Our next presidential library visit was to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Probably my favorite president on my sabbatical tour, I was very interested in how this library would handle this particular president and his tremendous role in our country's history. The buck stops here. Harry S. Truman was a dirt farmer, the ordinary american democrat (would american believe that someone ordinary could lead them?) His leadership exemplifies the democratic idea of leadership - a man from the heartland, an ordinary guy, of common sense and decency. Despite universal knowledge of Roosevelt's deteriorating health, Truman had only been Vice President for 82 days and had no transition or preparation for stepping into the presidency. He was quoted saying "I am not big enough for this job". He barely knew any of the cabinet ... read more

What a fantastic city! We arrived yesterday late afternoon in Saint Louis, Missouri - a city with very little traffic, totally accessible, friendly people and streets lined with red brick houses. Still a couple of days out from my next Presidential Library (Truman in Independence, MO which is outside of Kansas City). But here is what we did see here: We went out for dinner at John McGurk's Irish Pub but saved plenty of room for frozen custard from Ted Drewes. The restaurant was fairly unremarkable (unless you take into consideration the mother who brought her infant and two toddlers and bellied them up to the bar) but Ted Drewes Frozen Custard was a sight to be seen. About 100 people lined up to purchase their frozen treat and then milled around enjoying their selection. Jim ... read more

Feels like a very long time since I updated the blog - most likely because it has been a whirlwind couple of days!! We finished off our trip to Louisiana with a blow out day in New Orleans: made sure we circled back to all the places we wanted to see one more time, visited the city's oldest cemetery (Saint Louis Cemetery #1) with above ground mausoleums dating back to the early 1800's and tried to stay cool. We took refuge in a corner bar on the walk back to the hotel from the cemetery and met the nicest bartender that recounted with vivid detail being evacuated during Katrina. The closer the 5 year anniversary got, the more detailed the accounts seemed to get. It was certainly a whole lot more terrifying than those of who ... read more

This magical city will always have a tight hold on my heart. But having never drove into the city, I was amazed by the beauty just driving down the interstate. Tall, expansive stretches of bridge over the Mississippi River and smaller overpasses over the bayou, it is such a treat to be back! One interesting roadside experience - having sipped my way through 32 ounces of diet soda, I was the horrible wife insisting we break up the drive with yet another pit-stop. The truck stop was called Tiger Road Truck Stop and as we drove up the long driveway, I looked over and there was a huge fenced in enclosure with a tiger pacing back and forth! When they said Tiger Road Truck Stop - they really, really meant the tiger part of the name. ... read more

George H. W. Bush My most vivid presidential memory was the first election that I was old enough to vote. George Bush was running against Michael Dukakis - in one of the ugliest political campaigns in history. The defeat by the Democrats was astounding and it really did feel like the country had signed up for another four years of Ronald Reagan. I have appreciated immensely the "suspension of judgement" and getting to know this particular president at a much more mature age. The two leaders couldn't have been more dissimilar: Reagan was the "great communicator" and Bush was self-admittedly missing "the vision thing". Reagan was fairly laissez faire when it came to the inner workings of government and Bush had a very hands-on approach to leadership. His inability to communicate a larger vision would plague ... read more