Have you EVER seen ALL the handicapped parking spots full? Well, naturally, when I need one at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn -- they're all full -- and they had at least 20 of them!! Unbelievable!! I suppose Labor Day weekend a lot of people were escaping the heat and humidity in this great Museum.
If it has wheels--and even if it didn't-- it is in this tribute to the change that the Automobile made to American Life -- mixed in with some of old Henry's passions -- Thomas Edison, his good friend, has a prominent place here, along with such curiosities as the chair that Abraham Lincoln sat in when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth (complete with blood stains!) and one of the 200 original copies of the Declaration of Independence -- the only ones ever made from the original document.
They do a great job with automobiles through the ages, the evolution of the train, bicycle, wagons, home furnishings, engines, and so much more I can't even remember! We spent most of a day there. One thing that really caught our eye was a 1928 Ford that was driven from Santiago, Chile to the Museum in the 1990's! It took the father and son team over 2 years to make the trip! Looking at the vehicle, you can't imagine how it ever made it! Sure hope the Rolling White House doesn't look that bad when we're done with it!!
Ford was quite an innovator and businessman. He failed twice before making a go of the auto business -- he just kept believing this was going to be big -- eventually, he was right. He was within $200 of being broke the third time, when he got his first sale. One of the interesting stories that is documented in the Minutes of a Board Meeting in the 1920's is that Henry was having a difficult time keeping employee's due to the difficult working conditions and pay $5.00 a day. It was costing Henry a fortune to keep hiring and training employees - many only lasted a few days. The company, by now, was making good money, and Henry figured if he shared some of the riches with his employees, they would not only be more loyal, but they would be able to afford the product they were making -- so, he convinced the board to double their wages to $10.00 a day -- he was right on both counts, and never again did he have trouble keeping employees!
Labor Day was a travel day back towards Sauk City for my Wednesday Dr. appointment. The only noteworthy event was the restaurant we stumbled onto in Joliet, Il. Al's Steak House -- been there forever, Frank Sinatra music, dark booths, real service, and the most wonderful Veal Oscar for $14.75! I'm sure that at one time this was a coats and ties only place -- but today anything goes -- including our shorts and shirts (horrors!), as we didn't know what we were getting into -- another one of our "drive around till we see something interesting" dinner picks!
Oh, I forgot. Phil had a noteworthy experience. We stopped in South Bend, Indiana and Phil got to see the Notre Dame Stadium. We also drove through the Campus - it is really pretty - and they have their own 9 hole golf course right on campus -- can you believe it!
Back is Sauk City. I love Dr. Holub.! He is so straight forward, honest, thorough, and personable. Took a bunch of X-Ray's. Didn't like what he saw at first. The spacing around the ankle wasn't even. So he recasted it and turned the foot in and re X-rayed it. The space around the bones was now in alignment, so more X-rays in a week, but no surgery will be necessary. Just this lovely green cast for 6 more weeks! Can probably start putting weight on it in about 4 weeks. It is going to be a long fall!! But, I'm getting around on my crutches better -- and we have snagged more Handicapped seats for the Buckeye game in Columbus, Ohio in a couple of weeks! Phil likes this, as all the other tickets were sold out!
Called Taliesin -- they will be giving us a personal tour - compliments of them -- do you think maybe they are concerned about liability?? We'll be going down there in the AM.
Meanwhile, we love Sauk City! Going to go get a manicure and pedicure (one leg -- but toe nail cut and new polish on the casted one! - Phil was afraid to try to do it)
I got a pampered afternoon. The girls at the local salon, Allure, were great!! Ended up with a mani/pedi and a haircut!! I feel like a new woman -- and a girl again -- not a tomboy!! My nails have been a mess!! I had given up on them, but Tamara gave them new life -- and "Berry Berry Broadway" on my toes and fingers looks fabulous!! -- even peaking out of the green cast!
Taliesin was fabulous!! I was cursing FLW a bit for his use of the sandstone on all the walkways and floors - it was beautiful, but uneven is NOT good when you are on crutches. We actually got to go through parts of the house not open to the public because it eliminated many of the level changes. This is a very serene place, and the Architectural interest beyond description. His love of nature, and bringing that into his buildings is very much in evidence here. Some feel this is his greatest work -- and it was a life long project that evolved through time and disasters (3 fires over the years). The restoration perspective was fascinating. FLW saw this as a laboratory project, so he tried many different techniques -- many of which have caused nightmares from a maintenance standpoint. For instance,the whole house wraps around a hill, just below the "brow" -- we would call it the crest -- but the drainage problems presented by the location went mostly unaddressed for too many years. The house would like to slide off the hill, but much work has been done to reroute the water, thus saving the house. The materials used are very interesting. FLW was quite poor most of his life, save his vast art collections, which he regularly sold off to accomplish other goals. Many of the pieces, both rare and trivial, are still in the house--his favorite place to come throughout his life. Most of the materials are scavenged, or quite common, and they were reused as much as possible after the fires. Nonetheless, this is truly a place of uncommon beauty and a wonderful legacy to a man of uncommon talent -- not to mention quirkishness!
We are finally leaving Wisconsin behind -- hopefully for good on this trip. We thoroughly enjoyed everything about this state--even though we never had a Pasty -- the turnover that the miner's wives made before the husbands went off to the mines -- it was apparently still warm by lunch time -- and very filling. As we were leaving the state, we did find out how it got its name as the Badger State. It came from the small town of Mineral Point, in the southern mining area. The men would start digging for the ore, and actually sleep in their holes, so no one would "jump" their claim -- hence the "badger" identity! Beautiful homes in this town - very well restored.
We are again deviating from our original plan, and picking up Iowa now -- we are only about an hour from the border. Dubuque, here we come!
Oh, and Happy 50th Birthday to my sis tomorrow -- Sept. 8th. Can't believe it!! Hope you have a great party this weekend -- we'll be thinking of you!
Dubuque, the oldest city in Iowa. We are finally getting some of that famous midwest humidity! It is sultry here today. Mississippi River boats, locks, gambling, and a very old downtown limping along, trying to keep up. Heavy industry along the River still seems to dominate the town. Tried to find something of interest to do, but a good night's sleep, and we're off for the Quad Cities.
Davenport & Bettendorf, IA, plus Rock Island & Moline, IL make up the quad cities. Again, along the Mississippi River, the usual river stuff -- gambling, river boat rides, and locks. Tried to go to the Mississippi River Visitors Center on Arsenal Island, but never could find it. They apparently have a good view of the locks, and an interesting exhibit about River traffic. We did find the Army's Arsenal Base on Rock Island-- huge, and lots of old relics around. Eric, you would have loved this place!
We did find our way to the Buffalo Bill Museum in nearby LeClaire, IA. Not alot there except a very knowledgeable lady tending to the museum. Her grandfathers' were river pilots here, and she showed us lots of interesting things, besides the Buffalo Bill memorabilia. LeClaire was his childhood home. The home is actually gone, so only the stories remain.
We did find Moline's shining star -- the John Deere Pavilion -- yes, we are hard up for entertainment! Actually , it was pretty interesting. After driving though hundreds of miles of Corn and Soy Bean fields, you begin to get curious as to how they plant and harvest all these crops. Tractors, harvesters, specialized equipment -- old and new -- were all displayed in their trademark bright green -- several people commented that my bright green cast, drab green shorts, and mint green shirt really fit in with the displays!
God, these crutches are a drag!! They were having a street fair, but after stumping around the John Deere display, I had no energy for the street fair. It was lunch time, so I found a comfy bench at the pavilion, overlooking the fair, and Phil went foraging for lunch for us!
End of another week of travel, and 2 weeks, 2 days since the crutches came into our life, and we are off to Ohio, via Springfield, Il and Indianapolis, In.