June 19-21, 2021

June 19-21, 2021

We are in St Louis because one of our nephews got married Saturday. I am his favorite uncle so I felt obliged to make the long drive. The wedding was memorable because a huge thunderstorm struck just as we arrived at the reception. The fierce and repeated lightning strikes killed the power to the venue for most of the night. As the bride’s father raised his hand to make his much delayed comments, the lights miraculously came on! A true Moses-like moment! 

We recuperated Sunday at my sister’s house and caught up with family. Since the pandemic is receding and tourist sites are reopening, we are taking the opportunity to do some exploring. We left early Monday morning driving east four hours to Indianapolis. Our first stop is the Canal Walk downtown. This 3-mile section of a defunct early canal has been repurposed as a recreational venue modeled on the famous San Antonio RiverWalk. It looks very appealing lined with upscale residences. 

Alongside the Canal Walk is the USS Indianapolis National Memorial. Aimee and I both read a book about this tragic incident. In 1945, after delivering the first atomic bomb to the island of Tinian, the ship was struck by Japanese torpedoes and sunk. Three hundred sailors were entombed while 900 escaped into the water with only life preservers. They spent the next five days fending off shark attacks and praying for rescue. Only 316 were rescued.

Back at the car, we drove to the nearby Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. This is the former home of the only Hoosier president. We get a private tour of this large and opulent Victorian mansion. We learn that our 23rd president came from an illustrious family. His great grandfather signed the Declaration of Independence. His grandfather, William Henry, was the first governor of Indiana, a military hero, and our ninth president. (He died after only 31 days in office). His father was a senator, and Benjamin was a Civil War general and elected president in 1888. Grover Cleveland was the president before and after him. Aimee and I both enjoyed the tour. I liked the rich history of his family and there were plenty of personal stories to keep Aimee engaged.

We left Indianapolis driving east to Dayton, OH. There we met up with another nephew who works at Wright Patterson AFB. We had a delicious Texas BBQ meal followed by a large chocolate cake dessert.