Arts and Entertainment

O’Henry is better known for “The Gift of the Magi” but he also wrote “Cabbages and Kings” based on his stay in Trujillo, where he fled in order to avoid being charged with embezzlement. He coined the phrase “Banana Republic.” The book was written in 1904 but not much has changed in Trujillo. Trujillo has a fascinating history.

The Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan’s campus has the President Ford’s baby book indicating that his birth name was Leslie Lynch King Jr. He didn’t change his name legally until he was 22. Ford was born in Omaha, Nebraska, but was raised in Grand Rapids and graduated from the University of Michigan where he played football.

When John and I were on the last leg of our Blount Small Ship cruise, it included a visit to Hyde Park and West Point. The scenery along the Hudson River was beautiful as we passed by several lighthouses, under some bridges, and by some stunning countryside. It is easy to see why President Franklin Roosevelt said, “All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River.”

Years ago when I read James Mitchner’s “Hawaii” I was impressed by the part that dealt with the leper colony which was contagious. So great was the fear of contraction Hansen’s Disease that, in Hawaii, those with the disease were sent to Kalaupapa on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. In 1883, Sister Cope received a plea for help caring for the leprosy sufferers from King Kalakaua. She replied, “I am not afraid of any disease, hence it would be my greatest delight even to minster to the abandoned lepers.”

Our Blount small cruise ship called Caribe Grande made several stops along the St. Lawrence River after leaving Montreal but first we went through the St. Lawrence Seaway locks. Like a stealth ship, while everyone was sleeping, we departed Montreal and traversed the South Shore Canal’s two locks. The St. Lawrence Seaway system is connected by five short canals that bypass the rapids. They include 15 locks 766 feet in length that are filled and emptied by gravity.

A bus tour of Quebec City was part of the Blount’s “Lakes, Legends and Canals” cruise John and I took. One place the bus stopped was high above the city at the Plains of Abraham where we learned that in 1759, during the Seven Years War, the British victory led to France losing possession of Canada. Most likely it is named after Abraham Martin who moved to the area in the 1600s.

I love it when people think out of the box creating an unexpected surprise. Actually, there were a lot of wonderful surprises when John and I visited Ann Arbor, Michigan. John and I stayed at the new Residence Inn with a great location in the center of Ann Arbor. Luckily, someone said to us, “Make sure you look for the Fairy Doors.” Fairy Doors are miniature replicas of the doors to some of the places in Ann Arbor.