From Omaha, which is situated right on the Missouri River, I crossed over a 1,100 foot wide point of the longest river in the United States and headed due east toward Davenport Iowa. I drove across the flattest part of the country I had encountered yet. My destination, Davenport, sat on another huge river – the Mississippi. The view as I drove was farm land in full harvest as far as the eye could see. Again, the theme of scale – massive. The ”Corn Belt” as it is called produced more corn than any other region of the world. The Midwest is a true power house of corn production.

My attraction to Davenport, Iowa was a reasonably good art museum, the Figge Art Museum.

Approximately 350 miles almost directly due north was my next destination, Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of a first class museum, the Walker Museum of Modern Art.

It was a long, flat drive. I got in after dark. Found a cheap motel fairly close to the Walker Museum of Modern Art. Found a 24-hour diner, had a dinner of bacon and eggs, went back to my motel and crashed.

Slept like a log for 10 hours. Had my favorite delicious and cheap breakfast, bacon and eggs, and headed for the Walker Museum. They have a great collection of paintings and sculpture inside and a first class sculpture garden outdoors. I ejoyed the art while warm and comfortable indoors. Then bundled up, went outside and explored their really interesting sculpture garden. I kept moving as it was pretty chilly ourdoors despite the crystal clear day, cloudless sky and bright sunshine.  It was a new experience for me to be in a bright, sun-shiney day and, at the same time, feeling really cold.

After some hot soup for lunch, I headed almost due east to an historic destination for any pro-football fan: Green Bay Wisconsin, home of Coach Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. It was nice heading east after noon because the sun was overhead or behind me. I was learning, if you’re going west, leave early so the sun in not in your eyes.  If you’re heading east, sleep in and avoid driving directly into the sun. In this case, I was enjoying the Walker Museum while the sun climbed up out of the east.

The drive was mostly flat but cold. My 56 VW bug did not have much of a heater. In 1964 it was easy to find a cheap motel in Green Bay. The food was also cheap, but with that home-cooked taste and the generous midwest portions. I snuggled into bed to warm up and continued reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac. I had been to The City Lights Bookstore in North Beach in San Francisco many times. It was a major gathering place for the Beat Generation. On Friday and Saturday nights they had poetry readings by poets like Allen Ginsburg reading his famous poem Howl as well as some pretty decent  folk singers. They had a lot of books published by New Directions books which you couldn’t find any where else. The City Lights bookstore was my first introduction to Zen. The store had a warm smell of incense and candles. They also had great coffee. I almost always came home with 2 or 3 new paperback books. I fell asleep reading Kerouac.

Next morning was brisk. After a hot breakfast and plenty of hot coffee, I bundled up and headed for one of the true shrines of professional football, Packer Stadium or Lambeau Field. I had watched countless games on our old black and white tv loving the heroics of Bart Star throwing touchdown passes or Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston leading Paul Hornung on one the famous Packer Power Sweeps.

It was pretty quiet on a weekday morning, but I got a grounds person to let me in for a quick look. In 1964 despite 2 world Championships, the stadium was surprisingly modest – not even as big as Kesar Stadium in San Francisco where I had seen the 49ers play.

After I had paid my respects in “Title Town,” I headed for a temple of a different kind: Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio, Taliesin. It was about a 3 hour drive southwest of Green Bay.

I had read Frank Lloyd Wright’s big, beautifully written autobiography which I found riveting. Clearly a genius, his thinking was crystal clear and flawlessly logical. I looked forward to seeing Taliesin.

Wright’s big sprawling complex was located on a hill top with a wide-ranging view. The architecture was classic Frank Lloyd Wright. But what really struck me was the interor – spectacular. Taliesin was more than a home and a studio, it was an academy of architecture. The rooms was huge, expansive and full of natural light. I thought, what a spectacular place to study – almost like a temple of architecture – and under one of the truly great architects in the world.

Late fall, I found a motel near by and spent the night. Next morning after breakfast, I went back and spent hours exploring and absorbing the unique aura of this remarkable place. You felt the spirit of this remarkable man and his bold vision in every room: the chairs, the desks, and the amazing rugs. Every single thing was clearly designed  by Frank Lloyd Wright. The stamp of his genius radiated every where you looked. Before I knew it, it was time to go. I thought this is what it must be like to see a world master piece like Notre Dame Gothic cathedral with its flying buttreses. And then to enter that sacred space and be bathed in the blue light of the massive stained glass windows and stare up at the massive columns and dynamic vaults.

Some day, I thought, I want to see Notre Dame in Paris.

Part of taking good care of yourself is to be able to realize your dreams whatever they may be. Your body is a kind of temple. There are many kinds and varieties of temples as you have seen in this essay. Whether it be a museum of modern art, or a football stadium, or a temple of archtecture, or a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture hundreds of years old, they are all sacred in their own way and considered special to a widely varied array of people. To each their own. In the eye of the beholder. Architecture, or a stand of massive, magestic redwoods in Northern California, they each embody something that deeply resonates in us.

Honor and nourish that place. Feed your temple with high quality protein like JDD protein and lots of pasture raised whole eggs – awesome nutrition for you and your kiddos.

Talk with you soon.
Joe