The Sandwich Life

And Bingo Was His Name

A few more pictures of Bingo's. I wish I'd walked down to get pictures of the gas station and restaurant. Sometimes I'm too quick when I take pictures. I need to take my time. Anyway....probably my favorite spot from the wander.

Onward.

Angst and More Pictures from the Wander

I am slowly being driven crazy by things like Google, Eventbrite, our President, cancer, and our country in general. And yes, for God's sake that needed an Oxford comma. Oh, and I hacked off a little too much hair late last night. 

Whoops.

However, we just received the  News-Gazette's People's Choice booklet in the mail. Lo and behold there is a picture on the cover from Krannert Center's opening night last fall. And who is standing right there in the middle of the crowd? Why my two blondes! One with a ponytail and one with a bit of a man bun. My sweet peas.

And now a few more pictures from the Wander....just to ease our troubled minds.

Onward

Random Pictures from the Wander

More to come

"It’s gotta be in ya to do it."

On Friday we woke up to grey skies but it wasn't raining so we couldn't complain. Besides, I think fall leaves look best against grey skies. Ernie used to argue with me but he has come around to my side. Just like when I met him I said chocolate ice cream was best but now I am vanilla all the way.

We drove a bit out of our way for this next stop but it was well worth it. The Wisconsin Concrete Park in Phillips, Wisconsin. I know I'm posting too many pictures---it's kind of a sensory overload except that it feels just like that when you are there---color, texture everywhere.

Fred Smith, born in 1886 and illiterate, created these sculptures after retiring from the lumber camps, from roughly 1950 to 1964 when he had a stroke and was confined to a nursing home for the rest of his life. Check this out for more information. Turns out there's an AirBnB onsite...if only we'd known!

Purcell, Elmslie, Jenny, and Me

A week or so ago, my friend Jenny messaged me and said she had something to drop off (hmmm did I write about this already? I don't know. That's ok because there's more this time). She came by on a sunny Sunday and gave me a gorgeous book on Prairie architects Purcell and Elmslie. I was utterly delighted with it. Then things got hectic with phones and chemo and preparing for our trip and I set it aside to look at later. Thursday evening as we were driving around Rhinelander, Wisconsin in the rain we stopped at a light. As I glanced to the right I jumped seeing the ornamentation on the building. I knew it wasn't Louis Sullivan because I have all his banks listed in my head. I quickly googled and sure enough, we were sitting next to a Purcell and Elmslie bank! Of COURSE I'd forgotten to bring the book with me!! I was so excited. We went back the next morning when it was merely gray and not raining and grabbed some pictures.

When we got home I read a bit about it in my book. The bank originally wanted to be in the front with two stores behind them. Purcell and Elmslie convinced them to have the two stores have entrances on the front (see the facade) as well as on a hallway that led to the bank behind them. This way all three would have street access and the stores would have windows for display on the street as well as on windows on the hallway. Reportedly the drugstore didn't really get this concept and put shelves up on the window on the hallway.

Delightful. Thank you so much, Jenny!! 

There's That or Wander in the Age of COVID

We did it. We did a wander! It wasn't the SMOOTHEST wander we've ever done. Our beautiful forecast went to hell and we ended up with rain and storms and gray. Then again, I like gray...so there's that. Our car didn't behave and died periodically which stressed us out inordinately but it always started again...so there's that. When we got to our main destination we found there'd been a big upsurge in COVID cases in the area so we had to abandon our plans and ended up just staying in our hotel and skipping a lot of the places I'd planned to check out. However, we ended up sitting on the deck of the hotel that overlooked the river and drinking a bottle of wine and it might have been our favorite moment of the wander...so there's that.

Ernie loved this picture that was on the wall behind us at the Al-Gen bar. The bartender said it was her father in law's band. He was the drummer but third from the left in this picture. The best part? She proudly told us they'd even put out a 45.

A wander in the age of COVID is definitely a different beast. Normally we check into our hotel and then go find a local place for a drink. We sit, review the day and then get some food to take back to our room. Just couldn't bring ourselves to do it this time. We did stop in one dead empty bar for a drink but as a few people drifted in we took off. We went back to our budget hotel (they all seem to be owned by Wyndham now and some of the trademarks are no elevators and bathrooms so tiny to have to scuttle to the side of the toilet just to close the door. They did the trick though and were clean) in the drippy weather and decided to order food. Our choices were Pizza Hut, Domino's and Subway. Oh well. We went with Domino's and my gluten-free pizza actually wasn't terrible, nor were Ernie's chicken wings. Breakfast the next day was the thing we really missed. No going to a local place and getting our standard two eggs over easy, sausage patty, hash browns well done with iced tea for me and coffee for him. He ate his beloved Nutrigrain bars (since starting chemo he lives on them) and I ate an apple from the hotel. Later we stopped and I introduced Ernie to the glories of Frito's. If you are in a tiny store in the middle of nowhere with only have junk food snack options and you're really hungry, I recommend Frito's. Unless you can have gluten in which case I would go with pretzels. Frito's are more filling than other chips. Ernie fell under their spell and I was so proud. The next night was our aborted night. We were cranky and tired and couldn't decide what to do. Our hotel was right on the river (yes, I know I'm repeating myself) and had a big deck right off the lobby. Our room overlooked the parking lot so I suggested we take our bottle of wine out there and relax. It was absolutely perfect. We watched boats gliding along. The air was soft. Another person came out and sat down aways down from us, opened a beer and did a crossword. At one he called over to us, "Look, did you see the eagle?" And sure enough, a huge eagle swooped by us, following the river until he darted into some trees. Just magic. Eventually, it started drizzling so we went back to our room. Ernie had asked at the desk if there was any place that delivered other than pizza and they had given us a name. Unfortunately, they never answered their phone so we gave up. Pizza Hut this time. I don't think I've eaten either Pizza Hut or Domino's in a million years but I gotta say....the round goes to Pizza Hut. My gluten-free pizza was really very good. Who knew? By the time it was delivered a full-on storm had hit. We opened the curtains and sat on our bed eating pizza and watching the lightning, the wind and the rain. That and a Hallmark movie made for a pretty great evening. 

The next day we had to dart amongst downed trees and power lines. The days' eating was Nutrigrain bars, pecans and Fritos. We got into the town we were staying in kind of early. I had done my research and had found one bar that had outside tables but when we drove by we could see the tables were right up against each other. Sigh. We were really done with driving though so given the previous night's success I sent Ernie into a gas station to get ice and wine and I googled until I found a nearby park on a lake. We headed there and again, it was was lovely. There was a fishing dock with benches so we sat there and let the drive work its way out of us. Eventually we felt relaxed and rejuvenated so we took some pictures before decamping to our motel. That night we lucked out with food. There was a local burger/pizza place across the street and the food was so good that we kept talking about it the next day. Ernie had his standard Club sandwich (the boy LOVES a good club sandwich) and I had a burger on a gluten free bun (!). Absolutely amazing. Storheim's in Iron Mountain, Michigian. Another Hallmark movie, a piece of chocolate and some more rain and we were done. 

We headed home on Sunday. We stopped once or twice but once we were on the highway we got impatient to get home. As much as I love to wander, it always feels lovely to be home. Thank you so much to the folks that helped make this all work. It did our hearts good. We didn't get tons of pictures but got some nice ones I think. I will post more soon. I'll be posting images on my Instagram as well.

Onward.

A Day in the life: State Line City, My Kitchen Rules and Steve Lindstrom

We got up yesterday intent on a wander. We thought about staying overnight somewhere but staying in a hotel makes me a little anxious. We packed a bag, complete with bleach wipes, just in case and off we went. We were headed for Indiana but didn't have specific plans. I asked Ernie if we'd ever been to State Line City in Indiana. He said no, so off we went. I can't say there's a whole lot in State Line City but damned if Lincoln didn't speak there in 1861. We passed a film crew, all masked up, filming a woman in her front yard. Everybody gave us the small town wave. We saw a nice old brick building and I was delighted when we turned the corner and saw that it was Odd Fellows hall. I have such a soft spot for them AND it looks like this one was proudly donated to the Fire Department in 1980.

An old truck was tucked up against it and an abandoned brick building with the roof fallen in stood next to it. Across the street was the plaque that proclaimed Lincoln's speech. 

Highlights from State Line City's Wikipedia page:

In the mid-1850s, two large railway lines converged on the Indiana-Illinois state line – the narrow-gauge Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway (later the Wabash Railroad), whose route from the east crossed Warren County and reached the state line in October 1856, and the standard-gauge Great Western Railroad, which shortly thereafter reached the state line from the west. State Line City was platted on June 29, 1857, by Robert Casement at the convergence of these two railroads. The city flourished, and within 10 years had reached a population of approximately 550, but because of the drinking and carousing of the numerous railroaders it gained an unsavory reputation.

On February 11, 1861, Abraham Lincoln stopped in State Line on his way from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., for his inauguration. He dined at the Frazier Eating House, then gave a short speech to a crowd in the public square before resuming his journey. A historical marker on the site commemorates the event, and records the words which Lincoln spoke:

"Gentlemen of Indiana: I am happy to meet you on this occasion, and enter again the state of my early life, and almost of my maturity. I am under many obligations to you for your kind reception and to Indiana for the aid she rendered our cause which, I think, a just one. Gentlemen, I shall address you at greater length at Indianapolis, but not much greater. Again, gentlemen, I thank you for your warm-hearted reception."

The Kent Township Fire Department sponsored for a number of years an annual town festival called the State Line Fun Days, but this is no longer held.

Not too much left of what Lincoln would have seen. We saw one nice early house and there is some kind of store or commercial building converted into a house but that's about it. But given that its population hovers around 150, State Line City had a lot of character. Nice job, State Line City.

We meandered on, coming across a few more things. I ended up not feeling well because I did a gluten cheat the other day and it was starting to hit me. It seems as though while I used to do an occasional cheat and be ok, those days are receding. We were just as happy to head home. I curled up on the couch with a hurt stomach and we watched My Kitchen Rules. Have I commented that my favorite judge reminds me a bit of my beloved Steve Lindstrom? If you transpose food for music....you'll see it. I mean, Manu DOES have a certain charm, but I'm all team Colin (and yes, of course he used to play in a band).

Onward, all.

Some more bits of Indiana....

Oh, and a mysterious circle of mushrooms!

 

Clawing our way to Beaver Island

My forehead is peeling from the bit of sunburn I got at the beach on Beaver Island so I guess my trip is fading away a bit. The memories, and the escape I got from daily life, will hang on though.

It's a miracle we actually made it. Teri booked this trip last year. There had been supposed to be a music festival, although that, of course, fell by the wayside. After Ernie's cancer reared its ugly head over the New Year we didn't know if we'd be able to make it with his chemo schedule. Then the pandemic hit of course. At one point I told Teri we couldn't do it....that I thought it might be too much for Ernie and we were too worried to travel. Then we wavered and decided to go. It was our friend's Becca's house which we knew would be clean and safe. Then Owen ended up in the emergency room. He got a bit better so we decided that yes, we would go. Then he had a relapse the day before we were supposed to leave. I could have cried with worry and stress and indecision. Eventually, the two boys encouraged us to go. Leo assured me he would do anything Owen needed and he was not in any kind of imminent danger so we should just go. We waffled. We were both so exhausted that it almost seemed easier to just stay home but we knew it would be worth it. At 10:30 the night before we were supposed to leave we just looked at each other blearily. We both still had to shower and pack and set the alarm for 2:30 the next morning. But...we did it.

I dozed for a hell of a lot of the drive. Poor Ernie. We got to Charlevoix and I ate the filling of a sandwich and that perked me up some (eating not only gluten-free but low fodmap at restaurants is not easy). I kept assuring Teri that I would perk up. We sat on benches watching the rain and waiting for the ferry. Overall people in Michigan MUCH better at masking than in Illinois. 

I adore watching the ferry ballet. I find the unloading of cars, trucks, luggage, bicycles, kayaks, of anything imaginable...utterly fascinating. It's always a pleasure to watch people good at what they do and the choreographed swooping in and out of forklifts just delights me for some reason.

We reached Beaver Island only to see our beloved Becca and Bryan waving their signature pool noodles in the rain. It felt so good to be there. Our house was wonderful of course. Becca and Bryan are really good at what they do and Becca has a brilliant eye (as you can see from her Instagram).

It was late afternoon when we got there but it felt like midnight to me. We sat and talked and relaxed. I drank some wine and started to shed some of my stress. We actually even managed to fix dinner! We had brought some smoked pork chops from Triple S as one of our only contributions. Brian grilled them perfectly and I think we thew together a salad although I mostly remember the chops. Lord I love those. We ate, sat and chatted and I begged permission to go to bed. It wasn't close to dark but I laid there reading a bit, slowly sinking deep into the bed and watched the light slowly darken. It felt heavenly.

More to follow.

Wander On

We did it. We did a wander.

Leo generously offered his car so off we went. We're out of practice...we forgot some of our standard supplies like lemons, nuts and chocolate but we did just fine.

We meandered over to Peoria and then north and west over to Clinton, Iowa. We drove through tiny towns along the way. Some restaurants and bars had tables set up outside, others seemed to be open and operating as normal inside. I had chosen a Hampton Inn because Hilton has been advertising their COVID precautions like crazy. We walked in, the person at the desk had no mask. Not even a mask pulled down like most of the Casey's employees we saw, but no mask whatsoever. Sigh. I complained to Hilton. They apologized and said somebody from the hotel would be reaching out to me. Nothing so far.

We found a bar that had a beer garden so we could sit by ourselves. Inside it was crowded, no masks, no distancing. Although they did have a sign that said, "All are welcome, take your sunglasses off, pull your hoodie down and cover your underwear." So welcoming. And, of course, there were pictures of a topless woman in the men's bathroom along with a diagram of all the different kinds of women's breasts. Ernie took a a picture for me. I was going to share it because it was so depressing but then I figure why give it another venue. Yeah. So we went back to the hotel to order food. I always forget that I live in a college town where there are lots of places that deliver. We eventually got some so so food and curled up. I rarely watch Trump speak but we did for a while. It was the strangest experience. We were on the third floor in the middle of the hotel so right outside our window (I never close curtains if I'm on an upper floor) was a spotlit American flag...just waving away as I watched. 

I never could have imagined what we are living through.

It felt good to out. It's very meditative. We don't even listen to music or the radio. Here are a few stops.

My favorite find of the weekend.

Ernie yelling at me to be careful as I walked into the road to take a picture. You could hear the cows mooing from the farm just down the road.

Not the best picture of this drive-in sign because there was a dog barking and running toward us.

Thanks to my beloved Leo for making our little wander possible.

Onward.

The Olney Wander Breakfast Roundup

Three excellent contenders but I believe we have a clear winner.

Day One: Wendell Smith's in Nashville

Aisha Golliher had kindly recommended their sign to me, and it was indeed delightful. We trundled over in the rain and grabbed a booth. Extra points for atmosphere. My eggs were more overhard than easy and the non traditional potatoes lost it a few points. The tomatoes, the gorgeous, actually tomato-y tasting tomatoes boosted their score, however. I've only been served tomatoes with eggs in Nashville. Is it a southern thing or just a Nashville thing?

The next morning we left Nashville and were headed to Palmyra for the Wickham sculptures. Ashland City seemed a reasonable place to stop and we scored BIG. Cody's Diner, tucked into a cute little house just off the main street. Just two rooms, one with an old fireplace. The waitress was lovely and called us sweet peas. I deviated from my standard order just because, the day before, at Wendell Smith's I'd been charmed when the man in the booth behind me ordered ham and eggs and the waitress asked, "country or city?" So. I ordered country ham. It was a bit too salty for me straight but it WAS good. The eggs were perfect and the hash browns were a crispy thing of beauty.

For our last morning, I chose the Family Restaurant at Eastgate Village. Solid entry. I have learned that ordering hash browns extra crispy sometimes means slightly burnt but they tasted good anyway.

Overall, Cody's Diner was the clear winner despite Wendell Smith's tomatoes boosting their score.

Now, back to smoothies and the like but it was fun while it lasted.

Onward