Have been back from the Road Trip for awhile, however, my re-entry into regular life has not been a smooth one.....besides the stacks of mail, (including another love letter from the IRS) we have two rental leases up, working on a flip house, my mom and her dog are staying with us, we prepare for Steve's surgery, been some nasty snarky personalities and misunderstandings going down and have not even mentioned the laundry, shopping, ironing....sigh....I must remember this as I go through this intense time.....
Everything you see in the outer world has an inner meaning. At the heart of every experience, every situation, every circumstance, there is an invisible truth. The true, hidden meaning represents the activity of Spirit. You are ever unfolding, being guided, pushed, and prepared for the next part of the process.
Our wonderful road trip started with Steve and I flying into Chicago to see our precious nephew and his family. They live in a wonderful 80 year old brick classic bungalow style Chicago home. They have been there about a year and it was fully renovated prior to their moving in. Very modern and the attic is the master bedroom and nursery, main floor the family and dining area, kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a great basement man cave and bedroom, bathroom and laundry where Steve and I stayed. We visited here a few days and did the Chicago tour thing Wrigley Field, Miracle Mile/Michigan Avenue, State Street, etc. (I have been going to Chicago for the past 30 years and never tire of the places I go)
This is their most precious new addition.....she is a sweetie....only sorry I did not get a family picture - they are a very adorable family and he has a beautiful wife. I got lots of baby snuggling time in and loved it....
This is their sweetest of sweet pit bull who never barked and would love you to death. She loved sitting on the stoop as much as we did.
This is their next door neighbor Vince who we would chat with as we sat on the stoop every morning and night. He is a Jimmy Cagney type Vietnam Vet who has lived in this house for 60 years and it was his parents before his. He invited us over and showed us around and it was like a time warp. His mom and dads bedroom looks like the day them moved in, with her jewelry box on top of the dresser, same lamps, dresser scarf, pictures and even the coat she bought in 1957 hanging up! He has a young 'lady friend' who looks to be moving in and I am sure will rock his world and this museum. It has the original sink and fridge and even his model airplanes he built as a kid still on the shelves. I drooled over some of the furniture and nostalgia however it needed some major TLC. He is a great guy and we enjoyed getting to know him. Every morning I would walk the streets and just enjoy the architecture - so different from So. Cal cookie cutter houses....on this street alone I saw American 4 Square, Brick Flat, Chicago Cape Cod, Craftsman, Workers Cottage, Goth Revival and Stick Victorian. Loved this area; did not love the traffic into town and gas at about $5.00 a gallon!
One day we went just around the corner from our nephew's house and shopped at a Thrift store. It is in a very Polish neighborhood like several areas of Chicago suburbs that are ethnic centric. I asked the lady at the check out if there were any other stores around and she said, oh yes, right across the street at the Snow Removal shop - she has lots of things in there. So we ventured across the street and I noticed this stork and nest like we saw all over Poland when we were there....it was charming to see.
We went in and met this wonderful lady and her family. This lady is a dynamo....she settles Estate sales, buys out Moving Sales, sells on ebay, goes to swap meets, runs a snow removal system and a hundred other things. I wish I could do half the things she does. She had her beautiful daughters helping her that day - her energy was amazing. She welcomed us in and said 'head to the back room and make a pile of what you want and we will come up with a price, if you don't see what you are looking for, just ask!'
At this point I was having an 'American Pickers' moment. It was freakin amazing! She had rooms and rooms and rooms like this below. She had everything from comic books to old games to crystal lights to guns and vintage fishing gear - I loved every minute of this visual overload.....
I was able to find this treasurer for Kristen who has wanted one for so long!
This is my bounty....a transistor radio like I had when I was 6, a Monopoly game from the 1930's with wooden houses and wooden players (for Adam) vintage postcards from the 1940's, this great little suitcase that I will use for dinner vignettes, and of course an Eyewitness book for the boys....it was so so so fun and I would love to go back again. I wanted to stop at so many Thrift Stores and did get to do a few....some day I will go back and stop at all the ones that I passed by and longed for :)
We left Chi Town and headed to Springfield to revisit Mr. Lincoln's home....it is always fun to see and the estate and state have done a superb job of keeping it pristine and open free to the public with wonderful park rangers guiding the tours and the entire area has many homes that you can also view.
The inside furnishing are largely from the Lincolns with other pieces true to the period added and well documented. This is the room where he was asked to be president and also where he wrote many of his works....that is his rocker and being such a tall lanky guy I think the only chair in the house that would have fit him!
Mary Todd's kitchen and the stove she bought....not sure how much time she spent in here....I think she was modern enough to plan but not do!
The famous rug in the house....they warn you and abhor you from stepping on the rug so much that it is almost a mockery and just to be a rebel I had to inch my toe on it and send this picture to my cousin Biz who is well aware of the rug bashing that goes on here!
Love Abe's hall tree and where he would hang his hat after a long day of lawyer and politicking!
Another thing they rave about is how a sign of wealth in the 1800s was to pool your drapes, showing that you are so wealthy you can afford fabric to lay on the floor from your window....Mary was really into this!
Lincoln sighting aka Steve in the gift shop....
By where we parked was a Civil War Reenactment...we did not have time to see much however lots of costume pieces, tents set up, etc....
And look who we saw crossing the street heading home! Mary and Abe!
They were really 'in character'. I told Mary we had just been to her house and she said 'What - you were at my home when I was not there!' and Abe was kind of gentlemanly....I said, 'I really like your costume!' and he said, 'Well, I really like your costume, it becomes you'....lol
So we bid them adieu and off to see Lincoln's tomb....I just did not have the heart to tell Abe what happened to him and where our next stop was.....
Another place they have done an amazing job keeping up....love this tragic history of Abe and what all happened in trying to secure his final resting place. So man documentaries on it and here is a brief history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Tomb
So paid our respects to the Lincoln family and headed south to Dixie! More later.....
