The Great Communicator

Portrait constructed from jelly beans.

Yesterday we went  to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.  It was really neat, the exhibits were put together really well and they were very interactive. 

I was impressed by the quotes from his speeches and diaries, as well as the things that drove him and his vision.  Whatever your politics, you have to admit he was an extraordinary man.

President Reagan had these plaques on his desk to help inspire him.  Sorry they are so hard to read; they didn't allow flash in any of the exhibits.  I think you can read the large one, but the smaller one says, "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."

 Another cool thing is that this Presidential Library houses the old Air Force One!  It was used by the past eight presidents (it was retired in 2001).  Ronald Reagan's library received it because he logged the most miles on it out of all the presidents who used it.  He traveled to 26 foreign countries in eight years.

The views were incredible.

The grounds were beautiful as well--they even had a memorial with a piece of the Berlin Wall.

 

One more awesome thing!  They are currently housing a temporary Disney exhibit (Walt and Ron were friends).  Maybe it's only because I'm the biggest Disney nerd the world has ever seen, but I loved seeing props, costumes, and behind the scenes of the movies that shaped my childhood.  I only wish we had more time to explore--the library was closing in 10 minutes once we finally reached the Disney portion, so we had to hurry through it.  I feel like I heard one of the docents mention that Disney is thinking about creating their own museum. UM, YES, THEY SHOULD.  I would eat it up.  

And thus ends the Summer of Dan, officially.