The Reagan Library in California

The landscape around the Library reminded me a lot of Ireland. The craggy green hills rolling on and on. Reagan must have appreciated this having ancestral Irish roots. The Library sits on 100 acres. This is the view from the back of the Library.

This is the view from the front of the Library where you can see the Pacific Ocean on a clear day. It was slightly misty so we didn’t see the ocean. I could see snow on some mountains to the right.

The sun started shining as we walked toward where the Reagans were buried. It is on this hill with a sweeping view of the countryside.

Wildlife Around the Reagan Library

When we stepped out of the library, I heard a hawk screech. “Is that a hawk?” I asked. I love hawks. “Nah, it’s a kid screaming,” Maureen said. “No, I don’t think so,” I said. And sure enough there he was wheeling around in the sky over our heads. In fact, he flew right towards and then directly above me. It was wonderful. I found out that red-tailed hawks live in Simi Valley. They especially love to eat rattlesnakes.

Auschwitz at the Reagan Library

Unfortunately for us, we missed the Auschwitz exhibit at the Reagan Library by one day. But fortunately for us, they did have a train car displayed in front of the Library to advertise this event.

In all the literature, movies, and documentaries I have ever seen or read about Auschwitz, they always attach the adjective “cattle” to car to describe what these victims were hauled away in.

This is a cattle car. Notice the slats for ventilation. Stock cars (for livestock) were made with slats or louvered sides to prevent cattle, sheep, or pigs from suffocating on long trips. Holocaust trains did not seem to provide much in the way of ventilation. I only see one small louvered square in the above photo and I don’t know if it is real or cosmetic. Yet, they keep calling them cattle cars.