Yesterday I worked on our health insurance application for awhile, ate lunch, and then suggested to Ernie that we go on a drive. Honestly, I didn't feel great yesterday but I felt a bit restless, and am trying to get out of the house more. It was a grey day with extraordinarily heavy skies. We headed for Homer Lake. My friend Cheryl had posted beautiful pictures she took out there on Saturday. I think she caught the highest bit of color, but it was still beautiful. The leaves were all shades of yellow, gold, and brown, but the undergrowth was still green, like some kind of fancy flounce on a sleeve. The heavy grey skies seemed to make the whole driver feel more intimate, as though it were just the two of us in this quiet world. We saw a turkey trot out in front of our car, before darting back into the woods with his comrades, and we startled a deer as we drove by the entrance to a trail. We got out and stood and watched the water. Why is it I live in Central Illinois when I love water so much? Well, I love my endless fields as well, so it's ok.
We wandered on, driving through some tiny little towns. Eventually it started to rain so we headed back north toward CU. The black dirt of the harvested fields looked beautiful as we drove. I always remember my mother saying how shocked she was when she moved to the Midwest from New England...because the dirt was so black compared to brown New England dirt. I think of her whenever I admire the black dirt fields.
Leo didn't have class this morning so the three of us headed out to vote. It was mid morning and we didn't have to wait...we rarely do at our polling place. As we left I told Leo how good it felt to vote as a family, and that when Owen turns 18 we will have to vote together as a family at least once. I expected him to roll his eyes, but instead he said quickly, "Oh, of course."
I love my sweet peas so.
Onward, with crossed fingers, and prayers, for the election results.
The drive yesterday did help cheer me up. We headed over to Decatur to check out the Wabash Depot Antique Mall's open house. We drove through the country on county roads to get there, and on the way we drove through Cerro Gordo. I stopped to take a picture of a nice building but I got real dizzy and cut off the top of it so no picture. I took a picture of tree glowing red, and another building that is a lesson in bad window replacements. Then we passed a storefront that had the Don't Tread On Me flag and something else that looked vaguely white supremacist, so we moved along.
We got to he Wabash Depot and managed to get through the whole place without spending any money although I was tempted by a couple things that I didn't need at all. Nice railroad views from the windows and the women's bathroom had great windows, and there was a group of musicians playing old country songs. Such are the small pleasures of life.
After that we just drove around Decatur, with me periodically yelling, "turn left," or "turn right," when I saw something of interest. There were some other antique/flea market kind of things but we were done. Ernie's limping from his leg stuff (come on MRI) and I am hobbling with joint pain...hopefully this new diet will reduce some of my inflammation and help with that all. As Owen said recently, "It's as though you guys were fine, and then you just suddenly got old." I have assured him we both will get better.
Nothing makes me happier than wandering around looking at old building, so it made for a lovely afternoon. I gasped in delight when I saw all these windows looking back at me.
Some more buildings near the train station:
Note the sign that says Illinois Central Freight Station:
And last, but not least, a nice old neon motel sign.
We got home and curled up, reading and computering. I threw together a half assed dinner that turned out pretty good actually. Diced baby bok choy and zucchini (best zucchinis in the world from Farmer Greg) with some curry powder and coconut milk...added some fish sauce, lime juice, and the last of the bay scallops. It needed a bit of sweetness, so we served it over rice, with diced fresh apple on top. Here's a not so beautiful, but tasty bowl that I had for breakfast. Now I'm off to research recipes.
1. Ernie in his happy place: watching Jacques Pepin, a Thanksgiving show no less, and with his foot up, per doctor's orders.
2. I love this woman so much! It was such a treat to see the brilliant and beautiful Melanie Brandabur last night. She thoughtfully not only brought snacks from Watson's, but made sure there were things I could eat. God bless the Vertebrats for giving me such wonderful friends.
3. And here's a Leo in HIS happy place, with his new mixer.
4. And so Dr. Howard came down. Although I'm nostalgically sad to see it go, I know this is needed and is being replaced on the site by a new school, so this doesn't hurt my heart and soul the way the loss of the Burnham Mansion did. Yet still....to have this school that was a big part of our life for years, to be gone...is unsettling.
Earlier in the week above, and below is yesterday.
5. And then there was this little guy. Nobody told him he was off-duty for the season, so went ahead and just re-bloomed. Thank you, sweet little coneflower.
1. I'm trying to take my mind off the School Board's callous and selfish destruction of an important piece of architectural history here in Champaign. Important not just in Champaign, but nationally, even internationally. One of few extant examples of a Daniel Burnham designed residence. FOR A PARKING LOT. This one is really, really tough. Utterly shameful. An embarrassment to what is supposed to be an educated city.
Now to my more cheerful notes:
2. I love my friends. Jonathan thoughtfully sent this picture in case Leo wants to dress like a doughnut again. Oh, the doughnut. Such memories.
3. I found a brand of frozen gluten free pizza that seems pretty wholesome in terms of ingredients, and good enough that I actually didn't believe it was gluten free when I first ate one. I made Ernie go get the box and show me! Against the Grain, out of Vermont, and of course I am a pepperoni girl all the way. Anyway, I love it but sometimes I don't think the middle of the crust gets done enough in our oven. So I turned my research abilities to how to make frozen pizza better, and I found an article suggesting you thaw it and then cook it briefly a super high heat, as you would regular pizza. Freaking brilliant. We let it thaw, then baked it about 10 minutes at 500 degrees. Ernie and Owen refuse to follow suit with their pizzas. Fools.
4. I can not WAIT to post some of Leo's photo's from his train chasing weekend in Minneapolis. It looks like he got some great shots. Gotta wait for him to edit and share, but I'm really proud of him, and his work. He also got to meet up with the friend he went to the Pendulum dj set a few weeks back and they saw a show at the Armory by Mat Zo and Aural Self (I think I got that right, if not, just pretend I did). He said it was intense...but intense good. I'm so happy to see him doing so well. And he got a little sunburned, which makes him look beautiful. Yes, you can imagine the eye rolling I get.
5. How do you know that you have the right therapist's office? When it has zinnias, marigolds, and EGGPLANT growing outside the front door.
6. Bob's adoration of Ernie has advanced to the point that he no longer rubs his head on Ernie's hands or legs. Instead he climbs up on the couch and rubs his head directly against Ernie's head. It's slightly embarrassing, although endearing.
January seems to drone on. The weather cycling from subzero to spring keeps one off balance, and despite some of the warm days, I have been in strict home mode. We're almost through our whole winter's supply of firewood. We'll have to splurge on more as I seem to be somewhat addicted to having a fire in the fireplace of late. Work, home, sometimes a doctor's appointment, sometime a stop at Fries and Peanuts, that's the rhythm of winter days I guess. I'd wanted to get to Nashville over break or sometime this month but it doesn't look like that will happen. Cyril's a bit under the weather so no pictures of him to delight me. When I leave work now however, it is once again light so the earth is still moving along, and the seed catalogues are arriving in the mail. Sometimes I feel as though I am standing apart from it all, watching life speed along.
Glad to see that the fire wasn't worse at the church at University and State last night, I hope the damage isn't too great. The Burnham Mansion sits like a lump in the bottom of my stomach. I'm afraid to be hopeful, so I try to keep it buried and not think about it. I've always been good at denial. Despite trying to not think about it, I am glad to see the School of Architecture at Illinois finally making a statement about it on Facebook, at the very least:
Did you know that the Burnham Mansion, the notable Champaign, IL monument designed by famed Chicago architects Daniel H. Burnham (the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition campus, the Flatiron Building in New York, Washington D.C.'s Union Station) and John Wellborn Root, is one of only *10* remaining Burnham and Root-designed homes in the U.S.!
It also also represents the architectural patronage of one of Champaign’s most prominent historical families, Albert and Julia Burnham (no relation to the architect).
However, the Burnham Mansion, now owned by Champaign School District Unit 4, is slated for *demolition* ahead of the much-needed renovation and expansion of Champaign’s Central High School (specifically, the Burnham Mansion’s lot will be used for flat-top parking). It must be possible to both preserve the Burnham AND have a modern, innovative space for Central. 11,000 people, including architect Daniel Liebeskind, have signed a petition to the School Board asking them to find a way to save the Burnham Mansion and other historic Champaign homes while still advancing the needs of Champaign’s students.
Yesterday was a pretty wretched day. I mean, I've certainly had worse. Nobody died, nobody got diagnosed with cancer, nobody wandered off and got lost in the haze of Alzheimer's, nobody ended a long friendship, no ambulances were called. See? There's been worse. But hurtful things were said to me that, well, hurt. And sometimes you realize that there's no core of friendship to cushion the hurt and that's sad. When you slowly realize that someone just doesn't particularly like you, it's unsettling. God knows I don't think everybody likes me. Believe me, that has been proven PALENTY of times, in a number of ways (see I've-had-worse-days above). I guess it's good to be kicked around a bit now and then....keeps things in perspective, but it wasn't the best day for it. Bad timing.
Then, of course, I was saddened, although not surprised, at the vote on the Burnham Mansion. So we will destroy a nationally significant structure for a parking lot...for 20 cars I'm told, although I'm not sure if that's exact. And the belief that one old building is the same as another old building by reasonably intelligent, educated people kind of blows my mind.
I got home from work, cried, drank a glass of wine, and then headed off to the City Council meeting. I did my little speech although I was as shaky as hell. Sometimes I'm ok at public speaking and sometimes I'm not. About three hours later, they voted and we went home. I had another glass of wine and ate some Japanese rice crackers for dinner.
Earlier, a friend had said, while encouraging me to go to the meeting, "Your father would be proud of you." Yeah, she knows how to get to me. And that did make me smile and think of him. I thought about when we would go visit my folks when the boys were little. We would come in the front door and my parents were usually in the back of the house sitting in the kitchen. Owen would race through the house bellowing hello to them, and run and hug them. Leo would hang back shyly and smile at them. When it was time to go, Owen would run to the car, yelling goodbye over his shoulder. Leo would go to each of them and give them sweet, careful hugs and tell them he loved them. So different, those two boys. Last night, when I got home from work, Owen galloped down the stairs and wished me luck and read my statement and told me he loved me. Later when we left, both boys yelled downstairs, "Good luck Mom." When Ernie and I got home somewhere after 10:00 Owen was already asleep, but Leo came down and sat with me, read my statement, told me it was well-written, told me he was sorry, and hugged me, and then he just sat with me.
Those two boys. So different and yet so alike in their love and goodness.
Interestingly enough, I made it through the entire election cycle without a hint of discord on my Facebook page only to have it erupt over the Burnham Mansion...and got unfriended in the bargain. Life's a puzzle, eh? That is NOT how I want my support of this building to be seen. I think it is wrong for this building to be destroyed, particularly for surface parking. However I have dear friends, whom I think the world of, that are on the other side of the issue and I understand their points and respect them. I wish it had not come down to an either/or proposition....either you support education or you support preservation. That's the biggest point I wanted to make. I want to stand up for the role of history and historic architecture, and the important local, regional, and national significance of this structure. I want to stand up for this so next time this happens...perhaps the issue can be considered at a time when creative thinking and alternatives could make a difference.
Oh, and the news said 'dozens' of people...it was actually between 75 and 100 folks.
Onward. TONIGHT! Bill Chambers and Arna Georgia---Australian country music at the Sandwich Life. There is still space available....just yell if you want to join us.
For those of you who are part of the CU community, I would ask you to join us for this protest. Don't get caught up in thinking 'this won't work so I won't bother.'
This is a STATEMENT.
Whether the house goes for a parking lot or not, it is important to make our voices heard that buildings such as this one add VALUE to our community. This really is not just about the Burnham Mansion...it is about making sure those in power understand that people care about preservation and historic architecture, and that these are important, vital issues. If the thought of this building being replaced by a parking lot makes you sad, say so, with me.
For this building to go without an outcry is an insult to our community.
I ask you as a friend, to please join me. It would mean the world to me.
For more thoughts on this issue, please see my previous post.
Rally at the Burnham House
603 W. Church, Champaign
Thursday, November 30th, 4:30-5:30!
We must stay on the sidewalk on Church and Lynn sides. Feel free to bring signs, but especially, enthusiasm!
I'm being told it's a lost cause, that there's no way to fight it, it's a done deal. But you know, I stand up for what I believe. I don't do it perfectly, but I try my hardest to do it as best I can, and as honestly.
I voted for the school referendum 'to keep Central central.' However I didn't vote for one of the most significant houses within the city of Champaign to be torn down for a parking lot. For a Burnham and Root home, of national significance, to be a parking lot is ludicrous. I believe we should fight to save Burnham Mansion. Click here to read the landmark nomination for this structure.
The referendum stated:
Shall the Board of Education of Champaign Community Unit School District Number 4, Champaign County, Illinois, alter, repair and equip the Central High School Building, build and equip additions thereto, and acquire and improve the site thereof; improve facilities at Franklin Middle School, Spalding Park, and McKinley Field; alter, repair and equip the Centennial High School Building and build and equip additions thereto; demolish the existing Dr. Howard Elementary School Building and build and equip a new Dr. Howard Elementary School Building on that site; alter, repair and equip the South Side Elementary School Building and build and equip an addition thereto; alter, repair and equip the International Prep Academy Building and build and equip additions thereto; alter, repair and equip the Edison Middle School Building and build and equip an addition thereto; and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $183,400,000 for the purpose of paying costs thereof?
I don't like Dr. Howard being torn down but I accept it. And I knew that adding and repairing Central High School would entail property loss within the area. Given that there are a number of properties in that area that are non-contributing to the historic nature of the neighborhood, or of much, much less significance, I didn't think it would actually come to pass that the Burnham Mansion would be destroyed. I couldn't believe a city that has been mandated by its own legislation to identify and support historic preservation would allow this to happen. And I put that on the City, not the School Board.
Both the City and the School Board knew well before the referendum that this property was historically significant. Landmarks Illinois listed it as one of the most endangered properties in the state in spring of 2016. Here is the article in the GOP caucus that reported on the press conference that day in April 2016.
I understand those that say it's too late, but you know what? If you fight for this, you are not just standing up for this nationally significant historic work of architecture, rich in community history and a core element of a historic neighborhood, you are standing up for the NEXT building that will be threatened. If you believe in the value of historic architecture to our community, then you must fight for this building. Perhaps it will be for naught...but next time an important building is threatened, perhaps the quick and easy excuse of, "well, nobody said anything about it," won't be so easy to use. THAT is important. THAT is vital. THAT is needed.
If you believe in the historical, cultural, sustainable and irreplaceable role of history in our community. You must stand up for the Burnham Mansion. Stand up for this because it's the right thing to do, and so the City and the School Board recognize the strong support for these values.
Stand up NOW to send a message for TOMORROW.
No matter where and who you are...please contact the City Council members. It is up to them on December 5, 2018. See below for contact info.
History OVER parking lots! Burnham and Central can coexist together. Save the 1884 Burnham & Root designed Burnham Mansion.
Contact Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen Email: Deb.Feinen@champaignil.gov Office Phone: 217-403-8720 "She has a passion to serve her community and to make Champaign a great place to live, work, play and stay."
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