The Little White House was a bonus
Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 1:40AM
We left Atlanta this morning for the next leg of our journey westwards. We were heading for Montgomery, some 180 miles or so and a fairly long drive by our relaxed road trip standards.
Still, we’d factored in some interesting stops, the first one being Newnan, where we pulled up right outside the Courthouse in the centre of town.
Such a grand building makes a great centrepiece and we enjoyed reading the several historic plaques was we walked around.
The Civil War looms large in these parts and will feature further in the days to come. For now though, there was something else of interest going on.
A Farmers Market. Maybe we’ll get some of those Georgia peaches at last?
Before we found them, I spotted these blasts of colour sitting on a table. I have no idea what those flowers are, but loved the way they were sitting in tin cans, looking gorgeous!
(yes, we found the peaches, too – phew – though they’ll need a day or two to ripen, we think)
From Newnan, we head for Warm Springs where Franklin D Roosevelt built his Little White House.
We found the museum interesting if a little unfocused and though we arrived to find it empty, it suddenly filled up – perhaps we had set a trend for the morning?
I enjoyed seeing the unconventional photographs of FDR, which are such a contrast to the familiar posed statesmanlike images.
A car like this would catch my eye anywhere, too. Isn’t it fabulous? Alongside was an explanation of how it had been converted to hand controls, but for me, it looked good as it is.
Having seen what there was to see in the museum – the stamp collection, the breakfast china, the collection of walking sticks and so on, we ventured outdoors to find the Little White House itself.
No Secret Service on duty today – or at least, it looked like an empty chair anyway.
With the Guest House on the left and the Servants House on the right, the Little White House was set slightly lower but reached by a sloping pathway through the trees in a most peaceful setting.
Outside was the plaque marking the site of his untimely death here in April 1945. He’d been sitting for a portrait here when he was taken ill.
We entered through the kitchen where Daisy Bonner had scribbled on the wall.
She’d written above the cooker she’d used when FDR was in residence here.
It’s a small, simple two-bedroom cottage with his secretary’s room attached and it’s easy to see why he felt at home here. Quite a contrast from the White House, that’s for sure.
Before we left, we passed the half-finished portrait and the finished version the artist completed some years later; the only difference being the colour of FDR’s tie. Yes, of course we exited though the gift shop!
Back then onto the Georgia byways where there seemed to be little traffic today. It wasn’t the most interesting of roads and the trees on both sides prevented the enjoyment of any view. But before too long, my hero announced that we were soon going to pass the State Line. Better get my camera ready.
Ta dah!
A second one, too!
Our first time in Alabama, we could soon check off state #44. As soon as our feet had touched the ground, that is (our rules!)
The Alabama roads were pretty similar to the Georgia roads: tree lined and fairly empty. But when the vehicle in front of us turned right to a “Scenic Outlook”, we followed. Who knows? It wasn’t for a while, though, that we noticed the satnav clock had changed. Had we changed time zone as well? (We certainly had! We’re now on Central Time, we discovered)
We soon came upon the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail parking place and pleased of an opportunity to stretch our legs, hopped out of the car for a few minutes to take a look.
There in front of us was Lake Martin, a mad-made lake formed by a dam on the River Tallapoosa and that small island looked pretty nice I thought.
So I zoomed in for a better look! I think it’d make an excellent picnic site, don’t you? I wonder if it’s private or open to all? I’m not sure I’d want to share it with anyone!
As we stood looking over the lake, a butterfly fluttered by and landed on the grass beside us. It didn’t look in great shape, so having taken our photos, we left it to do what butterflies do and jumped back in the car.
We drove on towards Montgomery, passing the power station as we crossed the Tallapoosa River and spotting a landmark on the horizon.
From here, it wasn’t a very prepossessing horizon, but hopefully tomorrow, we’ll see the Capitol building from a kinder viewpoint.
So, here we are for a couple of nights and with a great BBQ restaurant just around the corner, we’re pretty happy.
Oh, and now our feet have stood on Alabama earth, we can now say ker-ching too!
USA in friends, fun, road trip, travelling
Reader Comments (4)
It is, to me, a shame that FDR's wheelchair and calipers are given such a star role.
I can cope with different times for different countries, but how do you manage when living on an edge of a zone? When do you know that it's 'wine o'clock' ?
I think that the flowers are zinnias Gill.
Lesley, I asked that very same question about the time zones. You might have spotted that the State line is in the middle of a town, too (or is it two adjoining towns?) Very strange. As for FDRS wheelchair and crutches, well I suppose he came here because of the Springs and his polio and actually founded a polio hospital nearby. As a result the exhibition had a greater focus on his polio than usual, which was actually quite interesting. I see what you mean, though. Ugly things aren't they - and how far we have come since then. Thank goodness for modern medicine !
Thank you, Sue!