Skip to main content

Happy Birthday, President Eisenhower

                                                 Image from Wikipedia

    Dwight David Eisenhower was born this day in 1890.  He was a 5-star U. S. Army general who had basically won World War II in Europe and was ready for retirement.  When the Republicans found him playing golf and urged him to run for President in 1953, he thought it would be a nice way to spend his retirement. He won, but maybe because he picked that cute Richard Nixon as his running mate.

    He was not handsome; in fact, he looked kind of like a light bulb.  His wife, Mamie, was nice, but made unfortunate choices in her hair stylist. Every time my Mama cut my bangs when I was little, I would cry and say I looked just like Mamie Eisenhower.  I still say it sometimes when my stylist gets scissor-happy.  Anyway, you can see how the country fell in love with the Kennedys when they came along a few years later.

    It is said that President Ike didn't worry about anything. His secretary of state, John Dulles, wanted to free Red China and use the new hydrogen bombs but Ike was a guns-and- tanks man and wasn't interested. He didn't worry about the McCarthy scandal, applying the theory that if you ignore something, it will go away.  The Russians sent up the Sputnik satellite in 1957, and Castro took over Cuba in 1959, and Ike took up oil painting when it was too rainy for golf.  Mamie had most of the interior of the White House painted pink.

    Ike did one outstanding thing that changed forever the way American people live.  He created the Interstate Highway system, allowing us to become mobile people with fancier cars every year.  Before the Interstates, many people never left the state or county they were born in.  Those Interstates (we call them 'the big roads') have made traveling easier for everyone, and I'm thankful to Ike for that.
    Labels:

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    100 miles or less: Rattlesnake Saloon

    The Rattlesnake Saloon was opened on Labor Day, 2009.  Dining there is an unique experience. It is way out in the boonies in Colbert County, Alabama.  It is hard to get to, even for locals, but they have had visitors from all over the United States and many countries throughout the world. Sitting comfortably under the huge rock overhang, I couldn't help but think about the people who have sought shelter there from storms or heat.  I can imagine the Native Americans using this place for a meeting area or a dry place to camp for a while.  Not so many years ago, it was used as a pig pen. They have good food and live music and a hitching post if you want to ride your horse there.  Most of us were picked up in a pickup, called the "Saloon Taxi", that runs from the parking lot to the restaurant continuously while they are open. The Rattlesnake Saloon is aptly named.  During construction, workers unearthed a mother rattler with twelve babie...
    1 comment
    Read more

    Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

    Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures.  We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything.  Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Old Water Tower in Florence, Alabama

    So, we have lived in Florence since 1986 and I didn't see this old water tower until last week.  Shame on me.   It is located on Seymore Street, in a residential neighborhood in Florence. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this tower of native stone was completed in 1890 as the foundation for a wrought- iron tank with a capacity of 280,000 gallons of water. It is 70 feet high and is located on the highest elevation in the city. Water was pumped here from Cypress Creek. It was constructed during the Industrial Boom at which time the population of Florence increased from approximately 2,000 in 1887 to over 6,000 in 1889. It was replaced by the adjoining standpipe in 1935.   (from historical marker on site.)   I'm sure there was lots of planning, lots of discussion about funding, and lots of joy when this water tower was completed.  Not one person who was there to celebrate its completion is alive today, but the water...
    1 comment
    Read more