Last week my two daughters and I drove to Illinois...first stop, Pittsfield...to visit my brother and SIL. Jack took us to a great restaurant on the Illinois River...so much fun! And great food!!
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| Corncob burner at restaurant which used to be an old mill |
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| My two daughters right and left, my brother and sil, my cousin Fran in chair |
The next day my girls and I walked the town where I grew up and went down memory lane as I pointed out the sites to them! We did eat breakfast at the Cardinal Inn and had grilled rolls (see earlier blog!) Then after lunch with Jack and Sandi, we drove north to my niece's house where we spent the night. She had a cookout for us with all the family she could round up.
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| They have a lovely 8 acres with a stocked pond..catfish and bass..this one is going back after pictures! |
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| Kids on pond with a paddle boat...a great vacation spot!! |
And a brunch the next morning with a couple more family members who could not make it the night before!
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| The six cousins |
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| And more! Not everyone was there but almost! |
Then we loaded back up and drove to my husband's home in Missouri. His mother at 95 is still living so one of our main purposes in going back was to have a memorial service..a Celebration of Life...for him as his mother and many relatives and friends were not able to make it to the service we had here in Texas.
My SIL and grandkids also drove up to meet us there...another fabulous time had by all! That Saturday night, we all had dinner together then most of us went out to the farm where Dick had grown up. My girls and I have a plan for the "Final Farewell Tour for Dick Dodds"...we have several containers of ashes to scatter and this is the first leg of the tour! We drove up Walnut Hill in a couple of trucks...and walked part of the way to the top. It was a beautiful evening...sunsetting as we got there...After a few words I scattered his ashes around; many of the kids had never been up there so I think it will be very memorable for them! It was actually my favorite part of the whole weekend.
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| And six more cousins...other side of the family..a different generation! |
The next day, we held the service at a little country church...many family and friends were there. There were classmates of Dick's from high school, friends from college, and my brother, Sandi and cousin Fran came over from Illinois....also many relatives and neighbors....a very nice afternoon. The minister of the church there...long time resident and family friend...moderated a very meaningful service full of memories. We served light snacks afterwards so everyone could have a visit.
We all headed back to my mother in law's apartment to change clothes and get some family pictures! That evening, we all headed to the Burger Bar...a favorite local stop for hamburgers and milkshakes/ice cream...a habitual visit every time!
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| My MIL, Dorothy and her grandchildren |
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| And with grandchildren and great grandchildren minus one! One little guy just was not going to be in the picture!!! It was getting late!!! And he was probably hungry! |
The next day, Marti and her family headed back to Texas and Andrea and I headed to Bentonville, Arkansas. She had never seen Crystal Bridges so we decided to take a little detour...will blog about that later! Andrea also has written a blog about our trip from a little different perspective...you can see what she has to say by going to this
link!
That's really great, Jay! I love your plan to scatter Dick's ashes around his favorite places. I too was in the midwest last week on a long road trip to Ohio and all over the state to visit my elderly mom and other family members including a newborn grand niece. I was a good auntie and gifted Baby Victoria with a new quilt. Because it was a road trip, I took my sewing machine so I could put on finishing touches. That's me, always down to the wire on quilting deadlines. I also went through nw Arkansas on my return, to visit my friend in Eureka Springs - a very cool place.
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