Strawberry Fields Memorial - New York City, NY

After the wedding in Wagner Cove, we paraded through Central Park accompanied by the accordion player. Our first stop was the Strawberry Fields, a memorial to John Lennon. The Strawberry Fields Memorial was designed by Bruce Kelly, the chief landscape architect for the Central Park Conservancy. It was dedicated on what would have been Lennon's 45th birthday - October 9, 1985 - by New York Mayor Ed Koch and Yoko Ono, John Lennon's widow. It was named for Lennon's song "Strawberry Fields Forever."

The original Strawberry Fields are located in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool, England. Lennon grew up near Strawberry Fields and as a child he would enjoy a garden party held there every summer. The Strawberry Fields Memorial was built in Central Park West at West 72nd Street, across from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon had lived in his later years and where he was murdered. The focal point of the Strawberry Fields Memorial is the Imagine mosaic. The mosaic is surrounded by open lawns and rock outcroppings, bounded in by shrubs, treesm and woodland slopes.

The area is designated as a quiet zone, but it is rarely quiet. When we were there, some people were quietly lying on the lawns either reflecting or reading or just enjoying the sunshine. But around the Imagine mosaic, there was a large group of people and they were not quiet. There were tables set up where artisans and craftsmen sold their work, many of them celebrating the life and work of John Lennon. Many people are also there to pay homage to Lennon. I saw roses, candles, works of art, and even a hand-made Lennon doll placed on the Imagine memorial as people circled around and played music. These impromptu memorials are common and often attended by famous musicians and admirers of Jonn Lennon, including Jerry Garcia and George Harrison.

J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain – Kansas City, MO

Kansas City is the “City of Fountains” and if there is one fountain that encapsulates the meaning of that title, it is the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain. It is easily the most famous and most frequently photographed fountain in the entire city.

Although the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain is a Kansas City landmark, it has an extensive and colorful history before it came home to the City of Fountains. The fountain was originally made in 1910 in Paris by French sculptor Henri Greber.

Later, it was moved to Long Island, New York where it adorned the estate of Clarence Mackay until 1949. (Fun Fact: Mackay disinherited his daughter when she married Irving Berlin against his wishes. You may know Berlin as one of the greatest American composers of the 20th century, writing such classics as “White Christmas” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business”). The fountain became the centerpiece of the large formal gardens and was known as “The Mackey Fountain.” But during that time, the estate was destroyed by fire and the figures of the fountain were vandalized. In 1951, the figures were sold for salvage.

Members of the Nichols family purchased the figures and transported them to Kansas City. The fountain was refurbished and dedicated in 1960 to J. C. Nichols, the developer of the Country Club Plaza. (Fun Fact: The Country Club Plaza was the first suburban shopping area in the United States.)

The J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain consists of a large pool with a two-tiered basin at the center. The 80-foot diameter pool is encircled by four equestrian figures standing over a ten feet high. The four equestrian figures, representing four rivers: the Mississippi River, the Volga River, the Seine and the Rhine. I’m not sure which river is represented by each figure, but I do know the Mississippi River is represented by the Indian riding the horse fending off an alligator. At the center of the fountain is a two-tiered basin that shoots water up to thirty feed in the air and around the central basin are figures of children riding dolphins that shoot water towards the center.

If you're traveling through Kansas City or talking a stroll through the Plaza, be sure to stop and see the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain. It may have began in France and New York, but now it is part of the beautiful City of Fountains.

Total Time Traveled: 2 hours
Total Distance Traveled: 85 miles
Soundtrack: "Jukebox" Cat Power

Cancer Survivors Park - Kansas City, MO

When Richard A. Bloch, co-founder of tax preparation giant H&R Block, was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer on March 29, 1978, he was given just three months to live. But he did live and he fought his disease. To inspire others, Bloch donated money to build Cancer Survivors Parks around the country. Currently, there are parks in Omaha, Sacramento, Orlando, Chicago and a dozen other cities. But the first was built in Block's hometown, Kansas City, in 1989.

Every Cancer Survivors Park has three elements. The first is a sculpture of eight life-size figures passing through a maze of cancer treatments and successes, entitled "Cancer...There's Hope." The sculpture was designed by famous Mexican sculptor Victor Salmones and those visiting the park may interact with it, walk through the maze and among the figures to share in the experience.

The second element in the park is a “Positive Mental Attitude Walk" where a visitor can stroll down a path and meditate on the 14 plaques. There are 4 inspirational plaques and 10 plaques of suggestions for fighting cancer. The third element is the "Road to Recovery". A red path leads the visitor past 7 bronze plaques with common sense advice to use during treatment. This path serves as a red carpet for "those who have the realization and the courage to change their existence into living."

Each park also has a unique element to represent the individual city. In Kansas City, it is the Arch of Triumph, the highest point in the park The Arch "represents a passage where one is symbolically in charge of their own life again."

The Kansas City has also added a colorful sculpture to part of the park entitled "Transformed Flower." This bright red, orange and yellow work combines art and architecture as it rises from a circle at the base to an eight-pointed star at the top. The sculpture was designed by Phillip K Smith III of California.

The architecture and art of the Cancer Survivors Park are visually stunning while its message of hope and survival are positively inspiring.

Total Travel Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Total Travel Distance: 90 miles

Soundtrack: "Muswell Hillbillies" The Kinks

Guest Post: Kauffman Memorial Gardens - Kansas City, MO

Today I have a guest post by the illustrious blogger May Evans of May's Machete! On her blog, the beautiful and brilliant geeky goddess May shares her thoughts on the world and her personal life. (Fair warning: May's blog is for adult audiences. You have been warned.) A special thanks to May for her amazing work! And I encourage everyone to check out her wonderful blog!

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One of the places tourists often go in Kansas City (MO) is the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. A slightly-less well, known, but beautiful jewel located just across the street from the museum is the Kauffman Memorial Gardens. Gifted to Kansas City by Ewing and Muriel Kauffman, this two-acre garden now has has 65,000 visitors annually, and it's no wonder why! The place is positively bursting with plant life and busy insects taking advantage of the feast!

One of the things my boyfriend and I were most impressed with was the massive array of bugs you could see, busily pollinating all the different types of flowers. If you're scared of insects, this is the perfect place to go because they're so distracted with the flowers that you can eyeball them up close without them ever evening noticing. I was amazed at the number of bees present, but we also saw crickets, grasshoppers, several types of moths, two types of butterflies (including a lovely Monarch), and even one bug that looked like a hybrid dragonfly-shrimp-hummingbird... We're still not convinced that bug isn't wasn't an alien because it looked too otherworldly to even be real!

The garden features 7,000 plants, with more than 300 varieties that include vintage and modern perennials, annuals, shrubs, bulbs and trees. The flowers ranged from wildflower varieties to more formal flowers like roses. The colors and types were mixed and matched in an innumerable amount of beds that wandered around pathways so that at any point in the garden, you could only see about one-fourth of it.

Another delightful feature of the garden were several fountains. The largest seemed to be popular for wedding photos, because we saw four different wedding parties lined up there for snapshots.

My favorite fountain was the one with three dancing girl statues.

Each turn of the path brought something new and surprising into view, but I have to say I was the most surprised by finding the graves of Ewing and Murial Kauffman within the garden walls! The area was flanked by benches, so I guess if you wanted to you could sit and meditate on how quickly life passes and all that... I personally chose to move on and spend my attention on the amazing life all around us.

The Kauffman Memorial Garden is located at 4800 Rockhill Road and is free to the public. It's open from 8 AM to dusk. I suggest you go there now while all the flowers are in bloom, before autumn and winter start to take a bite out of the amazing color.

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A special thanks again to the lovely May! Now go check out her blog May's Machete!

Sam Houston Statue - Huntsville, TX

Anna and I left the prison museum and decided to go see the giant statue of Sam Houston, commonly known as "Big Sam." Of course, we should have taken into account our inability to navigate. She and I have an amazing ability to get lost no matter where we are and no matter where we're going. This led to our discovery of Homeland Security in Houston and our brief visit to a Texas prison in Hunstville. Yes, Anna and I technically went to prison. We were trying to find the guest center for the statue when we pulled into a parking lot. We then noticed the large fences with barbed wire. And the sign indicating we had just made a big mistake. We promptly freaked out (who wouldn't after learning about what really goes on in a Texas prison for the last hour?) But we escaped quickly and got our bearings. Eventually, we found the welcome center and it looks nothing like a prison.

Big Sam is actually named A Tribute to Courage by David Adickes. Sam is 67 feet tall, made from 30 tons of concrete and steel and stands on a 10 foot sunset granite base. That makes him the world's tallest statue of an American hero. Although comparatively, he really isn't that tall. Not counting its pedestal and foundation, the Statue of Liberty is 151 feet tall - taller than two Big Sam's standing on top of each other. Still, its an impressive site. Big Sam can be seen for 6.5 miles from the south.

For those unfamiliar with American or Texas history, Sam Houston was an important figure during the Civil War. He was opposed to Texas seceding from the Union and was removed as governor when Texas did secede and he refused to swear and oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. He was a leader of the Texas Revolution and eventually supported the annexation of Texas into the United States. Some interesting things to know about him include that he was the only man in American History to be elected governor of two states (Tennessee and Texas) and he was a citizen of four nations (United States, Cherokee, Mexico, Texas.)

A Tribute to Courage was originally intended to be finished by March 2, 1993 for Sam Houston's 200th birthday. But the colossal nature of the project took longer to complete then expected so the final statue was not dedicated until 1994. Given the sheer size of the honor, I doubt Sam Houston minded the extra time needed.

A Vigil for Dr. Tiller in South Park - Lawrence, KS

My travels over the last week have not been happy. On Sunday morning, the wonderful Dr. George Tiller was brutally assassinated in his church. The shock has been slowly fading but my sadness and anger are still strong. That evening, I attended a vigil in Lawrence. I have struggled whether or not to post about these experiences. I have said I would not make this blog an outlet for my personal beliefs - but this tragedy has been overwhelming and it is hard to seperate my grief from those political viewpoints that might generate controversy. So, to my readers, I ask you to understand. This is not an attempt to force any ideology on you, just a woman in mourning.

I met with my co-worker Holly to drive to Lawrence for a vigil. While we drove, we did not really speak. I was busy helping to plan actions for those in mourning, ways to release our collective and individual pains, on my phone while Holly helped to coordinate media responses. It was action that kept me together that day. From the time I woke up until I buckled my seatbelt I had been constantly typing at a keyboard, furiously trying to keep multiple websites flowing with information and trying to help others find answers. I still have no answers for myself.

We arrived in South Park of Lawrence and immediately set to work. Passing out candles and knotting white ribbons of rememberence around our forearms. We talked, struggling to find topics that would distract us from what had brought us together that night. At 8pm, around two hundred people had gathered to mourn the murder of Dr. Tiller.

Some spoke about him as a man, others about his work as a doctor and still others spoke about his legacy that inspired them to action. We quietly sang, we quietly cried, we quietly prayed and then at 8:45 we gave us searching for ways to express ourselves and stood for a moment of silence.

South Park was beautiful that night. That has become part of that tragedy. Like those faces of men, women and children of all ages and races lit by vigil candles, I will always remember standing in South Park that night. As the dark slowly came and our hearts ached with sadness.

Total Travel Time: 3.5 hours
Total Distance Traveled: 70 miles
Soundtrack: "We are a peaceful angry people and we are singing for our lives."

Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum - Atchison, KS

On sunny but extremely windy Saturday, I took off for Atchison, Kansas. No major highway or interstate goes there so around the halfway mark I turn off onto a two lane road that follows the railroad tracks. For twenty miles there's nothing but farmland, trains and the occasional other car.

The museum is easy to find, Atchison is very small and very proud of it's heritage so it isn't hard to miss the signs that lead the way. It is a beautiful stately house that has been maintained for many years by the Ninety-Nines, an international group of female licensed pilots. Amelia Earhart was their first elected president.

It is a stately house filled with homages to Amelia's life - from a bathing suit she wore when she was four-years-old to a model of her plane to multiple portraits of her throughout her life. The parlors and formal dining room downstairs are finished to the full former majesty while the upstairs bedrooms have a cozy comfortable feeling, complete with quilts and clothing laid out as if to be worn the next day.

The museum shows Amelia Earhart mostly as a woman but also for the amazing pilot she was. The first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger, the first woman to make a solo flight around the United States, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, not to mention her numerous speed and altitude records.

In addition to her courageous acts as a pilot, the museum also records her works as a writer and fashion designer. She was an accomplished poet and published multiple books. She also designed clothes for her fellow female pilots she eventually developed into a fashion line for "the woman who lives actively."

Atchison may be out of the way, but it was worth the trip to see the museum. But I have another stop to make - the Haunted Waggener House - before I go home.

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Total Trip Time: 3 hours
Total Distance Traveled: 138 miles
Soundtrack: "The Ascension" Otep

Bust of Andrew Taylor Still - Topeka, KS

As I was walking back to my car from the World's Largest Wren, I passed the Kansas Association of Osteopathic Medicine. On the left side, I noticed a small sort of garden. There was a red brick path off the sidewalk that led into the area that circled a creepy looking bronze bust with stone benches around it like pews around an altar. I circled it looking for a plaque or explanation of who this man was but there was nothing. Just this memorial garden in homage to head and hand of a really creepy looking man.

The eyes of the bust glance to the side, it makes it seem as though he is regarding you with a sidelong stare - he is sizing you up for some unknown purpose. I know the bone he is holding in his hand is supposed to be a sign of his powers as a healer, but with the creepy stare it becomes more menacing. Like he is threatening to hit me with it. This is supposed to be an homage to this guy, but really he doesn't seem like someone I would want to spend too much time with.

When I get home, I look up the the Kansas Association of Osteopathic Medicine online. There is no information about the bust itself except for a picture. But browsing more I learn it might be Andrew Taylor Still who created osteopathic medicine in 1874, a method of healing that focuses on the unity of all body parts. After a little more research, I found that Still may have this little memorial garden in Kansas but he actually founded the first school of osteopathic medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. It still exists although now it carries his name as the A.T. Still University.

The creepy bust of Still doesn't do much to improve my opinion of Topeka. I still think it is the most depressing place I have traveled to in a while. But I will be giving it another chance soon. I'm going to go back to see the Brown v. Board of Education Historical site, only a few blocks away from the wren and the bust. We'll see if the second visit proves more uplifting than the first.

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Soundtrack: Fiona Apple "Extraordinary Machine"

Jesse James Home - St. Joseph, MO

On April 3, 1882, Jesse James was murdered in his home. Bob Ford, a member of the notorious outlaw James' gang killed him to collect a $10,000 reward being offered by the governor. At the time, 34-year-old James was living as Tom Howard with a wife and two children. As he was straightening a picture, Ford shot him in the head from behind.

At the entrance of the home, is a small display of news articles showing the history of the museum and the famous people who have come to visit. Most interestingly, was a middle-aged Johnny Cash with a mustache that made him almost unrecognizable in the newspaper picture. In the next room is a series of portraits showing Jesse James at various stages in his life. The museum is not about his adventurous outlaw career. It shows Jesse James as a man. There is a leather vest of his namesake uncle in a glass frame. In another room is the bed he once slept in and the safe he kept in the kitchen. It is a museum occasionally mundane in its details, but in that aspect it memorializes Jesse James as a human being and not just a Wild West caricature of pop culture.


One aspect of the museum is just plain morbid. In 1995, the body of Jesse James was exhumed by forensic scientist James Starrs. There had long been rumors that James faked his death and actually lived to a ripe old age under another assumed name. However, DNA tests concluded with 99.7% probability that the corpse was Jesse James. But that's not the really morbid part. They made a casting of his skull to show where the bullet entered his skull behind the right ear. The cast is displaying in a rotating class case in the museum along with casts made of his teeth. So at the Jesse James home, you can see where he was shot and...well, where he was shot.

As I looked through a small glass case that is the museum's gift shop trying to find something to commemorate my visit, I talked with the curator about all the history St. Joseph has to offer. Really, it is a sort of roadside attraction goldmine. A place proud of its history and always looking for a way to memorialize it. There are at least four other museums I can see from the entrance of the house. As we talked about where my next stop should be, I saw my souvenir - a cowboy hat!

But this was only the first stop in St. Joseph! I had one more place to go see. And this won't be my last trip here either. Like I said, this town was like a roadside attraction goldmine. I have lots more to see and many more trips back to see it all.

Travel Time: 4 hours roundtrip
Distance Traveled: 160 miles roundtrip
Soundtrack: Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins "Rabbit Fur Coat"

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Union Prison Collapse - Kansas City, MO

Every time I drive to the Crossroads Art District, I am usually stopped by a red light at Grand and Truman. I don't know why but it happens every time. I noticed a small plaque there commemorating it as a Civil War site. I started reading little bits and pieces every time I was at the light. On August 13, 1868, the Union jail for women collapsed. The three story building called The Longhorn Store and Tavern was being used to hold women were suspected of aiding Confederate troops. Four women were killed in the collapse.

What caused the collapse is controversial. Some claim it was structural flaws. The building had only been standing for seven years but there had been suspicion that the building was in danger before. Allegedly, the shopkeeper moved his wares out of the first floor when he noticed cracks in the ceiling. But he was injured when the building fell so it stands to reason if he knew it was coming down he wouldn't have been standing around inside. Some conspiracy theorists say the Union forces rigged the building to collapse and in doing so murdered the women inside. But mixed in with that accusation is also some anti-Semitism towards the Jewish man who supposedly ran the store front on the first floor. Personally, I find it hard to believe prison guards would intentionally rig a building to fall, killing women and destroying store (which was their liquor supplier) beneath it.

Five days later, Union General Ewing made the situation worse by banishing the families of the guerillas from the state out of fear of retaliation. Enraged over the collapse of the prison, Confederate forces raided the city of Lawrence eight days later. They killed 150 men leaving behind only widows, orphans and a city in ruins.

It is a sad and tragic story to read about, especially on that corner. It is right next to The Sprint Center where all the big name concerts in Kansas City are. It is also right by the entrance to the Power and Light District, where all the hot clubs and bars are. It is a very sad and stark reminder of a disaster over a century ago, just before you go join the parties.

Time Spent: 25 minutes
Distance Traveled: 18 miles
Soundtrack: Tegan and Sara "The Con"

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