March 22, 2013
Big Gun at World War I Museum (click image for slideshow)
On the second full day of Snow Break 2013 in Kansas City I had an early lunch at The Classic Cup Sidewalk Cafe at the Plaza; the Steak Frites was superb. Then I returned to Liberty Memorial, which I’d visited the night before for the view of its lit flame, to again tour the National World War I Museum.
I crossed the glass bridge over the poppy field, bearing in mind the famous poem by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. I captured some of the large graphics in the museum about the chain reaction of treaties and countermeasures which would lead to global war, along with the dreadful graph of dead and wounded by nation, underlined by the deployments by the respective countries.
I shot down the barrel of one of the big guns and gazed at rationing posters and the movie poster for To Hell With The Kaiser. Downstairs, on the way to the reference library, were numerous quotations from soldiers about the war machine which ground them to bits. New to me on this visit was a walk around to the high north wall of the promenade to see The Great Frieze by Edmond Romulus Amateis, which depicts the sufferings of war and the blessings of peace with images of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and mourners as well as farm workers bringing in the harvest.
Granger the Guitarist
I had lunch nearby at Crown Center’s d’Bronx and walked The Link over to Union Station to enjoy the great Science of Rock ‘n’ Roll exhibit, where I saw an old record cutter and could play the guitar, keyboard, and drums a la Guitar Hero or Garage Band and mix tunes and sing karaoke (very poorly!).
MEADOR.ORG 
