 Kent D. Converse - Governor | All Comments |
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| 20th August 2008 Leslie Blennerhasssett | Death of Arthur LaSalle - From: Springfield Plantation Sadly Arthur Edward Cavalier de LaSalle died at his residence Springfield on Monday, 11th August 2008 (see Nathcez Democrat for details). He was buried at the family crypt at the St Louis No3 Cemetry in New Orleans on the 14 August. MEMORIES posted by Leslie Blennerhassett(as contributed to the Natchez Democrat ) I have known Arthur over a short period of his turbulent productive life. I met him when travelling through the Southern States with a friend. He was a keen traveller both in the USA and Europe. He traveled on the inaugural sailing of the Queen Mary 11 from Southampton where I had the opportunity of joining him with other travellers from the USA, UK and elswhere. I was intrigued to find that my collateral Blennerhassett forbears had connections with Springfield vis Le Cache, Gibson Port nearby. Harman Blennerhassett, a previous owner of Le Cache plantation was alas, not unlike Washington and Jefferson an owner of a slave plantation, a relic of those less than egalitarian, and sadly often inhumane times. Arthur lived history and had a vast knowledge of Southern States history,having a historic name, and antecedents associated with the founding of America, the Deep South and particularly from New Orleans (from whence he came). He was not a slave to fashion and was a supreme individualist and shone amongst a sea of mediocrity so prevalent in the artificial society of our modern celebrity culture. He was an eccentric in many ways as he would be the first to admit the same but you always knew where you stood and he would air his views without let or hindrance. His life time work, the preservation of Springfield right down to to the authentic slave homesteads show his respect for historical integrity and conservation. The State of Mississippi has been left a historic gem and long may it continue as a replica of one the great historic homes of 18th century America. It would be a travesty to Mississiphi and the USA to lose this historic home which Arthur so faitfully nurtured and preserved- Leslie Eric Blennerhassett |
| 15th August 2008 Sandra Huber | Springfield Plantation - From: Springfield Plantation I read in the obits today of the death of Arthur LaSalle and that prompted my renewed interest in the history of Springfield Plantation, which in turn led me to this site. I read the other comments with interest since my husband and I met Mr. LaSalle when we toured Springfield sometime in the 80's. I don't remember anything he said, but I have never forgotten the uneasy feeling he evoked within me. There was nothing overt that I could put my finger on, but we left there feeling as if things were not quite what they seemed. Eccentric? Maybe, but weird to be sure. |
| 8th July 2008 Edie Weller | Springfield Plantation - From: Springfield Plantation we have known Mr. Arthur E. LaSalle for many years. He is absolutely a treasure trove when it comes to history and more recognition should be given. Springfield Plantation would no longer exist if it would have not been for Mr. LaSalle. At one time it was used for hay storage. He certainly saved that beautiful house. Yes, there is a certain dislike for women for very personal reasons and yes he admires the Queen greatly, however advances towards young girls are unknown. The plantation is a must see for all that are interested in our history. The founders of Springfield, the Greens of Virginia, were a most interesting family. My husband and I never miss a stop when on our way from Florida to Texas. |
| 7th July 2008 Thanh | - From: 4th of July United States Independence Celebration Dear Kent, thank you very much for sharing your blog with me. It is my first time to know how Americans organize and enjoy the Independence Holiday?, it was very interesting to me. Congratulation to you as your "multicultural extended family" was published by 'the International Family Magazine". It's wonderful. I do hope, you will have more wonderful blog with your God given gift Thanh from Viet Nam |
| 7th July 2008 Governor | Thanks - From: 4th of July United States Independence Celebration Ray, Thanks for your comments. I am wondering if you heard anything from the Church about our Trang project. Kent |
| 7th July 2008 Ray Gaskill | 4th of July celebration - From: 4th of July United States Independence Celebration Kent: I, too, just returned from a 4th of July celebration with my family and some of their friends at Marion Lake. While I was the only verteran in the group I was pleasently surprised at the amount of patriotism displayed by those present. I always knew that my son, Rick, was impressed with my service in the Marine Corps during World War II. I was surprised that others had great feelings about patrotism as well. It was a great 4th of July for me. Ray |
| 2nd July 2008 Loannie | smiles and hugs :) - From: A Tale of Two Villages Dear uncle Kent, your tales bring me lots of smiles about this very beautiful memory. I'm on the way to discover other areas of my country, and I bring your Rotaty pen. Still feel safe and warm just like having you around here when carrying it with me. Say hello from me to your whole family and also to your wheat field ^_*. Regards. |
| 1st July 2008 JACKIE JONES | trip - From: A Tale of Two Villages Hi Kent hope you are well, this last trip sounds amazing you have certainly seen Vietnam in all its glory, the pictures are fantastic, hope to hear from you soon |
| 28th June 2008 KAREN | portraits of dutch royalty - From: Springfield Plantation My genealogy research causes me to want to know the identities of the portraits of Dutch royalty that hang in Springfield Plantation according to visitors . Does anyone know if Thomas Marston Green or his wife had any Choctaw heritage? |
| 28th June 2008 Ray | Tale of two cities - From: A Tale of Two Villages Kent: a very interesting story about visiting these two villages. What an experience you had in Vietnam. Thanks for letting us be a part of your visit tio Vietnam. Ray |
| 28th June 2008 Armida | We have been missing you! - From: A Tale of Two Villages Kent, you must bring us up to date! Too many days, weeks, etc. have passed since the last time we connected with you. Tell us what you are doing. This "A Tale of Two Villages" is so beautiful and tender... the 96 year old gentleman is so at peace with his task - what a beautiful life. Eager to hear more, Armida and Ralph |
| 28th June 2008 Camilla Converse Haley | medical treatment - From: Acupuncture in Vietnam Cute picture of the doctor's grandchild. I thought you were going to tell us that your lower back pain was cured...sorry that didn't work. I know I wouldn't have liked the chiropractic adjustments! |
| 28th June 2008 Camilla Converse Haley | Small villages - From: A Tale of Two Villages Visiting the small villages sounded really special. Nice that you now know the language well enough to communicate. Let us know when you arrive back in Kansas. |
| 27th June 2008 the soul cultivator | *!?*@#*'' YOUR BACK **!!@@# - From: Acupuncture in Vietnam Good to see your face again Kent.....we have missed you. & very happy to hear your stories from 'Nam again....all I can say is OOOUUUCHHHH! This one brought back painful but good memories. Much Love Claire & Stu x |
| 23rd June 2008 Lee Ann | - From: Springfield Plantation Me, my husband and our 2 small children visited this plantation in 2004. Mr. LaSalle did indeed talk of the queen alot but that's not what I found odd....he lived upstairs and he talked in detail about his distaste for women! I thought he was going to kill me and keep my husband and boys as slaves! Well not quite but he was very creepy! |
| 25th May 2008 Wolfgang Constantin | More than I expected....... - From: Springfield Plantation This was a very interesting place to visit. Loaded with history and the unexpected. Unlike all the other cookie cutter plantations in the area this one stood out on it's own. The landscape was outstanding but most of all inside was a real treat. Original all the way!! Mr. LaSalle (our tour guide) was very informative and polite. We loved the tour very much and will return next year. |
| 20th May 2008 Michael Creel | Arthur E. LaSalle - From: Springfield Plantation I love reading all these comments about Mr. LaSalle. Some say he is eccentric, bizarre, opinionated and hard to understand during the tour of the mansion. I say he is a very passionate man in everything he does. I also grew up knowing Mr. LaSalle when he lived in Hilliard, FL. He has not changed at all since that time (1969-72). My son and I spent two nights in the old mansion and we both loved it. Waking up early in the morning and stepping out on the balcony was the most serene moment of my life. It was breath taking to say the least. I say don't be so quick to judge Mr. LaSalle from just listening to him during the tour. There is so much more to this wonderful man than one realizes. He is Springfield Plantation because he has put 34+ years of his life into it. It is a MUST see experience for all. One you will always remember. |
| 15th May 2008 Camilla | language and music - From: Going to School Hi Kent - We were traveling on the East Coast Intracoastal Waterway from Jacksonville, Florida to Providence, Rhode Island when you sent the information about early learning of music and language. I agree! We had limited email access of the boat, but I couldn't connect to your blog. Now we're glad to be back in Colorado, and planning family activities here. Camilla |
| 9th May 2008 June Simeth | We were there in '02 - From: Springfield Plantation We were there in 2002 as well and heard all about the queen. We love the area, and the trip was well worth it. I was impressed with Mr. LaSalle's knowledge, but I felt he went on way too long about royalty (him being a royalist) and I became a bit bored by it all. He is very opinionated about what the States should have done long ago, and he wants to get his views across no matter what. This was a drawback to the visit. I think he should just give the facts about the house and the area and stay off the royalty business. We were thinking about going back again next year - don't know if he's still alive - but the thought of listening to all that extraneous material again will probably keep us away. |
| 8th May 2008 CMiller | Creeeeepy - From: Springfield Plantation We went close to dusk one summer day in 1997 (writing this in 2008). Mr. la Salle was quite odd with all the Queen stuff and then started to tell my 9 yr old daughter about adultery (about Andrew Jackson & his wife). The place gave us a creepy feeling. When the tour moved outside (we were the only ones on the tour), we just left. We never went back. I came upon this blog when telling friends of ours which plantation NOT to go visit. |
| 5th May 2008 Kim Beckwith | Will you ever come home? - From: Going to School Hi Kent, I am doing the Rotary Bulletin, thought you would get a laugh out of my headline. "Where in the World is Kent & will he ever come home? I enjoy your blogs and great pictures, now all you have to do is add commentary with your videos!!!! Kim |
| 26th April 2008 Governor | Going to school - From: Going to School Professor Hien gave me his name and that is how his email reads. Ngat Dao is my daughter and that is her name. theRedRiver writes a great blog. I hope my viewers will bring it up and take a look. |
| 26th April 2008 theRedRiver | - From: Going to School Just a short note for correcting some Vietnamese names in your blog. Professor "Hien Pham", we don't have "Hein" like you wrote in the first photo. I also doubt about "Ngat Dao" - I've never heard about that name, it sounds strange. Maybe your typo. |
| 25th April 2008 Ray | Language school - From: Going to School Interesting blog, Kent. I suppose at my age it is too late for me to learn to play a musical instrument or learn a foreign language. Ray |
| 25th April 2008 jackie | hi there - From: Going to School very interesting blog Kent, keep them coming, and enjoy the rest of your trip, jane is now back in the UK and says Hello, take care |
| 25th April 2008 the soul cultivator | FROM: ng°Ýi trÓng trÍt linh hÓn - From: Going to School Kent....LOVED the video, so brave venturing within these streets on two wheels with no motor! And another fine web log of work. You are the voice of Vietnam!! |
| 18th April 2008 JACKIE | hope you are well - From: Trung Vit Lon are you still in Vietnam or back home, the eggs look very appetising but will take your word for the taste he he take care speak to you soon |
| 12th April 2008 Warner | Mr. La Salle - From: Springfield Plantation I grew up knowing Mr. La Salle when he lived in Hilliard, FL. He owned and operated Trains of Yesterday there. This was back in the early 70s. He was a very knowledgeable man and could lecture for hours on various history subjects. Quite an amazing man. |
| 4th April 2008 anonymous | eggs - From: Trung Vit Lon Interesting news about the food. I'm not brave enough to try all those things. Like you, I did not enjoy reaching under a pecking hen to gather eggs on the farm. Camilla |
| 3rd April 2008 ken lerman | Tasty Treats - From: Trung Vit Lon Kent come home. We miss you. You've been in Nam too long. Ken |
| 3rd April 2008 Anita | yum - From: Trung Vit Lon I'll guess you have a yearn for a good ol' burger, right? |
| 3rd April 2008 Loannie | long time no see - From: Trung Vit Lon Uncle Kent!!! How are you doing these days? Will come to visit you as soon as possible. Loannie |
| 30th March 2008 Anita Graves | informative - From: The Churches of Danang-Part One great photos and information...thanks. |
| 23rd March 2008 Armida | Water project - From: Meet Rotary District 5690 Meet East Meets West Amazing! Happy Easter, dear friend! |
| 21st March 2008 Rick Morgan | A very interesting experience Visit on 3/20/2008 - From: Springfield Plantation Mr. LaSalle could easily be a character out of a Dicken's Novel. However, we found the whole experience an EXPERIENCE- not your typical touristy guide type spiel. Clearly, he is a delightful eccentric but very knowledgeable. The Mansion itself is also interesting in that it has not had a great deal of restoration done to it. After our tour Mr. LaSalle also gave us some tips for our journey which included the best fried chicken at the Old Country Store and a some insights to our visit to Vicksburg. Yes, we did have to work at listening and understanding Mr. LaSalle. - The vist was well worth it. We were so intrigued by Arthur that we searched the Internet and found this Blog. |
| 21st March 2008 Camilla Converse Haley | lepers village - From: Hoa Van Village I was surprised to hear that there is still a village for lepers. Glad to hear that it is only the old folks and that they have no new cases. Camilla |
| 20th March 2008 Anita | success - From: Hoa Van Village I am glad you were able to make the trip this time. Will it become a resort as I have heard? |
| 19th March 2008 Rita Kurtz | bamboo boat - From: China Beach, Marble and Monkey Mountain I find it very interesting the style (round!) boat that the fisherman use. Kind of reminds me of a water ride at Silver Dollar City! I don't think I would be skilled enough to navigate it. |
| 18th March 2008 Camilla Converse Haley | China Beach - From: China Beach, Marble and Monkey Mountain It was interesting to see the pictures and learn more about China Beach. Your travelblogs are always special. Camilla |
| 16th March 2008 mike meyer | Boy Scouts - From: The Inspiration of Scouting Kent, I met a boy scout in Hoi An back in 1997. He was an offical licensed guide there and was wearing a Boy Scout tie tack. He immediately gave me the boy scout handshake. Then he took me to the "Scout Cafe", it was the formewr headquarters for the Boy Scouts but they changed the name so the government would not shut it down. I returned to the Furama Hotel 2 months later and brought him a box filled with scout goodies, eagle belt buckle, Kansas City District Patch, and a few other scout momentoes. A belt. He told me he lost his scout belt during the end of the war in 75 using it as a tournaquet on a medavac helicopter. I was never able to connect to him but i am sure the Scoutmaster would know him. Give him my best, i was a Scout leader for 10 years as both of my boys are Eagle Scouts. Great story. Have you been working with Mark Conroy of EMW? I met him in 1995 with doctor Dung and helped him a number of years with my organization UPLIFT International. I donated free shipping for supplies with my free account and support of FedEx. They set up a dental office in DaNang near Marble Mountain. Let me know how things go, Mike Meyer |
| 11th March 2008 Steve | Kent, you've lost weight! - From: Long Bien Bridge, Island Farmers, Loannie III and a Nudist Retreat I see you've lost weight since you left. Hope you can do better on your second round of pics at the nudist camp! |
| 10th March 2008 Camilla Converse Haley | Scouting - From: The Inspiration of Scouting Our son Doug is an Eagle Scout (age 42 now), and our two grandsons ages 14 and 12 are involved in scouting. I plan to share your recent travelblog with them. Ir was certainly a nice experience for you to meet Professor Hung. Camilla |
| 10th March 2008 Loannie | Scout Spirit - From: The Inspiration of Scouting Hi uncle Kent. I'm so happy to hear that you met Professor Hung. Please say hello and give them a warm hug from me to his family. I'm not a Scout right now. Just wondering is it possible for me to be the first Scout in Hanoi? How to do that? ...Spread your wings to discover that place, "Eagle" Scout :-) By the way Hanoi is in springtime, flowers are blooming beautifully and my heart is also blooming with joy when I hear about you. Take care. Loannie. |
| 4th March 2008 edgar quintero | awesome pictures - From: Cultural Activities in Vietnam i have to say that all those pictures are so awesome . the expression of that culture makes me think that people around the world might have differences , but at the end they just follow the thing in waht they believe . Thanks dad converse for showing me this... |
| 2nd March 2008 Kristine McCarroll | A nudist retreat unsencored!!1???? - From: Long Bien Bridge, Island Farmers, Loannie III and a Nudist Retreat Ho Kent, I will ne bnack in Hanoi in 2009 and I sure will go and check this nudist retreat. Haveing been the victime myself of the art brigade censorship for my painting exhibition (The good ole time in the colonies) exhibition, I can not believe that this communist regime tolerate nudy bits all over the island!!! I have to go and partake myself on my return in this extravaganza!!! Cheers |
| 29th February 2008 Camilla Converse Haley | The Bridge - From: Long Bien Bridge, Island Farmers, Loannie III and a Nudist Retreat Really interesting story about the old bridge and the heavy truck traffic across it. You are certainly having some great cultural experiences! Cousin Camilla |
| 29th February 2008 jackie | hi - From: Long Bien Bridge, Island Farmers, Loannie III and a Nudist Retreat looks like an interesting trip, hello to loannie, getting bike over ditch looked a bit harrowing, keep safe |
| 29th February 2008 Anita Graves | the bridge and Loannie - From: Long Bien Bridge, Island Farmers, Loannie III and a Nudist Retreat Interesting story on the bridge. Tell Loannie "hi" for me. Was the nudist Asian? Anita |
| 21st February 2008 Kate Hildebrand | - From: Cultural Activities in Vietnam Great pictures Kent! I loved that museum :) |
| 18th February 2008 Camilla Converse Haley | Art in Hanoi - From: Cultural Activities in Vietnam Interesting to see some of the art around Hanoi and know that you found some Converse tennis shoes there. |
