FDR's winter retreat

Warm Springs Georgia

May 15 2018

Tuesday is our first full day here in FDR state park. We drove to Warm Springs to tour President Roosevelt’s Little White house. First we browsed in some of the antique stores in the village and ate lunch at a local eatery. They had an unusual condiment, which we tried and really liked, candied jalapeños.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Warm Springs home

FDR’s Georgia home is preserved in the condition it was the day President Roosevelt died on April 12 1945. He was sitting for a portrait at the Little White House when he suffered a stroke. Roosevelt died two hours later of cerebral hemorrhage.

I couldn’t help but think of the contradiction this place represented. Roosevelt was at the time, one of the most powerful men in the world. He had led the nation through the great depression and was now commander in chief of the greatest military and strongest economy in the world. His retreat could have been anywhere, but he came here to this simple cabin in the Georgia.

Next we went down the road to the Warm Springs rehabilitation Facility. We toured the original Warm Springs pools Roosevelt used to exercise his polio stricken legs. No longer in use for therapy, they are part of the park service exhibit.

FDR in the Warm Springs Rehabilitation pool

We stopped in the town of Pine Mountain on the way back to the campground. A slightly larger version of Warm Springs, it also hosted antique stores in the old main street. That means I got to “shop” in several more antique stores, oh joy! Neither of us bought any old stuff.

RE: "shopping". I am a man shopper who operates with military precision, Formulate a plan,  (make a list) attack the store, (go directly to your list items) secure your purchase, ( check out in the shortest line) Mission a success! Millie on the other hand, enters the store, goes directly to the bargain racks, browses for eternity, doesn't buy anything, mission a success?

I did buy a case of local Calloway Springs water. It is bottled in really cool blue bottles and tastes like water should taste. It reminded me of a time about fifty years ago when after months of drinking really foul water I was given a 16 oz can of “Emergency Water” It was the best thing I ever tasted.

RE: Emergency Drinking water. Yes there really was such a thing; I have no idea what kind of emergency it was to be used for.