Two Weeks In Nebraska

I'm visiting Nebraska for two weeks. I post about it because people on the east and west coasts ask the weirdest questions about Nebraska and have no idea that it's here. My daughter Juliana, her husband, her two children and her black miniature dachsund (don't ask) live in a neighborhood called Happy Hollow or Dundee. Warren Buffett has been living about six blocks away for nearly fifty years in his legendary 'normal' house; his daughter lived nearby until recently.

Here is Warren Buffett and his family probably fifty years ago. I never saw a picture of him before as a young man. This is from a book called Dundee, Neb. - A Pictorial History, ©2000 Dundee Memorial Park Association. 

The book tells the whole history of this area that is now a part of Omaha -  from cornfields to housing developments, beginning around 1916. Dan Rock, the Project Director, assembled photographs of all aspects of life - houses, schools, transportation (trolley cars!), churches and a synagogue (1000 people attended the first services in September 1929). This is a beautiful neighborhood with 80-year-old trees; the houses stand on large lots with glorious ancient irises and peonies blooming this time of year (May).Juliana and I walked across the new Omaha Pedestrian Bridge on Memorial day. It crosses the Missouri River from downtown Omaha, Nebraska to Council Bluffs, Iowa. There's a lot of history to the Missouri River and most of us know little or nothing about it.

From Wikipedia: All of the major trails for the opening of the American West have their starting points on the river, including the California, Mormon, Oregon, and Santa Fe trails. The first westward leg of the Pony Express was a ferry ride across the Missouri at St. Joseph, Missouri. The first westward leg of the First Transcontinental Railroad was a ferry ride across the Missouri between Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska.

The Hannibal Bridge was the first bridge to cross the river when it opened in Kansas City in 1869, and was a major reason why Kansas City became the largest city on the river upstream from its mouth at St. Louis.

Omaha Pedestrian Bridge


Missouri River looking south. That makes Iowa on the left and Nebraska on the right.

I work on my computer in the living room that looks out on the beautiful garden. I paint in the dining room, continuing my series of miniatures. This morning drove to the "Little Italy" of Omaha and to the Mexican neighborhood. Saturday I watched my daughter and grandson remove the Torah from the Ark and chant the Hebrew prayers for this part of the service. I am very happy here.

Juliana's dining room


small paintings