Sunday, June 9, 2013

John Wayne's Birthday Celebration in Winterset, Iowa!

Hi, Everyone...
 
I'm going to try and catch up on my blogging!
 
(Before I set off on another adventure...daughter Katie left for Atlanta
 
today, and her kitties and I will follow in a few days,
 
 as soon as her apartment is ready...)
 
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Two weeks ago we went to Winterset, Iowa,
 
to the annual John Wayne Birthday Celebration...
 
Katie, Mr. B, and me.
 
We had such a good time!
 
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All the photos (with a couple of exceptions) are Katie's.
 
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This beautiful bronze statue was in the middle of the city park...

The pink petunias are pretty, but I think some sagebrush would have been more fitting!

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The vintage Iowa Theatre...

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Katie, looking very pleased to be there!

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Winterset has a very pretty downtown area...the buildings haven't been covered

with that awful metal-façade stuff that so many towns used in the 60s to "update" the brick

buildings...(like Sikeston) ~ Look at the gorgeous ornate arches over the windows here!

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They showed all five of the movies John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara

made together...we saw McLintock, Rio Grande, and The Quiet Man...

There just wasn't enough time to see all five and do the

other things we wanted to do...

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Inside the Iowa Theatre...

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The Quiet Man

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The Morrison's cute little bungalow home...

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Outside the John Wayne Birthplace Museum...

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This fellow was no "Duke", but he was having a good time

and folks were having a good time taking his photo!

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We got to the "Evening With Maureen O'Hara" dinner early...

E-a-r-l-y...

A rarity in my world!

But it paid off, as we got excellent seating...(thank you again, Katie!) ~

Out table was right next to the roped-off ones for Miss O'Hara and her family...

(She had LOTS of grandchildren and great-grandchildren with her!)

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Irish music was all around us...
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Maureen O'Hara and her family finally arrived!

She is still a beautiful lady.

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John Wayne's daughter, Aissa, was also in attendance; she hosted the

auction to raise money for a new museum.

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The auction was really fun to watch...

(And to listen to...auctioneers fascinate me, and these fellows were good!)

They stopped and asked people a couple of times if they were bidding or just scratching

their noses, so it wasn't stressful!

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This went for a lot!

Katie wants me to get into oil painting...

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They showed an interview with Miss O'Hara from a few years ago,

but she spoke a little about John Wayne from her seat, as well ...

what it had been like working with him and such.

Then she wished him a Happy Birthday...it was really sweet.

She is 92!
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Maureen O'Hara having her makeup touched up on the set of The Quiet Man ~

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For the finale, we were entertained by the

Shannon Rovers Bagpipes and the McKay Sisters Irish Dancers...

It was a delightful evening, as you can imagine!

You can read more about it here...

JohnWayneBirthplace.org

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Before we left the area, Katie drove us around to see all of the remaining covered

bridges in Madison County...

I'll post about those tomorrow, hopefully!

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I hate to end on a sad note, but I have to tell you about the baby robins...

When we got home, two of them had blown out of the nest...

(or fallen out, I don't want to think pushed out...but there was just one baby remaining,

and he was big...he took up almost all the room in the nest by himself!)

The next night after we got home, we had a storm, and the final baby

bird was blown out... most of the nest had blown out of the tree, as well...

I was trying to keep an eye out for such a thing happening,

but by the time I found him, it was too late.

Poor little things, all of them.

I guess that's why a robin couple can have several clutches each spring...

I don't need to get attached to any more baby birds, though ~ so disappointing!

Have a great week, everyone...

I'll do some more catching up tomorrow!

Love,
 
Photobucket

21 comments:

  1. Never realized the movie legend was from Iowa...what a fun visit to his birthplace!

    Sorry to hear about the baby robins.

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  2. Love your pictures. His birthplace was so tiny. Did you go through? I don't know how they fit in there!

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  3. What a wonderful trip! I still love watching old John Wayne movies with Maureen O'Sullivan. Thank you for sharing this adventure.

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  4. Thanks for sharing that Anne! We are John Wayne fans especially hubby. So sad about the baby birds. Its hard not to get attached though isn't it?... Hugs! deb

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  5. Oh how sad for you to find the baby Robins like this....so sorry. John Wayne is my husband's movie hero and Maureen O'Sullivan has been blessed with beauty into her old age. Your katie is a beauty also..:)

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  6. What a fun event to get to attend! The Quiet Man is my favorite John Wayne movie, hubby says it's a chick flick! LOL!! I did not know Maureen O'Hara was still alive, she looks great!
    So sorry about the baby robins.

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  7. My parents were John Wayne fans. I taped a lot of movies on my VCR for them.

    You had a brood parasite. I'm so sorry to hear about your baby robins.

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  8. what a fun time. i love john wayne's bungalow home! i had a nest of dead robins too. it made me very sad.

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  9. What beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing. So sad about those baby birds - their little lives are so precious!

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  10. What a delightful post. I used to watch John Wayne, and Maureen. The were the greatest. It mut have been a really entertaining evening.
    Maureen sure dioesn't look 92.

    I feel bad about the little robin family but they are probably not the only family to come to their demise in all the bad weather we've had ltely.

    Thank for sharing your fun time with us.
    Have a great week.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  11. Looks like you had an amazing time!! Thanks for sharing the pictures ;o) Poor little bird! It's hard not to get attached! Hugs ;o)

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  12. I LOVE John Wayne! Thanks so much for this post! During his birthday weekend, they had his movies on TCM.

    "They Were Expendable" was the one that I watched.

    Poor little baby robin, I know that many baby birds don't make it, but it's hard when you see them hatch!

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  13. Beautiful photos! What a treat! I love the movies from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. And Maureen O'Hara! What a treat!

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  14. What a special event! So nice to see all the sights and see Maureen O'Hara! I loved her in all her movies and John Wayne, too.
    Your daughter is such a beauty.
    So sorry about the baby robins. Nature can be harsh....Hopefully there will be more babies this year.
    Hugs, xoxo

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  15. Love it and thanks for taking your readers there. LOVED it all.. who knew IOWA .. loved it

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  16. Dear Anne - loved seeing the Duke and that daughter Katie is so lovely. Sounds like such fun and imagine seeing Maureen O'Hara in person. Friend I love your background and the minty green color you have chosen for the good old summertime. Oil painting?? What's next for you? (LOL) - have a wonderful day and can't wait to see some of the bridges of Madison County - loved the book and the movie!!

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  17. Good day, Anne...

    Oh, it sounds like you had such a wonderful time in Iowa, and getting to see Maureen O'Hara must have been a cake topper. I loved her movies and of course "The Quiet Man".

    I'm sorry about the baby robins. We used to have Starlings nest above our garage in our former home many years ago. Every year they nested in the nesting hole above the garage door, and every year usually at least one or two babies fell to their death from that nest. I know what you mean about not wanting to get attached.
    But as mothers its very difficult.

    Have a wonderful day,
    Marianne

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  18. So sorry about the baby robins....
    :(

    What a fantastic trip, how fun!
    Your daughter is gorgeous, dear friend!!
    And you were next door to us, a little North, and you could have visited me ;))
    Maureen O'Hara never lost her regal beauty...
    I apologize for not visiting in a long time...our internet connection has been frustrating to say the least.
    On to catch up with more of your posts!
    Have a splendid trip with your girl!
    HUGS!
    - Irina

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  19. Enjoyed the pictures, Katie is beautiful. So sorry about the robins.

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  20. Anne-I'm sorry about the baby birds. I had a friend who transferred the nest to a basket that was nailed to a post. It worked for her in that instance...

    I love the movie "The Quiet Man." That is my favorite John Wayne movie, after "True Grit."

    What a fun trip that was!

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  21. That looks like so much fun, and your daughter is so lovely and vintage looking. I didn't know Maureen was still living. She is still so adorable, and I love the Irish music and dancers. I wish I could have seen.

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I love your thoughts and comments, and I read each and every one! Sometimes life gets in the way, though, and it takes me a while to respond...Thank you for understanding! ♥...Time is precious, and the time you have taken here is truly appreciated!