Wednesday, May 20, 2015

We dined with the U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday

On Cincinnati's waterfront
Interesting day on Tuesday. We decided to visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center despite notice that Loretta Lynch, the new U.S. Attorney General, was going to be there for a conference. We thought we could get there early and be out before she arrived.

Parts of the museum were closed because of her impending visit, police cars and officers were inside and out of the building and there were lots of dogs sniffing around for bombs.

But even with the closures, the museum offered an overwhelming amount of information on slavery, from its beginnings with the Spanish and Portuguese exploitation of Africa up through and beyond the Civil War. I had warned my sister and Kathy that they might not want to attend a history museum with me. I can walk through an art exhibit in five minutes, but could not get through the Holocaust Museum in five hours.

Ducks on the Ohio River. They're multiplying.
Am I one of those annoying people who stands in front of every placard and reads every word? You bet. After two hours, I was only up to the late 1700s and the Northwest Ordinance (that would be the old Northwest as in what became the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin -- set up as free states where slavery was outlawed).

With miles and years to go before even a hint of freedom showed up in the museum narrative, I decided to manumit Kathy and Mary Jo from further plaque reading, and we headed to a Skyline Chili parlor in downtown Cincinnati.

It, too, was surrounded by police cars, officers and dark-suited, ear-budded men talking into their cufflinks. Also dining that day at Skyline was none other than Attorney General Lynch, way back in a corner of the restaurant, huddled with the Cincinnati police chief and other officials. I checked off another Ohio eating goal with a "three way," Cincinnati chili served over noodles and topped with cheddar cheese. As we were finishing, AG Lynch walked by, left the restaurant and drove off in a line of police cars and her Secret Service vehicles.

Excitement over, we asked the waitress for the bill and found that the gentleman sitting next to us had paid it. He had heard us talking when we came in, heard that we were from out of town and paid the waitress for our lunches, making her promise to say nothing until he had left. So thank you, Mr. Nice Guy in Cincinnati, for lunch on Tuesday.

Alex explains the sound waves from a bell.
Now we are getting packed up  so we can get an early start west in the morning. Besides our visits about town in Cincinnati, we have spent most of our time being entertained by Don and Mary Jo's 17-month-old grandson, who we all agree is destined to skip several grades before entering graduate school at age 12 on his way to finding a cure for cancer while heading up NASA's exploration of Mars.

Great time in Cincy, but we're looking forward to heading west. Hoping to make Kansas City Thursday night, Denver Friday night, Arches National Park on Saturday, spend Sunday there
Grandma Mary Jo with Alex.
and hit Salt Lake City on Sunday night or midday Monday for a visit with our niece. Then on to Seattle by Tuesday or Wednesday. Just another 2,400 miles and we'll be there.

Kathy, Alex and Don.

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