Category: People

The Purple Room

Palm Springs CA

I looked forward to this evening since planning our trip. The Purple Room goes back to the heyday of the Rat Pack in the 1950s and 1960s. This has a real Frank Sinatra vibe to it.
First dinner, then a show.
Dinner with friends.
Filet with asparagus and potato cake.
Braised short ribs with roasted carrots.
Our show tonight – Billy Stritch and a jazz trio. All three were very talented!
Billy Stritch, a long time confidant of Liza Minelli.

Wahoo NE

This was the real purpose and highlight of this trip: family! The Wahoo folks are always happy to see us, and have a big get-together, and this time was no exception. A big potluck dinner, and many cousins! Mary Jean grew up spending summers here, and played with these cousins, and they are still kicking!
Cousins
Cousins
St. Winceslaus Church
Saunders County Courthouse
The USS Wahoo submarine sank 20 Japanese ships in World War II!
This memorial park at the courthouse is pretty impressive.
Remembering sons of Wahoo who were killed in action in World War II. Saunders County lost quite a few young men!
Memorial Day weekend at the Wahoo Cemetery
Memorial Day, honoring Wahoo’s veterans
Baseball Hall of Famer Sam Crawford was from Wahoo. He teamed with all-time great Ty Cobb in the Detroit Tigers outfield in the early 1900s. He finished his career holding the career record for most triples – 309! This record will likely never be broken. He was known as “Wahoo Sam”!
The baseball field here is named for Sam Crawford.
Saunders County Museum railroad depot.
Depot room
Depot waiting room
Several vintage buildings are part of this museum.
Outhouse – no running water! Snakes possible! Life in the early days in the 1900s.

Hollywood Cemetery

Richmond, Virginia

I had never been here, but had always wanted to, so here is Hollywood Cemetery, one of three locations that contain the graves of 2 Presidents of the United States. Fun trivia: the other two are United First Parish Church, Quincy, Massachusetts (John and John Quincy Adams); Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia (William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy). Amaze your friends with this fact!

A dog statue, which is listed as a “Visitors’ Favorite”
Pyramid dedicated to Confederate Women
Grave of Confederate General George Pickett
There are over 18,000 graves of Confederate soldiers in this cemetery.
Quite sobering.
Grave of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart
Grave of US Supreme Court Justice Lewis Franklin Powell
Grave of US Supreme Court Justice Peter Vivian Daniel
Grave of Matthew Fontaine Maury, known as “Pathfinder of the Sea”.
Maury (from Fredericksburg) was a highly regarded 19th century cartography.
Grave of James Monroe, 5th President of the United States, surrounded by a grove of beautiful, full-bloom cherry trees.
Grave of James Monroe, 5th President of the United States
This sarcophagus contains the remains of President James Monroe.
Monument and grave of John Tyler, 10th President of the United States.
President Tyler was the first president to ascend to the office of upon the death of a president (9th President William Henry Harrison). Since he was not elected President, there was uncertainty about how he should proceed in office. His decisive actions upon taking office set a precedent that such a presidency is as legitimate as the presidency of an elected president.
Close-up of the front of President Tyler’s monument
View from the west of President Tyler’s monument
Statue and grave of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Last year we visited his postwar prison cell at Fort Monroe in Hampton.
Monument of my relative Fitzhugh Lee, who had a varied and distinguished life. During his life, he was a Confederate General, Governor of Virginia, Brigadier General in the United States Army (Spanish-American War), and Consul General to Cuba.
The Lee Family Coat-of-Arms
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, from Hollywood Cemetery,
downtown Richmond’s skyline