Trip to Kansas City - Days Five, Six, Seven, and Eight

National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial

On Thursday we stayed with Mom for her physical therapy and speech therapy sessions.  After a quick lunch Marilyn and I headed down to the Liberty Memorial to spend the afternoon going through the excellent National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial.  That evening we dined with Mom at Grand Court and spent the evening visiting with Anola and Peter who had just returned from North Carolina. Early the next day, Marilyn flew home for a family baby shower in Buffalo the next day. 

On Saturday I began the day breakfasting with Peter and then visiting the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art to experience an exhibit of photographs by Laura McPhee entitled "River of No Return."  These are 6 ft. x 8 ft. chromogenic prints which is to say the kind of prints we are used to getting from film -- remember film?  The photographs are very engaging and intriguing; their large size adds to the impact.  I wondered about the dark room she would have used to prints these giants! 

Then I was off to the Reading Reptile, the young person's bookstore in Brookside.  They had a big display of Anola's book and will be hosting a book signing the following Friday.  Anola and Peter had just returned from a book launch at the Historic Site of Chicamacomico Life Saving Station in Rodanthe.  Her book, Whisper Island, tells the story of a 12 year old girl in 1913 who wants to be part of the Life Saving Service...but, no girls allowed.  One reviewer said, "What a sweet, tender, amazing book! I sat down to read it and didn't get up until it was finished it was so captivating! A story told from the heart with all the passion of a young girl trying to make it in a man's world."

While I waited to get together with my sister, Mary, I revisited Loose Park and took this panorama image with my phone camera.

While I was continuing to kill time, I went by the old neighborhood and found a Forest Avenue Community Day in progress.  They had spent the morning cleaning up and were celebrating with some nice eats.  They were set up pretty much in front of the house where I grew up.  I stopped and visited.  There were a couple of families that remembered some families that had lived there such a long time ago.  The neighborhood still struggles but it was good to see such positive attitudes and energies.

That evening Anola, Peter, Mom and I went to Culver's for some burgers and shakes.  Gotta like a place that advertises "butterburgers!"

I left the next day at 5:30 AM.  I had intended to stop in Richmond Indiana but found that I was not at all tired and it was much too early to stop at 3:00.  So I kept going and eventually got home a bit after 11:00 PM after 17 hours on the road.