Chilled Soup on a Hot Day

The sky was overcast, but the clouds were merely taunting and teasing. No rain. Despite the sun being hidden, the day was still over 100 degrees. Some of the Tai Chi and Tea gals decided to have lunch on a little road trip anyway. It wasn’t far and the clouds helped make us feel it was not burning outside.

We went to see Harry S. Truman’s birthplace in Lamar first. I had been there, but the others had not. Missouri school children learn about President Truman and his Missouri life. 

Note the chamber pot cover! And Harry's outhouse!

Harry Truman was born in this room.

I was born in Kansas, but still I knew a little about Ole Harry. A definitive biography by superb researcher David McCullough will reveal much about this president. Born in Lamar, his family later took him to a farm outside Grandview, Missouri near Kansas City. He and Bess returned to the area after his years in Washington, D.C.  He was an interesting man with humble beginnings who later shouldered the fate of the world with his decisions.

The home is small so it wasn’t a long tour. 

Then we went to the town square where a fairly new Victorian Tea Room served lunch. Sandy's Victorian Tea Room was wonderfully done, a real tea room. Too often places are labeled tea rooms but serve weak tea with no teaspoons to be seen or use Styrofoam cups. Yep, I am a tea snob on some things. Sandy’s Victorian Tea room has china cups and stemware. Tastefully decorated tables were mixed among some great shopping and gift items.  

The menu is typical tea room fare although there no quiche on the menu at the moment. 

Sandwiches were generous and several choices for salad were available. I tried something new-chilled cantaloupe soup. It sounds terrible to me, but I love chilled strawberry soup. So I gave the concoction a whirl and it was wonderful. It had fresh mint and maybe some orange juice in it. I will be trying to make my own soon, as will the other tea gals.