The Terrible Catsafterme

Our fifth American President James Monroe served the country from 1817 to 1825. A good friend and student of Thomas Jefferson, Monroe had also served as Secretary of War and Secretary of State during the War of 1812. He is the author of the famous Monroe Doctrine, in which he forbid European powers from interfering with the affairs of the United States. My association with President Monroe was confined to the week I spent touring Virginia with my friend Bob. Here we saw several historical sites from the life of James Monroe. Read the rest of this entry »

Bob and I had a great many memorable and significant experiences on Tuesday, August 7, during our crusade across Virginia, but the least memorable and significant was that Bob shaved off his moustache first thing that morning. The weekend before he had had a full goatee, by the time he arrived in Washington D.C. the past Saturday he had whittled it down to a mere moustache – and now he was bare-faced. And this would be what I would have to deal with for the remainder of the trip. So anyway… Read the rest of this entry »

I spent my fourth Sunday morning in the presence of Jimmy Carter, as he taught the congregation at the Plains Maranatha Baptist church a weekly lesson from the Bible, on September 23, 2007. Since I knew that the town was crowded from the Peanut Festival and P.O.W. gathering in the area, I pushed Mom and Bob to rise and shine early and speed into Plains in order for us to get in line and get good seats in the church. After we loaded the car and ate a somewhat leisurely breakfast (although Mom might tell you differently), we were on our way at about 7:10am. Read the rest of this entry »

James Madison was our fourth United States President from 1801 – 1809 and the primary author, hence the title “Father of the U.S. Constitution.” Among his other achievements were the co-authorship of The Federalist Papers and the creation of the first ten amendments to the constition, better known as The Bill of Rights. Quite a fascinating and well-educated man, Madison’s life both began and ended in Virginia, a state I recently toured and was able to visit several of the important locations of his life…all carefully and excitedly detailed below. Read the rest of this entry »

After our incredibly busy Sunday activities, it was amazing that we were able to peel ourselves out of bed to catch an early breakfast in our digs, the Richard Johnston Inn, before heading toward Richmond, Virginia’s capital city. But we did…and were consequently able to enjoy a nice cherry and coconut dessert for breakfast. We quickly stuffed ourselves in the car and prepared to depart for our next destination(s) of the day, Monday, August 6, 2007. Read the rest of this entry »