NAPOLEON AND BLUEBELL ON LINCOLN HIGHWAY IN NEBRASKA

More stories from our road trip on Lincoln Highway - we were driving along when we saw the red-white-blue "L" sign and the white pig with a black head.  At first I thought it was a real pig and commented about the pig being in the front yard instead of in the pen.  Then I got excited that it was a sculpture.  That made it even better as my adoring fans know that I love taking photos of public sculptures.  As we slowed down, ready to stop the car, Bluebell came charging from the house, barking and yelling "Rich people bad, poor people good".

Pointed to the pig, Bluebell continued yelling, "This is Napoleon, the beloved leader and he will lead the way to the promise land by taking from those who have too much to provide fair share to those who are in need and everything will be good."  (I asked Bluebell the question how do you define "too much" and "fair share".  Bluebell said that Napoleon, the beloved leader, makes up the definition.  Just like a certain politician who goes on fancy vacation while millions of American are jobless, homeless and unable to feed their family.  Supporters of this incompetent politician probably explain that he needs the fancy vacation in order to think well, and since his so-called work is brain work, it is in everyone's best interest that he should have his well-deserved and much needed fancy vacation.  Should his brain fail because he has been working so hard (without a fancy vacation and a few round of golf) the rich might take over.  That would be a very frightening option for the farm.) 

We decided not to get out of the car and just took the photos while slowly driving away.  There was no point trying to remove the invisible blindfold because Bluebell would refuse to see the false vision of reality that Napoleon has rewritten history, manipulate statistics in his favor, using lying and bullying tactics of a skilled totalitarian leader while "the farm" heading down the cliff.  Make no mistake about this, Napoleon will not be going down with the rest of the animals.  (All politicians, no matter which political party, are never on the side of the poor.  Politicians need financial backing.  Have you ever seen poor people like you and me at $1,000 a plate at fundraising luncheon?)  He will make sure that he will survive and avoid the impact which his failure policy has imposed on others.  Napoleon only is interested in his own power and never makes any contributions by doing any real work.  He does not care about what is good for all, but rather only his own good and what a new society should be under his regime.
When a politician tells you that he is fighting for you, working to make your life better and making your future brighter, don't be naive believing these empty words!  Be sure to watch where his hands are because they are most likely taking money out of your pockets!  

LINCOLN IN IOWA

I went to the post office today (two days after Christmas) to mail out Christmas cards to a long time pen pal in England and an uncle (not a real relative, just someone we knew from the refugee camp).  Better late than never I said.  This year I was really late with my Christmas mailing.  I dropped off the U.S. cards on the 22nd because I had a difficult time writing my Christmas letter.  I wanted to include an update with the cards but did not want to write about all the setbacks I have experienced the last 12+ months.  I wonder what president Lincoln wrote in his Christmas letter after the many job lost, a few defeats in politics, unsuccessful business ventures and other setbacks.

These photos were from our road trip on Lincoln Highway in September 2012.  The statue below might be in front of City Hall in Grand Junction, Iowa.  I like the sculpture in front of a private home (top photo).  It was a creative work of art made from a dead tree. 

We went to see the movie "Lincoln" a few weeks ago.  It was a good movie but I was not impressed.  The cast did a good job of acting the roles they were assigned to but the screenplays were typical of Hollywood drama.  I am glad the movie did not show when Lincoln was assassinated.  The movie was about the final months of the president, how he tried to heal the country from the war and the division, there was no need for the details of his death.       

There are two of Lincoln busts overlook a bend north of Scranton, Iowa.  If we did not have the guidebook, we probably would never find the monuments and thought they were just part of the cornfields.  Someone or a very dedicated group took good care of the busts because they look good having been put in placed since 1924.
(PS:  I just noticed that this post is the One thousand one hundred eleven (1,111) post published in this little boring blog of mine since that dark stormy night in August 2006 - congratulations to ME - haa haa).

SIMPLE THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED

(Above - Colo Motel/Niland's Cafe on Lincoln Highway, Iowa)  I saw the news about NYC ending gas rationing, nearly a month after hurricane Sandy visited.  The rationing system was implemented using the odd-even license plate numbers to cope with fuel shortages after the storm.  According to a reliable source from Bath Beach, as of last week, there was no long lines at gas stations and things were sort-of back to normal.  (Below - Mobilgas sign on Lincoln Highway in Nebraska.)

(Above and below - Newsberry Springs on Route 66 in California)  Ever since gasoline went above $3 a gallon, I usually fill up when my car has less than half a tank.  I read that Tuesday thru Thursday are good days to purchase gas as the prices would go up before the weekend when consumers do the most driving whether shopping or just going places.  Psychologically, I trick myself into believing that I did not pay too much for gas when looking at the total for half a tank of gas compared to "an arm and a leg" if I waited and pay for a full tank.  Furthermore, having a full tank of gas gives me a peace of mind should a major breakdown of supply from countries that produced oil or some disasters that prevented oil from being transported.

Watching the news about the long lines of people with gasoline containers waiting at the gas stations after the hurricane, I thought of how easy to have the simple things we take for granted all taken away in a blink of an eye!  I will remember not to complain about eating the left over turkey for the next two weeks, or the cold weather or even the gray hair and the wrinkle and definitely I will not complain about the NHL cancelled the 2013 All Stars Game!  At least football is still on ;-)  

THURSDAY RAMBLINGS - CHELSEA, IOWA LIBRARY

I did not understand why it was so important to Qaptain Qwerty and why it made him happy when he found free WiFi at a coffee shop or at a library wherever he happens to be while travelling. Now I do. Since we have wireless internet connection at home, there would be no need to sign up for data service for "Bo" except when we are on our road trips. All of the library branches in St. Louis have free WiFi and most of the restaurants/coffee shop, even supermarkets now offer this service. I think it is a smart business decision. Last week when I met a friend for lunch at a restaurant that has free WiFi, I brought along the iPad and we were able to do research on the topics we discussed. I like taking pictures of library or post office when driving thru small towns. The town of Chelsea, Iowa has only one building to house both its City Hall and Library. I am sure the good people of Chelsea are proud of their town because any town that has a library, no matter how small the collection is, would get my respect.

When I mentioned to my husband that I got a few really good books from the library, he said, "I never knew you ever gotten a book that you did not like or think it was a good book." Reading has always been one of my favorite activities besides watching hockey/football. One of the books I recently read was about I.M. Pei, the world renown architect, and I found so many interesting things about his life. I always thought Mr. Pei only designs museum like the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and the Guggenheim in New York. I learned that he works included John Fitzgerald Kenney Library in Boston, MA; Four Seasons Hotel in NYC; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; Mile High Center in Denver, Colorado and so many others. If you did not already know a lot about I.M. Pei, please accept my humble suggestion to read about this giant of modern architecture. From his acceptance speech for one of the many awards he earned, I.M. Pei "Let us all be attentive to new ideas, to advancing means, to dawning needs, to impetuses of change so that we may achieve, beyond architectural originality, a harmony of spirit in the service of man." Would you like to share something interesting you read recently?

LINCOLN ON LINCOLN

The good people of Nevada, Iowa really took pride in their town being part of Lincoln Highway. So proud that they would erect this welcome sign that includes the "L" marker and a portrait of president Lincoln.

(above) Lincoln in Lincoln, Illinois (how appropriate)! We saw many more statutes during our Lincoln Highway adventure in July and September 2011, but we could not safely make a stop or even slow down to capture all the images.

Lincoln at Jefferson Square, in front of City Hall in Jefferson, Iowa. (I am so confused!)

I always like the creative way people preserve and create wonderful artwork out of tree stump or part of the tree trunk when the tree could not be saved and had to be cut down. I don't remember exactly where I saw the above sculpture, I only know that it was somewhere after the town of Nevada and before the town of Scranton in Iowa.

Does your town have any sculpture/mural of president Lincoln on display in public square or in front of City Hall?

GREAT TIMES IN 2011 (THE YEAR IN REVIEW)

The year was coming to an end. I thought I should write about all the great times in 2011. Sure, there were bad (the worst and the really ugly) times but I would rather remember all the good instead. Let's start with the 31st anniversary of my family coming to America (we arrived JFK International Airport in New York City late evening on January 10, 1980). We've sure came a long way since then. I was a 19-year old refugee with hopes and dreams of saving the world. This year, I turned 50 in February, with hopes and dreams of seeing all the Original Six home games! In April, Da Qaptain came to St. Louis to run the Marathon. The visit was short, but we had a great time (Qap was disappointed with the Marathon being cut to only half because of the warm temperature but let's remember only the good thing, eh?) The following month (May), my sister and I spent a few days drinking and dancing on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans - haa haa. My husband and I celebrated our 22nd Wedding Anniversary in June. He still tells everyone that I "dragged" my feet on the way to the altar and the floor still shows the "skid" marks from my shoes. He also says that it was actually my parents' idea (not mine) to walk me down the aisle because they wanted to make sure I would not change my mind. My parents could not wait to marry me, their 28-year old daughter off!

In July, we began driving a portion of Lincoln Highway from St. Louis to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio with a detour to Michigan. Last year (2010) we completed Route 66 Adventure with a road trip that totalling 4,437 miles, all the way to Santa Monica Pier in California.

August/September were busy months with three weddings, all from my husband side of the family. A wedding in Houston, Texas in August and two weddings in September, one in Michigan and the other in Colorado. When attending weddings, since most people take photos of the bride/groom, the wedding party (the adults), I enjoyed capturing images of the kids, especially the flower girls (above). It was pure beauty as I watched the girls playing around, unaware of the ceremony and all the "fussing" the adults were creating.

In September, we continued our Lincoln Highway Adventure, driving from St. Louis to Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and to Colorado for the wedding in Vail. We drove a total of 3,838 miles. I was happy when we finally got home after almost 10 days on the road. But after a few days of rest, I was ready to be "on the road again"!

The above is the North Entrance into the Yellowstone National Park from Gardiner, Montana. We spent one full day at Yellowstone and another day driving thru the Grand Teton. We did not rush thru but there was so much to see that I wished we could have a whole week just driving around the parks. These were great times in 2011 and plannings are already in place for our 2012 road trips.

BELLTOWER IN COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA

This is the Quincentenary Belltower at Pawnee Park in Columbus, Nebraska. The belltower was officially dedicated on April 25, 1992. It was conceived as a lasting monument to the community's celebration of the Quincentanry, the 500th anniversary of Columbus' first voyage to the New World. I thought posting these photos would be appropriate for Columbus Day.

The project was made possible by the donation of ten church bells from the collection of Leonard Fleischer (a native of Grand Island, Nebraska, co-founder of Fleischer Manufacturing, a manufacturer of farm equipment). Each of the bells has area historical significance and a plaque near each tower tells of that bell's history.

The bells toll every 15 minutes. There I stood on a beautiful sunny day, the blue sky, the flags gently waving, it was almost a heavenly feeling hearing the sound of the bells ringing.

Have a good week and thank you for visiting :)

ANDREW JACKSON HIGGINS MEMORIAL - WEST PAWNEE PARK, COLUMBUS-NEBRASKA

The Higgins Memorial in Columbus, Nebraska began as a class research project for the Columbus High School to honor a native son who changed history and all veterans who have served and sacrified their lives defending our nation.

Andrew Jackson Higgins was born in 1886 in Columbus, Nebraska. His experience with the shallow rivers in the area gave him a vision to design and produce the shallow-draft boats which allowed the military the ability to transport men and equipment safely to beaches during emphibious landings in the war.

Higgins Industries was based in New Orleans. During World War II, the company produced 20,094 boats that allowed the US military to land over open beaches.

The memorial includes a full-size replica of the famous Higgins Boat (photo below). The soldiers, from the three wars in which Higgins Boats served, were sculpted by Fred Hoppe.

Around the boat are sand samples from landing beaches across the world where Higgins Boats carried soldiers ashore. (My father-in-law used to collect soil/sand/dirt from places he visited. After he passed away, we would obtain the ground wherever we travel and when we visit his grave, we would scatter around Pa's resting place.)

A GOOD DAY IN NEBRASKA (BUT ENDED NOT TOO GOOD IN SIDNEY)

Reading the Visitors Guide, I found out about Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial and the World Trade Center Statue, both located in West Pawnee Park (Columbus, Nebraska). After Mass, we went to the park and took these photos. You could read more about Higgins at www.higginsmemorial.com.

The above sculpture was made with steel taken from the fallen World Trade Center towers. The artist Fred Hoppe sculpted a large bronze eagle sits atop symbolizes the American spirit as we continue to fight against terrorism.

There was a cars show in Silver Creek and my husband was in high heaven when the organizers kept asking CP to enter his Mustang in the show. We explained that we were from out of town and just wanted to walk around. A nice man removed the orange cone to let CP park his Pony by the registration area to attract people to the show. CP was very pleased.

We almost missed the above Lincoln Highway signs and had to circle around Pioneer Park a few times because the good people of Grand Island forgot to trim the tree that covered up the sign with overgrown branches.

After passing thru Clarks, Central City, Chapman, Grand Island, Alda, it was time for lunch at Ma's Diner in Wood River. The small dining room has only five 4-person tables and it felt like sitting in Ma's kitchen. The server wore a shirt that read "Branson, Missouri". She told us that she visited Branson a few weeks ago and had a great time. From the car with Missouri license plate at Preston's Station in Belle Plaine to the lady in Colo whose son works for the City of St. Louis and now this waitress wearing a Branson shirt, we felt as if we never left St. Louis. After Wood River, we continued on US30 thru Shelton, Gibbon, Kearney, Odessa, Elm Creek, Overton and spent an hour or so at Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington.

The above Covered Wagon west of Kearney used to be a souvenir stand. The building behind it was supposed to be renovated in 2007 and turned into a cafe but all we saw was plywood covered windows.

In Nebraska, Lincoln Highway parallels I-80 and Platte River. After Lexington, we drove thru Darr, Cozad, Gothenburg, Brady, Maxwell, North Platte, Sutherland, Paxton, Roscoe, stopped for gas in Ogallala (I remember seeing a town also named Ogallala in Oklahoma), Brule, Big Springs, Chappel, Lodgepole, Sunol and Sidney. It was getting late, almost 8:00 p.m. so we decided to stop for dinner and spend the night in Sidney. That was when it happened .....

YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A TOWN CALLED COLO IN IOWA

After Belle Plaine, we went thru Chelsea, Tama, Montour, Le Grand, Marshalltown, State Center and took a break in Colo for pie and coffee.

The sky started to get dark when we got to King Tower Cafe in Tama. The neon Indian head sign was still there but the notice on the door informed us that "due to the changes and road closing" the cafe has gone out of business. Perhaps someone would re-open the cafe in the future so we could sit in the comfy booth and have a piece of the famous rhubarb pie. I hope the waitress who knew everyone by name and called the guests "honey" will also come back.

This concrete bridge, built in 1915, on the east end of Tama has "Lincoln Highway" in both of its side rails.

Here at Rube's Steakhouse & Lounge on Elm Street in Montour, Iowa, customers get to grill their own steaks. Glen Rubenbauer (where the name "Rube" came from) opened the tavern in 1973. To make sure the tavern never ran out of steaks, a meat store was opened across the street in 1992. Visit www.rubesmeat.com if you wish to have the steaks shipped to your home.

Inside Niland's Cafe were decoration on the history of Lincoln Highway and other highways. The cafe and gas station were from 1920 and the motel was added in 1940. The lady who worked at the cafe told us that her son works for the street department in the City of St. Louis. It sure is a small world.

It started raining again when we were leaving Colo. We continued to follow US30 thru Nevada, Ames, Boone, Ogden, Beaver, Grand Junction (we stopped to take photos of the trio of concrete bridges), Jefferson, Scranton (we only found one of the pair of Lincoln busts), Ralston, Glidden, Carroll, Westside, Denison (Donna Reed's hometown), Logan, Missouri Valley and crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska around 5:25 p.m.

We were getting tired and decided to spend the night in Columbus, Nebraska. I called my sister CH to touch base. CH and QQ were somewhere in North Carolina. They were on their way to Atlanta, Georgia. My Dad used to say, "Cai nha co chung no cung di", if the house has legs, it would probably be on a trip too :)

PRESTON'S STATION - BELLE PLAINE, IOWA

George Preston and his vintage gas station, bought for $100, was a historical site on Lincoln Highway. George himself was a celebrity when he was invited to be on the Johnny Carson show on March 21, 1990.

After George passed away in 1993, his son Ron continued to reserve and maintained the Station.

There was a vehicle with a Missouri license plate parking in front of the building when we got to the station. A nice gentleman came out from the house and we told him that we are from St. Louis, Missouri and about our adventure on Lincoln Highway. He introduced himself as the son-in-law of Ron Preston. He informed us that Ron passed away a few weeks ago. The visitation was in Gladstone, Missouri and burial was in Belle Plaine.

We hope the family will continue to maintain Preston's Station as it is a historial site and a treasure on Lincoln Highway.