Monday, August 24, 2015

0601, Sun, 082315. New Salem, Illinois.

Friday the Walsh crew headed over to the hall to set up for the wedding. Katy and Jenny (cousins) Sue and I met Erin, Michael (bride and groom) Christy and Megan (Groom's mom and sister) all pitched in to do set up for the wedding. Tables and chairs were set up by the hall people, saving a big chore. Table cloths, napkins, decorations on the tables, flowers and all were done in a couple of hours.
That night was rehearsal dinner at Papa Vino's, a very nice Italian place with plenty of food.
The next day, the wedding went off without a hitch. There was some time before the reception so Jenny had the family over to her place for a little pre party then we were off to a great reception. The bride and groom were all smiles as everyone did lots of dancing. Of course Sue and I did our share but it is getting harder to get in more than a couple in a row. By the time we got home it was straight to bed for a good night's rest.
We left Elkhart the next morning after some good byes, testing out the van. Tess seemed to run real well but I am still a little leary to push too hard. I did run a little faster than usual, which would have sent her into a tizzy before but she kept plugging along. We hit Chicago with a little traffic, some tricky lane changes and one giant downpour. Some cars pulled off to the side of the freeway while the rest of us crept along at about 35 mph. Sue did her best to see through the rainy window and give directions what lane to get into while I concentrated on traffic. Once over to the other side of town things eventually cleared up as the sun came out to make for a gorgeous day.
We made it to New Salem. Lincoln lived here for several years. We toured through the reconstruction of the village he lived in and enjoyed the museum as well. It looks like he tried several ways to make a living but didn't do well with many. His attempt at being a general store keeper failed then he lost his equipment while working at being a surveyor. The constable took the equipment in lieu of payment for the dept he owed as store keeper. He then taught himself law and the rest is history.
Still a little tired from whooping it up last night we hope to get a good night's rest as we head on through St Louis and on to Kansas City Missouri. Keep your fingers crossed that things are calm in St Louis.....more later..