Dwight Eisenhower Fountain - Kansas City, KS

On Friday, I was forced to take a day off work. I suppose that's the result of loving your job and spending way too many hours in the office doing it. So I spent the day with my mother and my sister who was visiting from Oklahoma with her friend. And of course what visit with two college girls is complete without a shopping trip?

In Kansas City, Kansas there is a very large shopping center called The Legends in East Village. It earned the name The Legends from it's various homages to 80 different notable Kansans. From athletes to civic leaders, The Legends honors them in various artistic fashions.

Following a yellow brick road from the parking lot into the shopping center, you can see a large statue of Dwight Eisenhower is wading knee high in a pool of water. The water dances from the drops jumping from the surface like fish to the children splashing on the side.

Eisenhower served as the 34th President of the United States and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. He was born in Texas, but his family moved to Abilene, Kansas when he was two-years-old. So he may not be native by birth, but certainly is by his upbringing.

As to why the former president is depicted fishing, I suppose it is because he was an avid sportsman during his life and during his presidency. He was well-known for his love of golf and of fishing. In that sense, it is a fitting memorial. In honor of his love of golf, a tree on the 17th hole of the Augusta National - where the Masters Tour is played annually - has been named after him.

Total Trip Time: 3 hours
Total Travel Distance: 45 miles
Soundtrack: Whatever my sister felt like playing on her iPod