Today was a really busy day and actually worked out exactly as planned. Amazing what you can do when you do plan!
The first adventure was the Harry S. Truman Library. Truman has always been my favorite president so it was exciting to visit the library and museum. There is no security required to get in, as opposed to getting into the Clinton Library. The library does an excellent job of covering his humble childhood and his inability to get a business to succeed. It also talks about his involvement with a sort of mob boss who was eventually convicted of tax evasion. This man helped him win a Senate seat. The library also covered his war years and the programs he instituted after the war. The displays and mini-movies talked about how often he went against his advisors because they advised directions against his conscience. There are interactive sections where you can give your opinion on decisions that he made during his presidency. It was a great experience. Truman and Benton became very close friends during and after Benton painted a mural in the lobby of the Library.
My next stop was in Kansas City proper at the home and studio of Thomas Hart Benton. Reynolda House has an excellent example of his work, which is what got me interested in his work. He had studied in all the right places: Chicago, Paris, New York. He was painting during the years of cubism and other abstract movements. He rejected those styles and developed his own, which made him a very rich man. His wife handled all the business matters leaving Benton to work on his art undisturbed. Benton died in his studio doing what he loved best. His wife died 11 days later.
The woman giving the Benton tour gave me lots of other things to see in Kansas City but I decided not to see anything else. If I saw everything people told me to see I would never get out of a single state. Each person has their own favorite sight for visitors. I know how they feel, John and I used to overwhelm people in New York.
For my third act of the day I made it to the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. She was born in the home of her grandparents. The exhibits showed the house as she would have known it as a child. Added to that were pictures and paintings of her as an adult with her planes and her husband. There were articles and maps about her many flights and records. Amelia's birthplace is in Atchison, Kansas, which adds another state to my trip. Amelia was an early hero of mine, so today was a total win for me.
I'm now in the middle of nowhere because motels are few and far between. This is farm country. So far it is not as flat as I expected but towns are small and don't have very amenities.
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