RoadTrip10 Cities in 14 Days: Days 8-9

Days 8-9: NEW ORLEANS

Paul and I love, love, love this city, and it loves us. We fell in love here in March 1986, I always say, but we had always been in love, and New Orleans gave us the courage to admit it and have our honeymoon there eight months later. We have returned many times and hit up all the old places-- Brennans, The Camillia Grill (and the streetcar ride to get there), the Steamboat Natchez Ride with  photos of us in front of it every trip, St. Louis Cemetery #1-- and we try new places, too: The Columns,  the heartbreaking Katrina tour (it's been 20 years!!). At Thanksgiving, we walk to and eat at the racetrack for opening day. 

But this year, I was taking part in the yearly convention of the 100th Bomb Group, held at the National WWII Museum

so I have a very different experience to report. Paul, not so different. He got to several concerts. You can ask him about those or view his dozens of band photos. 

I am focusing here on my time at the 100th BOMB GROUP CONVENTION, what I took there, what I took home about WWII, my father's war.

But first, we spent most of day 8 driving to NOLA to arrive at the Hilton

Garden Inn then had a big non-convention meet-up that night with one of our former students from Nicaragua in the 1990s, Maria Soledad de Lorio, who has just recently married Marcos, a Nicaraguan living and working (as a U.S. citizen) in New Orleans for a long time. We ate at a wonderful tapas restaurant called PLATES. It had been 30 years since we had seen each other, but she was as beautiful and warm as ever, and it was very good to meet Marcos. Next morning, before the convention, we walked early to the Quarter for coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde, another favorite for many years, and bought a can of their chicory-laced coffee to take home. 

Then we caught a cab to go to the convention instead of walking because I was taking my dad's scrapbook and his jacket to wear for display and for photos, and they are heavy:

Dad's scrapbook was built by my sister Daun before her death in 2002 from the many photos Dad took-- from the air, on base, in London and Paris and Dis, England-- and Dad's oral history Daun took down and typed up, the most moving about his experience of being 20 years old at the end of the war and taken to Buchenwald and Dachau "to see what we were fighting for." That experience really shaped my father, and while many men never talked about the war, Dad shared his experiences with friends and classes and with his family at age-appropriate times. When I first found his photos of the stacked up decomposing bodies of the holocaust camps, he scooped them away from me and said he would tell me about it when I got older. And when I was 11 and reading newspaper accounts of the Eichmann trials, he did tell me, and continued telling people his whole life. Many people viewed the scrapbook in our two days, so I was glad I lugged it, though it is huge. 

I registered, cruised the displays in the room with Dad's scrapbook, looked for Kathy Urice, to no avail, then walked back to the Quarter to split a muffaleta from Central Market with Paul, who went on to this program at the National Park...

...as I went back for my own personal quick tour of the National WWII Museum. I felt lost & overwhelmed there, so concentrated on seeing two sections: 1) The Battle of the Bulge, which my Uncle Les Kendig fought-- and so many more-- and 2) The Road to Berlin, the air part of which was Dad's. 

Then I had an appointment with Toni Kiser, the Assistant Director for Collections Management at The National WWII Museum to talk about dogs. She has written a book titled Loyal Forces about animals in WWII.  Kiser's book features a lot of dogs but other animals, too, including many monkeys and birds with the men on the Pacific Front. If you are interested in animals and in WWII, get this book! 

I met with Toni because I am writing an article about four Scottish terriers who were with soldiers during the war, and she doesn't have any of those in her book, so good for me. Be looking for it in The Bagpiper,  the national magazine of the Scottish Terrier Club of America.

Dad's outfit had at least two dogs at the base. One was named Meatball, and Dad's dog was Rags, who had puppies that Dad gave to some village children. In addition, someone brought back an African donkey, which didn't survive long in England, I've been told. 

Rags, any dog of Dad's
would have its own house

 

Local kids who got the pups

 

That evening was the welcome dinner, where I finally met up with Kathy Urice and her brother Scott. Their father was Joe Urice,  a tailgunner who lived in Dad's barracks and who went on to be a lifetime friend with Dad and with Mom, who regularly sent teabags to him at his home in Texas. (If you know my mom, you know. Tea.) He just died his past year (his obit is here), and I was glad to meet his daughter. Matt Mabe, a Director of the 100th Bomb Group Foundation, also sat at our table with his dad. Matt interviewed Dad while he was alive, and has scanned some of Dad's photos, and developed some recently discovered film footage Dad is in. 

Joe, Dad, & Will Kreamer, 2007

I walked back to our hotel where Paul arrived back from his concert at  Dat Dog. Friday awaited us the next morning.

RoadTrip10 Cities in 14 Days: Day 10

 

Days 10: NEW ORLEANS

Still here, still wonderful

Paul and I took our traditional streetcar ride to the Camellia Grill that morning. As their sign says, "Still Here, Still Wonderful." Pecan pancakes. mmmmm. 

Then I headed off for a day at the convention.

I have always loved that Dad has kept WWII on the who, what, where, why, and when and not so much on flag-waving and glory of war crap, and for the most part, the 100th Bomb Group Foundation does the same, while honoring the men, four still living, most now dead. The programing for reunions is inspiring in its informational basis. 

Three Zdiarkskys back in the Czech Republic 

Friday morning's program was  “Preserving Ruhland Mission History in Kovarska” on September 11, 1944. This occurred about three months before my dad arrived at the base, and if you are interested in WWII history you can learn about it here. The director of the Museum of the Air Battle is Jan Zdiarsky, who gave a lively presentation and who was accompanied to New Orleans by his two sweet sons. Here the three are back home with a quilt they were given at the reunion. The afternoon program was  “Ground Crews: The Men Who Kept the Planes Flying,” given by John Curatola, who is a National WWII Museum Historian, NWWII Museum. All of the experts from the museum were so knowledgeable and focused on specific history. The 100th often recognizes the ground crews in events and social media, a well-deserved inclusion. 

The evening program was galvanizing. After a swanky reception in the museum's Freedom Pavilion, a presentation was given on "Masters of the Air and the POW Experience.” For those who haven't seen my many Facebook posts on Masters of the Air, it is a six-part series based on the 100th Bomb Group during the war. Starring Austin Butler and  directed by Stephen Spielberg and involving much talent, including the talented Donald L. Miller, whose book the series is based on, the movie contains a big chunk on the men who were shot down and spent much of the war in German POW camps. I don't watch many war movies, but I watched this one attentively.

A panel on the POW experience was moderated that night by Kirk Saduski, Executive Producer of the movie. I was so impressed by how articulate, knowledgeable, and pleasant Sakuski was every time he appeared at the convention even when presenting really tough information. The panel featured Kimberly Guise the POW Historian & Curator of the  NWWII Museum; Jonas Moore and Jordan Coulson, cast members of the movie; and Jack Brady, son a Pilot and POW. 

One of the lighter moments of the Q and A occurred when someone asked Brady what his dad thought of the TV show Hogan's Heroes, which had been thoroughly denounced through the evening, with good cause, as not very authentic. But everyone laughed when Brady said, "He loved it. Because the German office were portrayed as so stupid." 

I remember my father often saying how grateful he was to get back in his cot every night. He had in mind the men that hadn't, and his own brother, freezing in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Road Trip : 10 Cities in 14 Days: Day 7

Day 7: Dallas

Solely for the wonderful MEADOWS MUSEUM of Art

"The Prado on the Prairie"

When I was working the final stages of my book Woman with a Fan: On Maria Blanchard, I had to contact museums for permission to use art. The absolute most professional, kindest, and helpful of the four I reached was the Meadows Museum of Art in Dallas, Texas, at Southern Methodist University. 

Entry to the Meadows Museum by Michael Barera

I always hoped to visit The Meadows, not only to see the Blanchard, Seated Woman (Femme Assise), but the whole collection. Because The Meadows "is one of the largest collections of Spanish art outside of Spain,"  often called "The Prado on the Prairie." 

The only art course I ever had was the art of Spain, but it was IN Spain with a Spaniard prof (Sr. Peñalosa, who took us to the Prado), so the Meadows would be the one art museum where I would recognize a lot. And a lot that I have always loved. But it was so far I thought I'd never get there.  But then, with our spring planning, here it was an hour from a stop on our road trip.

FIrst, We'd have to make the drive to Dallas. To hear locals tell us, it would KILL us, it was terrible, they never went, and the train or bus was worse. In fact, our ride was slow-going that morning, but I have to say, have Texans  never driven in Boston? Atlanta? We survived the drive and landed in the cool lobby of the Meadows and  took awhile to view the collection for ourselves. Room after room of Goya, El Greco, Velazquez, Picasso, and their cohorts, all spectacularly presented. 

While we were there, we also saw the special exhibit, The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce, with several Pre-Raphaelite paintings, opening with Flaming June, huge, gorgeous, and one of Paul's favorites by one of his favorite group of artists:

Then we looked for some of the staff in the museum. Many at The Meadows have been gracious and helpful to me, starting with Director of Collections &Exhibitions Anne Lenhart, my first contact, who prepared the legal paperwork for "Seated Woman" to appear in Woman with a Fan. Then, though I have never met her, Maria Lahiri, has narrated a Meadows' "Tiny Tour" of the Blanchard painting in a brief video here.  Created during Covid, all the videos were a way of sharing the collection during lockdown, and for me, Maria's  video explains the painting in ways I needed because I am not a big fan of cubism. Before our visit, I contacted the museum to make sure the painting would be on display (we learned about that when we drove to Connecticut to see a Georgia O'Keefe-- which was off in another state!)  and the Blanchard wasn't on display. Oh noooooo. But Curatorial Assistant Olivia Turner contacted me and offered to take me back to storage to see it. Once there, she, too, pointed out things that I never saw in the painting. The colors of the painting are so much richer than many photographs of it, including this one. The green is much greener, the image of a doily so tactile.

Me and "Femme Assise"

Olivia Turner, Maria Blanchard, and Me in storage

Olivia, like me, has an interest in women's art and showed us several works by women, dating back centuries, both on the main floors and in storage, including a sweet 14th century sculpture she will be working on in her continued studies soon at the U of Alabama. We wish her the best of luck! 

Our last stop was the Meadows bookstore where I bought a book of the collection, including a vibrant picture of Woman with a Fan.

Then we headed out into Dallas

traffic and lived to get back to McKinney for the night. We took another evening walk of the downtown on what had been a 105 degree day, just another 105 degree day in McKinney, and had good Tex-Mex food at El Mejor Mexican Kitchen and Cantina, which specializes not only in food but also COFFEE, which we skipped to get to sleep because we were going to have an all-day drive next day. 

Next stop:

                     NEW ORLEANS

Road Trip 10 Cities in Fourteen Days: Day 4 & 5

Day 4 & 5:
Route 66 Joplin, MO to Tulsa, OK

STILL Kickin' It
on Route 66

The next site on Paul's list was the Woody Guthrie Center, but that was only six hours away so why not make a stop at some intermediary historic site? And what could be more historic than the garage where Bonnie and Clyde stayed for a month, drinking and holding raucous card games with their crew, and finally, cornered, shooting their way out and killing two law men on the way? Paul had the address, and thought there might be a streetside plaque where we could take our photos and be on our way-- little did we know it would turn out to be one of the hot spots of our trip.

We cruised the streets of Joplin that Sunday morning till WAZE led us to a plain white garage. I figured the apartment was above that garage, which was quite the thing even in the 40s, when my parents' first place was an apartment over a double garage. This one had a big Historic marker. And of course, we stood there, reading the marker because we read everything. Mid-sentence, a man, wearing a pair of baggy pair of shorts that said "Blake Beach Lifeguard" and a maroon T-shirt with motorcycles on it,  came flying (& I know that's a dead metaphor and it's overused, but believe me, his feet were off the ground, in motion) out of that little door to the left of the garage doors, then he came to a lively stop (not a dead stop), and his face turned from panic to relief as he said, "Oh, I heard someone outside, and suddenly realized I had left my truck unlocked and then thought, what if someone is trying to steal my truck?"

Then, we said, "Oh no, we just drove here from Ohio to read this marker," and he said, "Well we just eloped, and didn't tell anyone, and we rented this as an AirB&B. Do you want to come up and see it?" Now my friend Tom Barlow, wrote me, "If you got these people out of bed on their honeymoon, Bonnie and Clyde weren't the only criminals in that place." But really, how could we say no? We trooped up the stairs, and there was the bride, Sandra, with her shoulder-length hair still full and wavy, wearing a sweet black polka-dotted negligee with black lace and black straps, suddenly become the perfect tour guide, as Mitchell, the groom, explained to her who we were. He didn't say interlopers, but we were, except they seemed thrilled to share it with us. "These are the bullet holes," Sandra said, pointing to distinctive ruts in the wall." "And this," said Mitchell, "Is where Clyde's brother used to throw his knife into the floor in a nervous habit." Sandra showed me her yellow sundress with bright red roses and the fluffy full slip she wore under it, and she got out some artifacts that were in the apartment and took us to a big, recently installed neon sign that said, "Historic ROUTE 66."

We asked if they would like photos and after taking a Route 66 pic, we paraded downstairs for a photoshoot of all of us:

Mitchell actually had to go to work that afternoon, and Sandra would be leaving to drive to another city where she is a nurse, hoping to be able to transfer to Joplin soon. We sent them these photos, as promised, but never heard back. But we were on our way, and hope they are too.

Not to miss all the other Joplin sites, Paul spotted a Schlotsky's, which is heart leapt to with memories of his life eating in Texas in his youth. Refreshed with a veggie sandwich, we went on to the Joplin History and Mineral Museum.

Clearly, the docents had foremost to show us the minerals, and I tried to look polite as they talked on about some mineral that was there and some very big company that was there, then I asked them to point us to the Bonnie and Clyde exhibit, the cookie collection, and the Langston Hughes corner. 

The BONNIE AND CLYDE exhibit did not disappoint: a lot of stuff the group left behind in their escape, including the camera with their many selfies.

More bullet holes!

Bonnie's jewelry left behind

photos of them...

...with us!

The NATIONAL COOKIE CUTTER HISTORICAL COLLECTION

Words don't do it justice. You know you love those aluminum ones.

Langston Hughes

We stopped to read a few words from the man born in Joplin, high schooled in Cleveland, belonging to the world:

Then, with only one more day on Route 66, we left Joplin, still belting it out

"We didn't go to St. Louie, but Joplin Missouri 

and now Oklahoma with Tulsa city...."

Road Trip: 10 Cities in 14 Days: 6

Day 6: McKinney, Texas

MY BOOK PRESENTATION and PAUL'S BIRTHDAY   

The Heard Craig Center for the Arts

We left Tulsa and arrived in McKinney on Sunday night, staying at The Grand Hotel. I have reservations about old hotels called "the Grand...," but this one was terrific. The rooms and lobby were pleasant, the staff really friendly and it's  right in the center of the old part of town, which we walked around Sunday afternoon, ending up at the spot where I had my gig the next morning, the Heard Craig Center for the Arts, in a sweet historic mansion. 

My gig? Back story: when we were planning our road trip, I noticed in my  National Federation of State Poetry Societies newsletter that one of the NFSPS groups in Texas named "The Mockingbirds" (after the state bird that can sing over 200 songs) were holding readings of ekphrastic poetry. I wrote several members about my book, Woman with a Fan, asking if I could get in on one of their readings or meetings, and their enthusiastic President named Barry Rynk invited me to give a reading/presentation at the town's historic Heard-Craig.

First thing next morning, I had breakfast with my high school classmate, Adela Seal, who has retired to McKinney with her husband Bob. Adela and I grew up two blocks from each other on Perry Drive, and our parents grew up together in the old NE end of Canton, Ohio. She was always a foot taller than I and played flute, while I, barely four foot tall in 7th grade, played drums, so we made quite a sight in the halls of Edison Jr. High carrying our respective cases. I haven't gotten much taller. She and Linda Ecksmith were the funniest girls I knew back then. And fun. We're till having fun. (Cue The Orleans.)

Dr. Karen Zupanik, 
Executive Director

After breakfast I changed clothes (the heat!!) and Paul & I walked over to the carriage house behind the Craig-Heard, where I met their new director, Karen Zupanek, a terrific artist and administrator from Cleveland, Ohio! We talked nonstop setting up equipment and snacks, when Barry showed up with even more snacks. I knew these were my people. And they were. The audience was wonderful, attentive, full of questions and  responses.

The President of the State Poetry Society of Texas, Catherine L'Herisson drove a long way in Texas traffic to come and gave me a copy of their anthology, both of which I appreciated, and sent helloes to Amy Zook. Two other Mockingbirds in attendance were Elizabeth Riddle and Jiaan Powers, who talked to me about their work. Barry, who spearheaded the ekphrastic poetry project of the group, has come to Dallas after living in Altadena, California, and you can find his photo, bio, and one of his poems about that place here.

I'd really encourage to Ohio Poetry Association members to make contact with other NFSPS groups when you are on vacay. These are our people!!  

Russ Mortenson getting a book signed in  memory of his wife

 

Barry Rynk sharing his ekphrastic poem based on a music score

Two Mockingbird: Beth Ayers and Tom Martin

But this was not the end of our day in McKinney! Because now, four days after my birthday, it was Paul's birthday, and I was taking him to Rick's Chophouse, owned by the owner of the Grand Hotel of McKinney and right around the corner. (Still no driving!) I know, I know, taking your vegetarian husband to a "chophouse" (also referred to online as a "Steak House") is not a very appropriate move, but this was MONDAY, and McKinney's Harvest Restaurant was closed. Fortunately, Rick's (unlike my birthday restaurant, Maldaner's see day 2) did have its listed vegetarian dish: "Cauliflower Steak: Grilled Cauliflower, Saffron Risotto, Smoked Carrots, Asparagus, Arugula Vinaigrette, Microgreens, Sweet Pickled Peppers," and it was good, as was the vegetarian's omnivore wife's "Elk: Black Pepper Crusted Elk Medallions, Au Gratin Potatoes, Sautéed Mushrooms in Red Wine Demi-glace, Garlic Green Beans." All of our food, including the birthday dessert they brought on a chocolate-decorated plate and we took out with us, was excellent. The service tended toward the haphazard but very friendly and attentive. The only downer was that the room was aroar. I couldn't hear Paul. So we ate our dessert back at the quiet hotel.

Road Trip : 10 Cities in 14 Days: Day 4

Day 4: Tulsa

Woody Guthrie Ctr & The Gathering Place

We got back on route 66 and arrived in Tulsa the evening of day 3, planning to have dinner at Roosevelt's and going to bed early. If you ever get to Roosevelt's, let us know how it was because we didn't want to get in the car again, and instead asked the hotel clerk for a restaurant we could walk to. He suggested Ti Amo Downtown, which we could walk to. The food was Italian, the dining room airy and spacious, the service, sweet, and the manager's advice on the city excellent. Paul asked the manager, who was so nice, what one place in Tulsa he would suggest for someone who would just have a few hours the next day after seeing Woody Guthrie Center, which was our reason for being in the town. He strongly recommended a city park named "The Gathering Place," which proved to be terrific.

Photo: Peter Greenberg

But first Woody Guthrie Center, first thing the next morning. For anyone who doesn't know about Guthrie (1912-1967) he 

was one of America’s greatest folksingers and most influential songwriters. His songs celebrate the beauty and bounty of America  and seek the truth about our country and its people. He turned complex ideas about democracy, human rights, and economic equality into simple songs that all Americans could embrace. Woody Guthrie spoke for those who carried a heavy burden or had come upon hard times — giving voice to their struggles and giving them hope and strength. (WGC website)

Our welcome at the entrance from three different people was effusive and genuine. The permanent exhibit, our first stop, is a grand tour of Woody's life and work. I am not a fan of him as a husband and father, but no one has ever done more to give voice to working people in songs that are absolutely joyous and influential and definitely speak to what we are living today, like

All you Fascists bound to lose

The exhibit included a brief film on Woody's life, interviews with friends and family, recordings of Woody singing, quotes, some history on the Dust Bowl Era via clips of Ken Burns' documentary on the Dust Bowl, a wonderful selection of various popular groups and singers singing, "This Land Is Your Land." Paul reminded me that we don't often hear all the verses, which are much sharper than the one we sing over and over. You can read them all here

Paul's fav is this:
As I went walking I saw a sign there,
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing.
That side was made for you and me.

The docents at the center were attentive and knowledgeable. When I asked about Woody's Huntington's disease, he knew all about it  and the fact that all of his first wife's three children died of it. 

I wasn't interested in the Exhibits on Hip Hop in America or Artifacts from the movie about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, but Paul and I both gravitated to the exhibit on Phil Ochs, whom we are both fans of. 

If you are a lover of folk music, as we are, I encourage you to visit the Center, and if you can't, check out the museum website, which has so much more online. The gift shop is a good one, both live and online. 

We also rambled an art festival that was happening outside the museum, grateful to an artist who helped us as we struggled to get the parking app on our phone by pointing out that there is free parking on Sundays, which it was! We promised to visit her stand and looked for and couldn't find her. Someone in Tulsa, let her know.

Then we were onto "The Gathering Place," probably the very most amazing city park I have ever been in, and Ohio is filled with wonderful city parks. It is billed as "Tulsa's Riverside Park: A Park for All,"

a 100 acre park, built with private money for the city, with 6300 trees, 300 kinds of plants and an emphasis on ecology and sustainabilty. Kayaks to rent for free, huge rooms inside and out for people to gather in, amazing play centers for children with tiny fairy gardens and a 10 foot tall bear that's a cave, and a bigger pirate ship to climb, castle that's a kids' stage, a koi pond, bridges and running underneath, running paths, many many wildflowers. Dogs are allowed two days a week, that Sunday being one of them. 

A gathering place at THE GARTHERING PLACE

 

A castle to climb

A BIG bear

It is SO BIG that we got lost twice and people set us back on track, until finally, a security guard gave us a tour  of some inside places then saw we got back to our car, getting off ROUTE 66 for the last time, to head to Texas, McKinney, Texas.