Have you noticed, a lot of my posts start with, "We packed up and...." Yeah, it's getting a little old. Still having fun, but growing a bit weary of this temporary, nomadic existence.
But in truth, we did pack up yesterday and left Kansas City, which we had enjoyed very much. Where to go next? As I mentioned in earlier posts, we had a travel plan that included spending time in Asheville, NC on our way back, before we visited my parents. I'm sure you're aware that Asheville, however, has been decimated by the effects of Helene. Pray for those folks and all those in South hit hard by this megastorm.
Since Asheville is out, as is the corridor between Knoxville and Charlotte, we'll need to go around the mess to get to my parents. We had agreed before we left that we wouldn't go the deep south route back. I'll visit NOLA another time. That meant we'd probably to need to go north a bit, up and over the damaged areas, then drop south again. We didn't exactly throw a dart at a map, but there was a random element to our movements. We decided that Springfield, Illinois seemed both in the right direction and a tolerable 4 hours from KC, so we booked an AirBnB there for two nights.
In addition to being the state capitol, it was also home to Abraham Lincoln from his early adulthood until he assumed the Presidency. It was a pleasant four hour drive through rolling countryside, but we arrived, tired, around 4pm. This gave us time to shop for dinner and do a couple of loads of laundry. There's nothing like domestic tasks to change my self-view from fearless world traveller to grateful, humble, homebody.
We picked the AirBnb because of its proximity to downtown Springfield. We are literally two blocks from the Illinois State House. It was our first stop today. It is an amazing building, built in 1888, and still in use. The marble floors were so smooth and polished, they squeaked underneath my sneakers. The dome must have been 6 stories above ground. The whole style is high victorian, very reminiscent of San Francisco architecture in my opinion. There was a fellow polishing the brass handrails, doorknobs, and other brass accoutrements. There was so much brass in this place that I bet polishing is his whole job. Once he finishes, he probably just starts all over again from the top.
(Illinois State House with lead roof)
We were able to access the gallery above the Illinois State House Floor. Very opulent! Velvet seats, crystal chandeliers, mahogany desks. It was beautiful, fitting for humble civil servants. That's sarcasm, if you can't tell.
After that we walked about six blocks to the historical district established around Abraham Lincoln's Springfield home. He and Mary Todd Lincoln bought a small house and, over the 17 years they lived there, enlarged it and made it more comfortable and quite a bit more luxurious. Despite his very humble upbringing, Abe was a successful self-taught lawyer before he turned to politics, so they could afford some nice things. The two blocks that surround this home are part of a national park now. We were able to tour the home and it was really well preserved. In addition to many other things, we learned that Abe was an accomplished wrestler and that he loved, and often brought home, stray cats.
After Lincoln's assassination, Mary Todd moved back to Springfield, but didn't return to the home, choosing to live with her sister instead. She outlived her husband and three of her four sons, and apparently grief weighed heavily on her mental health.
We walked home, took a quick nap, then headed to the local botanical garden. Meh. It needed a lot of attention.
Final stop was to be Lincoln's tomb, on the outskirts of town. It was pretty moving. They had several of his speeches, including the Gettysburg Address, on plaques adorning the walls of his tomb. That man had a talent for writing, to be sure. Reading things like, "A house divided against itself cannot stand" and a prayer "that a government of the people, for the people and by the people will not perish from this earth. " It resonated with us still today -- especially today.
Sigh....I'm kind of tired and looking forward to a home cooked meal tonight and an early bedtime. We got a nice surprise, though. Our rented home is across the street from the local high school football field. This morning at 7:45 the marching band came out to practice. Tonight, there's a football game going on. We're not watching, but have the windows open so we can hear the crowd, the refs' whistles, and hopefully the band at halftime. All sounds of my childhood. Ain't that America?
