| As teenagers growing up in the early
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| | welcomed us . . . but no one else did.
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| sixties, my wife and I saw Hyannis and
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| | One of the cars was an old Datsun 240Z. I
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| Hyannisport as mythical kingdoms
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| | was hooked. My 240Z had been yellow. I
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| populated by the rich, the famous, and
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| | wandered around. I could see the garage
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| the powerful. Except for the mythical
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| | where I figured the cars were kept, but
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| part this is probably still true.Peg and
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| | didn't want to slide the two by four
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| I traveled to Hyannis with friend and
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| | security system out of the way. Even
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| guide, Al Burrage. Our first stop was the
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| | though I could see the padlock was
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| John F. Kennedy Memorial. The memorial
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| | hanging open I was afraid of setting off
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| features a 12-foot-high fieldstone wall
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| | alarms.I walked into the inn. No one was
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| with a relief of JFK facing the sea.
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| | there. I walked into another building. No
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| There is a presidential seal, fountain,
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| | one was there, but I did find a bar and
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| and a small pool to honor the late
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| | hundreds of bottles of Scotch. I kept on
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| president, who grew up nearby. Tour
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| | walking and snooping. All exterior doors
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| busses constantly drove in the parking
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| | where marked with one of two signs:
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| lot for people to visit the shrine. It is
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| | "Don't let the cats in!" or "Don't let
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| lovely with a great view of the beach and
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| | the cats out!" Carefully, I complied.
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| water.Flowers form a border around the
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| | Everywhere I went I called out, "Hello."
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| circular monument. Al had brought us
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| | No one answered.Eventually I heard a car
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| there because he thought we might have an
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| | drive up. I walked toward the driveway
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| interest. He didn't. I had to coax
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| | and saw a red sports car. I knew I was
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| staunch republican Al to step into the
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| | about to make contact. I walked into the
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| memorial. We were all surprised when he
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| | inn and found Bill Putman. "I hope you
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| did not turn to stone. Perhaps, it was
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| | haven't been waiting long," he said. I
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| just the wind, but I thought I heard a
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| | replied, "No, but we did drink three
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| low, democratic moan.Next to the JFK
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| | bottles of Scotch." He laughed and then
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| Memorial is Veterans Memorial Park. As
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| | took us out to the garage where he slid
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| always, celebrities grab the headlines,
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| | the two by four out of the way, opened
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| but real people make the big differences
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| | the door, and turned on the lights. I was
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| in the world. There is a Korean War
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| | delighted, so to speak. Really, I was
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| Memorial located at the Veterans Memorial
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| | spellbound. Inside the garage were almost
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| Park. It was dedicated June 25, 2000, the
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| | five dozen red sports cars . . . and one
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| 50th anniversary of the start of the war.
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| | green one.I recognized the garage for
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| The grounds, the statue, and the brick
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| | what it was . . . a growing obsession. It
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| (inscribed with the names of Korean
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| | was just the way the LeMay Museum began.
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| veterans) lined walkway stir the emotions
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| | Harold LeMay began collecting cars and
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| of the heart."The memorial consists of an
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| | then needed more and more space to house
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| eight-foot bronze-cast statue of a
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| | them. Bill Putman had a few sports cars
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| typical combat soldier, placed on a
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| | (he raced two of them) and then he began
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| granite base, overlooking Hyannis Harbor.
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| | finding more and more that he wanted. The
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| The statue was sculpted by the world
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| | garage was expanded and expanded. The
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| renown sculptor, Robert Shure whose work
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| | ceiling is maybe seven feet high and
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| includes the Irish Famine, located in
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| | there are rooms with as few as two cars.
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| Boston, as well as the MIA/KIA Eternal
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| | The dirt floor is covered with white
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| Flame monument located in the National
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| | gravel. On top of the gravel in the
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| Cemetery in Bourne."Really touching was a
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| | walkways between the cars are oriental
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| simple message from the people of Korea
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| | carpets. I went crazy identifying the
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| etched in granite and a stone. You can't
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| | cars. "Here's an XK120," I shouted, "I
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| read the inscription without letting your
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| | had an XK140."In the collection there
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| fingers travel the once rough surface of
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| | were three models that I had owned. In
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| the stone and think of the sacrifices
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| | addition to the Datsun 240Z and the
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| that were made by Americans and United
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| | Jaguar XK140, I also found a Bug-Eye
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| Nations forces half a world away and half
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| | Austin Healey Sprite. This was the car I
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| a century ago.Next, we visited the
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| | had when I wooed Peg. We drove away from
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| Kennedy Compound, where most of the
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| | the church in my little Sprite. We took
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| Kennedys and other family members still
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| | our week-old daughter Andrea to a
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| have residences. You can see the pier
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| | drive-in movie in that little car. I
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| built for JFK by our government from a
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| | loved it and should have kept it. This is
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| nearby park, but you have to have a
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| | the same story that Bill hears from
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| resident sticker on your car to use the
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| | almost every visitor to Toad Hall.I had
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| park. The only way to see into the
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| | to ask Bill about the Scotch, "Most of
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| compound is if someone has their gates
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| | the bottles look unopened. Why don't you
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| open, which some did. The houses inside
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| | drink them?" He even has a website just
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| the compound didn't appear any different
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| | for his Scotch collection. Bill replied,
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| from most of the other expensive,
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| | "I don't know." I think Bill just might
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| neighboring houses outside the compound.
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| | be too busy. He collects sports cars,
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| How strange.Back in the commerical
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| | cats, and Scotch in addition to running
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| district we stopped in at a small
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| | his inn. I'm sure he was thinking of his
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| convenience store, which was located next
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| | collection of Scotch when with a whistful
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| to the Cape Cod Railroad which features a
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| | look in his eye Bill said, "Sometimes I
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| dinner train. We may have to try that out
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| | just dream of getting snowed in."Toad
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| on our next visit. At the convenience
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| | Hall was a delight. So, why Toad Hall?
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| store we bought a local paper and picked
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| | Bill likes the story of Wind in the
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| up two coupon books featuring coupons for
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| | Willows and the central character, Toad,
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| Cape Cod attractions. The sign at the
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| | lives in Toad Hall. So, why the red cars?
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| store mentioned Brazilian food, which
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| | In the story, Toad was obsessed by a
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| seemed a little odd. Connections with
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| | motor car. He got one and it was red. So,
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| Brazil kept popping up during our stay in
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| | why the one green car. The previous owner
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| Cape Cod. We saw a Brazilian flag flying
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| | had just sunk $15,000 into the car and
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| at a Seafood Sam's restaurant outside
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| | Bill didn't have the heart to have it
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| Wood's Hole, and even ate at a Brazilian
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| | painted. So, why Scotch and cats. Just
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| restaurant during a day trip to Quincy.A
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| | because.Looking for memories of our youth
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| page in the coupon book we picked up at
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| | we visited Hyannis for Kennedy historical
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| the convenience store lead us to one of
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| | connections. We ended our visit to
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| my favorite stops: Toad Hall. The coupon
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| | Hyannis with so much more. Isn't that
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| offered a dollar off at the Toad Hall
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| | what travel is all about?Don Doman is a
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| Sports Car Museum. Since I love cars and
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| | published author, video producer, and
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| produced a fundraising video for the
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| | corporate trainer. He owns the business
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| LeMay Car Museum, I had to at least see
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| | training site Ideas and Training ( which
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| what Toad Hall had to offer. I was
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| | he says is the home of the no-hassle
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| expecting maybe a dozen sports cars. I
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| | "free preview" for business training
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| was wrong.We parked our car at the
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| | videos. Don and his wife Peg also travel
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| Simmons Homestead Inn and walked around.
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| | in the Pacific Northwest writing of their
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| Five red cars including a Rolls Bentley
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| | fun and adventures.
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