The Sandwich Life

Random Notes: Ernie's Gone Edition

1. I don't sleep better with Ernie gone, but I DO love using ALL the pillows. I think I need to buy more pillows before he gets home.

2. I watch a lot less tv, including news. I have mixed feelings about the news. I've always been a news kinda girl. Even in the days before the internet, I read multiple papers a day. And with the news as wretched as it is...it feels good not to watch...but that's not healthy either. So I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but...it's a thing. 

3. I will note I'm slowly finding my way back to watching the news courtesy Alabama.

4. I've been reading more books, but they have been of decidedly low quality. I guess I just want fluff because I miss him? Does that make sense?

5. He drove around and took pictures of signs for me today, while Leo finished up some school stuff (first year of college...#DONE....look I made a Big Boy joke!) and I decided I could not possibly love him more.

6. This sign was one of my favorites. It's from Rock Springs, Wyoming, but they are off to Rawlins today.

A bit of info from the National Register Historic District application:

The building was constructed in 1909 by A.T. Chalice and housed a jewelry and candy store. The rear portion contained the 250-seat Lyric Theater, later called the Oracle. In 1924, the Rex Amusement Company acquired the building and converted the old Oracle theater into a modern facility with 600 seats, elaborate fresco and mural decorations, and an electric sign that still hangs from the building. The upper story served as the Rex Hotel. The Rex Optical and Jewelry Company moved into the building in 1926. The company had a prominent, distinctive sign with a pair of eyeglasses placed on the roof of the building (if only they were still there).

The building later housed the J.J. Newberry and Company 5 and 10 Cent Store. The building was remodeled in 1941, probably to accommodate the J.J. Newberry store. The 1924 neon sign was retained and the word "Theatre" changed to "Hotel." Everything above the street level appears to be original. 

The sign has opal glass lettering, a sign style that was a precursor to neon. The neon would have been added later. Really wonderful, wonderful sign. Look at that detail.

7. Only 8 1/2 days till my babies are home.

Onward.

Hidden in the Open

Driving back from Iowa we came across this beautiful little church not far from Peoria. I was mesmerized. Ernie, not so much. I kept saying, "Isn't it beautiful?" and he finally said, "I don't have to love everything you do Cynthia." I took this to mean he was getting tired of stopping and just wanted to get home. So off we went. But, it IS beautiful. And I never would have dreamed there was an 1830's Catholic church in the area. So many things hidden out there...

On Saturday, August 24, 1839, the Peoria Register and North-WesternbGazeteer carried the following story written by Samuel H. Davis, editor and publisher.

At the West end of Kickapoo Town the corner stone of a Catholic Church was laid a few weeks ago, and the building is now in the progress of erection. We understand that the donors felt encouraged to enlarge the design since the work was commended, and that the building when completed will be of most respectable dimensions. We are under the impression that there are very few persons of this religious denomination among the settlers in that township, though we doubt not that the erection of this house of worship will be the means of drawing together a considerable society.

According to St. Mary's in Kickapoo, which later absorbed St. Patrick's:

The ground for the church, and for the cemetery that surrounds the church, was donated by William Patrick Mulveny, a native of Dublin, Ireland. The grave of Mr. Mulveny lies just a few feet South of the church. Men and women of Kickapoo built the church. Timbers were hand hewed and pegged. The sandstone was quarried near Joliet, Illinois and hauled to Kickapoo by oxen cart. The men laid the stone while the women mixed the mortar.

St. Patrick’s Church remained the only Catholic Church in the area until 1861. At that time the German Catholics purchased a former Episcopalian Church in the Village of Kickapoo. This became St. Mary’s Church. Mass was offered in both churches until 1921 when the present St. Mary’s Church of Kickapoo was built. The two parishes were then combined and Mass was no longer offered in St. Patrick’s Church on a regular basis. St. Patrick’s Church was, more or less, abandoned and allowed to deteriorate until the early 1960’s.

At that time the Bishop Rosati Council, Knights of Columbus, in cooperation with several other Knights of Columbus Councils in Central Illinois, requested permission from Bishop John B. Franz, then Bishop of Peoria, to begin a restoration program for the church. In granting permission, Bishop Franz wrote the following words of encouragement. “It is gratifying to know that the Bishop Rosati Council, No. 5034, Knights of Columbus is willing to sponsor this project by soliciting the cooperation of K. of C. Councils throughout the Peoria Diocese in an effort to raise the necessary funds, I readily endorse this project and wish you every success in your efforts.” With these words of encouragement the work was begun.

While no one had to “handhew” timber or “quarry” for stone in the restoration program, it did involve many hours of backbreaking labor for the men of the area who volunteered their time and talent. The restoration program took three years and two months to complete. A rededication ceremony was held on the Feast of All Saints, November 1, 1964.

Today, the church still stands as a tribute to those who brought the faith to this part of the world, and to those who for thirteen decades have preserved the faith for the present generation in the Kickapoo Area. Perhaps the spirit that moved the pioneers to build the church in the 1830’s and which inspired their descendants for many generations to worship in the church; and, which encouraged the local residents in the early 1960’s to restore the church to its original state, is best reflected on the stones in the cemetery that surrounds the church. The weather-worn tombstones record the pious sentiments of the bereaved and thoughts of humble resignation and trusting faith. Through these messages cut in stone the pioneers speak to us now separated in time by many generations.

Louis Sullivan: Three Down, Five To Go

A few years back, when Ernie and I were in Cedar Rapids on our Lincoln Highway Bridge trip, we had a drink (it was too pricy for dinner) at a restaurant in one of Louis Sullivan's Midwestern banks. It was dark so I didn't get any good outside pictures, although one of the interior is nice. A few months back when we were in Lafayette, Indiana, I had come across another Sullivan bank, so my interest was piqued a bit. When we decided to take an extra day last weekend, on our Pre Big Boy Jaunt, looked at the map and decided we could do Grinnell. It ended raining all day and my backroads didn't turn up too many treasures, BUT it was well worth it. By the time we got there the Spring weather had disappeared, the rain was turning to snow and the wind was fierce. Unfortunately, it's not open on the weekend, so the interior will have to wait for another time. Absolutely stunning building. No wonder they are called jewel boxes.

 

On our way home we were driving through Cedar Rapids, so we stopped so I could take pictures in daylight. Not the easiest building to photograph, and rather forboding, but still stunning.

So, as is typical of me, I'm now obsessed with seeing the rest of his banks. Three down, five to go! 

 

Day Two of the Big Boy Jaunt

On Day two we wandered through some of eastern Iowa. My route ended up not being terribly successful, but we did come across a few things. It was gray and rainy throughout, but we didn't mind.

I loved this still-functioning store in the middle of nowhere. My favorite thing? When you zoom in on the second-floor window and see the name of the dentist. Dr. Fear.

We stopped in Grinnell (more about that later) and then headed for our evening destination of Cedar Falls. The temperature had dropped; the rain had turned to snow and the winds were fierce, so we didn't get out when we came across the stately old hotel, but grabbed a quick picture.

Then the weather made us decide 'no more stops' and we headed into Cedar Falls.

Onward.

Day One of the Pre Big Boy Jaunt: Fort Madison, Iowa

After we left sad, quiet little Stillwell we meandered through western Illinois, stopping here and there for pictures. Our destination was Fort Madison, Iowa. Owen and I had driven through there some years ago and liked it, and I'd found a really reasonably priced historic hotel overlooking the Mississippi. Sometimes something labeled 'historic' reads expensive, but this was absolutely perfect, historic indeed, but not too precious, and not too expensive, no more than you'd pay for a chain motel. I highly recommend Kingsley Inn. We had a big room with arched windows overlooking the very high river. We wandered around downtown a bit, had a drink in the bar of the hotel, and eventually curled up in our delightful room with dinner. The trains ran by in front of the hotel seemingly constantly but they weren't too loud and the sound made me happy. We woke up to a grey rainy day. We went to the Fort Diner for breakfast because it just seemed the thing to do. I had steak and eggs, no eggs, with hashbrowns. Not a perfect breakfast but you work with what you got. Life is odd but you figure it out as you go, right?

We wandered on in the rain. 

It really wasn't that dark in the restaurant, but I like how the camera decided seeing the river was more important than seeing the interior. I agree, camera, I agree.

I loved the color of the table, Ernie's shirt, and the blue cup all went together. That, and the way you can see where so many knees have worn the counter.

Wandering

The truck pulled up next to me. "Do you know that building?" the man asked.

"No," I said, "I just like taking pictures of old buildings."

He nodded his head and was quiet. I asked him what it used to be. "The back was the bank, and the front here was a store. It was the whole center of town." He paused a minute, then said,  "It was built in 1913. It needs a lot of work. I've had it about fifteen years and it just keeps going down. I was in a car accident and I'm lucky to be alive." I said, "We all are, we all are," and he nodded in agreement. We chatted for another minute. I thanked him for telling me about it. He drove off, and I kept taking pictures.

Across the street, next to a well-kept house.

And down the street. Other than this there were a street or two of houses and trailers. Stillwell, Illinois. We drove on a gravel road to get to it. Ernie's not always thrilled with my routing.

The only living thing we saw, other than the woman who asked Ernie if he needed help as he was waiting in the car for me, and my friend that I chatted to, was this creature.

People and Fear and Notre Dame

I spent a lot of time thinking about Notre Dame when I couldn't sleep last night. Why I couldn't sleep I don't know, as I'd been up to almost 3:00 am the night before (and I'm an early to bed girl) waiting for Owen and Ernie to get home from the Aaron Lee Tasjan show, but after a couple of hours of sweet sleep, I lay awake for several more hours, and this is what kept wandering through my mind.

I read a few comments, some more thoughtful than others, about why there was such collective mourning and grief over a 'thing' such as Notre Dame when there are so many actual humans that are in danger and under threat. I must admit the same thing crossed my mind when I experienced that sudden rush of astonishment and horror when Ernie came home and told me the news. Why don't I get this same feeling of horror when I hear about humanitarian issues. Not that I'm not horrified, to differing degrees, by these issues, but there was a difference in my response.

I think the destruction (although thankfully not total) of a Notre Dame, a thing, is easy to grasp. Now, certainly, there may be more complicated cultural issues that are more difficult to contemplate, but the actual threat and danger and loss are clear. The dangers and threats to humans can be more complicated, clouded by so many different political and cultural norms. I remember when my sister was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, one person responded to me immediately with, "Oh well, did she eat meat?" Now I don't discount dietary dangers, etc. regarding the development of cancerous cells, but it was an amazingly callous and thoughtless response. I remember precisely where I was standing in my front yard when he said that. It was someone who was callous and thoughtless in other ways, and nobody I know now. I still recall my resultant rage at that comment though. I worked my way through it and realized that it was a simple human response of, "that's bad for you, and I'm sorry, but that could NEVER happen to me." And that I think is the difference in our response, the horror of Notre Dame burning can't happen to us, so it's easy to clearly feel the grief, and common grief, such as this one that was felt across the world, can be comforting in the way it brings people together. So I think it is two different responses, and it's ok to be horrified and united in your grief about this landmark; it in no way means you don't care about dangers and issues regarding humans just as much, and more.

And that's what I thought about when I couldn't sleep.

Onward. More about the Aaron Lee show later.

Sunday Morning Coming Down

I continue. No pictures of the band because between my phone and the huge guy in front of me, they wouldn't do them justice.

Lots more to write and say and think about Friday and Saturday...it will come, but not yet.

Lori, who I met Friday evening, please find me on Facebook (if you like)!

Onward.

Walking back to the hotel, after the show. It was warm and smelled a bit wet from some rain that must have come down while we were in the show. It was perfect.

 

There was something nice about peering at the marquee from under the el. I haven't spent much time in the Loop in ages. It felt good.

 

Our hotel room was tiny, almost filled by the bed, but when I lay down I could see the Carbon and Carbide building. I took a picture when I got there and peered out, and then took a bunch more when I was lying in bed after the show. My friend Ceal thought that was very funny, but it seemed perfectly reasonable to me.

Glad to have this rainy, quiet morning. It was an intense week for a lot of different reasons, and I need this time to de-escalate a bit. 

 

 

Day Two of the Jaunt

My food cheating this week, both the kind that I knew right off wasn't worth it, and the kind that felt worth it at the time (and still feels a little bit worth it) have played havoc with me, and I feel lousy. I am, as I said in the past, a fragile little ecosystem. I guess it's a matter of checks and balances as I'm back on the straight and narrow now. A learning process. It's not that I don't want to keep learning....but couldn't I choose the lessons? No? Huh.

Back to the rest of our most recent jaunt. After our night in Cuba, Missouri we headed back toward St. Louis. We stopped in Belleville, which turned out to be an appealing town. 

We drove up a road toward Alton. The changes in the area were extreme....going from a seemingly healthy downtown of Belleville to areas that just seemed devastated with empty, decaying buildings, to a congregation of strip clubs to emptiness. 

We turned off and headed down another road toward Alton.


Alton was nice...it had a nice little downtown and we found an Irish bar we loved (Morrison's), but I didn't love the building stock like I do in some river towns. We wandered around, took a few pictures. We stopped at Fast Eddie's Bon Air bar because I remembered seeing it on that Food Network Alton Brown special in which he visited Mississippi river towns. Suffice to say it was much more appealing in the show. Not a friendly place, and although I loved the overhang over the bar that showed scenes from cities, it had the unfortunate effect of making you look up and then all I could see was the incredibly thick dust hanging from the gridwork of the ceiling. As anyone who comes to a house concert knows, I am, ahem, not a clean freak, but even I have standards. Eh, it was ok, but wouldn't bother going back.

Our hotel couldn't compete with the Wagon Wheel, but it was nice. We grabbed some dinner from the restaurant and took it up to our room. The next morning we took a few more pictures as we meandered home. As always, there came a point when Ernie whimpered "we're never going to get home," so we got back on the interstate and zoomed home.

These trips do me good.

 

66 Jaunt

We did another short little jaunt this week. Ernie had been reading a Route 66 book, so we kind of got the bug. We made a reservation at the iconic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri and headed down. We thought about stopping at Ariston Cafe for lunch, but their sign is in the shop being fixed and we weren't really hungry yet....and it looked busy so I didn't feel guilty. We took the Interstate through St. Louis and then got off onto old Route 66 outside of town. The day was gorgeous....finally blue skies in my photos!

Look at my beautiful Ernie.

We got to Cuba and drove around a bit before settling into our motel. We had a drink at Frisco's which was lovely...and they had a train theme. In hindsight we should have had dinner there because I bet it was good. We went for the BBQ place next door to the hotel. I cheated somewhat on my diet and it was not worth it whatsoever. We have been spoiled by Black Dog. All I can say is that they were friendly and the food was cheap. Oh well.




The motel was perfect, absolute pristine, but not overly restored or modernized...just perfect. We snuggled in and slept well. The next morning I did something that I've been truly missing...I had a diner breakfast. Definitely not on my list of foods, but some times you just have to have two eggs over easy, hash browns and sausage. This time? The cheat was worth every bite. The night before I let my hunger get in the way, this time was a thoughtful cheating if that makes any sense. It tasted divine. We highly recommend Shelly's Route 66 Diner in Cuba, along with the beautiful Wagon Wheel Motel.