Day 7 was a quiet day, late start, visit to a bookstore, coffee house lunch, visit with cousins, visit with friend Michael, dinner with Edie, host Judy and long-time-no-see friend Patti. Great to see Patti, but the surprise of the evening was when I thought I ordered a scoop of gelato and got this:

Today, after a Zoom Haberman Institute leadership meeting we hit the road in what can truly be described as a driving rain

Because I always buy books, none of which I really need, you will be pleased to know that I only bought two this trip (so far).

The first is Robert F. Kennedy’s book The Real Anthony Fauci, which has been described by Kennedy supporters as the book that shows the corruption between big government and big pharma, and by experts as misleading nonsense. I bought it because…….there it was.

The other book I bought (and will read) is the memoir of Prince Felix Youssoupoff, published in 1953. Felix (if I may be so bold to call him that) was the leader of the group that murdered Gregor Rasputin in 1916. The Youssoupoff family lived in an enormous “palace” in St. Petersburg and Rasputin was shot in a basement level room and then transported to a frozen river where he was dropped through the ice. We visited the palace some years ago. In the room where Rasputin was shot, they have Madame Toussaud-like characters portraying the final scene.

The palace itself is beyond luxurious and contains a private theater still used today for chamber music concerts and so forth.

The memoir talks to both the history and life of the family in Russia, and Felix’ later life in exile in Paris. At home, I have another book written earlier by Felix covering the death of Rasputin. Published in the 1930s in Paris, the text is in Russian.

Although I never find time to do a lot reading on road trips, I have read through about half of a book from the late 1930s called Searchlight on Spain, about the Spanish Civil War. It is very interesting, especially so far about the political turmoil in Spain leading to the outbreak of actual fighting, when most of the army deserted the Republic and joined the church and major industrialists in revolutionary activity. What did I learn? The right wing never changes in their political beliefs or their utter lack of a moral code as they go about achieving their goals.

Gotta hit the road. No time to proofread.