quilter

The quilter sat by the open window at the old Rutledge Tavern in New Salem, Illinois. It was warm and the humidity created an oppressive blanket of air that seemed to cling to everything like a damp wool blanket. I wondered how she could abide the cap and the seemlingly endless yards of fabric that made up her period costume.

The information at the visitors center contained much speculation as to the truth about Abraham Lincoln's love for Anne Rutledge, whose father owned this tavern. It's odd to stand in this spot and realize that you are separated from these people - not by space, but time.

teenager meets the Lincolns

The Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois is a most excellent non-traditional library space. It bring Lincoln, his family and his contemporaries alive - making them your friend, your neighbor. No expense has been spared in this endeavor.

As Lincoln said of Illinois....

"To this place, I owe everything"

I was struck by this teenager, who stood for quite awhile before the Lincoln figures, thinking perhaps that maybe her family wasn't so different from his.

cooper shop

The cooper shop* is the only original building in New Salem, the remainder are reproductions re-built in the 1930's. The large logs that make up the construction clearly show the marks of the hand tools used to finish the logs. These logs were dressed out about 180 years ago.

The work involved in constructing even the smallest log cabin was considerable. The interesting window swings on an axis.

*NOTE: A cooper was a tradesman who produced barrels and buckets for the community.

passing time

A young man passes time at the first Berry-Lincoln store. Abraham Lincoln bought half interest into the business from Rowan Herndon in 1832, with nothing more than a promissory note. The small log store was a central meeting place where stories were swapped and politics and weather discussed.

The tradition of the general store continued well into the 20th century. Somewhere along the way a pot bellied stove was added. I can remember well the assorted merchandise in my great-uncles general store that stood along Baggett Branch Creek in Shiloh, Tennessee.

new salem

History comes alive in New Salem, Illinois. The reconstructed village that was home to Abraham Lincoln for 6 years depicts life as it was during the day when he was a young adult.

It's a beautiful, peaceful place.

three for the road

I'll leave you with three for the road -
We're leaving for a few days to take a field trip to the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.

Here are three photos from todays shoot at Peck Farm Lake. From a distance it appears that Peck Lake is being slowly consumed by a bright green ring that inches day by day farther from the shoreline.



Not being versed in pond biology I cannot identify the culprit. Perhaps it's a form of algae bloom that's all over the TV news. It seems that algae bloom is a problem in the Great Lakes this summer.

Having tripped on a rock and taken a dive in the upper gravel pathway, I gingerly walked out onto the small floating pier to look around. This feather had fallen into the "goop" and I had no intention of doing likewise.



Luckily no one was around to see my less-than-graceful plummet into the gravel. The half a foot long scrape on my arm proves that I will do anything to get the shot. It also leaves me wondering how I ever rode a motorcycle without wearing leathers. Falling while traveling at slightly over 0 miles per hour, I've managed a very nasty scrape.

Back up the pathway to the car I was harassed at intervals by Orioles, loud and persistent birds. Both side of the path were lined with milkweeds. Despite their tag as a weed, they produce beautiful blossoms. Don't touch - they're extremely sticky!



Have a beautiful weekend.

biplane

The flyover of an old bi-plane signaled the kick-off of the Harvard parade.

The plane flew directly overhead the entire length of the parade route. He flew low enough so that you could see the tank strapped to the bottom of the plane which produced the white plume streaming behind him.

It's not the Blue Angels, but nonetheless exciting to all the kids in the crowd.

the queen

In my humble estimation this is the queen of all flowers - the peony.

'Tis reason enough to live in a cold clime, if once a year for a week or two, you are rewarded with peony blossoms, heavy and beautiful, and as large as salad plates.

This is peony, "Sarah Bernhardt".

patient crop

In addition to corn, soybeans, hogs and cattle, we raise a crop that requires great patience.

Large plots of land just west of here are carpeted with trees and shrubs for the large Chicagoland landscaping industry. This stand of trees grows for many years before being shipped to the market.

A patient crop indeed.

saffron flag

Once a Lutheran Church, the traditional architecture now houses the Shridi Sai temple.

Just west of this location is the Buddhist Wat Lo property. If you're in the area the Buddhist's will host a festival next weekend. Everyone is welcome.

mow of hay

Hay has been mowed and lies mounded in the fields. Before it can be baled it much be turned at least twice.

Some farm equipment looks like instruments of torture, as is the case with the pull-behind contraption that turns the hay. Large circular wheels of metal fingers spin as they pass along the field.

If you see one (in it's retracted position) being pulled along the road behind a tractor, it's positively frightening.

fire alarm

While passing through beautiful, historic La Fox yesterday I noticed a fire truck had pulled up in front of the cute blue house on the east side of La Fox Road. The firefighters didn't have sirens blaring and certainly weren't running, so it's our hope that there wasn't any serious problem.

I quickly grabbed the camera and shot out the window while passing by. Imagine my suprise when, after downloading the image, I discovered this odd perspective.

No, this is not a gigantic fire truck.
No, that is not a dollhouse.
No, those are small children, those are grown men.

sunglasses

As evidenced by yesterday's photo of "Used Car Corner", it's apparent that zoning regulations and the way of doing business are a little less structured in rural areas.

The Sunglass Hut is a prime example of the haphazard way that businesses spring up. No need for a $2,300 space in a strip mall if you can erect a small hut at the edge of someone's property. This enterprising man probably approached the owners of the rural craft store and offered a monthly fee to set up on the patch of open grass.

On one corner nearby is a gentleman who carves large bears and other critters out of logs. He pulls his small cargo trailer in and sets up for a weekend of business. The village officials are after him now to pay sales tax.

More plentiful are the vegetable and fruit stands that dot the countryside.

vintage trucks

Vintage trucks are parked on a corner we have dubbed "Used Car Corner".

Although still rural this is a very busy intersection. A major north/south route intersects the east/west road. This corner was once part of a farm, but the corn crib and other outbuildings were demolished within the last year. Because of the high volume of passing traffic locals have used this as an unofficial used car lot for years.

There are all kinds of vehicles parked here and I'm never quite sure who controls this turf. Can anyone leave a car for sale on this corner?

The beautiful lupines growing wild add a nice touch.

anticipation

Parade goers line up early to get the best spots. The storefronts looked well-maintained. It all had the effect of one of those collectible Christmas villages.... the summertime version.

parade day

It's parade day in small town America. Electricity fills the air from early morning on. The street was whitewashed the night before, as is tradition, for the Milk Days parade in Harvard, Illinois.

There are all the elements of a good parade, bands play, marchers march, pipers pipe, sirens wail and a float drifts by carrying the 2006 Milk Days Queen. The most important element of all is the crowd without whose enthusiasm all this hoopla would be meaningless.

A rustle of excitement charges down the street in our direction. People jump to their feet and otherwise well behaved parade goers spill out on the white pavement to get a better look at the cause of the commotion.

The amazing marching Lawn Chair Dads are approaching! Northern Illinois businessman Kent Welch and his team perform their routine for the crowd. Lawn chairs whirl and twirl and in a final flourish the dads all sit at parade rest. Proving what we all know, dads work hard and rest equally hard.

old and new

The good thing about weekend festivals is that I can amass a number of images that allows me to take a breather from the daily hunt of finding an image to post.

At times, like a tragic figure in an O.E. Rolvaag novel, I fear succumbing to madness if I post yet another image of corn seedlings or lonely vistas. There's a need for images of people, and large numbers of people are not an everyday occurrence in the hinterlands.

This photo, taken at Harvard Milk Days summed up the feeling of the day - old and new, traditional farming community makes way for some new faces, new economics and just simply new ways of doing things.

So here are some human beings living in small town America. Could be your town, could be my town, but in this case Harvard, Illinois.

NOTE: If you're interested in reading an expanded version of my thoughts on change in small town America, visit The Back Porch.
If you're interested in viewing the entire photo set from the parade, visit the Flickr set.

harvard milk days

This weekend they're celebrating Milk Days in Harvard, Illinois. We made the drive today to catch the annual parade.

This is the longest running festival in Illinois, and was created to honor the local farmers who stepped up production in 1942 in order to feed the troops in World War II. At that time Harvard was known as the Milk Capital of the World.

It was a great parade and the route was lined with kids of all ages, including these girls who were escorted from the retirement home and given a prime shaded location from which to watch the activities.

My mind has entertained the thought that one of the girls had been the Milk Days Queen in the distant past.

ride

An old red bike is offered for sale at the red barn.

How many adventures did this bike see? How many times did it transport a young boy down a country road? How many fishing trips and flat tires?

Gosh I remember how much I love my bike with the old coaster brake. I could never quite warm up to the fancier hand brakes.

This sure brings back alot of memories.

hands

I'm always struck by the manner in which reenactors and historical interpreters move their hands. Even more interesting is what happens when their hands are not in motion - working or otherwise engaged.

In the past personal mannerisms were more formal and contained. When a woman was at rest her hands would have been cupped together and held in repose in front of their body.

Also interesting is that fact that the cavalrymen held their hands in a certain position when at parade rest.

Again....another study in hands.