The Car Book

I keep a book in Richie's car so that if he suddenly says, "Oh, I need to run in there" and I don't want to go, I've got a book with which to amuse myself.

Right now, it's "First Ladies, the Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1798 to 1961" by Carl Sferrazza Anthony   685 pages (hefty)   William Morris   No price given on this soft cover book.

Grace Coolidge's husband fired her married Secret Service man after they set out for a 15 mile walk and didn't return until five hours later at 2:15 p.m. well after lunch.  Calvin was so upset and angry that he finally sent out a search party which ran into the surprised hikers just as they were emerging from the forest. 

The story put out to the press about the Secret Service guy's sudden disappearance was that he'd been given more responsibilities and a raise elsewhere.  Six months later, Grace wrote the couple without bothering to tell Calvin and they all reconnected.  When the wife later opened a restaurant, Grace was one of her first customers.

Lou Hoover went 'way beyond the borders of Iowa where she had been born.  She and Herbert (aka "Bert") honeymooned while en route to China where they were caught in Tientsin when the Boxer Rebellion broke out.  She went to the hospital every day to help treat the wounded.  A geology expert, she had worked in China, Burma, Tasmania, the Suez, Egypt, New Zealand, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, Russia, England and Belgium.  She was said to be fluent in four languages.

She refused to attend any party where illegal alcohol would be served.  It was Prohibition then.

She created the first official presidential retreat on the Rapidan River and named it "Rapidan."

To Be Continued