A great visit with Mike and Susan

August 3, 2008
Litchfield, IL

We just wrapped up a very nice weekend visit with Geri's oldest son (Michael) and his wife Susan. They live in a small town in west central Illinois, just about an hour from St Louis. We didn't have a line-of-sight for the satellite dish and there wasn't a broadband signal on the cellular modem, so this will get posted when we're connected.

We arrived in Litchfield on Friday afternoon, and had a quiet evening, ordering in local pizza. We parked in front of their house, although recent rains (on the back of a massively rainy spring) left the grassy area a little too soft for my likes. I had visions of us getting stuck like we did several years ago with our previous motorhome in Alabama. Fortunately, everything worked out OK for us (less so for Mike who has some 6" deep ruts to fill) and we were able to move out without incident.

On Saturday, it became pretty hot. We ran the generator for air conditioning part of the day and all night. In the morning, Mike and I made a trip to the local hardware store for some plumbing parts. I put in a bypass for the water system's accumulator tank, where we've developed a leaking fitting in a place that humans can't reach. I'll look for a more permanent repair when we're in Colorado. Afterward, we took a ride down I-55 a few exits to the nearest Italian Deli. We picked up some garlic juice (impulse buy!) and Mike got the materials for a lasagna he wanted to make on Sunday. Once back home, we relaxed for a bit (aka, nappage) before Mike and I made a quick trip to the local package store. We grabbed a few bottles to tide us over, and then the owner served up the "good customer bonus": a shot of home-made hooch based on some sort of root smuggled imported from his home country, Vietnam. It taasted like a cross between root beer and cough medicine but who am I to complain - I like Grappa. Back at the house again, we ended up grilling up some brats and burgers. Many of Susan's extended family members (she grew up here) stopped by and we had a nice time visiting, although perhaps a bit too much wine was consumed (Mike?).

Sunday was supposed to be nice and hot but dawned cloudy. We could see dark clouds and hear thunder off to our west, but we only got a few drops in the morning and the afternoon turned sunny and pleasant. We brought Mike's lasagna to Susan's Mother's for brunch (another family gathering) and then headed to the local lake (Lake Lou Yaeger) where Mike and Susan rent a lot. Apparently, the local government retains ownership of all the land and uses a lottery system to dole out annual leases that often stay in families for generations. Like every lake we've visited with family and friends, the land slopes significantly upwards from the water and the roads in are relatively rustic. They picked up an 80s-vintage travel trailer for $300 (that's living on a budget!) that they park there during the summer, which is enough for the two of them. We hung out for a few hours, enjoying the shade and nice breeze, and "dined" on fresh salami (from the Italian Deli the day before), cheese, and a couple of brews. It was nice and peaceful. We watched a bald eagle circle overhead for almost 30 minutes.

Back at the house/coach, we sipped some red wine and said our goodbyes before calling it an early night (Mike's a truck driver and heads for work around 3:00 AM - ouch!). Tomorrow, we'll head out again, down I-55, around St Louis, and back on I-70 west-bound...