard all about her last illness, where she lived, who was living in the house now (her great-grandson and family), and her granddaughter-in-law who works in an appliance store on the town square got a phone call and we were to go right down there to meet her. So we high tailed it down to Leonard's Appliance Store on the town square and met Vonda Cooper. Had a nice visit with her and then Leonard came in. He is the original Maytag repair man. He has a collection of old washing machines that he has restored and his pride and joy is one from the turn of the last century. It is a beauty and when blogger will let me I will post his picture with the washing machine. The building where the appliance store is located was built in the 1800's. Leonard told us some guy from California came in one day and the "Damn fool wanted to buy my ceiling". Wait until you see it! I'd like to buy it too!!!!
We bid good bye and headed to the County Historical Society which is next door to our motel. They were a bit cavalier about the boxes of things they pulled down for us to look and through, and there doesn't seem to be much of a system of cataloging but we worked away and have an appointment to go back in the morning. We will also go to the cemetary to see what information we can find.
The Americas Best Value Inn in Belleville is the place to stay. We have two adjoining rooms with king sized beds and each room is $45. Now that is the "best value" we have had in a long time. We have all the amenities and the rooms are big and spacious and clean. We did go to the pizza parlor for dinner tonight. We have now eaten in the only two restaurants we have seen in town. It may be back to the DQ tomorrow for dinner.
Nighty night from cold Kansas. The GGG's
No comments:
Post a Comment