53: CLINTON ROCKED IN LITTLE ROCK; EXCEPT AT HIS LIBRARY

We had made the drive from Hot Springs, Arkansas to Little Rock in a little less than an hour. It was a few minutes before noon on August 3, 2016 when we walked up to the Old State House. That historic building, which was completed in 1842 and was originally called the Arkansas State House, served as the site where Governor Bill Clinton announced his run for the Presidency. The Old State House also served as the backdrop for both of Clinton’s Election Night celebrations; first in 1992 and then four years later in 1996.

As my photographer carried me along a path in front of the Old State House, it was immediately evident that we would not be allowed to venture beneath the portico and between the magnificent pillars where Clinton once stood on Election Night 1992. There appeared to be a construction project in progress and debris was scattered everywhere; a barricade kept us on a safe path off to the side of the building. Although my cameraman managed to capture a couple of images as I posed near the building’s façade, it was disappointing to me that I couldn’t get closer. Heck, I would’ve donned a hard hat had we found one small enough.

After our brief photo-shoot in front of the Old State House had concluded, I was carried to a side entrance and into the historic building that was first occupied by the Arkansas General Assembly in December 1837. The interior appeared to have been turned into a museum; which was cool as I’m always interested in seeing historic items. In some of the display cases, I saw an artifact or two that pertained to Bill Clinton; while another case focused on dresses worn by the First Ladies of the state – which included Hillary Clinton. I also saw a few items, such as a saxophone and sunglasses, that were ones “identical” to those used by Bill Clinton. They weren’t the actual items, but replicas of the originals – and I would rather see nothing at all than to look at fake crap that’s been put on display.

The section of the State House that interested me the most was the lobby area just inside the building’s front doors. It was through those doors on November 3, 1992 that Governor Clinton had exited and for the first time greeted the crowd as President-elect Clinton. As I was held near the closed doors for a photo, I imagined Bill Clinton as he stood there knowing that he won the election over George H.W. Bush and that he would soon officially become the 42nd President of the United States.

We had spent about a half hour inside and outside of the Old State House in Little Rock. Even though the construction had prohibited me from getting to some prime areas of the exterior, I thought it was a worthwhile site to visit.

The next Bill Clinton site on the agenda would take us south for nearly two miles where we found the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. In 1979 and throughout most of the 1980s, Bill Clinton lived in that mansion while he served as Governor of Arkansas. The impressive brick structure was first used by Governor Sidney McMath when he moved in on February 3, 1950. The front gates to the mansion were closed, which meant I had to be held through the iron bars for my photo with Clinton’s former digs.

After a short visit to the home where Governor Clinton once lived, we headed two miles north to the building where he once worked – the Arkansas State Capitol. Built by prisoners on the site of the state penitentiary, the building was finished in 1915. As I was carried around the exterior of the Capitol, I wasn’t blown-away by the design – even though the dome did remind me of the one that is atop the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. Once we were finished with the exterior shots, my photographer took me inside where I was pictured outside of the Governor’s office.

It was a little after 1:00pm and my photographer was anxious to get to Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library; which was nearly four miles away. After all, Tom has a connection with Clinton since they shared the same birthdate and he was excited to see some of Bill’s personal artifacts. Once we were parked outside of the uniquely designed building, my cameraman was thrown for a loop. With me safely tucked in the camera bag that was around Tom’s neck, I heard Vicki say: “Not another Presidential site! When are we going to see something that I want to see?” I was proud that my photographer remained calm as he replied: “Tell me exactly what you want to see? I had asked you to provide me a list of sites that you had wanted to see before we left on the trip and you said nothing. You kept saying you didn’t know. You didn’t do any research and you didn’t provide any insight into sites that were important to you except for the ‘Fixer Upper’ stuff in Waco; which we visited.”

“I want to visit a horse ranch; maybe a place where I could see race horses,” she said. I could feel Tom set the camera case down, with me in it, as he punched-in data on his phone. After a short conversation on his cell phone, I heard him say to Vicki: “You wanted the best, you’ve got the best. On Friday, we have reservations to visit Claiborne Farm in Kentucky where the greatest race horse in history, Secretariat, once lived and where he died and is buried.” Then, after my cameraman told his wife that we were spending the entire day in Nashville on Thursday before we headed to Kentucky, the bounce was back in Vicki’s step as we walked towards Clinton’s library. Crisis averted!

My cameraman wanted to capture images of the Presidential Library’s exterior first. Although we had expected the building to extend out over the Arkansas River, that wasn’t the case as the structure stayed completely over land. I was carried onto the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, which took us above the Arkansas River and afforded us a great view of the library.

As we walked into the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, I heard my photographer mention to the woman at the entrance about how excited he was to visit that museum; especially since he shared the same birthday with the President. But after 45 minutes of walking around the interior, Tom’s excitement grew to disappointment. He had wanted to photograph me near some Clinton artifacts, but besides his Presidential limousine and Bill’s saxophone, there was nothing else of historical significance that we found. At one point, I heard my cameraman say to his wife: “I thought George W’s Library was bad, but this one is far worse than that one.”

As we neared the exit to the Clinton Presidential Library, the same woman was nearby who had greeted us upon our entry. I had to laugh to myself when I saw her jaw drop after the elderly woman made the mistake of asking my photographer what he had thought of the museum. “I am disappointed to say it’s the worst Presidential Library that I’ve ever been to; and I’ve been to most of them. I expected to see the Bible that Clinton took the Oath of Office with; the suit he wore when he became President; and other historic and authentic artifacts used by Clinton. I didn’t expect to see the infamous blue dress, but outside of his limo and saxophone, there was nothing of historic interest – and that’s a shame.”

It was nearly 3:00pm when we left the museum and headed for our final two sites in Little Rock; both of which were houses where Bill and Hillary Clinton once lived. The first home, located three-and-a-half miles from Clinton’s Library, was a two-story dwelling where Bill and Hillary lived from 1981 to ’83 after he had lost his re-election bid as Governor. As I posed in front of the private residence, I looked up at the attic because the Clinton’s had converted it into a bedroom for their infant daughter Chelsea. Not only did little Chelsea celebrate her first birthday in that house, but she also learned to walk there as well.

The final Clinton home in Little Rock was a mile-and-a-half west of the first home we saw. Once Vicki parked the Avenger nearby, I was carried to the front of the private residence where I posed for a photo. Bill and Hillary had purchased that one-story buff brick home on January 5, 1977 and lived there for two years while Bill served as the state’s Attorney General. In 1979, the young couple left that house and moved into the Governor’s Mansion. Even though the house looked very small, I thought it was cool that the Clinton’s once lived there without knowing what the future held for the two of them. Sixteen years later, Bill and Hillary would live in a much larger house in Washington; a mansion that was painted white.

It was just past 3:30pm and we began our journey eastward towards our next day’s stop in Nashville. At roughly 5:45pm, we crossed the Mississippi River and into Tennessee. I had hoped that we would stop in Memphis so that I could see Elvis’ Graceland, as well as the Loraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot; but I was out of luck at that point of the evening. Vicki was at the wheel and she had her sights set on Nashville; even though we had to settle for spending the night in Jackson, Tennessee.

As we rolled into the parking lot of the LaQuinta Inn in Jackson just after 7:00pm, I knew that my photographer’s wife was tired; tired of Bill and Hillary Clinton that is. But that was about to change as the final two days of the trip was all Vicki’s. First, she would get a full day of Nashville sites without seeing anything Presidential, at least on purpose. The following morning, she would get an up-close look at racehorses in Kentucky, once again she would be President-free. After I was placed onto the desk for the night, I tried to focus on Bill and Hillary; but those thoughts quickly turned into a nightmare as Blake and Taylor filled my head. I knew I had to suck it up as it was going to be a long day for me in Music City U.S.A.!