..2 days travel!...

...forgot to tell you how surprised we were to see the milesw of Vineyards in upper NY STate as we travelled westward toward Ohio....Must be tremendous source of income to area..
However after leaving NY and just over border in Ohio we first stopped at James A Garfield's Home in Mentor, Ohio...it is in a park-like setting and called Lawnfield...Large house with huge graystone addition for a library put on by his wife Lucretia after his death when she received considerable donations of money in his memory..she also built a large conical tower to which was affixed a large windmill which generatede sufficient mechaanical power to push water from the well under pressure to all the inside plumbing of the house...as well as a stone addition to the Carriage house which contained the apparatus to provide gas service to the home...She was a woman before her time! The visit gave us much information about the President...

The next stop was at Harding's home in Marion, Ohio...
He built the house in 1891 as a gift to his wife prior to his marriage to her..She was several yeaqrs his senior and had eloped several years previously and had a small son...who was never adopted by Harding...He lived with his grandfather...and her father dis-owned her when she marriede Harding...He was the owner and publisher of the Marion Star newspaper and met his wife when she was supporting herself and her son by teaching piano...she gave lesswons to one of his relatives...
Hardind died in California after returning form Alaska from a visit..He went to Alaska by railroad, but returnede to California by ship...His V.P. Coolidge succeeded him...
His wife died of Bright's Disease about 16 yeaqrs after his demise.
A tour of the home provided much information about his Presidency as well as some insight into his personna...It was a rewarding visit...

The final visit of the day was in Fremont, Ohio...up near Lake Ontario....It waqs the HUGE home of Rutherford B. BHayes called "Spiegel Grove"....It also was within a park...and he and his nwife...and his son and wife are bujried on thne property....The home was given to him byh a very wealthy uncle..who also provided for him handsomely at his demise...Rutherford really had BIG BUCKS...and lived it!...It hade been mentionede that this house/museum gave FDR the idea to attempt the same thing officially with the National Archives.
The uncle bought the lqand in 1845..built the house in 1859 and completed it in 1863..with Rutherford assisting init's construction... He was the only President other than Jefferson who involved himself so deeply in the construction.....It so much impressed Daras that she remarked "she could move in today!"....
Rutherford's father died 2 monthsw before he was born....and his wife was the first wife of a President to have a college education! He was the embodiment of the statement that "rich is better than poor"!


We then drove north to the edge of the lake..had a Perch fish dinner and a waterfront room in the hotel...not bad!


Today was a more restful day...Had the van's oil changed and had an opportunity to do my bookkeeping while it was being serviced....then drove up into Michigan about 2 hours later and reached the Library of Prtesident Gerald Ford...Beautiful building directly on the campus of Univeersity of Michigan at Ann Arbor....We were well received by the Head Archivist who was pleassed to show us about and even opened the door and permitted us to enter Ford's personal office which he last visited in 2004....and permitted pictures!
There was no doubt of the esteem that was reciprocal by both the University and Ford...He was the MOst Valuable Player during the time he plqayed Cernter on the Football team...and there waqs evidence of his character as an Eagle Scout etc...all over the library!...He appeared to be the ALL American bOY......iwas easy to gain insight into what he was made of...and much information was elicited about his term of office...The Library is financed both by the University as well as the archives...and is used primaqrily as a research library...

We left then to drive for about 2 1/2 hours to Grand Rapids where tomorrow AM we will visit the Museum....'till then...Arrivederci (sp?) we just had dinner in an Italian Restaurant!