In the summer of 1961, my father decided we were going to take a real vacation. We had a 1959 AMC Rambler. We could travel in it all day and it could serve as our hotel. The seats reclined, so we could comfortably sleep in it. Dad had it all figured out. We parked the car in a lot facing the Jefferson Memorial, across the Potomac River. He got a city map and from our new location, he plotted where we would go. First stop, Washington’s Monument. That was an easy jaunt. We rode the elevator up to the top and Dad checked coordinates from looking out from the top of the Monument. We also rode down on the elevator. I know, some like to walk up the steps, but we had miles to travel. Next stop, we visited our Senator from Ohio. He was speaking on the floor of the Senate.
My friend Kenny lived in public housing in Waverly, Ohio. But when the nearby factory almost shut down, all of those houses stood empty. They were pre-fab houses where a concrete slab was poured, tile was put down, and a two story house was erected. They had a furnace, an attic, and upstairs there was one large sleeping area, and down stairs were two bedrooms., There was a kitchen, and a dining area. The slab would get cold in the Winter. We lived in one for about three or four months after Dad lost his job at Waverly. On the whole, they were not bad houses. But with the loss of workers, the need for these houses no longer existed.
In the Senate chambers we heard our Senator talk about selling these houses, and moving the people out. I don’t recall where they went, but today there is no Waverly Estates as they were once called.
The thing I recall most vividly was the man who greeted us at the Capital. He could tell by our accents where we were from. He showed us around, took us on an underground trolley between the Senate and the House of Representatives. Underground I saw all sorts of shops. It was a city all by itself.
The next stop was the Smithsonian. This place is huge. I saw the Hope Diamond, I saw Lindberg’s plane, and all kinds of rockets. You could spend a year there and not see it all.
It was getting dark, and we had to head for home, the car actually. Sis was so tired. I heard her mumble; “I don’t want to see another monument, statue, or anything else. She was Washingtoned out. I agreed with her. We were all beat. So Dad hailed a taxi.
The driver said; “Mister, I have seen you guys walking all over this town. I’m off in ten minutes, and I’ll take you wherever you are going.” Talk about angels. I am reminded of Scripture that says; “Be kind to strangers for they could be angels.” It could work the other way round too.
Into the Deep South by Curleyshirley June 10, 2017 MUSEUMS AND TOURS Tannehill Ironworks was amazing. Muddy rivers everywhere (from clay) and flooding along the shorelines.
