Ghost Busters We're Not

 

“You put us in a hotel that is HAUNTED?”

Thirty minutes after booking the room for our overnighter in Sedalia, I discovered that the hotel of my choice, the glorious Hotel Bothwell in downtown Sedalia, had been featured on one of those hauntedhotel shows. Kelly and I decided not to tell the girls, but I wondered if maybe that’s why a small suite at the Bothwell cost no more than a standard room at the Best Western.

 

They found out when their cheerleader friends at the fairgrounds asked where they were sleeping that night. “We can’t stay there, we can’t stay there, we're hungry, we can't stay there” they shouted all the way across town. “Look,” I said in my best now-girls-let’s-be-reasonable voice, “all the so-called paranormal activity only happens on the third floor. There are seven floors, so the chances of us getting a room on the third floor are slim.”

 

Kelly and the girls checked in while I got the rest of our luggage, and I heard familiar screams and nervous laughter as I walked in. Kelly held up our room key, clearly marked 320. “We’re doomed,” one of the girls moaned.

It was a tense ride up the elevator. The girls didn’t notice the fabulous lobby, with the crystal chandelier, the brilliant polished wood and the gleaming brass, the lovely fabrics on the chairs and walls. It was stunning.

 

They jumped at every step, every shadowy doorway, every corner. They balked entering the room, holding each other and screeching. They went to the bathroom with the door open.

It took hours for them to settle down as their imaginations took hold of them. Of course, Kelly and I didn’t help, scratching on their door, turning out lights, making sudden “what’s that” sounds and “buwawhahaaaa” laughs.

 

It was actually a lot of fun, for at least two of us. Apparently the ghosts are accused of stealing small trinkets during the night, so Kelly and I tempted them with her cheer pin. It was still there when we awoke, so perhaps the spirits had the weekend off.

 

Haunted or not, I love these old grand hotels with their aging luxury. They are like scenes from movies, romantic old movies. They are packed with history, and the Bothwell, built in 1927, is no exception. Like all these old places, famous people visited often, including Harry Truman and Scott Joplin. And now, our girls.

 

We are going back again, but next time, sans children. The ghosts will have to decide for themselves. The girls won't be there to scare them off....

The City Of Jefferson: We're Movin' On Up

I made another trip to the City of Jefferson today, our state capitol. As a parent of 8, I’ve been lucky enough to make this school trip many times, to get a bit more education and to spend a bit of time with the kiddies and their friends. Not all of the kiddies have appreciated me being there over the years, but some have.

One of my favorite parts of the capitol building tour is the Senate Lounge, which features a wall-to-wall mural by Thomas Hart Benton. I love the rich, deep colors and the liquid movements of the characters in his work. You can see more here, or read about it here.

I like the towering, heavy, light-filled empty spaces in these types of buildings, like in European cathedrals.

Something I hadn’t done yet, but have wanted to for a long time, was to climb up into the dome, far, far into the top of the building. It took our guides three sets of keys to get us up there, then we had hundreds of steep, tiny steps up and up and up, on a narrow, caged walkway. I was fascinated at the other side of the dome, the part you can’t see from the lower floors, the dusty scaffolding that holds it in place, the surprisingly small supports, the clever engineering. I tried to imagine what it would have been like, back in 1917, to be up there building that dome. It must have been dangerous, but it may have been just another day at work for those guys.

The view was fantastic, well worth the many steps and shallow breaths getting up there.

Back on the ground, I found a flower I like. The grounds around the capitol building and the Governor’s Mansion are immaculate, as expected, but they are made more pleasing with hundreds and hundreds of school children running across them.

As a school boy myself, perhaps 4^th grade, I used to collect photographs of this building, and always hoped I would one day be able to see it in person. It does not disappoint, if you like history, old, old houses, fine art, and old, hardwood floors.

Me, I’m a big fan of wooden floors, one of my favorite features of our own house, and perhaps one reason why I like to play basketball.

We also were lucky enough to meet one of our state senators and a representative or two, and unlucky enough to sit in on parts of a state Senate session and a House of Representatives session. I have to tell you, I’m not impressed, but watching my elected officials “in action” wasn’t enough to spoil a lovely day.