I've fallen in love with a new mode of transportation: the train! Okay, okay. So it's not exactly new. I admit, trains have been around awhile - however most of the time the places I go to aren't usually accessible via anything other than plane or car taking the train for work is something new.
Rather than flying or driving all the way to to Chicago this week, I took the train. A short five-hour drive got me as far east as Aurora, Illinois, where I found the train station all decorated for Christmas inside.
I thought the train going into Chicago was nearly empty because I didn't see many others in my car with me.
Boy, was I wrong! Stepping off the train, I was nearly trampled by the scores of folks rushing to get past me and go someplace. As we pulled into Union Station, dozens and dozens of people poured out of my train and into the station.
Union Station itself was quite an adventure. There were people and stores and nooks and crannies all over. On my return trip I had a few moments to spare and explored just a little before I set off to find my express train back to Aurora. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of friendly people who said hello, smiled, or stopped to visit.
While waiting for my train, I enjoyed looking at all the other tracks and trains down the row, wondering how excited my father would be to see all of this himself.
Is this little buffer really strong enough to stop a train from crashing if it doesn't slow down soon enough when coming into the station? Somehow it looks pretty inadequate to me. Maybe it's just for show, to make people feel better.
That's my 3:18pm express train back to Aurora.
That's my ticket home - before the conductor came aboard and took it.
The windows gave the view outside a green cast. I wondered if this is what the world would look like if I was literally looking through "Coke-bottle" glasses. Soon we were clipping along fast enough things nearby began to blur so after a short while I didn't look outside as much and focused on my book instead.
As we came within a few miles of every stop, several people would get up to stand in line behind the doors in anticipation of getting off. I'm not sure why they were so insistent on standing so soon. A few times the train lurched enough to bump them around, into each other or into the walls. I sat where I was and enjoyed the view as long as possible before my stop. I'd have to get up and off soon enough!
At 4:13pm we pulled into Aurora and I said goodbye to the BNSF before beginning the long walk back to my car where I hoped it would start after sitting in the cold for a few days.
This old caboose marked the end of a good trip and a fun adventure.
For the last three nights, this is the view I last saw before drifting off to sleep:
If you look closer, you'll see Navy Pier and Lake Michigan (pardon the shaky shot...it's hard to zoom at night with my little camera). This is the closest I've been yet to them and still haven't actually walked along Navy Pier or dipped my toes in the water of Lake Michigan - not that I'd recommend any toe dipping when it's this cold!
I was in Chicago for the American Seed Trade Association meeting (ASTA). The best part was the view from my window. Gazing occassionally out at Navy Pier certainly made working from my hotel room much nicer. Throughout the day the view changed dramatically as the sun rose and set.
Next time I'm definitely bringing Jamie so we can explore Navy Pier together. I heard there's a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant there and we'll just have to see if it's as good as the one at the Mall of America. Hopefully so!
Springfield, Illinois has two capitol buildings. Two, you ask? Yep. Two. But they're only using the bigger one currently. This one is the Old Capitol Building. (Duh, huh? Creative name [note a hint of witty sarcasm] - but it works. At least you know what it is without knowing any more than the building's name.)
When Illinois outgrew the Old Capitol Building, the current one was built.
The Illinois State Capitol Building sits on a large parcel of land in the middle of Springfield at the end of Capitol Avenue (would it be on any other street?). Illinois' State Library is housed in a separate building across the street from and northeast of the Capitol Building.
The Supreme Court also gets its own building and sits on the other corner across from the Capitol and Library.
And if you walk down Capitol Avenue to the East and look back at the Illinois State Capitol in early November, you'll see something like this:
And this is good. Very good indeed.
We've become fascinated by state capitols. Beginning with our honeymoon, every time we're near one, we make an attempt to visit each state capitol we can.
Our first was the state capitol in Olympia, Washington. There we were, two love-struck honeymooners, driving along when we'd spotted the capitol building. Intrigued, we parked and walked hand-in-hand all over the grounds and wound our way up the grand steps. We stood with our necks craned back and mouths wide open at the grandeur inside. When the cute little old lady behind the visitors desk asked if we'd like a tour, we agreed, and were hooked. We enjoyed our first capitol building so much we stopped by to see Oregon's capitol in Salem a couple days later.
Now every time we're anywhere near a state capitol, we always try to stop by. The history and significance and pride of each state is on display in their capitol and it's such a fun way to get a true taste of the part of the country we're in. Since then, we've been to the capitols in Iowa (of course!), Indiana, and Illinois just to name a few. And we're on a roll. We recently picked up this great book of American Capitols.
Now when we travel near a capitol, we'll take this book so we'll have a little background info about each place, and write the date of each visit on that state capitol's page. It'll be a fun record of our capitol progress across America. Now - any good suggestions for which capitol we should visit next?
We thought we knew U.S. history - and then we learned so much we didn't know or realize when it all came to life this past weekend in Springfield, Illinois.
Springfield was home to the Lincoln family, Abraham and Mary and their four sons, Robert, Edward, William and Thomas, from 1842 until 1847 when they moved to Washington D.C. when Lincoln became a U.S. Representative. He was laid to rest in Springfield when his service to God and country was so suddenly ended in 1865 and Mary, his widow, lived there the rest of her life. The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum are located near the Old State Capitol in Springfield.
We visited the Lincoln Presidential Museum for the second time and learned even more than the first. Inside, we watched both theatrical productions, "In Lincoln's Eyes" and "Ghosts of the Library" which shed light on the tough situations and decisions Lincoln faced as the first Republican president of a country then divided and at war. We also walked through the "Team of Rivals" exhibit and were amazed by the diversity of his first cabinet and how polar they were about each issue.
Besides the visiting exhibit and productions, we walked through the Pre-Presidential Years display of his early home life and political aspirations.
Then we went through the White House Years display. We entered the exhibit through a mock replica of the White house. Inside, the especially touching and poignant parts included the corridor of harsh and critical political cartoons, Willie's bedroom as he lay dying of typhoid fever, tributes to soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, and a wall of photos of Lincoln each year of his presidency showing how the cares and concerns so completely aged and wore him down. The most sobering part is the last room. Music quietly plays, and you walk past Lincoln's closed casket lying in state inside the Representatives Hall in the Old State Capitol in Springfield as if you're paying your last respects too. I can't describe this fully or give it justice. The heaviness, pride, gratefulness and respect that swelled and the appreciation for Lincoln was amazing. This was the scene which really made him so real.
Later in the weekend, we went to Oak Ridge Cemetery to see Lincoln's Tomb. We parked the car and walked past signs requesting everyone's silence and respect while on the grounds. The light breeze whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves. We walked down the path, hand in hand, and drank in tomb's majesty and details as we got closer with each hushed step .
Signs below the tomb gave details about the construction and significance of key parts. The statues on each of the four corners representing the four branches of the Civil War military (infantry, artillery, cavalry, and navy) were cast in part from 65 cannons donated by the U.S. government.
We followed the path around the tomb to the back. This grate protects the stained window on the rear side.
The path continued down a hill behind the tomb. At the bottom of the hill is the vault where Lincoln's funeral was held and his body laid while construction plans for the tomb above were put into motion.
"The temporary vault held the bodies of President Abraham Lincoln and his sons Edward and William from December 1865 until September of 1871, when they were moved to the partially completed tomb. A granite market indicates the site of the temporary vault." - John Carroll Power, 1889 (Custodian of the Lincoln Tomb, 1874-1894)
We walked back up the hill and then strolled towards the car, occasionally looking back at Lincoln's Tomb, still walking hand in hand, never talking, never saying a word. We got back into the car, lost in our thoughts.
Jamie later commented, "It's amazing to think as soon as Lincoln finished serving the monstrous task God had placed him here on earth to accomplish, He took him (Lincoln) home, so quickly and so soon. Just like that. Who knows what He has in store for each of us here and when each of our tasks will be complete and God calls us home."
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Springfield - be sure to go to the Lincoln Presidential Museum and visit Lincoln's Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The experiences are beyond words and so worth trip. And when you're there, be sure to give thanks for the sacrifices others before us have made so we can enjoy the freedoms and lives we live today.
The closest we've ever come to joining a circus is to become such very good friends with Billy and Angela Martin, Struppi Hanneford, Benito and Dulce Aguilar, Kim Sue and Vlastic Valla, and a host of others with Royal Hanneford Circus. Springfield became the crossing roads where we all came together this weekend. The Shriners had booked the Royal Hanneford Circus for their local Ansar Shriners Circus. We were nearly awestruck when we got to walk in the back door with them and were greeted by the elephants just a few feet away.
Before each show started, the pony and elephant rides were kept busy. The lines were long and filled with eager little and big kids who wanted their chance to do something exciting. We walked around and drank in all the hustle and bustle and energy from the busy setup to the fresh popcorn to the cotton candy being made in the back.
Billy gave us great seats on the arena floor near the side entrance and elephants' props.
Soon the lights dimmed, the music played, and the great spectacle began! Angela made this wardrobe herself! She's a very talented aerial artist and has now added creating fabulous costumes to her long list of skills.
The tigers were first. There were five white Bengal tigers and one reddish and black Bengal tiger. They were beautiful and so ferocious looking.
Three aerialists performed above the three rings. Angela was in the center on trapeze between the other two on web and chiffon. They made everything look so effortless. It was spellbinding to watch.
Billy and Vlastic (a.k.a. "Roger") lightened up the mood with a hilarious skit about Roger, the reluctant substitute trampoline troupe. We laughed so hard every time. Their timing is impeccable and their slapstick comedy is top notch.
The past two week's we've been enjoying the PBS special, "Circus" and were thrilled to see the Flying Cortes live, in person, at the circus! On Circus, the Flying Cortes is brought in to replace another flying troupe when they are unable to complete a triple. The Cortes do this with flair and make it look effortless! Be sure to tune in Wed., Nov. 24 for the last installment of Circus on PBS.
Even little Ysabella joined the troupe on the flying trapeze in Springfield.
There were many other great acts - however my little camera wasn't able to catch clear shots of those. The circus fun also included Benito Aguilar's amazingly quick juggling, Zoppe's Rhesus monkey review and Afghan hounds, the Aerial Vallas' cradle acrobatics, Benito and Dulce Aguilar's quick change, elephants, and lots of circus clowns.
For the finale, all the performers came back out and stood around the center circle while the US flag was raised up high in the middle. The crowd jumped to their feet and we felt like the luckiest people in the world to have enjoyed the show from our seats on the arena floor.
