Listing Through Life

The Richard Nixon Museum didn’t open until 10:00, but the gift shop opened at 9:30. I went in and asked if I could carry the chair around with me. The people I spoke with were very friendly and gave me permission immediately.

I only spent about an hour in the museum. There was a lot to read, but I didn’t have time and figured I could get that information from books. I concentrated on the artifacts.

This necklace was a gift from Golda Meir. Notice how old it is.

Reproduction of the EMU Space Suit used on the Apollo 16 mission

The Vice President’s chair from the Cabinet Room, used by Nixon during the Eisenhower administration.

Pamela was my guide through Nixon’s Birth Place. Later, in the museum, she explained the reproduction of the Lincoln Sitting Room. The brown chair in the near corner was Nixon’s favorite chair.

I asked Pamela to pose with the red chair, which she laughingly agreed to do. As I walked away, I heard her say to another visitor, “Oh, people! Aren’t they funny? I love you guys.”

A reproduction of the East Room in the White House

Nixon chose the “Great Leaders” to represent in this display. I wasn’t allowed to touch them because they are fragile — made of plaster, dressed in real clothes and then coated with stuff to make them look like bronze.

Standing (l to r): Leonid Brezhnev, Nikita Khrushchev, Anwar el-Sadat, Golda Meir, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Konrad Adenauer, Shigeru Yoshida

Seated: Chou En-lai, Mao Tse-tung

The cases along the wall contain gifts given to Nixon by foreign leaders. If they are valued over a certain amount (like $500), they belong to the nation, not the President.

This is the reflecting pool in the courtyard of the Nixon Library. Just as I took the photo, a hummingbird (probably Anna’s) flew past in front of me. You can see it right above the chair, silhouetted against the top-most strip of white on the building.

Nearby stands the gazebo used in the White House Rose Garden for Tricia’s wedding to Edward Cox in 1971.

This Sikorsky VH 3A “Sea King” helicopter was used by Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. Nixon used it to fly from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base on the day he resigned from office. When it was in use by a president, it was called Army One or Marine One, depending on which branch of the service the pilot was from. I was allowed inside, but there wasn’t much to see — just the cockpit and the cabin with benches.

Nixon’s birthplace cottage is right next to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. I was on the first tour of the day.

Nixon’s father, Francis, planted the pepper tree on the right side of this next photo.

I wasn’t allowed to take photos inside, but there was a model in the museum that showed the layout.

Nixon and his wife are buried next to the birthplace.

I drove down to La Puente on Sunday to The Donut Hole.

There were about 40 donut varieties on display behind the windows. The woman at the register refused to speak to me except to say that they didn’t have a type of donut that we could plainly see they did have. The ones we ended up with were tasty, however.

I went back on Wednesday morning. This time, the woman was a bit more communicative, although she wasn’t overly familiar with English.

Donut shops are to southern California what hot dog places are to Chicagoland — you can’t go a mile without spotting one. I discovered this fact on the Internet while looking for things to do during my week in the L.A. suburbs, and planned on visiting a couple of the more notable ones. But when I got out there and saw how many there are, I decided to hit a different one every day.

Sunday — The Donut Hole in La Puente (2/16/14)

Two friends and I opted for dessert before supper and headed for The Donut Hole. The lane though the building is narrow and I kept rubbing the tires of the rental van against the curbs. There were dozens of donut varieties visible through the glass windows but no labels. When I attempted to ask the woman, I got nowhere. The only thing she said to me is that they didn’t have one of the varieties that we could plainly see on display. I had a blueberry cake donut that was awesome.

Monday — Ontario Donuts in Ontario (2/17/14)

This shop was just a mile from our hotel. I bought a dozen and a half for the booth team to eat while we set up. When I opened to box to sneak one on the way to the conference center, I discovered all the spaces in the box were filled with donut holes. And then I was told that no outside food was allowed in the center. We hid the box under a blanket and sneaked it in. We were careful not to get caught and grabbed surreptitious bites when we could. The consensus was that they were delicious.

Tuesday — Mom’s Donuts in Ontario (2/18/14)

I didn’t have to be at the booth until 11:45, which meant that I had several hours to kill in the morning. I drove into downtown Ontario to explore, then headed for this donut shop. It was in a run-down part of town and felt a little grubby inside. I bought an apple fritter and ate it back at the hotel. When I pulled it out of the bag, I discovered another donut underneath. Both were good.

Wednesday — The Donut Man in Glendora (2/19/14)

My friend wanted to visit The Donut Hole. I had already been there. I told her I’d take her if we could visit another shop on the way back. Another friend came along for the ride. The Donut Man is the most famous and highly rated of the shops I visited. Their specialty is donuts stuffed with fresh fruit. We were there during strawberry season. A standard donut was cut open and stuffed with several chunks of fresh strawberries, then covered with a strawberry glaze. They were huge, messy, and hard to eat, even with a fork, but they were very tasty.

Thursday — Station Donuts in Yorba Linda (2/20/14)

The conference ended on Wednesday night, but I stuck around for two more days to explore. On Thursday morning, I drove to Yorba Linda to see the Nixon Library and Museum. Station Donuts had a blueberry fritter that was amazing.

Friday — Choco Donuts in Beaumont (2/21/14)

On my way to Joshua Tree National Park, I stopped here for breakfast. The specialty donut is the bacon maple bar, so that’s what I got. I wasn’t thrilled. The shop was clean, the owners were friendly and the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich was great.

Saturday — Kalvin’s Donuts in Rancho Cucamonga (2/22/14)

I’d been telling my wife about my donut quest and she asked me to bring her some. I had time before my flight to buy some plastic containers and head to Kalvin’s. I bought a random half dozen and packed three for my wife, including a glazed donut that is considered their specialty. The two I had for breakfast were very good. The one I ate on the plane later in the day was good. It would have been better if all the chocolate hadn’t melted off.

By the end of the week, I’d had enough donuts for a while, but if I return next year, I’m guessing I’ll find room for more.