I told you I'd be back!!! Thanks for leaving the light on . . .
Mr itsme and I left Saturday, September 17th, in a rented car for Petersburg, Illinois. We were going to meet up with my newly-found half-brother and his wife at the home of his oldest son, my nephew (who newly-found me on Anchestry.com.) his wife and two darling little girls. We drove through Nevada, Utah (spent our first night in Salt Lake City), Wyoming, Nebraska (spent our second night in Lincoln), the very tip of Kansas, Missouri and then into Illinois. Even though each state we drove through had it's own unique character and beauty, I surely know why they are called "the flyover States." We arrived at my nephew's place just in time for dinner: BBQ steaks! We did bring a case of California wine with us so we knew we'd be welcome.
During that week we went to Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site, a reconstruction of the village where Abraham Lincoln spent his early adulthood. Residents of Springfield are B-I-G on Abraham Lincoln. We also went to the Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in downtown Springfield. We got our pictures taken with the entire Lincoln family (wax), it was awesome. Also that day we got our first taste of genuine Chicago-style hot dogs: like a salad on a bun. The only thing missing was the neon green relish I was expecting. It's "against the law" to put ketchup on your hot dog in Illinois, so watch yourself.
Another day we went wine tasting at Hill Prairie Winery not far from my nephew's place. The winery is surrounded by restored native Illinois prairie grasses that have been around since the time of the settlers and the advent of the steel plow. They boast over 15 wines, mainly on the sweeter side, but the winery also is a year-round host of Mystery Theaters, a huge calendar of live music entertaiment weekends and festivals. We had a great time and came away with a case of wine to take home. That day the food experience was a "horseshoe." My arteries started hardening just reading the menu - I decided on the Italish beef - but my brother had a ground beef "horseshoe" and my nephew had a buffalo chicken "horseshoe" . . . go here to read about the food and restuarant "horseshoes" Quite an experience. Adam Richmond "Man vs Food" has been here I believe.
My nephew's "place" is over 12 acres in the middle of nowhere and we spent lots of time on the porch in rocking chairs star-gazing - it's amazing how many stars us city dwellers can't see because we're surrounded by all those city distractions. A great time was had by all, getting to know each other a little more and making plans for future visits.
On our trip home we stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats (I stood ankle deep in salt) and watched the sunrise over the Great Salt Lake. Because we had to make the trip short, we took notes on where to go when we come back through with our travel trailer, which hopefully will be sooner than later. It was a quick trip but being able to spend time with family was worth every moment.
3 comments:
Great article!! I have bookmarked it.
Thanks for sharing..
Glad you're back. I gained weight just reading about your food adventures.
Let me just reiterate that I DID NOT eat the "horsehoe." The Italian Beef was a smaller sandwich -- and I only ate half of the bready bun-- but it did come with tater tots (yes, I had to have them).
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