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Sunday, May 31, 2009

WASHINGTON DC & ENVIRONS

We arrived in Washington DC on Friday. Saturday we visited Wolf's grave at Arlington National Cemetery and then drove on to Potomac, MD to see my old neighbors and friends, Adolf & Evie. We spent a lovely afternoon reminiscing and bringing John up to speed on our joint past. Nothing like old friends!! Also took a swing by the old neighborhood. The now owners of "my" house cut down my pink cherry tree, removed my burford holly and all my azaleas!! My friend Trish from next-door said she knew I'd be fit to be tied when I found out!! House looks a little neglected, I must sadly say!



We parked near the Capitol and proceeded to walk down to the Mall. Didn't look that far!! By the time we got to the Washington Monument we had changed our minds about that. We strode on at a somewhat slower pace to the Lincoln Monument, the new WW2 Memorial and the Vietnam Wall. Found John's West Point roommate's name. (He has 33 classmates on the Wall.) Have to say I found the WW2 Memorial lackluster. I feel the same about the other Vietnam Memorials - the 3 soldiers and the women's memorial. Looking at the Vietnam Wall with those thousands of names makes it so personal and forges such a connection. It has always made me cry. The others are just edifices. Not even great architecture or art! Then, it was time to walk back! It was hot and we were tired! Luckily, a bus came by and we rode from the Washington Monument to the National Gallery of Art; strolled through the American Wing and cooled off. It was just a short walk back to the Capitol and our car from there!


There is nothing to compare to looking back at that Wall.... just as there is nothing to compare to walking along it!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Lake Erie, NY

John, from my Treo

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Pony Express

John, from my Treo

Monday, May 4, 2009

INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI












We spent today in Independence, MO, home to Harry S. Truman. Truman was pretty amazing! Originally part of a political machine, when history called, he answered! He made the decisions, accepted the responsibility for and shouldered whatever flak the decisions caused. The A-Bomb, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, intergration of the military. His credo, "The Buck Stops Here!"


Think about the most current batch of ex-presidents and their post-White House lives. They live pretty well and we provide for them. When President Truman returned to Independence, the only income he had was a small Army pension. No Secret Service, none of the trappings, no yearly stipends for being on a board of directors, no speaking fees. He had no family wealth backing him either. We ate lunch at the soda fountain where he worked as a boy for literally pennies a week. Did not get to tour inside the Truman home as it is closed on Mondays. Enjoyed our visit to the Truman Library, a frontier museum and a beautiful old Victorian. Amazing how small Conestoga wagons were! The building with the spiral is a church/temple. The belief being when Jesus returns he will slide down the spiral into the temple. Flowers and shrubs blooming everywhere....love Spring!!