Return to the Center of America

Home again

2009-09-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

It is time to bring this blog to an end. John rolled back into Florida yesterday around noon. The end of this adventure is again, bittersweet. We love being on the road and we love being home. The saga will continue ... stay tuned ...

Tennessee

2009-09-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

On his way back from the center of America, John stopped off to see his friends, Phil and Cheryl, who live deep in the Amish country of Tennessee. Here are some photos to mark that visit and friendship.

Last days in IL

2009-09-27T01:03:00.000-07:00

John's last days in Illinois were marked by a sailboat regatta at Carlysle Lake, an airshow and a pow-wow. Not much to say about them, the photos tell the story - Go America! (I wonder if real Indians would parade with an American flag?)
The red chairs were the trophies for the winning boats!

Fishing in Illinois

2009-09-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do but fish, or so John says as he ends up his time in Illinois. He expected to be on the road for home by now, but has been asked to stay on a little longer ...

Jubilee and I miss him.

Meanwhile there's talk of work in Algeria ...

St. Bonaventure University

2009-08-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

Taking John back to the airport in Buffalo, we stopped at St. Bonaventure University, in Olean NY. I knew that Bob Lax, who had grown up in Olean, had left most of his manuscripts to the University. I wanted to see them - or at least one.

The campus itself was unique. John took some “door” photos for his collection. It felt very “Catholic” to me, in a good sort of way.

I like the St. Joseph Oratory, a little round chapel, right in the middle of campus. Inside there was a statue of St. Joseph, with bench and cushions going around the wall, like a little meditation room. I have special place in my heart for St. Joseph, so I sat for a while.

This was a Sunday, and between school sessions, so I knew that I would be lucky if I found anyone around. The art building was open though - I wish I had had more time to browse that place, boy did it look interesting - and I was directed to the library. A young woman was waiting there, and said that it was open from 12:30 to 2:30 on Sunday. So I waited.

Unfortunately, the student who was in charge of the library didn’t know anything about Lax, and the best she could do was show me the website the school maintained for Lax. I know those papers are in there, I think that they should have a public room exhibiting photos and Lax’s manuscripts.

They did have a photo of Merton in the lobby, saying that Lax had introduced him to St. Bonaventure’s, and there was a brochure for a walking tour that would take you to the places that Merton mentions in his journals, like the statue of St. Therese of Lisieux where he heard the call to Gethsemane.

Merton gets all the fame, but Lax was very much a part of the inspiration, and an internationally acclaimed poet in his own right. St. Bonaventure’s has missed the boat, if you ask me.

How To Build Community

2009-08-22T02:56:00.000-07:00

This was on the wall of the eco-house, where we stayed in Western NY State (Wellsville):

turn off your tv - leave your house
know your neighbors
look up when you are walking
greet people - sit on your stoop
plant flowers
use your library - play together
buy from local merchants
share what you have
help a lost dog
take children to the park
garden together
support neighborhood schools
fix it even if you didn’t break it
have pot lucks - honor elders
pick up litter - read stories aloud
dance in the street
talk to the mail carrier
listen to the birds - put up a swing
help carry something heavy
barter for your goods
start a tradition - ask a question
hire young people for odd jobs
organize a block party
bake extra and share
open your shades - sing together
share your skills
take back the night
turn up the music
turn down the music
listen before you react to anger
mediate a conflict
seek to understand
learn from new and
uncomfortable angles
know that no one is silent
though many are not heard
work to change this

Hitachi John in Illinois

2009-08-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

The new Hitachi John photo, at the Coffeen Plant in Coffeen, Illinois. One more week ...
(Note: it appears that blogger is no longer preserving the resolution of the uploaded photos :-( ... photos look look a lot fuzzier than they really are!)

home

2009-08-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Whoever knew that Florida could be so beautiful in mid-August, with its billowy clouds stacked high in the sky, delivering little rain squalls here and there? Whoever knew that my home could be feel like such a sanctuary and paradise, with overgrown weeds and pine needles clumped all over the patio, or that I would gulp the sweet, moist air coming in off the Atlantic Ocean.

Jubilee can’t stop smiling.

The lighting is different here. Sunglasses are not an option, they are a necessity. Florida is that much brighter than the rest of the country. And whereas I chugged to get over the mountains of PA and WV, my old car could glide down the Florida peninsula, keeping up and even passing everyone else. ( I WAS in a hurry to get home.)

I especially like the looks of West Virginia. Always I’m intrigued with and drawn toward the low country of South Carolina and Georgia. There are so many trees most everywhere on the Eastern side of the USA! From afar, each individual tree must look like a blade grass.

I don’t know where to start. John is still in Illinois, and I may want to express some impressions I got from living there for 2 1/2 months. There are some things to tell about the trip home, though, in no particular order ...

Ninety-five year old Aunt Louise showed up at the pig roast in the middle of PA (near Wellsboro) where we were celebrating Jon and Heather’s wedding. One morning at breakfast she told us the story of her visit to the doctor last year when she fell and hurt her wrist. They couldn’t find any medical records for her and asked when was the last time she had seen a doctor. Well, Dr. Harry Spalding used to be my doctor. He retired 15 years ago, they said. Well, I have 2 son-in-laws who are doctors. Do they treat you, they asked. Well, no. So what kind of medication are you on? Well, I eat an egg every morning and I take an aspirin every night, and I just don’t see any sense to going to the doctor when I feel ok.

What a healthy attitude she has toward aging, death, and doctors!

There was the funky little collection of cottages on Lake Erie, where we had ice cream and yellow Lake Erie perch.

We stayed in an “eco-house” in western NY State where we walked a labyrinth. I want to remember the eco house because it was so simple yet complete, feeling like everything that I could ever want or need in terms of a living place.
There was a deeper sense of the meaning of hospitality - that our lives really are home for the souls of each other.

I’m tired, but it feels good to be home.

Dayton

2009-08-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

(gonna make the turn tomorrow)

There’s something about leaving a place, moving on ... As I was setting out I invoked the memory of many people I had known who had died to watch over me. It’s my way of praying. My mother’s 2 sisters, Louise and Mary B, were put in charge of making sure I was safe. My cousin Doug was in charge of making sure the car ran ok. Sister Charles Benedict, my old high school Latin teacher was to take care of Jubilee.
I’m in Dayton tonight with my cousins, Bill and Mary Ellen, whom I’ve known forever. It was an easy drive from Greenville. The land undulates more as you get into Indiana, and I recognized that this was all old territory for me. Coming through Indianapolis I remembered the Indiana State Fair of 1964 when I saw the Beatles perform.
The winter of 1972 when I was working in Chicago and John was still at the University of Dayton. Many weekends I would drive from Chicago to Dayton, once during a snowstorm. I could barely see so I just stayed in the wake of a big truck and let him lead the way.

Anyway, I got to Dayton early and stopped by the University of Dayton. At first I didn’t recognize the place. I was only here for 1 1/2 years, but I sure don’t remember it being this pretty.

I first met my husband John in front of this house - the house on the right (I think). John was living in the house and his roommate, Frito, left the cutest little black puppy, Kilo, out in front. It was the dog that I fell in love with first! I remember climbing out on the roof to have a cigarette - the summer of 1970. The house looks better now than it did back then.
This is the dirty deli. It looks the same as it did back then.

And this, my dear readers, is where my husband and I first kissed. A bell tower (Carillon Park) on the banks of the Miami River.

My last day in Greenville

2009-08-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day in Greenville.

There is something in the air. It is slightly overcast today, not quite hot, but with a fairly strong wind. They say that a big heat wave is moving in for the weekend, with an expected heat index of 107 tomorrow.

I went to the Greenville library. It was built in 1905 with funds from Andrew Carnegie, hence it is known as a “Carnegie Library”. More than 2500 libraries were built with Mr. Carnegie’s money, often the library was the most imposing structure in town. The one in Greenville is quite impressive.

The clock in the round “Ladies Room” was built in 1800 in Bardstown KY and brought to Greenville by one of the early settlers who migrated from Bardstown to Greenville. So most likely I have some kinfolk here. Most of the early white settlers came from Kentucky, Virginia, or North Carolina. Accustomed to wooded lands, they were actually afraid of the open land of the prairie. I read that some of the older ladies were afraid that it would “swallow them up”!

The young man at the front desk was most helpful pointing things out to me, especially the Bible, which was the library’s first book. He said that not too many libraries could boast that claim.

I asked about newspapers. They had the St. Louis newspaper, the Greenville newspaper. The New York Times? No, but they had the Wall Street Journal. Bummer.

I also got some more photos of the art that is on some of the buildings around town. Someone told me that this was all done by the high school students. The doctor is on a Medical Building, the woman carrying the chair is a at an antique store, etc.

This is the old firehouse turned into an artists’ coop.

Just as I was bemoaning the insularity of small Midwestern farming communities, a woman with a Harvard t-shirt came right up to me and we started talking about small towns and Florida and radio stations! She wasn't the least bit suspicious of me!

The Bond County Fair

2009-08-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last night was the Bond County Fair Parade. I walked with my fellow Curves ladies, giving sparkly beads to the many children along the route. "Beads, Beads!" they all called as we came by.

Animals, tractors, pretty girls and more ...

more corn tunnel photos

2009-08-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Corn Tunnels

2009-08-03T17:04:00.001-07:00

The corn is so high that it feels like you're going through a tunnel when you drive through.

the long journey home

2009-08-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

A big journey is coming up for Jubilee and I - the long winding trip back to Florida. In less than 5 days we will be on the road. I can’t believe it is coming up so fast. First we will cousin-hop across Ohio, visiting Billy Hart in Dayton and then Felicia and Aunt Louise in a cottage on Lake Erie somewhere outside of Cleveland. Then we will head over to western NY where my sister lives. We will stay the week there, preparing for the big pig roast to celebrate the marriage of Jonathan and Heather (which took place last year, but we’re just getting around to celebrating). Nephews and nieces-in-law and grand nephews and more.

From there we will wind our way down to Florida, visiting whomever we can find along the way.

The summer has been delightfully cool. Not like the summer of last year (in Missouri) at all. This morning it was in the low 60s. Cooler than Chicago. Maybe the coolest place in the state. Not quite as cool as Badlands, but getting there.

I keep thinking that the Big Heat is coming, that August for sure will be super hot to make up for the cool days. Dennis says, no, that this is a cool summer. The pattern of weather from the north is set for the season. It’s part of a bigger weather pattern that is more than just one year.

I am ready to be moving on. I may write more publicly about my impressions of this part of central America when I get a little more distance and can put it in a better perspective. It may be that I was not able to break into the local culture enough to make a valid assessment.

I don’t know what will happen in the future to places like Greenville. These towns don’t exactly look like they are primed for thriving in the future. I don’t see a lot of young people. Maybe when the kids come back to the college in the fall things feel differently. There is an art coop downtown that sells locally made arts and crafts, but that is the only business that I found that was the least bit innovative.

Back to Mahomet!

2009-08-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend with the McMillan clan in Mahomet Illinois. Dennis and Barbara are our friends from the 70s and we have reconnected with them since our returns to the Center of America (see here and here.)

It was a fun time with lots of good food and good friendship. Barb is an artist with so many talents. The flowers and landscaping of her yard is but one of her many endeavors.

We came across this along the Illinois highway. Kind of scary. John said “I wonder what Muslims think when they see that?”

Trees

2009-07-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

(Photos take during a walk around the block in Greenville IL, July 30)
Someone told me that there must be a “Greenville” in every state. I don’t know about that. But I do know that Greenville Illinois is “green”, at least in the summertime.
I suppose I grew up with all these kinds of big trees around me in Kentucky, but I don’t remember noticing them as much as I do this summer in Greenville. The trees are large presences, standing guard at the street and towering over the houses.

The house next door is so shrouded in the shade from these trees that I think it must be cool inside all the time.

Just in the one block around our house there are so many trees, every one different. The really big ones are Elms (I think). There are a lot of them around, each with its own personality. This place must be a sight in the autumn when all the leaves fall.

Even the bark is fascinating and seems to have its own story to tell. Imagining the giant roots going way down into the ground is almost scary.

I think this “twin” is an oak. It feels mighty, indeed.

Every day I get at least one apple from this tree.

Aunt Louise's 95th Birthday

2009-07-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

We were able to get to KY again this year for Aunt Louise's birthday. Isn't she lovely? I feel very fortunate to have been able to be there for her 94th and 95th celebrations. Harry had Mass in the living room the next morning ...

The Honeymoon Suite

2009-07-20T17:48:00.001-07:00

In the house that we are renting there is an upstairs room. We rarely go up there, since it is on a separate air conditioning system, and we really have no need for the extra room. We don't even have access to the stairs going up there unless I go to the front foyer where the mail comes in through a slot in the door. It's not easy to describe the confoluted layout of the house. There's a door from the front porch that goes through a bathroom to the basement.

Jubilee is fascinated with this upstairs room. Whenever I open the door to the front hallway she makes a beeline up the stairs and there's no simple calling her down. She seems to think that this room was made for her!

I sure hope the landlord never sees this blog!

Illinois from the back of a bike

2009-07-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

In order to retain my biker babe status, I joined John today for a road trip. Straight across Illinois on state road 140 there is corn, and more corn for Americans and their animals.

The photos are all taken from the back of the bike. At first I was a little wobbly, but I got confident as we rode along.

We made our way over to Alton. I was glad we didn’t have to stop in Fast Eddie’s again. It’s more of a local site than a real biker bar, anyway.

Instead, we did the river road up to Grafton. The road had been paved since we were here last Fall, all part of the American Recover and Reinvestment Act!

Mississippi River

We had a good lunch at a place called Piasa’s Pub - pulled pork sandwich, Asian cole slaw, chips - and looked around Grafton some.

The Piasa Pub in Grafton

And then we came back ...

Christmas Tree Farm

Cahokia Mounds, part 2

2009-07-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

We spent the better part of the afternoon exploring the Cahokia Mounds.

It reminds me, somewhat, of a golf course, with its perfectly kept expanses of grass. It’s hard to imagine 4000 people per square mile inhabiting this place - 250 people per square mile is the definition of an urban area.

Seeing St. Louis from the top of Monk’s Mound was cool.

The exhibit area is quite comprehensive and impressive.

The diet of the people who lived here consisted of corn, squash, pumpkin, a green leafy plant with black seeds (I can’t remember the name), sunflower seed, and the animals that they could hunt.

Evidently it was not an ideal situation since many of the people were malnourished and their bones show advanced arthritis and gum disease. They used the term, "urban stress".

As usual, I’m interested in the prairie grasses ...

Coming home we passed, again, the Federal Prison just outside of Greenville. I am always sad, seeing this place, and it looked especially grim today. Not the best photo because I took it from the car window and John wouldn't slow down because there was a cop behind us.

The Best Kept Secret in Greenville

2009-07-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Nobody there but me and my European dog. Where is everybody??!! John said today that this is the only town he had ever lived in that didn't have its own watering hole. Maybe we haven't found it yet?

The Weather!

2009-07-17T15:03:00.001-07:00

It is an absolutely gorgeous day. Not at all like a summer day. It is cool! Less than 80 degrees, I think. Not humid at all. The A/C is off. When you’re outside, you just want to exult in it all, both your body and your soul recognize the wonder and specialness of the day.

It wasn’t like this at all when I arrived in Missouri this time last summer. Every day, all the way until October, was HOT. Very hot, like in the upper 90s. There was no break or relief. This summer, except for a week or so of very high temperatures in June, has been relatively cool. What an unexpected treat.

what I've been up to ...

2009-07-15T12:20:00.001-07:00

If you're wondering what I've been up to ...

One of my projects this summer was to make the Jupiter Academy of Music website more professional. I've been the JAM webmaster for a number of years, and though I'm not an official web designer, I know enough to put together basic websites. Well, some competition moved into the area, and they had a big flash-y website. "They're going to put us out of business!" the JAM director histrionically told me. Something had to be done.

I knew that I'd have some spare time this summer, so I told the JAM director not to worry, that I would hone my web skills, and redo the site. Then my trusty old laptop (on the right in the photo above) began dying on my lap. The screen fell off. The power cord frayed. It would overheat and turn itself off every 20 minutes.

I was going to have to get a new computer. I had been lusting for a MAC for a long time, but could never quite justify the expense. Being on the verge of a computer meltdown, and faced with having to buy another PC (and Vista, at that), I decided it was now or never.

I went to the Apple website and ordered a MacBook Pro.

Oh man, is this baby a joy. I love it. Once in hand, I began exploring the website design software made for Macs and settled on RapidWeaver. It took me a day or so to figure out - and I still have a ways to go - but in less than 5 days I redid the JAM website.

Tell me, would you go to the competition after seeing this website?

http://jupiteracademyofmusic.com

Make sure you check out the Piano Camp page. It's my favorite.

I may make a little business out of this!

(I'm still hoping to keep the old laptop alive, since that is where Photoshop is ...)

Cahokia Mounds, part 1

2009-07-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Enroute to Edwardsville (yes, I did get my sparkling water), we went to Cahokia Mounds. I had been wanting to visit this ancient Indian site since we were in Missouri last year.

They were hosting a Native American art exhibit yesterday, so there was a crowd, which I didn't expect.

We were impressed with both the site and the exhibit hall. Huge, huge mounds, comparable to pyramids, around which was built a Native American center with 10-20,000 inhabitants. The wealth rested upon the huge amounts of corn that could be grown and stored. This land has been farmland for a long time.

The largest mound, Monk's mound, is named after some French Trappist monks who farmed on its terraces in the late 1800's.

The rain began just as we were ready to walk around the grounds and climb Monks Mound, so we will have to go back.

Meanwhile, this is what the Japanese Beetles are doing to the grapevine on the back fence.

Little towns and stealing chard and hope

2009-07-12T04:03:00.000-07:00

The little towns that are about 20 miles apart all seem the same. The downtowns consist of a couple of blocks of mostly empty storefronts. There are a couple (or more) antique-junk stores, maybe a Subway and a Curves. There are the usual fast food restaurants on the outskirts of town. An IGA. Everyone must go to the regional WalMarts for things like clothing or houseware items.

Our little town of Greenville has a beautiful college campus - Greenville College, established in 1892. It has been fairly deserted this summer, but in the mornings I see several cars parked along a side street so I know that some classes are taking place. I heard that they offer several online classes. The tennis court gets a lot of action.

On campus, next to the bookstore, there is Jo's Java, a little coffee shop. It is the nicest little place, making the best lattes around. (Forget the things at McDonald's that they call latte.) It is not open much, and there is never anyone there when it is open. I wish that it was open all the time. Maybe when the students come in mid-August. I wonder just where the students congregate in this town other than Jo's.

My neighbors are on vacation this week. I was just getting to know them and I miss them. They are Mennonites (I knew that there was something special about them). The father is a Chemistry teacher at the college. The Swiss Chard in their garden is ready to pick, and I wonder if picking it is considered stealing? Last night I picked 3 of the giant leaves that were beginning to wilt.

I am going to Edwardsville. It is 40 miles away, but I want to go to a grocery store where I can get sparkling water. What an elitist I am. THey have bottled water here - they have bottled water everywhere, even Africa - and they have that awful flavored water that they have the balls to call "vitamin" water. But they do not have clear, clean sparkling water. Like Perrier and Le Croix. I have loved sparkling water since it first appeared in the general American market 30 years ago. What is it about rural America that has to have everything flavored and sugary? Yesterday I got a latte at McDonald's and it was so thick with sweetness I had to give it back. The woman making the lattes said that unless you asked for it to be unsweetened, they put the liquid sweetener (corn syrup??!!) in.

Maybe I just got up too early this morning.

Maybe it is the strange homesickness I feel. It's not exactly homesickness.

Driving through the farmland around here always leaves me a bit bemused. The land is not stark, wild, open like more Western landscapes. Nor is it quaint countryside like you would find in New England, or parts of the South. It is similar to rural Kentucky, but I don't know rural KY that feels quite so, well, Big Farm-ish. Overwhelmingly Farm-ish. Nothing but Farm-ish.

Yesterday I told John that it feels a bit like what I imagine The Ukraine to be like. And I don't know a thing about The Ukraine. I don't even know where the Ukraine is.

And then we saw this ...

On the side of the road a Chinese man from Texas selling Bonsai plants from his truck.

Every bonsai that we have ever owned has died, often very quickly. For awhile now we have vowed not to get another bonsai.

John bought a small bonsai.

Shawnee National Forest etc.

2009-07-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

I’m getting behind.

It’s the land around here that intrigues and sometimes unnerves me. So much farmland. No matter which direction you go, you will drive forever around and through fields of corn or wheat or soybeans. So much growing going on you can almost feel the energy of it. Occasionally I come across fallow land and feel somehow rested by it ...

I never realized Illinois was like this. I knew that when you got west of the Mississippi endless land and sky opened up. Illinois is not endless land and sky, it is farmland. Big Farmland. I’ve heard that the land is rich because of minerals deposited from glaciers during the Glacial Age.

It is summer here now, but not blazing and uncomfortably hot. At least not now. It is curious to find yourself in a place you never had any idea that you would be, and start looking around. Over the weekend we went further south to the Shawnee National Forest. There are a lot of hiking trails, including the River-to-River Trail (Ohio River to the Mississippi River). Supposedly the Indians were pushed westward over this trail.

We hiked the Bell Smith Spring Trail. Jubilee had a few swims in the clear cool spring water, but we did get lost and had to find our way back to the sounds of a bunch of young people whooping it up. This is me coming down the Devil's Backbone.

A really nice young man gave us a ride in his pickup back to where we had parked our car. I am curious about the flag on the back of his truck. Anybody know what it is?

He directed us toward another hike, Millstone Bluff, the site of a pre-historic Indian settlement.

It was a good day of hiking, but we decided it was too far to drive just to hike. We all three came home with ticks, chiggers, and fleas.

The Fourth of July was rainy, but the spirit in Greenville was good.

I love the lilies fronting this house at the corner of our street ...

Wild Garlic

2009-07-01T10:49:00.001-07:00

I always knew that these strange plants (weeds?) growing by our driveway were something. John said that they were onions. After digging one up, I now know that they are wild garlic. I don't know why they are called "wild", other than that maybe nobody specifically planted them there. They are almost like the garlic that I buy in the store, the skin is maybe a little pinker.

I've been using at least one whole garlic every day in my cooking. I wonder if they will get bigger as time goes by, or rot in the ground? I would like to try roasting them.

Illinois farmland

2009-07-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Around the town of Greenville there are large farms. Big field and big sky, locked in a dance of summertime energy. The corn gets taller every day. Large farm vehicles travel on the narrow (lane and a half) roads that weave around these farms.

It feels big to me. Almost like God.

Life in Greenville (continued)

2009-06-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

A cold front moved through and the last 2 or 3 days have been amazingly cooler, not humid, and breezy. If the whole of summer could be like this! These are like our best winter days in Florida.

I hesitate to turn on the radio or TV, because the chatter and noise seems almost a sacrilege to the quietness of the days. Children play on the sidewalks, occasionally a car goes by, but I find that a deep silence predominates in the neighborhood. Maybe it is the big trees. Or that there is no major highway around.

I do my chores, go to Curves and the morning Mass, work on my websites and my story about Florida's Felony Murder Rule. Sometimes I take Jubilee to a nearby park for a hike in the woods, or I go to the pool for a swim. An easy (idyllic?) life. It's hard to imagine that more important things are taking place elsewhere.

This is an outdoor "stove" at nearby Patriot's Park. When John and Jubilee found this back door in the stove, John said: "Hansel and Gretal"?

The Montgomery County Fair

2009-06-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hey, we know her!

Hey, we know them!

summer swimming pools

2009-06-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

The forecasters say that it will be 100 degrees today with a heat index of 110.

Today I took John to the local Greenville pool for noontime "adult swim".

Yesterday I visited my friend, Julia, at New Town in Missouri and we lolled around in the Agave Pool.

Chicago - part 3

2009-06-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

From W. Cornelia, we headed south on Lake Shore Drive to the Hyde Park Art Center.

I had read that the Art Center offered free walking tours of the Hyde Park area on Saturday. But we got there too late. The free walking tours ended at 3pm, and it was about 10 after. We did get a map, which did not include the Obama house, but would I like for it to be designated on the map? Maybe it was just me, but it seemed to me that people made a point NOT to draw attention to this being Obama's Chicago neighborhood. Unlike Crawford, Texas, there were no souveniers shops, nothing to indicate that this was the Chicago neighborhood of the President. Nothing but this sign in Ossama's barbershop.

We made our way down the 6 or 7 blocks to the Obama home, which was blocked by barricades and Chicago police. You could not cross the street, or even walk into the street to get a photo. When I tried to do this, the police man quickly sounded his horn.

From here we meandered over to the University of Chicago. I was trying to find the Frank Lloyd Wright, "Robie Home".

Enroute, we ran into an Oriental Museum, advertizing "Ancient Iraq".

Welcoming the air-conditioning, we were surprised by an incredibly extensive collection of art and artifacts from the Middle East - Persia, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Israel, Nubia. The history of humanity. One display board said that the different tribes corresponded to the different land areas - Kurds in the northern mountain region, Sumerians (or Akkadians) in the dry south - so that when drought (or some other natural weather pattern) affected one area, the people could help each other and/or migrate to the other region. Now there's an idea!

I was drawn to the cunieform writing in the rocks and the mathematics, finding these early attempts to order and make sense of the world to be complex and intriguing.

Finally we made it to the Robie house, which was just a block away from the museum. It was not open, but we could walk around, look in the windows. I was surprised at how big it is. This house must have looked quite "odd" in 1910, when it was finished. It is considered one of the most important buildings in American architecture, inspiring an architectural revolution. Uniquely American, the Robie House is renowned as the greatest example of Wright's "Prairie Style".

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant, then returned to the Hyde Park Art Center for ice cream. I wish I had taken a photo of the ice cream/coffee shop which is adjacent to the Art Center. The best ice cream ever!

apricot jam and next door neighbors

2009-06-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

I love my next door neighbor, Leanne. She and her husband and 3 children live in the house behind us. Niam is almost 6, Eleanor just turned 4, and there is a little baby not yet 1. The parents are always smiling and the children are always talking excitedly, especially Eleanor. There is something different/special about them that I can't quite put my finger on. I suspect that they are (God Forbid) "Christian". They are trying to homeschool the children. I get to know them a little more every day.

Last night Leanne brought over apricots that are falling from her tree. She also brought an easy recipe for apricot jam, so today I made it. It will be really good with yogurt.

Chicago - part 2 (mostly Navy Pier)

2009-06-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

When I saw the sign on the bridge, "La Salle Street", I remembered that I used to work on that street, crossing this bridge in the middle of winter! More about that later.

After the architecture tour we were hungry and hot, and found a good market cafe on Illinois Ave for lunch. We wanted to explore the "Navy Pier", so we walked to the end of the pier. If it had been cooler, or night-time, we would have stood in line to ride on the Ferris Wheel. As it is, that is about the only reason I would ever come back to the Pier. I put it in the "been there, done that" category of things we don't have to do again.

I took this photo of the HOT DOG stand for my good friend, Taylor, who has been in prison (wrongly incarcerated) for more than 16 years. He wanted to know about the Hot Dogs in Chicago. We talk about food a lot.

We headed up Lake Shore Drive to West Cornelia Avenue. On the way we noticed the "Chicago Beach". Whoever knew that Chicago had beaches like this, with volley ball courts and everything. I didn't see anyone in the wather, though. I don't know whether that was because the water was too cold, or dirty or what. It looked pretty clean to me.

Believe it or not, in the winter of 1972 I lived on West Cornelia Avenue, and I wanted to see it again. I was 21 years old, just out of college, and came to Chicago to "be on my own". I knew some people who lived near the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, and after sleeping on their couch for a couple of weeks, moved into the apartment at the corner of W. Cornelia and Broadway. I worked downtown as a statistical analyst at a place called "Crop-Hail Insurance Company". I remember it as a boring job. My roommates on W. Cornelia were different (crazy).

Hard to believe that when I walked this street on my way to the train station, my hair would freeze into icycles!

(to be continued ...)

Chicago - part 1

2009-06-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

The road from Greenville, Illinois to Chicago is a continuous stretch of field and farmland, all of it flat. If there are towns along the way, they are a ways from the road because I didn't see them. There is fast food and gas at the exits. That's all. There are no billboards, but I did notice 3 or 4 "Burma-shave-like" series of small signs from a group advocating the safety of a society that allowed gun ownership. As in: Violent killing - does not happen - where there are guns - and then the URL of a website which I have forgotten. This is Illinois, or at least the highway side of it.

Then there is Chicago. A beautiful city with magnificent skyscrapers, tree shaded streets, parks and museums, people from everywhere, and a big blue lake.

We stayed with our cousins, Robert and Mary Lou, who are a bit west of Chicago in the town of Plainfield. On Friday night we celebrated Aunt Mil's 93rd birthday. Saturday morning we headed into Chicago. Driving in you can see and feel something special about the city rising on the edge of the Lake Michigan.

We parked at Navy Pier, a kind of lakefront amusement park, dominated by a large ferris wheel.
As we were headed over to a boat that would take us on an "architecture tour", who did we run into but Bob Newhart!? John sat down on the couch for a little therapy before we proceeded on.

Then we got on the boat and headed up the Chicago River to see the sites:

Life in Greenville

2009-06-18T09:42:00.001-07:00

I admit that last week was a little rough here in Greenville. I didn't know anyone and I didn't know my way around. I felt lonely and paranoid.This week I've been up and about. Lack of exercise was making me sluggish and despondent, so I joined the local "Curves". I always thought Curves was for old fat ladies, but hey, maybe I'm an old fat lady. The women there are lovely - I've made some friends! If I had looked around more, I would have found a more typical gym out on the outskirts of town, but now that I'm learning the Curves Circuit, I find that I like it.
It was not easy to get past the flag, but I've found my way to morning Mass at the local Catholic Church - St. Lawrence. There are only 9 or 10 people there for Mass in the morning, and most are elderly. They have gone out of their way to welcome me, bringing me a Missal opened to the correct page, and inviting me to stay for the Rosary. The pastor priest amuses me with his cheerfulness and simplicity. I suspect an inner holiness. His daily prayers for world peace and a comment about the military budget being complicit in our country's economic problems help me to overlook the flag.

I discovered the local swimming pool, which is mostly filled with children but has adult swimming from 12-1 and 5-6 every day. "The best kept secret in town", the manager told me. She is absolutely right. I have the pool to myself at noon, and with daytime temperatures in the upper 90s this week, the pool feels like a first class spa! (I'll get a photo of the pool next week.)

All of these discoveries bring me back to my own childhood growing up in a small town in Kentucky - remembering how things were and re-connecting with that part of myself. It is a good thing, perhaps long overdue.

Meanwhile tomorrow we are off to Chicago! Jubilee will stay here with Lalaney, the 15 year old daughter of a woman who works with John. I am so excited I feel like we're going to Europe!

This is a photo of a dog-statue that is on our back steps. Jubilee no longer takes a wide berth around it. John thinks it need to be up here on the blog. I'm not so sure, but here it is.

Sunday Picnic at Coffeen Lake

2009-06-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

We had a picnic at Coffeen Lake today. Yes, that is the power plant where John works. I liked the lake - quiet, with a refreshing breeze coming across the water.

Nice looking car. Who would believe that it is 22 years old (1987 Jeep Cherokee) with almost 220K miles on it?!

Bait ....

More weed photos ...

Oftentimes when we are out and about around here, I remark to John that it seems as if we are the only people on earth. There are houses around, but we never see any people. When we were going down this road, John said, "Do you think this is a road?!"

No one at the church, at least no one alive ...

A lot of land that seems to have a life and spirit of its own ...

stickers and weeds

2009-06-14T04:12:00.000-07:00

Governor Bond Lake and weeds

2009-06-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Last night John took us a couple of miles north to Governor Bond Lake. He tried to catch some fish and Jubilee had a swim. I was interested in the wild flowers (aka weeds).

I have been trying to get my wireless router set up for 2 days. Finally just gave up in frustration. But I do have a fast internet connection now. I'm disappointed in the template designed websites offered at GoDaddy.

The big excitement of the day was getting locked out of the house, then bribing 2 10-year old boys to find a ladder and climb in through a window.

But aren't those weeds lovely? Maybe it is the purpleness that I find so captivating.

Greenville Neighborhood

2009-06-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

This morning it was cool (high 50s?). It starts to get light around 5am, and since John gets up then, I do too, and shortly after Jubilee and I go for a walk.

Surprisingly, there are several people up and about at that hour. I noticed the man across the street sitting on his porch steps, having coffee and a cigarette. He petted Jubilee and I admired the little scooter in his yard. "My daughter loves that scooter more than any of her other toys" he said.

Jubilee and I have not ventured much more than 3 blocks from the house where we are living. For one thing, Jube is skittish about getting too far away and not knowing her way home. We've gotten lost already. The town is small, but we don't know our way around.

It is quiet here. Other than an occasional distant train, there is not much noise other than birds, dogs, and children. There are many young families. I see mothers talking on the sidewalks, and toys are everywhere about.

This (below) is what a typical street looks like. Most every street is shaded with large trees. Certainly not a cookie-cutter suburb. Every house is different.
This morning we made friends with a little girl on a purple bicycle. She wanted to know why I had a camera and why I was taking pictures. After I assured her that it was for fun, she let me take this photo of her grandmother's house. We both like the flags.

Most of the houses are old and restored. This cuppola is on top of the house where the children draw on the the sidewalks. I suspect that they are a family of artists. The rain washed away the last exhibit. I hope to get some photos when the next sidewalk paintings appear.

Three block away is Greenville College. There are expanses of yard there where I let Jubilee run and chase the squirrels. (She almost caught one!) There is an interesting sculpture there that I like ...

At first I thought it was a woman washing Jesus' feet, because of the long hair. It didn't dawn on me that such a scantily clad woman would probably be scandalous ...
In our backyard we have strawberries and soon to be grapes ...

Down the street there is a mulberry tree (I got lots of stains on my white shorts, taking this picture!)...

Lots of summer flowers around ...

pause ...

2009-06-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

My internet connection in Greenville is limited to a Sprint card, and can't handle uploading photos. I should get a stronger DSL connection in the next couple of days.

Arriving in Greenville

2009-06-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Road to Greenville...

I feel like I've gone to sleep and awakened in an alternative universe.

Since getting off of I64, things have been strange. We were the only car on the road. Just Jubilee and I and all of this LAND. Fields and fields of corn and wheat and whatever. A little town called Hope. Then around some corners and this house in Greenville. The photos make it look normal, but believe me, it is not a normal house. For one thing, in the bedroom, the canopy bed fills the whole room, so it feels more like being in a tent than being in a room. Lots of lace curtains and Blessings and American flags everywhere.

John was glad to see us. He had good wine and a good supper. Then we went for a walk. No one out but us. Our own neighborhood in Florida is often like this after supper - we call it Armegeddon.

Photos tomorrow, I promise.

195400

2009-06-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

(pretty dusty dashboard!)

Jubilee and I are on our way.

A long day of driving, mostly in the rain. But the a/c in my car was working (unlike my trip last year), and sometimes was downright cold. When I reached Orlando around noon, the sky was a deep grey which soon gave way to great bolts of lightning and torrential rain. Even with my windshield wipers at full speed, it was hard to know where my lane was. The rain was off and on until we were well up into Georgia.

My speedometer read 195,400 when I left. The car is running well. This is the same car that, a year ago, I swore would never see Florida again. It now looks like this car will see 200K. In fact, it may already be there, being that the speedometer didn't work for several month.

Driving through Florida was the same (and more of the same). I noticed that the "Jesus saves" and "Hell is forever" billboards have been replaced by pictures of 18 day old embryos with beating hearts. I don't understand this Crusade, or the motive that is really behind it. Somehow I doubt that saving babies is the goal.

We crossed the Suwannee River and the Apahapa River in Northern Florida. Seeing these Indian names for the rivers is encouraging. Remembering rather than re-naming.

I had my first McDonald's Latte, and was disappointed. They're probably using inferior coffee or something. It had an ashen aftertaste. Yet it was the same price as Starbucks. The Starbucks on the highway and in the rest stops have disappeared. Hmmm. I'm not sure that this further McDonald-ization of the American highways is good. I always looked forward to getting a good Starbucks Latte while driving.

Also disappointing are the radio stations. NPR is not always easy to find, and everything else is junk.

Here are some photos from a gas stop in Northern Florida. I wish I had bought some fruit.

We traveled about 550 miles straight north. 600 more to go to get to Greenville.

another barn

2009-06-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Illinois Weekend

2009-06-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos that John took over the weekend. He goes over the Tressel Bridge on his way to work. I've labeled the photos just as he did. Looks like he caught some fish. I'm not sure what a "Beer Cup Flag" is ... I love the "Tree in Isolation" photo.

Jubilee and I hope to set out sometime this coming weekend.

Tressel Bridge

Tree in isolation

Summer Corn

Spring Wheat

Grand Mass Stove

Bear Cup Flag

Bass with Crayfish

Barn

Our summer digs in Greenville Illinois

2009-05-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

John has rented this house for the summer. It is in Greenville Illinois. I think it looks like a combination of the house I grew up in, in KY (lots of doors), and the one John grew up in, in NY (the wrap around porch).

This (below) is the inside stairwell. Jubilee is going to be interested (John says that there may be mice). What about that chandelier?

The bathroom has French doors leading into it ...
What an interesting sink!
This is the Living Room (I'll have to bring my piano sheet music) ...
And here is the dining room. Hopefully we'll have visitors and can have some formal feasts!
Finally, photos of the kitchen. Notice that John has his oatmeal on the counter already ...

I'm sure I'll have lots to say about Greenville and the house when Jubilee and I get there. The house was obviously built before the days when everything became square.

The Coffeen Tractor Pull

2009-05-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

Almost forgot the coffeen tractor pull ...

Litchfield Rail

2009-05-10T14:59:00.001-07:00

The railroad that goes thru downtown Litchfield. I think I will try out the Shaw club on Saturday night.

Stacey's Cafe & Ariston

2009-05-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Stacys and the Ariston are the best places to eat in Litchfield and are located on Old Historic Route 66. I had a complete meal for $8.58. Note that is the front door to Staceys.

more stuff on route 66

2009-05-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Obviously taken from the motorcycle ...

Coffeen Lake and Scaffolding

2009-05-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

More images from John ...

Images from Southern Illinois

2009-05-02T15:32:00.001-07:00

John is sending photos from the area (Southern Illinois). I can't quite get my mind around what it will be like to be there, but I'm intrigued. This is where John is working - the Coffeen Coal Plant ...

Here is some of the surrounding farmland ...
This is my favorite:

And then there are sites like this:

Supposedly there is a Federal Prison and a Christian College in the area (they go together, you know). All so very interesting.

Jubilee and I are still shooting to make our trek the last of May.

I would be remiss if I didn't post this photo of the Pontiac. Last November, on our way to Thanksgiving dinner in Mohamet, we noticed an old car place from the highway. On his first weekend in Illinois, John paid it a proper visit.

the town of Metropolis

2009-04-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Another missive and more photos from John in the C of A. (I don't know what state Metropolis is in - Illinois?):

Attached photos of the town of Metropolis on the way to Coffeen. This is where I met the old man that reminded me of Tucker. He had plans to build a Superman theme park. They are having a superman festival in June and are going to try and set the McGuiness book of records for the most superman in costume in one
place.
Two pictures are full resolution, You have to blow them up to get a the right detail. Note slot machines in the gas station store and superman on bathroom door.

"This is no joke ..." (Coffeen)

2009-04-25T04:56:00.001-07:00

This is the latest correspondence from John, who is looking for a place to live. Rather charming, no? I love "This is no joke ..."

"Robin from work gave me a lead on a place to live in Coffeen. This is not a joke see attached picture of one bedroom apartment. Do you think we can get Jubilee up the stairs? I am going to look at it tomorrow. I was told that the last resident would grill on the front portch! Down stairs is a antique store and it is on the main drag of Coffeen."

215537.0

2009-04-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

The worry of unemployment was beginning to weigh on us. John was ready to go, ready to work.
Despite all this, it was a little sad sending him off this morning. The mileage on his 1987 Jeep Cherokee reads 215537.0 He is heading back to the Center of America - Southern Illinois, not far from the place in Missouri where we were last year.

We don't know how long this will last. The plan now is for Jubilee and I to come out in late May or early June.

It feels very quiet and empty around here this Sunday morning.

Eric came over yesterday to help Dad get ready. He and Jubilee enjoyed a nap together ...