Day 48 June 30 Tues

Busy day in Dubuque. Visited Ron Hahlen's kiln and Mississippi Mud studio where he works and the shop where his pottery is sold. See pictures. Also rode on the 4th Elevator and visited the new riverwalk in Dubuque. Really all great stuff. Dubuque continues to grow and change. Lots of nice development. Kind of chilly actually. We are going out to dinner and then little birthday party for Chris.

Day 47 June 29 Monday

Some shopping today and then another great meal that Rob and Chris made. Picture of sunset over Dubuque. Nice to be taking it easy.

Day 46 June 28 Sunday

Quiet day and then dinner with the Hahlen's, etc. Very, very nice. Saw some fireworks on the way home. Pictures of Apel's house in East Dubuque and their view of Dubuque across the Mississippi.

Day 45 June 27 Saturday

We have arrived in Dubuque and already spent a great evening with Jack's cousins. Sitting outside with great view of Mississippi and Dubuque. Started out today in the Amana Colonies. Always wondered about it. Very interesting as a commune that lasted over 80 years. See picture. A few shops with a variety of things and I liked the museum.

We then headed to the Herbert Hoover Museum and Library. Nicely done and apparently recently redone. Learned a lot of things I didn't know before about him and the times he lived in. Continues to be very hot and some threat of rain. Picture is Hoover as a younger man.

Day 44 26 Friday

Off to a good start today. I took some pictures of the capitol in Des Moines (simply beautiful - see dome and outside is gold leaf) and then on to a great art museum. It is comprisedof 3 buildings that were added over the years. One by I M Pei in 1968. Didn't know he was working back then. Think of him as younger. Picture is of his building and the glass along the right is the cafe. Anyway, all modern art. Rothko is still my favorite. Special exhibit of Japanese art that is from their permanent collection and how it influenced modern Japanese comics and graphics. No pictures allowed. Some things I really liked. We couldn't believe the security. The other special exhibit was Tara Donovan's whose art is made of ordinary things like straws, buttons, stryofoam cups. Unbelievable. I will share the booklet on the exhibit when I get back.

Had lunch in their cafe. Soup was potato blue cheese to die for and right behind was white bean with chicken and artichoke. Yummy. But then came dessert. Chocolate cheesecake topped with coconut cheese cake and chocolate pecan pie which was like pecan pie but chocolate instead of brown sugar. Oh my God!

The art museum is in a very nice section of Des Moines with lots of big apartment buildings etc. Again kind of like Bethesda MD. We drove through downtown where there was an art show. Absolutely no people on the streets.

Made an important little detour. See pictures. Surprise, surprise. There was a police officer waiting for speeders and I asked him how they pronounced the name of the town and it is pronounced as my sister pronounces her name. What fun. Wikipedia says 61 people live there. I know the railroad is now biking/hiking trail that I saw. The romance of it, I don't know. The sign was just this side of the road behind the police car. So the picture is the town The rest of the people must live on side roads.

Speaking of which, I just don't understand how people live in such isolated places. I guess you just assume that a bad accident or a heart attack and you're dead. Can't even imagine what it is like in winter. Needless to say, there is lots of corn, lots and lots of corn. Got planted late according to the paper because there was so much rain.

Kept on to the Meskwaki RV Park which is at the largest casino in Iowa. Nice rvspace. Hardly any people. Had dinner in their steakhouse. No comparison to the Lester's at the casino in LA. Very disappointing service and food. We ordered drinks that came from the bar which was a long-g-g-g way from the restaurant. Restaurant also empty of course. Played slots for a little while. Penny slots were packed. I don't get it. Win a few cents and it is such a complicated game. Bingo hall was booming. Bet there are 1500 slots here. Jack was going to play blackjack but no seats. Nice hotel. We are near Council Bluffs and Iowa City.

Day 43 June 25 Thursday

First, we went to the play last night. Kind of cute. Kids threw popcorn at the villian, a sing-a-long at intermission, etc. The place was packed with people from the lodge and campers. See picture.

Headed towards Omaha and saw this church up on the hill from the interstate. So we went up to see it but not opened until 10. I climbed over the gate and took some pictures anyway. Jack said that's trespassing. Too bad. Not as nice as the one in Eureka Springs. Not the same mood and the lines not quite as good. They have a stone path with a little stream in the middle leading to it and it is surrounded by wildflowers, etc so it's very natural just like the other one in the woods. I guess the woods were just prettier than the grassy plains are. Also this one is Catholic rather than a non denominational house of prayer.

Then went to Boys Town. I can't believe how nice the campus is. It is now Girls and Boys Town and they live in homes with a couple who have their own apartment in the home. They act as surrogate parents and the 6 or so kids can be from preschoolers to teenagers so it's creating as much of a family as they can. The dorms are gone. Some children/adolescents sent there by the courts, others orphans, and others there recovering from abuse, etc. The museum is just great. Understand why it was Boys Town and not Boys Home. Statue of 2 brothers became the symbol. The original statue showed the boy being carried with braces. See photo. One of the actual brothers it was based on wore braces and all of the boys helped carry him around because it was so hard for him to walk.

You have to give it to Father Flanagan for having the idea and the ability to market and raise funds to make it as big as it was and continues to be. Also credit his successors for changing with the times as more was known about problem kids and how to deal with them etc. Their programs and approaches changed to deal with new adolescent and social problems. Heavy into parenting skills for example and they have a national 24/7 hotline for parents to call. Education still important but listening to the interviews of alumni, it seems that life skills is what they got out of it - how to get along with others, anger management, etc. as well as vocational skills. There is still a heavy religious influence of course. We ate in the cafe with all of the people who work there. Each one wears a pin with the 2 brothers emblem on it.

The first branch of Boy's Town was - guess where? No, Tallahassee and there are two others in FL. Some branches focus more on counseling, parenting programs etc. but all of them have a residential component. The emphasis is different from place to place and they are all over the country but not that many of them.

Drove through downtown Omaha. Seems like medicine and universities are the big businesses. Seems nice enough. At least through the sections we were in. Wanted to see the Golden Spike Monument in Council Bluffs IA since I was at actual place in Utah. This is where the Union Pacific began. Council Bluffs is right across the river from Omaha. It wasn't worth it. And that section of Council Bluffs was kind of icky.

Onward to Des Moines and in a nice rv park. Pricey and just did laundry. Saw lots and lots of windmills along the way.

Day 42 June 24 Wed

First of all, I forgot to report that the actor Robert Taylor was from Beatrice. Road out of town was named for him. Dinner last night was only so so. Poor service but great view. See pictures.

Went next door to the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Lots of fighter and bomber planes. Not my thing but Jack in his glory. Thank goodness they had electric scooter. It covers 2 huge hangers so lots of walking -- or scootering.

Their special exhibit was portrait photos of Holocaust survivors in Omaha. Most of them came here in 1950. Not sure why. It was about how they look today but gave a brief background of where they were prisoners, etc. Then watched a movie with interviews of survivors and the soldiers who liberated them. Very moving. They had it tough as displaced persons as well. I didn't know that Japan had given refuge to Lithuanian Jews, thousands of them. They spent time in the Japan before coming to US. A few summer school groups but otherwise the museum was not very busy. There is a "melodrama" at the theatre here in the park tonight so we will do that. Will move on to Iowa tomorrow.

Day 41 June 23 Tues

Well it was worth the detour to Beatrice, NB yesterday. It's Bee-at-res by the way. Although we were at the garage getting tires rotated and balanced until about noon, we were at least in an air conditioned room watching tv.

Then the good stuff. The Homestead National Monument of America. It's a relatively new park. Great video that was very sympathetic to the Indians who were displaced when the Homestead Act was created in 1853. The first person, Freeman, picked this spot right after midnight on Jan 1 when the law was enacted and then hurried back to his unit in the Union army so that his family could begin to build a house etc. The last homesteader under the act was a a VietNam vet who staked out a claim in Alaska in 1974. The act was repealed shortly after. I didn't realize so many states were included in the Homestead Act including FL. See map showing the area of FL that was homesteaded. In all, the government gave away 270 million acres in 30 states. Of course the Indians say it was not theirs to give. Great museum. Life was very hard. The tall grass had roots that were 15 ft long, so just imagine trying to cultivate that land - and digging for water.

The Homestead Act is considered one of the most important pieces of legislation in the development of the country. I guess I have to agree. 93 million people are descendents of homesteaders - from freed slaves, northern European immigrants, and easterners wanting a fresh start. Also, many women took advantage of the opportunity - widowers and single women who started the schools, newspapers, etc. Would like to read more about that.

They also had a viewing window so you could see into their storage vault. It explained all of the climate/light control things they do and damage that is caused if things are not preserved. I think in another life I could have gotten into this history museum/preservation stuff.

As my mother always said about traveling, it would be nice to know what crops we are passing. I suggested to the park ranger that the National Park Service should put together some kind of reference so people like me knew that they were looking at sorghum or alfalfa, etc. She got so excited and went right to the computer. May be she sent the idea on.

Left Beatrice taking the back way to Omaha. We are in a great state park right next to the Strategic Air Command Museum we will see tomorrow. That may be it because it is so hot. Want to see Boys Town though. It will be on to Iowa on Thursday or so. Still playing it by ear. There is a big lodge in the park. Going there for dinner tonight.

Day 40 June 22 Monday

We started out with stop at the Nebraska Prairie Museum in Holdredge NB. A very expanded county museum with so much in it, we were awestruck. The cashier said it is Nebraska's best kept secret. They were just putting things back in order after the Swedish festival this weekend. They were the immigrants who settled this area and currently the group is very elderly. Jack spoke to one of the former Board of Directors of the museum while smoking his cigar. The guy is 90 driving this pristine, top of the line station wagon from the 70s I think.

The museum includes 65,000 sq ft of really good stuff. Some of it is collections that people have donated like arrowheads and barbed wire and Norman Rockwell fidgy midgies. Other collectionss are cars and farm equipment. They must have 100 dresses from the late 1800s. All of this is displayed so well and some of it in old department store showcases. In another part of the museum they have it set up like you are walking the streets of a town for a hundred years. All of these great little "shops" with collections of stuff from TVs to typewriters in a print shop to old beauty shop stuff.

It was so great, only to be topped off by their latest addition devoted to the WWII POW camp for Germans that was nearby. Camp Atlantic. Apparently the fact that the US had 340,000 POWs in several camps was very hush, hush. 100,000 were in this camp alone. There is an interview of the artist who painted as he served as interpreter in the camp. He was German born. Paintings are great and his telling the story in a video was wonderful. The prisoners worked for 80 cents/day and were paid in vouchers they could spend at the PX. They worked the local farms, and as carpenters etc depending on their trades before the war. Because all the men had been drafted, the locals were glad to have them. They were then "re-indoctrinated" before they were sent back to Germany after the war. As he tells it very few were hard-core Nazis. The rest were happy to have a place so they could work and eat because things were so horrible in Europe. Interpreter must have been fun job but he got a lot of painting done.

We then went on to Kearney (pronounced Car knee) to see the Great Platte River Road Archway. It is essentially a tourist attraction they built across I-80. Very Disney like. Huge escalator that leads up to this "museum" you walk through. You wear headphones and they give info as you walk along. Essentially, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail during the gold rush and the Pony Express all used the same route. It then became part of the Lincoln road which was the first transcontinental highway that evolved into I-80 when Ike created the interstate system. So that all makes it very interesting but it was all fake stuff so not really a museum. A huge let down after the museum earlier in the day. I tell you business is very bad every where. The place was empty and a skeleton crew.

We left there and decided not to go into Lincoln NB because not much of interest to us there it seemed. So headed south to Beatrice. Staying in a city park - Chataqua Park. Really, really nice but so, so, so hot. Sign at the bank said 100 degrees. Lots of driving past corn, more corn, and yet more corn. What do that do with it all?!?! Came here for another museum and more on that tomorrow. Pictures are of some of the things I liked today. The buffalo is made of barbed wire.

Day 39 June 21 Sunday

Tada. Finally in Nebraska at Harlan County Lake which is just north of Kansas border and a little farther west. Maybe near halfway east-west point of NB. Leisurely ride north with a stop in Minneapolis KS to see Rock City. It is the only rock formation of its kind in the world that is the result of sedimentation buildbup left after the inland sea that covered Kansas thousands of years ago receded. Nice very older woman collects the $3 in this little log cabin visitor center. The fee includes a free icepop. The rest of the town was really dead except for a few people with walkers and canes going into the Methodist church. See pictures. Very unusual. I have never seen rocks like this and of course piled up in the middle of wheat and cornfields is a little weird in an area about the size of 2 football fields - we were told.

On north to Concordia KS. We stopped for lunch at Kristy's where everyone was eating. Big place with elderly farm couples primarily. Also, at the table across from us was a middle aged man with Down's syndrome and down a few tables a middle aged woman with Down's syndrome. Seemed very strange to me. Not that common and here are two people in the same little town eating in the same restaurant at the same time. They didn't seem to acknowledge each other and you would think they would have had to been through school together etc. For all I know everyone in town eats there on Sunday. I had hot roast beef sandwich and coconut cream pie. Gives you an idea of the place. It was yummy and reminded me of my childhood when we ate out every Sunday. Noticed that all of these midwest small towns have very, very wide streets with diagonal head in parking. Jack says it has something to do with the railroads that laid out all of these towns based on plans for big cities that didn't quite materialize. Also, there was a no guns allowed sign on the door of the restaurant so Jack asked if you are allowed to carry guns in Kansas. The cashier said she didn't know but it is the law that they put up the sign??!!?? We hadn't seen it in any other restaurant we were in so maybe it was a county law.

Continued north on very straight roads - yeah. Saw our first prarie power -- windmills. About 15 of them but only 4 that were turning, but they do face in a variety of directions. Crossed the Nebraska border and 2-lane roads all the way to Harlan Lake. Had the roads to ourselves past huge farms and some small towns that are essentially just deserted buildings. FFA welcoming signs at every county line. Also, every county in Kansas and Nebraska seems to have its own county museum. Passed through Red Cloud where Willa Cather lived. Sounded really nice in tour book but dead as a doornail when we got there. Not one thing open, not one car on the streets-which are all brick by the way. In the middle of nowhere we passed (very quickly) this beautiful 2 dimensional silouette sculpture up on a little hill of 3 Indians chasing after a buffalo. It was just great but no sign that there was an artist studio, no signs of any kind. Kind of weird. Made of steel and it can be seen from quite a distance.

Day 38 PART 2 Saturday

Finished out Abilene with dinner and show. Went to Kirby House whose Saturday night special is prime rib. Pretty good. Beautiful setting kind of ruined with plastic lace looking tablecloths. Good news is that it was pretty busy. Pictures are really bad because it was so dreary and rainy.

Then to the Grand Plains Theatre that used to be a church. Also a big crowd for South Pacific. One guy played the piano throughout the whole thing. Nellie Forbush was not the best. Good voice but weird behavior and kind of played her as silly rather than smitten with the French guy. Singing by leads and chorus all very good and the woman who played Bloody Mary stole the show. Of course, the roles that were Asian/South Pacific were played by African Americans which was also a little weird.

Overall a great night out. Rained very hard while we were at the show. Got back to camp to discover another rv pulled into our spot. They left very early this am. We are wondering whether or not they paid or just drove in.

Day 38 June 20 Saturday

It was Abilene day. Although raining all day, we did our best. First to the Eisenhower museum. The home where he grew up as one of 6 brothers with parents and grandfather. His father worked for a creamery. All sons went on to be educated and professionals. There is also a chapel where he and Mamie are buried and the presidential library. Lots of D Day stuff that we just heard about in New Orleans. Thing is that he was not that highly thought of at the time ( I remember we were for Adlai), but history has shown that he was responsible for his own decisions contrary to what people thought and accomplished quite a bit. There is a video of Barbara Walters interviewing Mamie. See picture of her hats. He certainly married up but unclear where her family got all of their money. I saw a biography of her that was a really, really thin book based on archives at the library.

We then went to the County Museum that is combined with the Museum of Telephony. More telephones that I really cared to see but interesting. After Bell's patent ran out rural areas set up independent telephone companies. Also have an antique merry-go-round and some other interesting things. Also a display on telephone operators who were set up in "dorms" with strict rules, etc. See picture of house that was converted in dorm for operators at one point.

Although still raining, we took city trolley tour. It was OK. The driver/guide was reading from a script while driving. Although reading his pronunciation and grammar were just awful. Did see some beautiful homes that are registered historic sites. Chilsom Trail ended here so heard a lot of that history, Wild Bill Hickok, etc. I know it was a rainy day but the down was empty to the point of spooky. No locals or tourists. We are off to dinner at one of the old mansions and then to see South Pacific at local theatre that was once a church. More on that later.

Day 37 June 19 Friday

Made it only as far as Abilene KS. Another one of those days. Went to see the school that was part of the Brown v Board of Education Supreme course case in Topeka first. Another National Park extremely well done. The school reminded me of my elementary school days. Lots of info on Thurgood Marshall who worked for the NAACP and the history of that. Marshall's mentor (I think his name was Houston) was a Harvard grad who became the dean of law at Howard. He made it the West Point of law for integration with many of the grads working on the supreme court cases etc. The case was actually 5 combined cases that were all sent to the Supreme Court about the same time. The others from SC, DE, Washington DC, and VA. See picture of signs at the main hall, auditorium straight ahead with wonderful videos.

We then wanted to see the Tiffany windows at a church downtown. Again duped. Everything said opened from 9-5 every day and after services on Sunday. Doors locked. Right across from the capitol which was under contruction.

We headed to Fort Riley where our friend Pat had basic training. Map was misleading and wasted a lot of time. Finally found only when we saw this tiny little sign for the turn. Got to the gate and told we could not go in unless we went back to the visitor's center that we never saw and get a pass. Just let that one go. It is on the edge of Junction City. Nothing much going for it however there are a lot of Korean shops, churches, and restaurants for a little town. Jack contributes to war brides whose husbands were stationed here after the war. I think they should just say high alert and no one allowed on the bases and be done with. Too much rigamaroll. We are done trying to find them and then get in. From FL to KS there have been issues, and I am sorry we missed the museums there.

Westward ho. Straight road that you can see ahead for miles but more small hills than I expected in Kansas. Beautiful acres and acres of wheat. Sorghum is the other big crop. I will have to ask someone what it looks like in the field growing. Also managed to go past the Oz museum. Stopped in nice camp just east of Abilene with an rv service center. Got the water heater fixed. $300 so our luck with cheap service seems to have run out but a hot, even a warm shower is much better in the morning. Ordered a pizza in the convenience store/registration office. Pretty good. Remains + 90s.

Day 36 June 18 Thurs

High of 97 today in Topeka so we stayed in and tried to keep cool. Jack got a lot of work done. I had the luxury of cable tv all day so I had my Law and Order fix and watched the new show about the doctor in the Hamptons. Read another mystery and went for a swim to cool off. We covered up the skylight over our seats in front of rv which helps keep temperature down.
Forgot to say yesterday that the reason there is so much Polish and other European stuff in gift shops here is because army wifes at all of the military bases in KS and Nebraska bring it back from Germany when they are stationed there. Apparently big business to sell the stuff I assume they get duty free or something.
Supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow with a few things to see in Topeka then headed west probably to Salina and then north to Nebraska. Seems like a lot to do there too.

Day 35 June 17 Wednesday

Well we made it to Lawrence KS and visited the museum at Haskell Indian Nations University. This is what I was trying to remember, not the mission schools. This started out as an industrial training school in 1880s to deal with the Indian problem. Haskell was the KS rep who got the federal money. They essentially rounded up these children and kept them here away from their families for 4 year stretches. The idea was to strip them of Indian culture etc and Americanize them while teaching them a skill. Took away all of their belongings and even their names. These were very young kids who were not allowed to go home until they finished their "term" 4 years later. Unless of course they died or ran away.

Evolved into a normal school and this is where Jim Thorpe went to school. There is a huge stadium and Jim Thorpe was at its dedication in the 1920s. They added high school about the same time. See the picture of the arch at the football field. ARCH = Accountability, Respect, Cooperation, Honesty. Over the years, lots of back and forth about Indian self-determination etc that lead to the high school phase out and it became a junior college and then a university in the 90s. They have had Indian presidents since the 80s and lots of grads from all Indian tribes. Focus is on education of teachers. Finally got control of it rather than the white man telling them what to do. Harsh, military school discipline. Which however made them very attractive recruits during WWII. Also famous for their band and musical programs. Now have a theatre and big arts program to preserve rather than destroy their culture.

Came upon a garage that was willing to look at a/c. Very hot driving. We took a cab into the downtown. $12 flat fee although it was only 10 short blocks. Very nice college town stuff. Reminded me a little of Madison WI. I got copies made of last of the proof pages and Jack went ahead to a recommended restaurant. He was already eating his breakfast sandwich when I got there. When I got to the register the computer had switched to the lunch menu so I couldn't have breakfast. That was a first. Eating two different meals together. Jack people watched while I shopped a little. Believe it or not- a Polish pottery store going out of business and another cross stitch store. Most of the rest college kids stuff. U of Kansas is here. Everyone very, very nice. Jack and I both noticed quite a mix of people-- hippie types, very old used to be hippies, street people on every bench, and some really upscale types with expensive clothes, etc.

Unfortunately they didn't have part for rv and another $12 cab ride back to get it. However, they refused to take any money because they couldn't fix it. Jack insisted the guy take a tip, which he did very, very reluctanly. Cab driver told us that Lawrence has tripled in population because it has become the bedroom community for Kansas City and Topeka. People paid $200,00 more for a comparable house just to get out of the crime in the cities and live on the edge of town here. I liked it a lot - what little we saw.

So on to Topeka. New, very nice rv place. We decided to find a/c place and we did. Truck repair place which is always Jack's first choice. They had the part and fixed it in no time. Very cheap too. Also very nice people at this place and Walmart.

Day 34 Junes 16 Tues

Quiet but productive day. I finished the review of all of the text proofs, Jack worked on a case and talked to a client. Yeah. We even found time for cribbage and I made dinner. Talked to our rv neighbor who is one of 5 guys who meet here every June for Boy's week which has expanded into 2 weeks. They sail their little catamarans, fish, swear a lot, and drink beer. They aren't young either. One of them is from St. Pete who grew up 60 miles from here. Said he lived in FL for 22 years and has spent 22 years trying to get out of it. I said I would find it hard to live anywhere else. End of conversation. I think he takes Boy's Week seriously and doesn't like to talk to women because he and Jack had big conversation later in the morning. They even have T shirts that say Boy's Week on the front and a list of something or other on the back. They just met here about 20 years ago and have been coming back every year since.
Really very few other people around. Even the camp hosts are off on Mon and Tues. Trusted us to pay them before we leave tomorrow. Horrible, horrible storm all night long. Thunder so loud and close the rv shook -- Jack said it only vibrated. I guess it was worse south and north of us with tornados touching down.

Day 33 June 15 Monday

Well this has been a very frustrating day. Started with terrible thunder storm. Had the radio on and the report was that it would last one hour. And it did, almost to the minute. Did review another chapter meanwhile. Left about 10:30.

We made our way to the Indian Mission School Museum in Kansas City KS. I saw a movie about these schools some time ago. I think it was about Jim Thorpe. So I was very interested. However, they are only open Wed-Sat. Of course this was not mentioned anywhere and we have 3 travel books. Jack said that maybe it was a recent budget cut that limited their hours. I think Kansas doesn't have its act together as well as other states we have been in. So just walked around and read the plaques. Beautiful grounds. This area of Kansas City KS is very much like Potomoc. Same types of houses, streets look the same, a little hilly. The whole works. Could almost see Val and her Button taking their daily walk down the street.

Came across Stroud's Restaurant which seemed very busy. In business since 1933. I had chicken fried steak for the first time that I can remember and Jack ordered pork chops which were also chicken fried much to his surprise. Good though and enough dressing with the chops for 4 people.

Then I decided I better call the Strawberry Hill Museum before we went there. Good thing I did because they are only opened on Sat and Sun. Too bad because the museum is about history of eastern European immigrants -Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, etc. I was sure I would find a little something for my mother. Oh well. Several abandoned grain elevators on the way out of town. Really looks sad. We drove right by the U of Kansas Medical Center too.

On to Fort Leavenworth. It is huge. They have beautiful statue to honor buffalo soldiers - the black infantry group. See picture. Statue is standing in what looks like a river. Gorgeous grounds with parks, fountains, lots of playgrounds and huge educational buildings that look pretty new. Some of the housing on the base reminded me of that movie with Robert Duval who was the strict father in the army. Several moving vans and lots of hustle bustle. They scan your driver's license at the main gate before letting you in. I guess we are not suspect. A big conference going on about military research. Got to the history of the calvary museaum at 3:40 and they close at 4:00. By the time we walked to the back to use the bathroom and worked our way forward, the gift shop was closed and the clerk we saw was gone. Kind of spooky. The museum is crammed with lots of stuff that would be interesting to see if there was more time. As we drove out of the parking lot the clerk was in her car and seemed to come out of nowhere and zoomed around us. She must have locked the door behind us and gone out the back. It was getting too late for us to hit downtown Leavenworth that is supposed to have all of these nice shops including one devoted to that Polish blue and white pottery we like. My mother loses again.

Headed about 50 miles west to Perry Lake. Huge corn and wheat farms. Surprised that it is still hilly in eastern Kansas but landscape is beautiful. The Kansas state road markers are bright yellow sun flowers. Cutesy. Then the directions to the camp at the dam at the lake were screwed up. It was a little after 5 and of course the visitor center was deserted. However, we did get settled and will spend 2 nights. Very nice and calming which we need today. The gray line in the distance is the dam in the picture. I can finish up the review of the book and Jack can do his work and has a conference call tomorrow.

Day 32 June 14 Sunday

I read Sunday paper which is great - Kansas City Star while Jack worked on one of his cases. Then we drove to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Jack found a shady place to park and continued working while I did the museum. They say it is an encyclopedia of art and they are right. Just everything -European, American, ancient Greece and Rome, African and a whole new building devoted to modern art. Lots of artists I didn't know, but many that I did.

I asked the guard who said Nelson was a wealthy newspaper man and his wife used her entire fortune to build the building after he died to put his collections in. Atkins was a very wealthy woman who just decided that KC needed more culture. She just went to Europe and bought up everything she could. All of that was added to the museum. Did I mention it's free and so is the audio tour that I could not finish from 12:30 to 5 so didn't do it.

The special exhibits were George Segal sculptures with a focus on his man on the street. He's the artist who made real life sculptures of ordinary people and then put them in every day settings. I know you have seen it. Really great. It was also the 15th anniversary of the shuttlecock art. It has become a symbol of the museum and of Kansas City. The artists flew over and saw the museum as the badminton net and put the six 18 ft shuttlecocks on either side of the net with one caught in the net that is on the steps of the entrance.

The other exhibit was of the Mughal albums. They were the ruling dynasty in India from 1500s to 1800s. The guy who built the Taj Mahal was one of the family. Anyway, they were big patrons of the arts and brought in artists from all over to paint albums for them. The exhibit was pages from the albums. Needed to use magnifying glass to see them. Absolutely stunning with calligraphy and borders that were as spectacular as the pictures themselves. No pictures allowed in the special exhibits. They also have rotating exhibit of photography of the 7500 items they have including the Hallmark collection but I don't know what that is.

Had to take a break in their restaurant to recover a little. Only so so cafeteria style with limited choices. Good ideas that don't quite work. We have had much better museum meals but great setting. Lots of Henry Moore sculpture in the gardens surrounding the museum and in the balcony around the restaurant. I spent a lot of time in the Asian section. Beautiful furniture, pottery, screens. Inspired me to keep up with sumi-e.

Rejoined Jack who got a lot done. Need to make plans for the next step of the trip tonight. Traffic even on Sunday was heavy and driving around is very complex so haven't really been to the downtown. The part of the town where museum is reminds me a lot of Bethesda MD. Posh and new section with upscale shopping, street cafes, etc. they call the plaza. Saw a couple of beautiful fountains in little parks as we drove along. Another thing KC is known for as I understand.

Pictures are of some the things I liked in the museum. I would definitely go back the museum if I was near here again. The African seated figure is all beads. Do you believe it? I thought the painting of the sheet was wonderful. Apparently at the time, people were covering up nudes so he wanted to make a statement. But it really looked like cloth. Look for the woman behind the sheet. I wish I understood how people do that. They also had a Rathko painting. We saw an exhibit when we were in Las Vegas. Those are the paintings that look like nothing but color or wide stripes of color but if you stand in front of them just right, you feel like you are in the painting. They are all about emotion. I just love them. Again, how did he come up with that??

Day 31 June 13 Saturday

Huge heavy clouds all day but no rain as we made our way to St Joseph to spend the day. Horrible traffic and then one-lane on the interstate. There are 16 museums in St. Joseph. Many of them related to Jesse James. We went instead to the Psychiatric Museum and Pony Express Museum after lunch at a new Ground Round on the corner of a new mall. They still bring you popcorn at the Ground Round. There was a lot of traffic on the outskirts of town but no one in the mall or at the restaurant for a Saturday noon - too bad. Very nice waitress.

The Psychiatric Museum is in the old state hospital - State Lunatic Asylum #2. This doctor who worked and then directed the state mental health system created the museum when he retired a few years ago. Goes all the way back to ancient times. Even showed a prehistoric skull with a large whole cut into it. Said it probably relieved pressure and worked pretty well for treating seizures or whatever. At the height of the state hospital, it had 3000 patients. Now there is a new 108 bed hospital across the street. Did some pretty horrible things to these people. It was certainly occupational therapy heaven in psych hospitals even with a brass plaque that was on their building. As usual, the PT department was in the basement with the usual hydrotherapy, etc. See pictures of one display. Another was of TV stuffed with all of these incoherent notes. Some of them even scorched. They think the guy thought if he put the notes in the tv they would somehow be transmitted.

On to the Pony Express Museum. The downtown was deserted. A tour bus with some people leaving the museum and maybe 3 other couples there while we were there. Interesting but I don't think it was anything I didn't already know. See picture of a mochila which was the special saddle bag for the mail. 3 of the pockets were locked and the key to open them was at each end of the route only. The 4th was left open for the mail they picked up as they rode along. I didn't know about that.