Blog Archives
reading (with Abe)
Of course, when you are in the Land of Lincoln you’ve got to expect a lot of Abe-related stuff.
In addition to the giant covered wagon with book-reading Abe, there is a marker downtown commemorating the time in 1853 when our boy Abe christened the town (just named Lincoln!) with watermelon juice. (“From a cup,” according to the ever-helpful EZ Route 66 Guide for Travelers.)
And both of these things illustrate why you need to get off the damn interstate and look around in these little towns.
Lincoln, Illinois
July 2, 2022
misericordia
The church doors were locked, so all I could do was peek inside through the window.
There were lots of tiny items of interest, but my favorite thing was the word “misericordia” on that poster. It’s a lovely word and fun to pronounce, with a nice rhythm to all of those syllables.
St. Paul Catholic Church
Odell, Illinois
July 1, 2022
if the shoe fits
If you want to make your brain work hard, try to convince it that the shoe is a normal, human-foot size and everything else is really quite small. And who’s to say that’s the real situation here?
Wilmington, Illinois
July 1, 2022
the wet day
“That rain had been festering all day.” -a thing our waitress said to another customer over at the Joliet Route 66 Diner in downtown Joliet.
(One more reason why I love to listen to people talking. Once, in a different diner in a different town, I heard the cook announce she was going outside to smoke “a piece” of a cigarette.)
Joliet, Illinois
July 1, 2022
Saint Anthony
I don’t know that I have ever seen a hospital advertisement on a bridge. It did make me wonder about the safety of the road ahead – like maybe if you got in a wreck, you’d remember that the last thing you’d seen said “Saint Anthony Hospital” and you’d be coherent enough to tell the EMS that was where you wanted to be taken.
And on another note, that bridge itself looks like it might need some kind of medical attention.
Chicago, Illinois
July 1, 2022
PS: This was made from the passenger seat. In case you were worried.
