KANSAS CITY ADVENTURE DAY TWO!!

I'M WORKING ON IT .. LOL!!

Aaarrrggghhhhh .. I really wanted to get this second day's posting done when we got back to our room that evening .. but the internet at this hotel was  very busy I guess because the pictures were very slow in uploading to the blog site .. it was very late and I was very tired so decided I would post the story the next morning but as luck would have it I could not get on the internet the next morning!!!   Sooooooo ... it still is not finished!!!  However, tonight I am going to try to get the pictures posted on Day Three and who knows .. maybe I'll even get a little work done on this page!!!

YAAAAAYYYYY .. Here I am at last .. Friday morning .. at home .. sitting in front of my laptop and  ready to tell you all about these  pictures and the second day of our latest adventure!!

Our "Home Away From Home" ..

We're in  for our Hot Breakfast .. the Hospitality room is through the door in the wall on the right by the tables and chairs .. I had planned to get pics of  this room and the foods too but  too many people .. don't like to bug strangers with taking pictures they might poke me in the eye or something!!!  But there was a great choice for Breakfast .. besides the Cereals, Toast, Bagels and Sweet Rolls there was Biscuits and Sausage Gravy / Scrambled Eggs / Bacon  and Waffles.  Very good Breakfast!!  And of course Apple Juice / Orange Juice and Coffee. 

A cup of Coffee for the road and we are ready for the day!!!  Heading for the "Treasures of the Steamboat Arabia" Museum.

Kansas City here we are!!!

 The red spots in the picture above are bricks with various names and phrases on them .. I had to get a pic of the brick for Gates BBQ because we'll be going there .. one of Ken's favorite BBQ places!!!

One of the first things we saw as we walked inside was this friendly old gentleman  sitting there ready to tell us all about the Steamboat Arabia's last day ..

We had gotten to the museum a little too early so the museum itself was not open yet .. we were able to sit awhile and listen to Captain Terrel's story.  He was the Captain of the Steamboat Arabia on that fateful day ..

CAPTAIN TERREL'S STORY!!!

Click on the link above and listen to Captain Terrel's story and  I think the pictures you see will mean a whole lot more to you!!! 

Ah Ha .. Ken spied the Penny Smashing machine inside the gift shop .. Madonna will be happy .. LOL!!!

And the tour begins ..

  The picture below is of the men who were able to find the Steamboat Arabia and dig it up .. rescuing all the articles you will see in the museum.  I wish I could have recorded all the things this tour guide told us about the people and the excavation and the steamboat itself .. a great story!!!

A picture of the excavation .. notice how deep underground the steamboat was when they found it .. amazing!!! 

I found some terrific videos on You Tube about the Steamboat Arabia .. it's museum .. it's story and it's recovery ..   you might want to watch these before going through the pics .. and you will see why I was so awestruck by all that was recovered!!! 

THE RAISING OF THE ARABIA!!

ARABIA STORY ONE

ARABIA STORY TWO

ARABIA STORY THREE

ARABIA STORY FOUR

ARABIA STORY FIVE

A part of the steamboat itself!!!

And we come to the artifacts and cargo that were found and recovered from the steamboat .. keep in mind that the boxes of cargo and the items found were covered with mud and dirt for over a hundred years ..  and all had to be gone through and cleaned before finding their way to this museum!!!   Our Tour guide told us that originally the men who recovered  the Arabia had planned to sell the cargo and artifacts but they were amazed at all they had found and decided instead to put all these things in a museum to share with others. 

The cargo was from many different countries!!!

Notice the tiny little doll in the center of the picture below  .. she was named Frozen Charlotte  .. as the tour guide told us .. Frozen Charlotte  dolls were a popular thing back in 1850s .. they came in all sizes .. this was the smallest size.  She was found wrapped in a piece of cloth in the bottom of a tool box .. it is thought that perhaps the man who had that in his tool box has purchased it and was taking it home as a gift for a young daughter!! 

Wine glass whale oil lamps!!!

I never saw the chimneys that would have gone on these lamps anywhere .. I assume they were broken since lamp chimneys are a thinner glass and more fragile!!!

It was just awesome to walk through and see all these things that had been buried in their crates / barrels along with the Arabia for 135 years and they look like they just came off a shelf in a store yesterday!!! 

Notice the old wooden coffee grinder .. the black metal things on the top 2 really narrow glass shelves are  the handle and insides for the coffee grinder!!! 

The round white things piled up on the table in the pic below are candles ..

2  sets of balancing scales ..

In Captain Terrel's recitation he talked about the jars of Pickles and the Pickles were still good .. I find that a bit hard to believe but then I don't like pickles!!!  The 3 bottles in the middle of the top shelf in the pic below are the Pickles ..

Shoes .. Shoes .. and more Shoes .. keep in mind the Arabia was loaded with cargo going to different stores in the United States!!!

Doorknobs .. hinges .. etc.

The pile of stuff in the corner of the cabinet is nails .. they had been in a barrel .. this is how they were found .. all packed together.  The museum has people .. most of them volunteers who clean all this stuff and have pried nails and screws and bolts apart and cleaned them for display!!! 

The big machine at the back of the room is where the various artifacts go after they have soaked in cleaner for days and have dirt has been chipped away .. this machine freeze dries them .. it takes several days!!!

The iron hook in the middle of this pic is an artifact that was found in a spot where another steamboat has been found to be deep underground .. I believe the name of that steamboat is Mawley or something like that.  The same crew who recovered the Arabia are considering excavating this one too!!! 

This is the big piece of a tree that the Arabia got hung up on and ended up sinking .. it is called a SNAG!!!

Picture boards of the excavation ..

I can't imagine what an awesome feeling it had to be as they found each article .. I would love to  have been there .. WOW!!!

The youngest of the men who recovered the Steamboat Arabia  was killed in a car accident in 2009 .. this is a memorial to him ..

These are actual parts of the Arabia .

Remember the Frozen Charlotte doll????  You can buy one in the gift shop .. the story of Frozen Charlotte is on the back of the doll's package ..

I took this picture of Frozen Charlotte in the gift shop as we were on our way out of the Steamboat Arabia Museum.  I didn't buy one .. but now I'm wishing I had .. LOL!!!

Now we're headed for the Hallmark Crown Center ..

As you can see this is one HUGE place!!!  It's not just a Hallmark shop .. it's all kind of retail shops .. and restaurants .. etc. but we were interested in the Hallmark Visitor Center.

Lots and lots and lots of displays in glass cases .. toooooo many to even think about taking pictures .. they were all lit up and pictures didn't take too well anyway .. I tried .. LOL!!! 

Aaaahhh Maxine .. I could not meet up with Maxine and not get a couple of pics!!!

WHOOPS .. IS THAT MY HUSBAND KISSING MAXINE???????

We also came across a machine that makes a little red bow when you push the button!!!  I didn't have brains enough to take a picture of the machine .. but I did take a video of the making of a bow .. click on the links below ..

HALLMARK MAKING A BOW!!

MAKING A BOW TWO!!!

Hard to believe I took 2 videos of the machine making bows and didn't have brains enough to have Ken hold up a bow so I could get a picture of it .. Duuuhhhhhh!!!!

Back outside and across the fountain area to the Hallmark Mall area to find a good place to eat a bite or two ..

Aaaahhhh yeah .. this is it .. FRITZ'S ..

In case you didn't notice Fritz's is all about TRAINS .. it's even made to look like the inside of a train car ..

And trains run around the rails above the windows .. notice the train between window 2 and window 3.  Then notice the thing hanging down from the train a metal shelf with a box on it .. that box is somebody's food!!!   The person who seats you takes your drink order and explains how you order.  You order by picking up the phone on the wall in your booth .. and telling whoever answers your order .. the waitress brings your drink out but your food is delivered by one of the trains!!!  It stops at your booth and drops your box of food on the metal shelf at your booth and goes "toot .. toot" and it's off for the kitchen to pick up another table's order!!!  How fun!!!  I tried to get a picture when it was dropping off our box of food but I wasn't quick enough .. LOL!!!

I got the Bacon Cheeseburger .. Ken ordered the Old Fashioned Hot Dog . what a surprise .. his Hot Dog was sliced and fried and served on a Hamburger Bun!!!

It was a fun meal .. especially watching the excitement of the kids in the place as they proudly wore their engineers hats and watched the trains go round and round!!

Next stop .. NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM ...

I didn't take any pictures but I found a few good videos  on You Tube ..

HISTORY OF THE NEGRO LEAGUES

NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM

NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM TOUR

Next stop .. time for BBQ Ribs!!!  One of Ken's favorite BBQ Joints .. GATES BAR.B.Q.

Finger lickin' good .. LOL!!!

After the Ribs we headed back to Independence and our "Home Away From Home" for the night .. but first ..  a stop at  SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY ANTIQUES MALL ..

Lots and lots and lots of small items .. most of them breakable .. LOL!!!  Made Ken a bit nervous walking through shelves full of glass!!! 

I got a chuckle out of the sign below .. LOL!!!

Ah .. and a few spittoons ..

I finally got my spittoon   but of course had to take a picture of these!!!! 

If you're looking for small items .. especially glass ones this is the shop to go to .. but not for us!!! 

By now it was getting too late for  antique stores to be open   so we finished here and went back to the room and Ken curled up with the TV and a book and I settled in with my laptop and started uploading pictures!!!!   Sad to say the  internet was going a bit slow and the pictures took a long time to upload so no time to do much else .. but here I sit in front of my laptop at home a couple of days later and finishing the story of KANSAS CITY DAY TWO at last!!!  We  enjoyed it all .. I hope you did too!!!