Naples Holocaust Museum

This visit was very interesting and very sobering.  We spent a lot more time here than we anticipated.

Upon arrival we saw this boxcar in the parking lot.  

After a four year, international search, this 10-ton WWII era boxcar was found in Austria and purchased by a Museum Board Member and Past President.  It was moved to Naples in 2008 to honor his parents, as well as in memory of other family members that were lost during the Holocaust.

It is a rare artifact and among only eleven that are located throughout the US.  These boxcars moved millions of Jews and other "undesirables" to labor/concentration/death camps throughout Europe during Hitler's reign.  Many of those who found themselves in these cars did not survive the trip.

Upon entering the museum this large photomosaic of 13 year old Anne Frank greets you.  It's approximately 6-8' square and is made up of 7000 photographs.  

Irv was our docent and provided a lot of information during the 1 1/2 hour tour.  He has traveled to several of the camp remains in Europe and personally knows survivors.  One of his  best friends, who recently passed away, survived as a small child and is in one of the photos in the museum.  

The museum was located about eight miles south in a rented space and only moved into this space two months ago, so it's a work in progress but is owned, rather than rented.  

The red circle on the floor is barbed wire and the one below is butterflies.

There are currently three rooms, each representing a time during Hitler's reign.  Irv described them as "worse", "worser" and "worsest".  He knew it wasn't good grammar but felt it aptly described each time period, at least as far as the Jews were concerned.

There was so many pictures and articles that I couldn't possibly take pictures of each one but these were a couple that struck a chord with me.

This is a bronze sculpture titled the "Train Track Sculpture" by Julia Balk.  "As the figures on one side of the tracks look out from the past, the viewer, on the other side" (of the tracks) "gazes in at them from the present."  There are also figures on the back side but it was too dark to take a picture.

This was my favorite piece...

"According to the Museum's sources and further research, this quilt was sewn by surviving Auschwitz inmates", from their clothing.  "Written in Russian, it says "Thank you Red Army for the Liberation of Auschwitz, 1945."  Wow!  I mean, how can that not touch your soul?

As I said, there were camps throughout Europe but not all of them were death camps.  However, this tells how many were murdered at each killing center...

Special Command Units were made up of prisoners that were "tasked with removing the bodies, cleaning the gas chambers, and then destroying the bodies, either in crematoria or makeshift "ovens" using railroad tracks as grating".  Can you even imagine?

It is unfathomable to me that there are people who honestly believe that the Holocaust is fake and didn't really happen.  I believe one of the reasons for that is that children are not being taught about it in school; however, there are about twelve states that now require students learn about this atrocity.  Sadly, neither Maine nor Massachusetts are among them. 

If you like to read, the book "Mila 18", by Leon Uris, is about the Polish ghetto during the war and it paints a very good picture of what life was like during that time.  I've read it several times and I guess it's time to read it again.  I would consider it historical fiction.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

It's Not McDougals

Wendy and I spent last night and today visiting with Greg, Vanessa and our beautiful Ella Bella.

Beautiful Ella Bella

We arrived a little before dinner and enjoyed a delightful Tuscan Bean Soup made by Greg.  After dinner Auntie Wendy and I played with Ella in her awesome playroom, then got to snuggle and read some bedtime stories.

This morning Ella showed me the new tree her daddy planted for her

See, I can touch the top of the tree

My daddy and I love the outdoors

Three Wehmeyers

Then we tagged along for Ella's dance lesson

Sharing the back seat with Auntie Wendy

Bring on the music

Ella changed her clothes, we went to lunch and headed North in two separate cars, equipped with GPS, to pick apples.  

As it turns out, due to a number of reasons, the apple picking season ended early this year so we drove for nearly an hour before reaching Honey Pot Hill Orchards.  This is a 200 acre farm growing apples and pears, offering hayrides and a hedge maze.  We didn't realize it  also includes more than one entrance and more than one parking lot!

We also discovered that going to the ONE orchard that still offered apple picking, on a warm and sunny day on the biggest weekend during foliage season was not just our idea but an idea shared with hundreds, if not thousands, of other people.  OMG!

Lots of cars

and lots more people

Since we were in different cars, we ended up coming in from different directions and parking in different lots.  We discovered that Wendy and I were at one of the entrances and Greg, Vanessa and Ella were at the entrance on the opposite side of the farm.  It was a disturbing and annoying complication to our apple picking plans.

After something like 30 minutes and several phone calls, we caught up with the other three, determined that Wendy could not participate in the hayride because of her allergy to hay and started walking toward the trees with apples. 

CA-BOOM!  What the heck?  It's probably nothing...CA-BOOM!

This is not promising.  Ella really doesn't like LOUD noises and this is LOUD.  

There were old planes flying overhead and lots of canon and rifle fire for the next hour or so.  It turns out Stow, MA was the site of the reenactment Battle for the Airfield.  This is the only event of this type - in the world!  What are the chances that the reenactment of a WWII battle is taking place practically right on top of us???  Quite frankly, it was not the atmosphere we were looking for.  Ella was quite upset, Greg & I were cranky and the air reverberated with the sounds of war. 

Sort of smiling & pretending to have fun

On top of that, the sky had turned dark and was threatening rain.  That would be the icing on the cake!  Thankfully, it didn't take long to fill our bag with apples

These apples are BIG!

and before long we were headed back to the cars.  Greg, Wendy & I walked, while Vanessa and Ella took the hayride.

Waiting for the hayride

It wasn't what we anticipated but it was an ADVENTURE and a story we can share for years to come.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)