Abilene, Kansas

I confess, my first and original reason for stopping in Abilene was fried chicken.  I heard, by word of mouth, that the Brookville Hotel (it isn't a hotel, just a restaurant) had the best food anywhere around.  A few years ago we stopped to check it out, but it was booked up.  They are only open Wednesday through Saturday, and then usually only in the evening.  The place is so popular, they suggest you make reservations.  When I first came up with this impromptu road trip, I tried calling them several times to get evening reservations, but nobody answered.  That's probably a good thing, because by the time we left Manhattan, Kansas, I'd had time to think it over:  It would end up costing $50 for the two of us, and we'd just had excellent chicken at R.C.'s in Martin City a couple of weeks before.  The only chicken that would top theirs would be my mother's, and she's no longer on this earth. 

There are several places of interest in Abilene, but by the time we got there it was after 1 PM.  It was obvious that we only had time to take in the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.  I didn't think we'd get through it in that length of time, but it turns out there aren't nearly as many exhibits as the Truman Library.  We had exactly the amount of time we needed to take in everything.  In the Presidential Library, there was a timeline of World War I; now, Cliff and I are familiar with this timeline, since we've visited the World War I museum in Kansas City several times.  However, this timeline included information on where Ike was at various points during the war.

We read several interesting stories:

The following story illustrates how badly Ike wanted to join the fighting in Europe.

There was even this story about Harry Truman

When we were done viewing the things in the library, we moved on to the museum, which had nothing to do with Ike.  Right now there's an exhibit telling about the Chisholm Trail.

Cliff did lots of reading.

We also went through the home where Eisenhower grew up.  The furnishings were a lot like houses I visited (and lived in) when I was a child.

We went in the chapel where Ike and Mamie were buried.

Of course I bought an expensive coffee mug, because that's what I do.  As I drink my morning coffee, I can reminisce about the places I've forced Cliff to take me.  I wonder if I'll be able to get an Arlo Guthrie coffee mug when we go to his concert.  Hmmm.  

I have fond childhood memories of Eisenhower:  My parents were non-voting Republicans, and always spoke positively of him.  Besides, we had a president who looked like somebody's grandpa, and what kid doesn't love a grandpa?    

Perhaps we'll see the interesting places in Abilene that we didn't have time for on our next trip to visit Maxine.  I'll leave you with a picture I've already shared on Facebook.  It's me, my nephew Larry (Maxine's son), and my lovely sister.  Larry's wife had gone to spend some time with one of their sons and his family in Oklahoma, but we had a wonderful visit with Maxine and Larry.