We returned to Columbia in time for the May
2008 grand re-opening of the Missouri Theatre.
It had been closed during the $10 million renovation to return it to its
original 1928 appearance. Diane and I,
along with our friend Craig, attended the gala which began with champagne and
hors d'oeuvres served in the lobby. The
names of the contributors, including ours, were written in script on an upper
portion of the lobby wall. We were
excited when it was time for the concert to begin and took our seats in the
upper balcony to hear Tony Bennett. Yes,
THAT Tony Bennett, the one who sang "I Left My Heart in San
Francisco!" He was just a little
older than the 80 years of the theater.
He only agreed to perform because he was so impressed with the
renovation and the theater. At one point
he put down the microphone and spoke without amplification, confident that the
acoustics were so good that everyone could hear him. Even in the upper balcony we could hear his
every word. Following the concert,
dessert was served and we were given a parting commemorative gift.
The gala begins
The start of the summer session of “Hot
Summer Nights” with Kirk Trevor conducting the Missouri Symphony soon
followed. We again had season tickets
and were glad we had only had to miss the event one year for the renovation. Our seats were in the third row left of the
lower balcony. The first year we had
season tickets, we had figured out that the two men sitting in front of us,
Larry and Carl, were gay. They were
around our same age and we became fast friends, often dining out with
them. Diane began to prepare birthday
dinners for them every year with their favorite dishes.
In June the Wichita High School East class
of 1958 held its 50th reunion.
I had not been back to Wichita since my mother died, but decided to go
with Diane so my classmates could learn about my life after high school. There were over 1,000 in my graduating class,
however, I was only around many of them in the required physical education
classes. My other classes were only
attended by the college bound students. Christine
Cooper nee Hoidale had been my closest friend growing up and was cordial
enough, but we were not close since the political disagreement we had at our
house when she and her husband stopped by on their way to Indiana. She did not seem to have a problem with Diane
and I, but she had been incensed that we could still support Bill Clinton after
he was impeached. I enjoyed seeing Kelly
Smith Tunney again. She was the daughter
of my father’s lawyer and went to Cottey College in Nevada, MO for two years
before getting her journalism degree at KU and working for the Associated
Press. One of our good friends in
Columbia and a member of Diane’s salon group had been President of Cottey
College and remembered Kelly. I think I
would have enjoyed talking more with her.
Part of the 1,000 graduates in the class of
1958 (not much diversity)
Childhood friend Chris
Kelly Smith Tunney and me
Me standing in front of my father’s earlier
floor covering store
I enjoyed the friendly greetings, although
I did not feel any more comfortable around my classmates than I did when I was
in high school. It was at this reunion
dinner dance that a male classmate who I had gone out on a date with at KU
almost 50 years earlier approached and asked me: “Did you know at the time we
went out that you were a lesbian?”
I thought he either was implying that I had
gone out with him under false pretenses, or perhaps he had feared that his
behavior was responsible for my becoming a lesbian. Either way, I thought his question was out of
line. How could he be so
insensitive? I just said no. After the reunion, I had no desire to ever return
to Wichita.
Days before our next trip, Diane and I
hosted the marriage of her quite pregnant niece Kelly to her high school
sweetheart Steve. Diane arranged for
circuit court Judge Chris Kelly, a prominent public official in Columbia we
knew well from Democratic politics, to come to our house and perform the
ceremony. Kelly’s parents, Sue and Joe
were present and Steve’s mother was able to listen as the vows were spoken near
our landline telephone receiver. Diane
served a lovely wedding cake along with some celebratory champagne.
Telephone, Steve, Judge Kelly, niece Kelly
Wedding cake and champagne
A few days later, we flew to Nice, France
on the Mediterranean coast for more travel with Olivia. Although this would be
our thirteenth trip with them, it would be our first riverboat cruise so we
weren’t sure what to expect. We arrived
a day early to take a tour before meeting the Olivia team. After we checked into our hotel, we explored
the area. We headed for Castle Hill,
winding up a steep path to the top for great views. It was Sunday, and there were a lot of people
around, some with displays. Not knowing
French, I couldn’t be sure, but much of the activity seemed to be related to
free speech, poverty, and so on. After
exploring the Castle grounds and gardens, we walked by a cemetery that looked
inviting. The tombs were highly
elaborate, many having sculptures more often found in museums. Diane was having fun all afternoon, taking
pictures everywhere we went. However,
after so much walking, we were hungry and thirsty, so we headed for the Place
Massena, a historic plaza where we could sit outside with a beer, sandwich and
many opportunities for people watching.
View of beach in Nice from hotel window
Display on Castle Hill (by Communist
Party?)
Playground on Castle Hill
Tombs in cemetery near Castle Hill
Me enjoying a beer
I had always admired the French explorer
and conservationist Jacques Cousteau. We
chose our tour the next day because it included a visit to his museum. Driving from Nice on the middle cliff road,
our first stop was in Eze, a medieval village perched on a cliff overlooking
the Mediterranean. We walked up steps,
and more steps, exploring crafts shops and the breathtaking panorama. Then we proceeded to the old town of Monaco,
and we toured the Prince’s Palace where Grace Kelly lived after marrying Prince
Rainier III and then watched the changing of the guard. Finally, we stopped at Cousteau's
Oceanographic Museum where there were many interesting exhibits. He was famous for inventing tools for
underwater exploration. I enjoyed the
one about his inventions like the Aqua-Lung which enabled him to produce some
of the first underwater documentaries. The
museum was not being maintained very well; many exhibits were dusty and
dirty. Jacques had died almost 10 years
earlier, but his estate and the foundation fell into dispute among his
survivors. Perhaps the museum suffered
as a result. It was still worth the
visit. We made it back to Nice in time
to return to the Plaza for some gelato.
Steps in Eze
Monaco changing of the guard at the Palace
Cousteau Museum Aqua-Lung display
Me enjoying gelato as much as cupid
The next day, we had a lazy morning, just
walking down to the beach (not of sand, but of large pebbles called galets). It didn’t bother the crowds sunbathing and
swimming in the sea. After lunch, we
pulled our luggage to another hotel where we met the Olivia team in time to
board the bus for our transfer to Arles and begin the Flavors of Burgundy and
Provence tour on the Rhone River.
Arles is a coastal city popular with
artists because of the southern light.
We visited the hospital where Van Gogh was a patient after he had his
most violent episode, cutting off his ear.
Arles used to be closer to the Mediterranean, but centuries of silt
carried down by the Rhone River filled in the harbor that once made it a major
port. It was an important Phoenician
trading port, before it was taken over by the Romans and many historic remains
survive. With our group we toured the Roman
arena. It amazed us how these ancient,
historic structures could be repurposed like this one, which was now used for
bullfights. A statue invited us inside
to the Roman bathhouse. Diane and I
wanted even more history, so we walked to the very modern building that housed
the Arles Archaeological Museum of ancient artifacts. Because of the dryness with which history was
taught in my junior high and high school, I avoided history classes in
college. However, I found learning
history in THIS way much more interesting.
Diane loved history, principally early American. She was also an Anglophile, having read all
of Shakespeare while in high school, which led to a background in European
history as well.
Hospital grounds were Van Gogh stayed
Roman arena
Roman bathhouse
Arles Archaeological Museum
Our boat, the ms Avalon Scenery, was
designed to be able to lower any equipment on the upper level in order for it to
squeeze under the many Roman stone bridges spanning the Rhone. Our room was comfortable and we slept like
babies. Our first morning on the river,
we had an unexpected treat. The boat
stopped at a dock at the bottom of a hill, we walked up to a small village,
entered a church and were treated to an organ recital. This was not on the schedule, but we loved
it. That night we were introduced to the
normal routine. When we stopped at a
city, the boat tied up on the city side of the river. During the day, we were given a guided tour
of all the historic structures. If we
were spending the night, we could walk down the gangplank and go into the city
on our own.
The first city we visited was Avignon where
our group toured the Avignon Cathedral.
Diane and I enjoyed seeing the carrousel and touring the market place,
viewing all the local fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses. With the proliferation of available produce,
our meals were great; and traveling through a prominent wine region of France
meant our wine each night was also very good.
So far, Diane and I liked touring by river boat. As usual, each evening after dinner, we were
entertained by an Olivia musician or comedian.
Avignon carrousel
Avignon fish market display
Avignon meat market display
Avignon produce display
As we left Avignon, we passed through one
of the many sets of locks on the Rhone River.
The next day we cruised by vineyards and fields of lavender before
stopping at Viviers, where we visited the Saint Vincent Cathedral and other
historic sites. The twin cities of
Tournon-sur-Rhone and Tain-l'Hermitage were our first stop the next day, before
spending the night at Vienne. Vienne was a major center of the Roman Empire,
so there were many ancient Roman structures to view as well as men playing
bocce ball.
Locks at Avignon on the Rhone River
St Vincent Cathedral with Tower of St Michael
to the right
Pipe organ inside St Vincent Cathedral
Ancient Roman amphitheater in Vienne still
in use
Men Playing bocce ball
Then we went to Lyon where on our guided
tour we were fascinated by the wonderful buildings with trompe de l'oeil
painting. Motivated by our interest in
history and WWII in particular, Diane and I spent the afternoon visiting the
Lyon Resistance Museum. We liked its slogan,
“History, essential to the present,” and the fact that it had a separate
exhibit for children. Lyon played a key
role in the liberation of France from the Nazis and thereafter became known as
the “Capital of the Resistance.”
Building with trompe de l’oeil painting
(not real balconies)
Lyon outdoor market
We spent Bastille Day touring the city of
Macon and then stopped for the night at Tournus. This area is popular with tourists and wine
connoisseurs. At dinner that night we
were treated with a performance by the waiters who marched around twirling
white napkins in remembrance of the white handkerchief (instead of a flag) raised
above the Bastille (a royal fortress and prison) indicating surrender by the
aristocracy and the beginning of the French revolution. Diane and I jumped up at our seats and joined
them in twirling our napkins. There was
a huge display of fireworks over the river that night, and on this, our last
night aboard, we were outside on deck to enjoy it. Diane and I decided that we did enjoy
traveling on riverboats. It was a way I
could deal with visiting cities and a nice counterbalance to our nature trips.
Leaving the boat the next morning, we
boarded a bus with a small group headed for the airport in Paris. A train station was located in one of the
terminals where we could buy our ticket and board the train to Brussels,
Belgium. Along the way, we had realized
that we left our passports and money belts in the cabin safe on the boat. This was something they even asked us to
check before leaving. Fortunately, we
carried photocopies of our passports in our shoes and knew the hotel where we
would be staying in Brussels. One of the
passengers on the bus was an Olivia staff member who loaned us enough money for
our train ticket and called the ship to have the contents of the safe express
mailed to the Marriott hotel in Brussels where we had reservations. We felt really stupid and extremely lucky at
the same time. When we arrived at the
hotel, they made copies of our passport papers and let us check in. Whew!
We spent three-and-a-half days in Brussels,
amazed that there were no turnstiles or charges for using the underground,
which we took to and from the train station.
We spent most of our time walking, since our hotel was on the Grand
Place, the central square of Brussels. We walked to the Royal Museum of Art
where I particularly enjoyed the paintings of Pieter Bruegel as his portrayal
of everyday people reminded me of the work by Missouri artists Thomas Hart
Benton and George Caleb Bingham. We
discovered great chocolate shops and the freshest mussels in Brussels that went
great with the local beer.
Grand Place Brussels
Pieter Bruegel painting
Chocolate shops
Mussels in Brussels
We had seen the movie In Bruges
earlier in that year. We really wanted
to take the train for a day visit so we could climb up The Belfry like the hit
man in the movie. At 275 feet it is one
of Bruges’s most touted landmarks and requires walking up a narrow two-way winding
staircase to the top. It reminded me of
the narrow road up to Ravello, Italy. On
the way up, I was able to see the clock mechanism (resembling a player-piano
roll) that controls the carillon with 47 silver-toned bells. We made it up the
tower’s 366 stairs, and were pleasantly rewarded with a sweeping view of
Bruges. We took a boat trip on the
Bruges canals and heard more about its history.
Belfry tower
Clock gears
Clock “player-piano” roll
We had loved the river cruise and visit to
Brussels, but it was time to return to Columbia where we were happy to be
reunited with our several “families” and friends. We got back into our usual routine of four
times a week starting our day at 8 a.m. with our Tai Chi class. On Fridays, we had lunch with our Muleskinners
Democratic family. The classes for the
fall semester of Osher were announced, and we looked forward to seeing our friends
there.
I spent some time looking over my
investments and decided that it was time to start simplifying my bond
investments just like I had done with my stocks. I purchased my last Missouri bond in
August. My philosophy with bonds had
been to hold them for the interest payments, not sell or trade them. As they matured or were called, I replaced
them with other bonds. After this final
purchase, I no longer replaced them.
Instead, I would use Vanguard bond funds for that portion of my asset
allocation.
In early September, we flew to Denver to
spend a long weekend with Joe and Karen.
One day we hiked in the foothills and the next day we visited the
Butterfly Pavilion and the Denver Art Museum.
Later in the month, we drove to Kansas City and had dinner with my former
partner Ruth. The next day we visited
the National World War I Museum and Memorial, the
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
Overlooking Colorado mountains: Karen, me and Joe
Sally Beth Lyon (the chief academic officer
with the Columbia Public Schools) contacted me about joining a Math Advisory
Committee. I had hit it off with a Tai
Chi classmate’s boyfriend, Bob, with whom I shared a mutual interest in math
and computers, and asked him to join me on the committee. Soon he was amazed that he had a lesbian for
a good friend. He joined me at the math
committee meetings which started in September and continued for the rest of the
school year as the committee evaluated new textbooks and materials. While visiting a high school calculus class,
I was impressed with the ability of the students to respond to questions posed
by the teacher. And to think that my
high school had NOT offered calculus when I was there! After my graduate school classes in math, I
could not have answered some of the questions as well as these high school students.
October saw the biggest political rally
ever in Columbia, Missouri. It was a
late Thursday night appearance by Senator Barack Obama before the November
election, less than a week away. About
40,000 college students, citizens of Columbia and surrounding counties
attended. All were transfixed by his campaign
speech. His big message was how
important it was to vote. He was
right. He lost Missouri by 0.1% of the
vote, less than 4,000 votes. Nationwide,
the Obama/Biden ticket easily beat the McCain/Pallin ticket both in the
electoral college and the popular vote. Missouri
did elect Democrats to the Governor’s office, two of the four state-wide
executive level races, and four of the nine Representatives to the U.S. House. Missouri Democrats were losing ground. Thank goodness there was no Missouri U.S.
Senate election in 2008. The south and
rural areas of the Midwest and West were solidly in the Republican column and
Missouri was almost there.
Obama rally in front of the law school with
press coverage
The rest of the year in Columbia was fairly
calm and I was trying to get in that groove.
In 2008 my business was slow, but I was able to finish the computational
work and a draft of my paper. Nancy, my
Statistics Department friend, and I were getting the written document into
shape. I did more volunteering for the
Columbia Public Schools. Diane and I enjoyed
the many social and cultural activities that Columbia had to offer.