We’re Still Here

Yes, I know, it’s been awhile! I’m sorry. I find it more and more difficult to get a post up on here lately. Plus the fact that we had internet trouble for two whole months! We are crossing our fingers… but we think they finally got it fixed this week. It took that proverbial call about “not paying the bill” that got them moving in the right direction – finally. 

And… just when they started really getting to the bottom of the problem… my computer crashed on me. 😦 I couldn’t believe it. But thankfully it was just a memory chip problem and easily fixed under the warranty. Nothing lost. Wheeeewh!

School has been going okay for us. We just finished our WWII study this week. There is still SO much more to learn about it, but hopefully they are interested in it enough now to investigate it more on their own someday. 

To finish off the study, we went to Warm Springs today for a special WWII exhibit. Warm Springs is about 50 minutes South of us. A cute little town that was made famous by Franklin D. Roosevelt when he went down there to soak in the natural spring that was said to help in the healing of Polio. It didn’t end up “healing” him, but it did aid in the therapy of his muscles – and his spirits. He loved it down there, and bought a little house that he would go and stay in while he had his water therapy at the spring. 

Hence… the little White House.

 

 

 

This is of the servants quarters (left) and the guest house (right). 

I was very happy to spend some time learning about this former president who lead the U.S. through some very rough times. I like the man. I’m not sure if I would agree with everything he did if I’d lived back then, but who do any of us agree with 100 percent? 

  

 Yes… they were VERY excited! (haahaaa!)

 

They did spot several things that we had already learned about. 

It was neat to have some of that info reinforced with visuals! 

 

This was FDR’s car. Very cool! They showed how it was altered (his own design) for him to operate solely with his hands. It was a beautiful car. 

 

 

I loved this photo of FDR. Being a swimmer and former lifeguard myself – I love anything having to do with water! And FDR loved coming here to swim! He could move around in the water with very little effort, where as getting around on land was more difficult. His family said that when he came home from Warm Springs the first time he was so happy that they couldn’t believe it! It was said that he hadn’t smiled like that in three years! 

 

I couldn’t get all of the canes in the picture, but all along this wall were canes that were given to FDR as gifts over the years. Some of them were hand carved. Some very, very cool looking ones too. 

 

This was a unique way of feeling the difference of a regular cold spring water and the warm spring water that runs about 88 degrees. By grabbing onto these metal pipes you can feel that the one from the warm spring is quite a bit warmer than the other one. 

 

 This exhibit shows how the water is heated. It was fascinating. The various kinds of rock along with the fault line cause the water to get heated up and then the pressure of the continued cold water running down, causes the warmer (120 degrees) to be pressed upwards. By the time it gets to where it comes out fo the ground it is at a comfortable 88 degrees fahrenheit. Nice! 

The pools are now kept empty since they use a newer facility up the road a bit for therapy these days, but they do have a spot where you can go and feel the water. They also fill up these pools twice and year and let people come and swim in them for hour and a half sessions. Only by reservations. We want to go back for that next spring! 

 

Here is a model of the pools from when they were in good use. 

 

Here is a photo of all the Therapists that worked at the pools during FDR’s time. Apparently, there quite a scandal over their scanty and revealing swimsuits! LOL! 

 

 One of the ladies at the Springs Museum was very chatty! Dave and I enjoyed her very much. She was full of stories and facts about everything in the area! But the boys… well, here’s what the boys looked like after a few minutes! 

 

Until we told them we could go feel the spring water. 

 

Ahhhhhh! 

 

They just wanted to lay in it! It did feel mighty good. 

 

We didn’t get much info on this, but know that it’s an iron lung machine. Looks kind’a scary to me. 

 

Bad picture, but this is the portrait that was being done of FDR when he had a stroke and died. It was never finished, but they did have one that was finished. Although I didn’t get to read who did it, when, or how it was done. The Natives were getting restless. And when they get restless – giddiness usually starts to flow! 

 JJ’s impression of Rocky. 

 JJ’s impression of “The Thinker”. 

 

Behind the boys here was a great display of WWII communication artifacts. They (we) were amazed at the size and weight of all the radios and gear those soldiers had to carry around. Those were some very strong men! 

 A spot in the shade. 

 

There was some neat military vehicles for us to see too. 

 Of course, leave it to Harris to want to take off in one of them! (Kidding… he’s just sitting in it! But I wouldn’t put it past him – if it were running!) 

It was a good day. 

And on the way home we got to listen to every sort of war sound known to man as the boys played with their new pencil sharpeners! 

 

🙂 

hi-d 

P.S. Wonder of all wonders… we ran into our next door neighbors at The Little White House! Isn’t that bizzar? After traveling almost an hour away… to bump into them like that! Fun.