Day Trippin'

Yesterday I went on a day trip.  A bunch of us "seniors" boarded a bus for a trip only into the next county over from mine.  There is MUCH I didn't know about that county.  I found out that there was a huge Miami Indian settlement there once, and that there are still several Miami Indians around the area and that their state tribal council headquarters are there in Peru, Indiana.  We visited the Cole Porter exhibit at the Miami County museum and that was a blast.  He has always been one of my favorite composers, and I got to pose for a pic beside his 1955 black Caddy, which, interesting enough, was used in the movie, "The Godfather."   We took a driving tour where we got to see Cole's birthplace, his boyhood homes and also his grave site.  I found it interesting that though Cole Porter was a wealthy man, famous, and quite the talk of both Broadway and Hollywood in his era, it was his wish that, upon his death, he be brought back to Peru and buried with his family, or back to his "roots."
Since Peru, In is also the home of the Circus Hall of Fame, and the International Circus Headquarters, we visited the Circus City Museum.  Though I am not a real circus buff, it was interesting to learn about local people who retired in the area, and have taught local talent to be circus performers, and that an actual amateur circus is produced there every summer.  We met a granddaughter of one of circus' famed performers, Clyde Beatty.  Interesting!
We toured some of the Miami county countryside and the grave site of Frances Slocum, who was a white girl kidnapped by the Miami Indians, in Pennsylvania, brought to Indiana, and eventually married a Miami Indiana chief.  There is a lot of legends and actual folklore surrounding that whole story, which can be read by all in the novel, "The Lost Sister Among the Miamis."
We had a wonderful lunch at "The Siding." a restaurant in Peru.  It is in an old train depot, which also has two old railroad dining cars attached and used as dining rooms.  The buffet lunch was tasty and the facilities were unique, and quite well appointed.  We ate altogether in the long dining car which was decorated in honor of Cole Porter, with a music theme, with strains of "Night and Day" and other Porter tunes playing softly in the background.
The company was great.  I knew a few of the people who were on the trip previously, but met some new people, and, I feel, made some new friends.  I'm glad I went!

Peace,
JE