During the afternoon of Wednesday July 23, 2025, my companions and I had become completely enthralled with the childhood of Ronald Reagan. We had spent a little over an hour in Tampico, Illinois where we toured Reagan’s birthplace, and then…
Tag: Abraham Lincoln
325: OH, GIVE ME A HOME, WHERE BUFFALO BILL ROAMED
My photographer’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Sunday July 6, 2025, and the second day of our trip was about to begin in West Branch, Iowa. The first site of the day, however, would be visited by Tom and me…
323: A HISTORY-LOVIN’ TEN-YEAR-OLD SPENT SPRING BREAK WITH RUTHERFORD B. HAYES AND ME
Four months and seven days ago, my photographer and I returned from our final trip of 2024. Now we have a new notion, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all bobble heads are created equal. The world…
310: THE FINALE IN THE LAND OF LINCOLN ENDED WITH A TRIPLE XXX RATING
When Tom’s alarm went off at six o’clock on Sunday August 4, 2024, it was a bittersweet moment for the entire clan. It was time to pack up and start the laborious journey home – which was only a short…
304: THE TALE OF TWO BIRTHPLACES – FROM THE UNSINKABLE TO THE UNTHINKABLE
It was Sunday morning July 28, 2024 when Tom’s alarm went off at 6:00am in our Springfield, Illinois Ramada hotel room. As soon as my two companions got themselves ready and all of their belongings packed, they headed downstairs to…
303: MY DAY IN SPRINGFIELD WHERE I STOOD IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF LINCOLN AND JFK
Just over ten years ago, on July 11, 2014, I visited Springfield, Illinois for the first time. For me and my photographer, it seemed great to be back, and I was anxious to take on a day full of Lincoln…
302: AN AFTERNOON IN NEW SALEM WHERE LINCOLN LIVED, CRIED, AND NEARLY DIED
Following an incredible visit at the Mount Pulaski Courthouse on Friday July 26, 2024, my photographer, his wife, and I headed westward for 37 miles through the heart of Abraham Lincoln country. As a matter of fact, at one point…
301: BEFORE I MET A WILD AND CRAZY GUY, I GOT MY KICKS ON ROUTE 66
My photographer’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Friday July 26, 2024 and I was anxious for the three of us to hit the road. The reason for my eagerness was because Tom had scheduled a full day of Abraham Lincoln…
300: THE ROAD TO THE LAND OF AH’S TOOK ME THROUGH THE LAND OF LINCOLN’S LOGS
My photographer’s alarm went off at 4:30am on Thursday July 25, 2024 and that meant one thing – we had exactly two hours before our twelve-day trip to Kansas City, Missouri was scheduled to begin. Although the primary reason behind…
289: THEY MAY BE CALLED THE DRY TORTUGAS, BUT MY VISIT TO FORT JEFFERSON TURNED TO MUDD
It was still dark outside at 4:50am when Tom’s alarm woke my companions up on Thursday April 25, 2024. The early wake-up call didn’t matter much because this was the day the three of us had been waiting for since…