An Adventure in Hyannis

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As teenagers growing up in the early sixties, my wife and I saw Hyannis and Hyannisport as mythical kingdoms populated by the wealthy, the well-known, and the effective. Except for the mythical part this is most likely still accurate.

Peg and I traveled to Hyannis with friend and guide, Al Burrage. Our very first quit was the John F. Kennedy Memorial. The memorial characteristics a 12-foot-high fieldstone wall with a relief of JFK facing the sea. There is a presidential seal, fountain, and a tiny pool to honor the late president, who grew up nearby. Tour busses consistently drove in the parking lot for people to pay a visit to the shrine. It is lovely with a fantastic view of the beach and water.

Flowers form a border around the circular monument. Al had brought us there since he thought we may well have an interest. He didn't. I had to coax staunch republican Al to step into the memorial. We were all surprised when he did not turn to stone. Perhaps, it was just the wind, but I thought I heard a low, democratic moan.

Next to the JFK Memorial is Veterans Memorial Park. As continually, celebrities grab the headlines, but real people today make the huge differences in the globe. There is a Korean War Memorial located at the Veterans Memorial Park. It was dedicated June 25, 2000, the 50th anniversary of the get started of the war. The grounds, the statue, and the brick (inscribed with the names of Korean veterans) lined walkway stir the emotions of the heart.

"The memorial consists of an eight-foot bronze-cast statue of a typical combat soldier, placed on a granite base, overlooking Hyannis Harbor. The statue was sculpted by the world renown sculptor, Robert Shure whose function consists of the Irish Famine, situated in Boston, as effectively as the MIA/KIA Eternal Flame monument situated in the National Cemetery in Bourne."

Truly touching was a hassle-free message from the men and women of Korea etched in granite and a stone. You cannot read the inscription without letting your fingers travel the once rough surface of the stone and think of the sacrifices that had been made by Americans and United Nations forces half a globe away and half a century ago.

Subsequent, we visited the Kennedy Compound, exactly where most of the Kennedys and other family members still have residences. You can see the pier built for JFK by our government from a nearby park, but you have to have a resident sticker on your automobile to use the park. The only way to see into the compound is if a person has their gates open, which some did. The houses inside the compound didn't appear any distinctive from most of the other pricey, neighboring houses outside the compound. How strange.

Back in the commerical district we stopped in at a tiny convenience shop, which was located subsequent to the Cape Cod Railroad which characteristics a dinner train. We could possibly have to try that out on our subsequent go to. At the convenience store we purchased a nearby paper and picked up two coupon books featuring coupons for Cape Cod attractions. The sign at the store mentioned Brazilian food, which seemed a little odd. Connections with Brazil kept popping up for the duration of our stay in Cape Cod. We saw a Brazilian flag flying at a Seafood Sam's restaurant outside Wood's Hole, and even ate at a Brazilian restaurant throughout a day trip to Quincy.

A page in the coupon book we picked up at the convenience shop lead us to 1 of my favorite stops: Toad Hall. The coupon offered a dollar off at the Toad Hall Sports Car Museum. Given that I enjoy vehicles and produced a fundraising video for the LeMay Auto Museum, I had to at least see what Toad Hall had to offer you. I was expecting perhaps a dozen sports cars. I was wrong.

We parked our vehicle at the Simmons Homestead Inn and walked around. Five red cars such as a Rolls Bentley welcomed us . . . but no 1 else did. 1 of the cars was an old Datsun 240Z. I was hooked. My 240Z had been yellow. I wandered about. I could see the garage exactly where I figured the vehicles had been kept, but didn't want to slide the two by four security method out of the way. Even though I could see the padlock was hanging open I was afraid of setting off alarms.

I walked into the inn. No one was there. I walked into one other developing. No 1 was there, but I did discover a bar and hundreds of bottles of Scotch. I kept on walking and snooping. All exterior doors exactly where marked with 1 of two signs: "Do not let the cats in!" or "Do not let the cats out!" Carefully, I complied. Everywhere I went I called out, "Hello." No one answered.

Eventually I heard a automobile drive up. I walked toward the driveway and saw a red sports car. I knew I was about to make get in touch with. I walked into the inn and found Bill Putman. "I hope you haven't been waiting lengthy," he mentioned. I replied, "No, but we did drink 3 bottles of Scotch." He laughed and then took us out to the garage where he slid the two by four out of the way, opened the door, and turned on the lights. I was delighted, so to speak. Seriously, I was spellbound. Inside the garage had been practically five dozen red sports cars . . . and 1 green one.

I recognized the garage for what it was . . . a growing obsession. It was just the way the LeMay Museum began. Harold LeMay began collecting vehicles and then required a great deal more and a lot more space to house them. Bill Putman had a couple of sports vehicles (he raced two of them) and then he began locating alot more and far more that he wanted. The garage was expanded and expanded. The ceiling is maybe seven feet high and there are rooms with as couple of as two cars. The dirt floor is covered with white gravel. On best of the gravel in the walkways among the cars are oriental carpets. I went crazy identifying the cars. "Here's an XK120," I shouted, "I had an XK140."

In the collection there were 3 models that I had owned. In addition to the Datsun 240Z and the Jaguar XK140, I also located a Bug-Eye Austin Healey Sprite. This was the auto I had when I wooed Peg. We drove away from the church in my small Sprite. We took our week-old daughter Andrea to a drive-in movie in that little automobile. I loved it and should have kept it. This is the same story that Bill hears from practically each and every visitor to Toad Hall.

I had to ask Bill about the Scotch, "Most of the bottles appear unopened. Why don't you drink them?" He even has a website just for his Scotch collection. Bill replied, "I do not know." I believe Bill just could possibly be too busy. He collects sports vehicles, cats, and Scotch in addition to running his inn. I'm positive he was thinking of his collection of Scotch when with a whistful look in his eye Bill said, "Occasionally I just dream of finding snowed in."

Toad Hall was a delight. So, why Toad Hall? Bill likes the story of Wind in the Willows and the central character, Toad, lives in Toad Hall. So, why the red cars? In the story, Toad was obsessed by a motor car. He got one and it was red. So, why the one green vehicle. The prior owner had just sunk $15,000 into the auto and Bill didn't have the heart to have it painted. So, why Scotch and cats. Just for the reason that.

Seeking for memories of our youth we visited Hyannis for Kennedy historical connections. We ended our pay a visit to to Hyannis with so considerably extra. Isn't that what travel is all about?