Reunion with College Roommate Jane

The next morning I packed up the camper and headed off to Normal, Illinois. I was thrown off a bit by having to backtrack so far into Arkansas in order to pick up U.S. Highway 55, but did regain my bearings and headed north. I thought the highway sign showing the exit to Braggadochio, Missouri was a keeper.

I arrived at Jane's "ranch" outside Carlock, Illinois by late afternoon. Jane had planned enough activities to fit into a week. But we settled on all three of us (me, Jane and her husband Bryan) going to a new craft brewery called DeStihl in Normal. It was huge with a big wall of glass behind which were all their gleeming brewing (and other) tanks almost like artwork. We discovered that they did not serve dinner on the night we were there, but we did have some excellent beers. And of course some excellent conversation.

We settled on an eclectic restaurant that I cannot remember the name of. I had an excellent Thai curry. Jane and I cyber-stalked my favorite old boyfriend from the 1970s. A good time was had by all. Well, maybe not her husband Bryan.

The next day Jane and I headed out to Springfield, Illinois to finish up the tour of the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum that we started during my Great National Retirement Tour. We got there a bit late last time and did not have time to finish the tour. We stopped first to have a chat with Old Abe in front of his Kentucky log cabin home. Last time we did do the whole tour of his log cabin, his childhood, and early young adult life, so we skipped that this time.

We headed into the White House to do the Presidential years tour. First stop was having a spot of tea with Generals McClellan and Grant. I have to admit to being a Ulysses Grant fan myself, so would not be much good in moderating their debates. McClellan does wonderfully look like a self-righteous stuff-shirt and Grant does wonderfully look like the bellicose guy who could down all the whiskey Lincoln sent him.

The tour started with Mary Todd Lincoln's famous Black seamstress Elizabeth Keckley, who has been portrayed in several movies and theater plays. It progressed thru Lincoln's debates with Stephen Douglas, his Presidential campaigns, his cabinet, the Civil War, and ended up with this fabulous display of a whole bunch of talking heads giving Lincoln conflicting advice about freeing the slaves to give a flavor of what Lincoln as President was hearing from the country, and ends up with him standing alone at his desk having just signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Very moving!!! We took in the revolving display in the center, which was all about Christmas at the White House thru the years. I most enjoyed seeing the family Christmas photos of the Eisenhowers. Then we vamped in front of the giant Christmas tree, picked up some T-shirts in the gift shop, and headed back to Bloomington for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant there.

The third day was spent lounging around the house and reading on my part. Jane was a busy girl; she had a regular meeting to go to and her chickens to tend. She picked out some colorful eggs to send with me to my Cousin Peggy's house in Rock Falls. The three of us - me, Jane, and her husband Bryan - all went out to eat at a trendy new Asian fusion restaurant in Bloomington called Anju Above. I have taken too long to write this blog, but I think I had a sushi roll and some steamed dumplings. I do remember that the food was superb! I have a sneaky suspicion that Bryan is a true foodie. The next morning I got on the road to Rock Falls.