Charlie Starkweather.

Charlie Starkweather was born on November 24, 1938 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was responsible for a killing spree in 1958 in Nebraska and Wyoming. He and his girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate traveled southeast Nebraska. He first killed Caril Ann's parents and then a couple near Bennet, Nebraska.

He was eventually arrested in Wyoming and then brought back to Nebraska where he stood trial and was executed in very short order. Things move much more slowly today.

He is buried in Wyuka Cemetary in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Ruth Etting.

Ruth Etting was born on November 23, 1897 in David City, Nebraska. She moved to Chicago when she was 17 to attend art school. She began singing in a nightclub and was a featured singer by 1918. She married the Gimp--Moe Snyder, a Chicago gangster. He ran her career and she was America's sweetheart. She sang many songs that were hits at the time and many of which we (some of us anyway) still know and love. Ten cents a Dance and Shine on Harvest Moon are among them. The marriage fell apart and she became involved with the piano player. The Gimp shot him and he went to prison. Etting divorced him and married the piano player.

With this scandal, she lost her luster as America's sweetheart and was never able to revive her career.

In 1955, the movie Love Me or Leave Me was made loosely based on Ruth Etting. Etting was played by Doris Day and the Gimp was played by James Cagney. I love the movie and recommend seeing it.

Several years ago, I attended the Ruth Etting Days in David City. In researching for this blog, I found a website in her honor. Please go to ruthetting.com. You can learn more about her songs and her life.

Happy birthday, Ruth Etting.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday, Dick Cavett.

Dick Cavett was born in or near Gibbon, Nebraska on November 19, 1936. During most of his school years, he lived in Lincoln. His parents were both teachers. At age 10, his mother died. His father later married another teacher. Cavett Elementary School is named after them.

Dick Cavett was a television writer and a talk show host and interviewed many stars. He maintained contact with people here in Lincoln.

I remember once a few years ago, I was listening to KFOR early in the morning and they were announcing that it was his birthday (but not on his real birthday). It turned out that they knew he was in town and were hoping to talk to him. He called in from a convenience store that he was driving by to tell them that it was not his birthday. This must have been pre-cell phone days. They were able to do a nice interview with him on the phone and it was hilarious that they actually pulled it off.

Dick, I hope you have a lovely birthday.

Nebraska Nellie

We have another famous Nebraskan's birthday on Friday. Anyone know who?

Happy birthday, Marg Helgenberger!

Marg Helgenberger is one of my favorite current famous Nebraskans and has been since CSI started. She was born in Fremont on November 16, 1958. She grew up in Nebraska and attended Kearney State College and finished at Northwestern University.

She has been in numerous television shows and movies. I think she is a marvelous actress. She plays strong intelligent women and I love her role in CSI.

She has been sponsoring a golf tournament in Omaha since 1997 to raise funds for breast cancer.

I hope she is having a wonderful birthday.

From your fan,

Nebraska Nellie

Lincoln Boys Choir.

This Saturday the Lincoln Boys Choir will be having their annual fundraiser with the Waffleman. There will be a silent auction and a live auction as well.

Come hear them singing while you dine on waffles and check out the terrific baskets at the auction. Hope to see you there.

The Waffleman will be serving 8:30 to 11:30 am at the Shriner's Building, 1050 Saltillo Road, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Don't miss it. It's always delicious and fun.

Nebraska Nellie

PS Some of my photos will be on the auction.

More birthdays to come this month. Stay tuned.

Happy birthday, Chip Davis.

Chip Davis is a famous Nebraskan who started Mannheim Steamroller. He was born on November 15, 1947 in Hamler, Ohio. He eventually moved to Omaha and took a job in advertising. He first wrote jingles and advertising music. Then he began writing non advertising songs. Who among us that grew up in the 70's wouldn't remember the song Convoy.

It's great to have such a talented person from Nebraska. Chip, I hope you're having a great birthday.

Nebraska Nellie

Tuesday October 19, 2010

Wow, am I behind in my blog.

Yesterday, we saw the White House, the Holocaust Museum, late lunch at the Hardrock Cafe, and then Ford's Theatre. Then in the evening we did a Haunted House tour--about an hour and a half walk around downtown DC. Very interesting and some more historical information. We had a late supper at a nice Greek restaurant.

Today we're going to the Washington Monument and Arlington Cemetary--at least that is our plan. Tonight we go home. My feet are ready for home.

I'll have to catch up with photos then because we want to see what we can while we're here.

Tomorrow night, back in Lincoln, we're going to the Lied Center to see the Capitol Steps to complete our Washington trip.

Nebraska Nellie

Monday

Yesterday, we toured the US Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, and the Newseum. We took lots of pictures. I'll try to post some tonight. We were exhausted, but it was great.

Nebraska Nellie

Vietnam War Memorial

This memorial is a wall naming all the casualties in the order of their death. This panel is where it starts. Dale R. Buis died in 1959, before most of us even knew that we were in Vietnam. It is very moving to see how many we lost in that war.

Nebraska Nellie

Korean War Memorial

This is also a photo of one of the soldiers in the line at the Korean War Memorial. This soldier's face is actually the face of the man who designed the memorial.

Nebraska Nellie

Korean War Memorial

I had never seen the Korean War Memorial before, but it is impressive. This is a photo of part of the wall that has actual photos of Korean War veterans lasered on it. The line in the photo is where two of the sections join. It is very difficult to get a good photo because to see the photos well, you have to look at it from an angle. Our tour guide is absolutely convinced that the photo in the middle is Alan Alda from MASH. I think she is right. He is not a Korean War vet but brought a lot of attention to that war in his television portrayal. It was an excellent show.

Nebraska Nellie

Washington Monument

The Washington Monument was planned before Washington's death. This is why it is a monument rather than a memorial. This photo was taken from the Lincoln Memorial

Nebraska Nellie

Lincoln Memorial

Yesterday on our tour, we saw the Lincoln Memorial. I've seen it before but I think it's a beautiful memorial. Our tour guide explained the significance of the position of his hands. He has a clenched fist for war and an open hand for peace. His foot is forward on the side of peace.

The Gettysburg Address is on one of the walls. When you look out from the columns in front of the memorial, you look across the reflective pool directly at the Washington Monument. We've been past it several times, but haven't stopped there yet.

Nebraska Nellie

Smithsonian Natural History Museum

This photo was taken this morning by my guest photograher, KS, at the Natural History Museum's Living Butterfly Garden. I took my camera and forgot to put the battery back in after charging it. We were able to walk through the butterfly garden that was filled with flowers, fruit, and butterflies. We weren't supposed to touch them but they could touch us. Some of the butterflies were huge. Look at this one compared to the pineapple. According to one of the signs, they have tastebuds in their legs. It was beautiful. We were checked at the end to make sure that none of them escaped with us.

Nebraska Nellie

World War II Memorial

This is the pillar or column that represents Nebraska in the WWII Memorial. We were so fortunate to see one of the Honor Tours there with the veterans of WWII at the Memorial. Many of them were in wheel chairs. It was an honor to see some of our men and women there. A woman veteran was being escorted in her wheel chair.

There is a column for all 50 states and 5 territories. One side is for the war in the Pacific and one side represents the war in the Atlantic.

We're heading out for more photo opportunities and lots more to learn today. I'll keep you posted.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Montgomery Clift.

Today Montgomery Clift would be 90 years old. He was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska. He has a fraternal twin sister. His mother home schooled the children.

He and another famous Nebraskan, Marlon Brando, sometimes competed for roles. Clift was known for being moody. A personal favorite movie of his for me is his 1951 film, A Place in the Sun. His costars were Shelly Winters and Elizabeth Taylor. He and Taylor were very close friends.

In 1956, he was in a very serious car accident. After that, he took on a hard look--in my opinion. He became addicted to pain killers and alcohol.

He was nominated for four academy awards and has his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Clift died at age 45 of a heart attack--most likely due to his addiction to pain killers, or so it is speculated. It was a huge loss.

We're thinking of you, Montgomery Clift.

Nebraska Nellie

Washington DC

Last night my niece and I arrived in DC about 7:30 pm. I friend of mine picked us up at Reagan International and we went to eat at Phillips Flagship. What is better than all you can eat seafood? We ate crab and crab cakes, mussels, clams--fried and steamed, salmon, chowder, etc. We got our monies' worth. We then were treated to a ride around the memorials and monuments. It certainly is beautiful at night.

We checked into our hotel and got some rest after planning for a 6 hour tour today. The tour was by OnBoard and I would highly recommend it. Our tour guide was Amy and it was easy to see that she likes her job. She was very knowledgeable and interesting. We saw the monuments and stopped at several of them for photos. We also had a yacht ride with lunch on the Potomac. I had never done this before. My niece has never been here before and I haven't been here for about eight years.

I love tours if they are done well and this one was. We learned so much and saw so much. I wanted to do a tour on the first day so we could get our bearings and we did.

This photo of FDR at his memorial is but one of the many things we saw today. I have lots more to show you, but I need some sleep.

Tonight we went to Alexandria, Virginia on a ghost tour. It's fascinating to see all the old homes and buildings here that were built when our country was being created. We ate at an Italian restaurant--Il Porto before the tour. It smelled so good when we walked in. I had lasagna. It was delicious.

The tour was fun and interesting to hear about the ghosts of Alexandria. Of course, no day would be complete if I didn't embarrass myself in some way. There was a small pothole in the street and I stepped in it and SPLAT! I had my camera but I had put it in my purse. Although I feel somewhat jarred by the fall, the only thing that really hurts is my pride.

Tomorrow we have a birthday of a famous Nebraskan. Does anyone know whose birthday it is? If not, check in and I'll let you know.

We'll be in touch and let you know what we're up to.

Good night and sweet dreams.

Nebraska Nellie

This week I'm preparing to leave on a short trip to Washington D.C. I haven't been there in a few years and I'm looking forward to touring the White House and the U.S. Capitol. I love seafood and plan to eat my fill of it. My niece loves sushi and we'll definitely have to find a sushi restaurant. We'll visit the Holocaust Museum and several of the Smithsonians.

We'll also go to the monuments. I'm hoping the leaves will be changing. I plan to take lots of photos. I'll share them with you.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday, Chuck Hagel

Chuck Hagel was born on October 4, 1946 in North Platte, Nebraska. He graduated from high school in Columbus, Nebraska. He is a Vietnam Vet.

He was in the cell phone business when it was a new thing. He became Nebraska's U.S. Senator in 1997 and remained so until 2009.

I liked having Chuck Hagel as our senator. He was often on the Sunday news shows representing our state well.

Today he turns 64. I hope he has a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday, Senator Hagel. We miss you.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Evelyn Sharp!

Evelyn Sharp was born October 1, 1919 in Melstone, Montana. She grew up in Ord, Nebraska. She learned to fly at age fourteen, and she soloed at sixteen. Two years later she received her commercial pilot's license, one of the youngest persons to achieve this rating.

In World War II, Evelyn joined the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, flying everything from training craft to bombers. She flew when it was rare for women to fly.

On April 3, 1944, at twenty-four, Evelyn Sharp was killed near Middleton, Pennsylvania, in the crash of a P-38 pursuit plane. She is buried in Ord.

Nebraska Nellie

Tony Curtis

No, Tony Curtis is not a Nebraskan, but we lost a great actor on Wednesday. In April, I attended the TCM film festival in Hollywood. One of the films they showed was The Sweet Smell of Success. Tony Curtis was there to talk about the film and his career. He was also selling his paintings and books and signed hundreds of autographs. He was clearly weak and in a wheel chair, but what a treat to get to see him and other famous film stars in their movies.

Next year's TCM film festival is scheduled in April. I plan to go. Can't wait.

Nebraska Nellie

George Lepp

Last night I went to hear George Lepp talk about his photography. It was so inspiring. I can't wait to try some of the things he was showing us. The class was sponsored by Rockbrook Camera and Canon. One of the things that looked like a lot of fun was time lapse photography.

Many of the things would be cost prohibitive for most people. He is experimenting with photographing snowflakes. Wow! Individual snowflakes are gorgeous.

He has a website where you can see his work. GeorgeLepp.com.

Nebraska Nellie

Hairspray

Last night I had the good fortune to be invited by a friend to see Hairspray at the Lincoln Community Playhouse. It will still be here for at least another week. Go see it.

I have seen the Ricki Lake version of the movie and have enjoyed it. I have not see the John Travolta version but should do that soon. I have never seen it on stage before.

The actors were great. The dancing and singing were such fun. I loved the main characters particularly. Edna Turnblad and Wilber Turnblad were great. Traci and Penny were fun. Seaweed's dancing was fabulous.

It was such a fun upbeat play. I would be happy to see it again.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Paul Williams.

Paul Williams was born September 19, 1940 in Omaha, Nebraska. He is 70 years old today and I hope he is having a lovely day.

He is a prolific song writer. He wrote songs such as Evergreen--the theme from A Star is Born with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. He wrote the theme song and appeared as a guest on The Love Boat. Other notable songs include, Rainy Days and Mondays, and We've only Just Begun.

He's a wonderful songwriter and so many of his songs were sung by other artists. He also sang and was an actor.

Have a great day, Paul, and many more.

Nebraska Nellie

Elizabeth MacRae

Elizabeth MacRae was born on December 7, 1925 in Davenport, Nebraska. She graduated from Pawnee City High School in 1943.

She was married to Gordon MacRae in 1967 and they lived in Nebraska from 1980. They hae one daughter together, Amanda Mercedes MacRae. Gordon MacRae died of cancer in 1986.

A few years ago, Mrs. MacRae had a tag sale and I was fortunate to learn of it. I bought Gordon MacRae records, photos and other memorabilia to add to my famous Nebraskans collection. How wonderful to own things that actually belonged to Gordon MacRae.

Elizabeth MacRae died on September 7, 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska. There are two posts on the Lincoln Journal Star online story by people who knew the MacRaes. Elizabeth sounds like she was a wonderful person.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Adele Astaire.

Adele Astaire was born Adele Marie Austerlitz on September 10, 1896 in Omaha, Nebraska. She is the older sister and first dance partner of Fred Astaire. She and Fred had a successful act in vaudeville. She was the more popular of the two.

In 1932, she retired from her show business career to marry Lord Charles Cavendish. They had three children and remained married until his death in 1944. In 1947, she married her second husband, Kingman Douglass. He died in 1971.

Adele died in 1981 of a stroke at age 84.

She is another of our famous Nebraskans.

Wishing you well, Adele.

Nebraska Nellie

Always:The Love Story of Irving Berlin

Tonight I had such a treat. I went to see Always: The Love Story of Irving Berlin at the Rococo Theatre with my parents. My father loves Irving Berlin. His all time favorite song is God Bless America. It was performed by Mark Nadler and KT Sullivan. They sang his songs which they wove into Irving Berlin's story.

He had a fascinating life story. He wrote about 1500 songs--many of which I didn't realize were his. He was a very patriotic man. He loved this country and what it stood for. He came from Russia as a Jew in the late 1800's with his parents. They were very poor. He learned to write songs. As a classic movie fan, I recognized so many of the wonderful songs.

His songs were song by the greats such as Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Alice Faye to name a few. I think of the many movies that he wrote the songs for such as Alexander's Ragtime Band, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and Annie Get your Gun.

My parents and I loved the performance and bought the CD after the show. I'll be enjoying it in the future as I make road trips.

If you ever have the chance to see this show, please go.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Swoosie Kurtz.

Kurtz was born on September 6, 1944 in Omaha, Nebraska. Her father was an Air Force bomber pilot in WWII. Because of her father being in the military, she moved often growing up. She has been nominated for many awards. I first remember noticing her in the 1990's television series--Sisters.

Have a great birthday, Swoosie.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Darryl Zanuck.

Darryl Zanuck was born on September 5, 1902 in Wahoo, Nebraska. He was an actor, writer, director, producer, and studio executive for Fox Studios. At 16, he lied about his age and joined the Army and served in France for the Nebraska National Guard.

He is responsible for many classic films. Today I watched The Hounds of the Baskervilles with Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. One of my favorite (non-Nebraskan) actresses is Alice Faye. She made many films with him and ultimately gave up acting for many years because he treated her badly. He sent her gifts (such as cars). She sent them back.

Fox did many of my favorites. Among them are: Pinky, Gentleman's Agreement, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Grapes of Wrath, 42nd Street, and All About Eve--to name but a few.

Zanuck contributed a great deal to the movie industry and won numerous awards. His star on the walk of fame in Hollywood is at 6336 Hollywood Blvd.

Today he would be 108. He died in 1979 of cancer.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Bob Kerrey.

Bob Kerrey was born on August 27, 1943 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has been a fine example of a famous Nebraskan. He grew up in Nebraska and graduated from Northeast High School. He went to the University and became a pharmacist.

Kerrey then became a Navy Seal during the Vietnam war. He was an owner of several restaurants in Nebraska and then became a politician.

He was our 35th governor from 1983 to 1987 and our US Senator from 1989 until 2001. He ran for president in 1992. He and Chuck Hagel were senators at the same time and they made me proud to see them on the political shows. Rarely have we seen Nebraskans in that light.

In 1999, I took two of my nephews to the Nebraska Breakfast in Washington, D.C. This has been a tradition for many years that Nebraskans could have breakfast and meet with our members of Congress on Tuesday mornings. One of my nephews, age 14 at the time, so wanted to meet our Senator Kerrey. After the breakfast, Bob took pictures with some of his fans. My nephew wanted a picture and I took one with him. My nephew had son glasses in the neck of his FBI t-shirt. Bob took them out and had him put them on and Bob put his on. That picture of the "Blues Brothers" has been a treasured picture and memory for my nephew and for me. I'll always be a fan of Bob Kerrey's for this reason alone.

In my opinion, it was a sad day for Nebraska when Kerrey decided to leave the US Senate.

He became the president of New York's New School in 2002.

Bob Kerrey was honored with the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge connecting Omaha and Council Bluffs.

Happy Birthday, Bob.

Nebraska Nellie

Hoot Gibson

Edmund Richard Gibson was born in Tekamah, Nebraska on August 6, 1892. He learned to ride a horse while very young. His family moved to California. He worked on a ranch with horses. He was given the nickname "Hoot Owl" which was eventually shortened to "Hoot".

In 1910, a director hired him along with some other cowboys for a short film. He became a silent film actor, mostly in westerns. I remember hearing Granny and Jed talk about Hoot Gibson in the moving pictures they liked on The Beverly Hillbillies. They liked the silent movies.

Hoot died at age 70 in August, 1962.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy 99th birthday, Robert Taylor.

Robert Taylor would turn 99 years old today. He is a favorite actor of mine and the first of my collection of famous Nebraskans memorabilia.

Taylor was born as Spangler Arlington Brugh on this day in 1911 in Filley, Nebraska. His mother was not a healthy woman and his father became a doctor to care for her. Taylor grew up and graduated high school in Beatrice, Nebraska. The family lived in three different homes in Beatrice. He attended Doane College for two years studying music. He was in a quartet where he played the cello. He moved to California to continue studying with the professor from Doane. He started acting in some college plays.

MGM hired him as a contract player. He was a leading man with many of Hollywood's leading ladies. He was married to Barbara Stanwyck. They later divorced.

He married Ursulla Theiss, an actress who came to the United States from Germany. Together they had two children, Terry Taylor and Tessa Taylor.

Jane Ellen Wayne wrote his biography, The Man with the Perfect Face. I loved the book. Linda Alexander also wrote a book, The Reluctant Witness. This book tells the story about Taylor testifying before Congress in Joseph McCarthy's search for communists. Please buy it and read it. Alexander also has a website on Robert Taylor. http://roberttaylormoviestar.wetpaint.com/

I enjoy his many movies and watch them on TCM. This blog today is only a small amount of information about Robert Taylor. Read more.

Happy Birthday, Robert Taylor.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy birthday, Clara Colby.

Clara Dorothy Bewick Colby was born on August 5, 1846 in Gloucestershire, England. Clara Bewick Colby was a feminist and woman's suffragist for over forty years. She described equal rights, "it's a matter of simple justice."

She came to the United States in 1865 with her maternal grandparents settling in Windsor, Wisconsin. She fought to be allowed a college degree because women weren't allowed to get such an education.

Eventually she married Leonard Colby and they adopted three children, including a native American child brought home from a battle by her husband. Leonard Colby was a lawyer and divorced Clara. Divorce laws were very much in favor of men at that time.

She became friends with leading suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and wrote a national suffrage newspaper, The Women's Tribune, out of our own Beatrice, Nebraska. I am fascinated that such a newspaper was published in my home town.

Clara Colby is a very interesting person and I hope you will read more.

Happy birthday to you, Clara.

Nebraska Nellie

Caril Ann Fugate

Caril Ann Fugate was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 31, 1943. She was the 14 year old girlfriend of Charlie Starkweather. On January 21, 1958, Fugate later claimed to have come home to find that Starkweather had shot and killed Marion Bartlett, her stepfather, and her mother Velda. Starkweather then choked and stabbed her baby half-sister Betty Jean to death.

The two then went on a killing spree. This brief period of time was terrifying for the people in southeast Nebraska. I was only 22 months old and have no memory of it, but my parents do.

Caril claimed unsuccessfully that she was his hostage and not responsible for any of the killings. Starkweather was executed on June 25, 1959. This is very fast compared to the length of time today before all appeals are finished in any death penalty case. I'm not sure that Caril wouldn't be acquitted today. The trials were held very quickly and we have a different understanding of hostages and the Stockholm syndrome. She has always maintained her innocence. She was released from prison in 1976.

She is clearly a famous Nebraskan but not in a good way. She is a member of Nebraska Nellie's Hall of Shame. Today she turns 67.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday, Hilary Swank!

Hilary Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 30, 1974. I had no idea she had any Nebraska connection until she did Million Dollar Baby. I am no fan of Clint Eastwood--except from his Rawhide days, but went to this movie because of her. Loved it. There was an article in the Lincoln Journal Star around that time that said she was born here and lived on Portia Street until she was about 3 years old when her mother moved to Bellingham, Washington.

It's my understanding that her Nebraska connection is why she wanted to play Brandon Teena in Boy's Don't Cry for which she won her first Oscar for best actress. She won a second one fof Million Dollar Baby.

She is truly a marvelous actress. Happy birthday to her and many more.

Nebraska Nellie

Carhenge

Carhenge is one of the stops on the scenic byway. It's near Alliance. The cars are supposed to replicate Stonehenge in their proportions.

Nebraska Nellie

Welcome to Scotts Bluff

On July 5, 2010, I traveled to a number of places on my way home. At Chadron State Park, we got a Nebraska Scenic Byways Passport. The idea is to get stamps at 27 places around Nebraska on the byways for a variety of prizes--depending how many stamps you acquire. Starting at Chadron State Park, then the Fur Traders Museum, and back to Fort Robinson on the 4th of July. On the 5th, we got Carhenge, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sidney, Ogallala, and The Golden Spike. I would like to get all 27 by September 30 if I can.

Nebraska Nellie

Special Olympics 2010

Today the Special Olympics start here in Lincoln, Nebraska. Special Olympics was the dream of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. I heard that they asked for 8000 volunteers and that 11,000 volunteered. Many special athletes are arriving at our airport today. KFOR said it was the busiest airport in the country today. Many pilots volunteered to fly in the athletes.

Good luck to all of you. Have fun in Lincoln. I hope it cools off for you.

Nebraska Nellie

Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford, our former president, was born as Leslie King in Omaha, Nebraska at 3202 Woolworth on July 14, 1913. I miscalendared it and consequently I am late in celebrating his birthday. In December, 1913, his mother divorced his father because he was abusive. She later married Gerald Ford in Michigan and Leslie began going by Gerald Ford, Jr. He was never formally adopted but did change his name legally in 1935.

Although he was made fun of for being clumsy, but he was very athletic. He became vice president to Richard Nixon and later pardoned Nixon after he resigned after Watergate. Ford pardoned him to get the country past a very rough time. Ford was our 38th President.

Ford died in 2006. He was a one term president, most likely due to the pardon.

Happy birthday to you, President Ford.

Nebraska Nellie

Chief Crazy Horse

This is the place at Fort Robinson that Chief Crazy Horse was killed after being betrayed by the US government. Lots of bad lessons to learn from the history there.

Nebraska Nellie

Another rock at Toadstool Park

Nebraska Nellie

Toadstool Park

Nebraska Nellie

Toadstool Park

Nebraska Nellie

Toadstool Park--Is this really in Nebraska?

Within the National Grasslands lies Toadstool Park. I had never even heard of this park until a few weeks ago. Where have I been? You have to drive even further from the bison kill site to find Toadstool Park. There are no park rangers or any staff at the park. There are about 6 spots to camp in if you want.

The idea is that you can follow the path into the park to see the rock formations. Unfortunately for someone like me who is not in shape for rock climbing, there are no warnings how difficult it becomes. There is a little pamphlet at the beginning that tells you there are 9 markers to get through the path.

No problem getting through one and two. That's where I should have stopped, but no, we trudged on. At first the rocks were rough but you could climb over them. I was carrying my good camera and I was afraid of slipping. By the time we got to marker number 5, it was getting scary for me. Being short, made it difficult to get up to the next level at times. My friend was most helpful to me and my camera. We made it through the steep cliffs warning the travelers to be careful.

We made it past marker number 7 and then were were stumped. We could see the next marker but no path to it on the top of the high rocks. I will show several more views of the park so you can see what I am talking about. We referred to the pamphlet and then it said the next thing to do was to "scramble up the rock". It was a hot sunny day in the middle of the afternoon. I thought I might need to be helicoptered out of there, but knew there was no cell phone service. My friend (who probably could have made it) said we should turn back. Even that scared me, but there was no alternative.

We had a long exhausting day by the time we made it back to the park. We had been to Fort Robinson, the bison kill site, and now rock climbing. My legs ached the next two days and have no plans to ever do that again, but and it's a big but, I'm pretty proud that we made it past 7 of 9 markers. I knew I wasn't up to scrambling the next rock. Either my camera or I or both would never have made that one. However, I am very sorry that I didn't get a photo of the rock we were supposed scramble. If I did that much exercise every day, I would get in shape or die.

Nebraska Nellie

Tanning a buffalo hide the old fashioned way

These women are at the bison kill site. The one in the back is the director of the site. She is tanning a buffalo hide the Sioux Indian way. First they have to clean off most of the meat and then spread warmed buffalo brain on the hide. This puts collagen into the hide which will keep the leather soft. The women were still scraping off the last of the meat. This is very hard work. They offered to let us help. I passed.

Nebraska Nellie

Wild flowers

These wild flowers were at the bison kill site. There were lots of wild flowers and pussy willows.

Nebraska Nellie

Next stop--Hudson Meng bison kill site

This site is managed by the federal government. In a small area in a former pasture, there are hundreds of dead bison piled on top of each other. It is unclear what killed them and why did they all die on one place? This is a spot that is definitely off the beaten path. You have to drive for miles on a dirt road to find it. There is a $5.00 charge to see the bison bones. There are students inside carefully clearing the dirt from the bones.

It is interesting but hard to get to.

Nebraska Nellie

Burros in the grassland

Do you think these burros were telling us something?

Nebraska Nellie

Nebraska National Grasslands

After a light lunch at the Fort Robinson lodge, I headed out to see more of the surrounding area. This photo was taken in the national grasslands. Again I was so amazed at how the land looked. All the interesting shapes popping out of the ground. I also came to appreciate our hard surface roads. I drove on a lot of roads that were either dirt or rock. I would have liked to be driving a jeep myself.

Nebraska Nellie

Wild flower at Fort Robinson

Nebraska Nellie

Cactus flower at Fort Robinson

Nebraska Nellie

View from the top of the butte at Fort Robinson

Nebraska Nellie

Dall sheep at Fort Robinson

When our tour guide told us these were dall sheep, I remembered the dall sheep I saw in Alaska sitting on a patch of snow on a mountain. There were two mama sheep nursing their babies in the top of this butte.

Nebraska Nellie

Lone tree on the trail........

Fort Robinson

Driving to Fort Robinson from Chadron was beautiful. The highway is the Bridge to the Buttes scenic highway. It looks so different with the buttes just coming out of the ground. At the Fort, there are a number of ways to tour the fort. There are horses to ride, even long trips into the buttes. I'm not a horse woman, although it sounds like fun. There are stage coach rides or hayrack rides. We went on the jeep ride up to the top of a butte. The jeep seats 6 adults in the open jeep around the sides and back.

We rode up a very rough trail to the top of the butte. He showed us where the Cheyenne Indians hid from the troops. We all bounced around in the jeep as we hit various bumps in the road.

I'll post some of the other pictures after this post as we rode along.

Nebraska Nellie

Fiddler on the Roof Update

Mark Thornburg, former Beatrician, won the Fonda McGuire Award for the outstanding male performance of the year at the Omaha Community Playhouse. He was terrific.

My parents enjoyed the play so much. I'm not sure any play will ever measure up to this one for them. I'm so glad I didn't miss it and I plan to go to all his future plays. I'm a fan.

Nebraska Nellie

Fort Robinson

I can't believe that I have never been to Fort Robinson or Chadron, Nebraska before. What was I waiting for? This part of the state is so different from our flat eastern part of the state. I drove from Lincoln to Chadron after work on July 2. I drove on I 80 to Grand Island then northwest on Highway 2. It was beautiful but unfortunately, it got dark around the time that I got to the Nebraska National Forest. I'll have to do that another time.

The next morning, I went to Fort Robinson. There is so much history there. It was a major fort in our country's expansion to the west. Many bad things happened to our native Americans. Many buffalo were killed for there furs.

Fort Robinson has much to see and do. You can stay in the lodge or the cabins at the fort. Unfortunately, I planned this trip at the last minute and was not able to stay there or in the cabins at Chadron State Park. I learned that if you want to stay at these cabins, you have to make a reservation a year in advance. That is generally not my style to plan a trip a year in advance, so I stayed at a Super 8 in Chadron. This was centrally located to many things in the area so it worked out well.

The day started out with a big breakfast in Crawford at the Frontier Bar. The food was very good and the prices were more than reasonable. The waitresses were very friendly in this small town.

Nebraska Nellie

Lots to catch up on.........

I'm woefully behind on my blogging. I've been too busy with my real job, but I've done some fun things, too. There are lots of famous Nebraskan's birthdays this month. Stay tuned.

Nebraska Nellie

Fiddler on the Roof

Last night I went to Fiddler on the Roof at the Omaha Community Playhouse with my parents. Wow! What a treat. I have seen the movie and the play more than once. We went because the man playing the lead, Tevye, is Mark Thornburg, a native of Beatrice.

This is what Bob Fischbach of the Omaha World Herald had to say in his review:

"If you're like me, you've probably seen “Fiddler on the Roof” a time or two since the musical became a Broadway smash in 1964.

But you haven't yet seen the Omaha Community Playhouse's revival. And you probably haven't seen Mark Thornburg as Tevye, the folksy Jewish milkman always talking to God amid troubles in his Russian village.

And both are something to go out of your way to see.

Not since “Ragtime” in 2006 has the playhouse's main stage been filled with a show this strong in absolutely every aspect of the theatrical arts."

I couldn't agree more. My parents loved it. They are friends with Mark's parents and we wanted to see it. Mark and the rest of the cast were fabulous. I personally love the music in Fiddler. My favorites are Matchmaker, Matchmaker and Sunrise, Sunset.

I cannot wait to see Mark Thornburg when he performs again. He definitely has three new fans. Then entire cast was fabulous. This story has humor and sadness in it.

Unfortunately, today is the last performance or I would be telling all my friends to go.

Another thing I want to discuss is the Omaha Community Playhouse. What history it holds for theatre in this part of the country. Marlon Brando's mother taught acting there. Henry Fonda made his debut there. Henry Fonda discovered Dorothy McGuire when acting with her in a play at the Omaha Community Playhouse. One of the theatres is named for them. I have been to the playhouse before but it has been years. I do not plan to make it so long again. I knew these celebrities had made their starts here and I enjoyed seeing their pictures.

It couldn't have been a more enjoyable evening for my parents and me. I know some people think there is nothing to do in Nebraska. There is a lot to see and do. Go find it.

Nebraska Nellie

Ursulla Thiess Taylor

Ursula Thiess Taylor, widow of Robert Taylor, and mother to Terry and Tessa Taylor, died on June 19, 2010, at the age of 86. She was brought to the United States from Germany by Howard Hughes and was on the cover of Life Magazine in 1951. It is easy to see why Howard Hughes thought she was the most beautiful woman. She was in several pictures, such as Bengal Brigade and Bandido.

In 1954, she married one of our famous (and one of my favorite) Nebraskans, Robert Taylor. She had two children with Taylor. In 1996, she attended a conference on Robert Taylor with her children in Beatrice. It was wonderful to meet the family.

I am sorry for the loss to her family.

Nebraska Nellie

Storm approaching

Last night, as I was approaching Lincoln, a storm was brewing. I didn't get any photos of the lightning, but we saw a lot of lightning and heard thunder before the storm hit as we got to Lincoln. Today I went back to Beatrice and drove through Cortland and hit a downpour. I drove 30 miles per hour at times because it was raining so hard. Then it began to hail. Cars were pulled over. The weather this weekend was very unusual but it makes for some good photos.

Nebraska Nellie

Homestead Days at the Homestead National Monument

Saturday afternoon I went to the Homestead and saw some of the arts and crafts that were being demonstrated. I thought this young lady's dress was very attractive. They also showed knitting, tatting and other lace making. Outside, they had blacksmithing and leather tanning.

Nebraska Nellie