August 15, 2015

Ronald Reagan and Patti Glover

In the morning we drove west in the Toad for about a half hour to Simi Valley to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum and Library.

Early visit appt. time worked well.  No problem parking and not too much crowd.  Great Museum.  Self-guided tour follows Reagan from childhood to his death.  Each part of his very full life is covered with lots of information and attention riveting displays and videos. 

 

 

Museum includes Air Force One and Marine One.  Both tour able.

  The whole effort is very well planned and presented.  We spent well over three hours there and did not realize the time going by. 

Fun note:  There are several portraits of Reagan done by international artists that were presented to him as state gifts.  These portraits are done in a variety of media.  One was done with butterfly wings.  In another part of the museum,  in its own special spot, is his portrait done in Jelly Bellys.

 

This is not a state gift portrait nor is it done in Jelly Bellys.  It is just a very nice picture of a special man.

Back to Granada Hills for a quick snack and to change clothes.  Then off to the LA Zoo.

 

Patti Glover.  How to describe her?  Dynamic, spark plug, always upbeat in spite of great stress, always smiling, caring of all – man and beast, friend to all even if you didn’t know her, always moving – usually at triple time, loved by all who knew her.  That just scratches the surface.  Patti was very special.  We met Patti through her brother Dave and his family and became close friends even though often separated by time and distance.  Patti was in charge of planning and coordinating special events at the LA Zoo for 29 years.  Everything from fund raisers to birthdays to weddings and more.  She planned every minutia of every event assuring that it would be highly successful.  She introduced many events that developed appreciation of the zoo and its animals.  Much of her success came from the love and appreciation she shared with everyone she worked with or just came in contact with.  She was truly loved by everyone involved with the zoo as well as all she interacted with away from the zoo.  The appreciation by her zoo family was such that she was given the title “Queen of the Jungle”.  Patti passed away several months ago from cancer.  Today the zoo had a memorial celebration of her.  It was held in an open air event center located at the highest point on the zoo grounds.  A spot they call Tree Top.  At this spot, in addition to the event facility, there is a carousel. In front of the carousel, unveiled today, there now sits a throne, decorated with animals, and dedicated to Patti – the Queen of the Jungle.  She will be missed very much.