Springfield, Illinois Slideshow

In the Land of Lincoln - Springfield, Illinois

Springfield, Illinois was home to Abraham Lincoln when he was a lawyer, and it was at his home in Springfield where he was notified that he had won the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

We began our time in Springfield at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.  They're not fans of photography there, so I wasn't able to take many pictures other than where they allowed photography.

The museum lets you walk through Lincoln's life from when he was a boy born in a log cabin in Indiana, to his days in Springfield, to his time in the White House and ends with a walk past his casket laying in state as it would have after he died.  We learned that his kids were wild as children, and saw how grief stricken Abe and Mary were when their son Willie died in the White House.  The figures of Abe, Mary and others were so lifelike, it was amazing.

Ruth wanted to go to one of the two movies they were showing and Henry was a trooper and went along with it.  It was one of those theaters that tries to be so realistic that when a cannon goes off, your chair jolts and puffs of smoke come out from under the screens.  Made for an interesting experience.

After the museum, we headed over to the Abraham Lincoln Home National Historic Site.  There were no tours available for an hour, so we walked over to Jimmy John's, a local sub shop chain, so lunch.  Great subs.  A rise in blood sugar also helped improve Ruth's mood.

As we walked back to the Lincoln Home site, we met up with a man who plays Lincoln's bodyguard in living history events in Springfield.  He showed us the church where the Lincoln family worshipped and pointed out the Lincoln pew and gave us tips on things to do.  Henry liked his glasses - the lenses were a shade of purple.

Inside the Visitor's Center, we saw Abe Lincoln chatting with visitors.  Hollywood could not have hired a better look-alike.  The kids waited while visitors from China chatted with Abe, and then they got their picture taken with him.  After we walked around a bit, it was our time to tour the Lincoln house.  The exterior of the house has been restored over time, but the interior is original, including the mahogany doorways.  There is also some furniture in the house that was there when the Lincolns lived there, as well as some other pieces brought over from Lincoln's law office.

As we were leaving the house, Abe was near the front door, which gave me the opportunity to snap a picture as if we were back in time.  Pretty cool.

As were were leaving the house, the kids saw that Abe was giving a speech on his front porch.  He was finished by the time we got to the front of the house, but he invited us to walk with him to the (old) State Capitol, and Ruth wanted to go.  Abraham Lincoln is her favorite president, and I think she would have followed him anywhere.

We walked a few blocks with the group and Abe to the old State Capitol, and went up into the Legislative Chamber.  It was a beautiful room with a huge portrait of George Washington and red, white and blue bunting hanging at the top of the columns.  We sat at the legistors' desks.  There, Abe gave a rousing speech on the evils of slavery, the importance of preserving the Union and his ideals.  The man was so good, you felt like you were back in 1861.  (Earlier, Jeff had talked with him in the visitor center, and he said he's been doing this since 1976.)

Coming out of the old State Capitol after the speech, we walked past Lincoln's law offices and the church he attended when he lived in Springfield.

Ruth and Henry enjoyed the whole thing, although they both said they didn't exactly understand what Lincoln was saying during his speech.

All Quiet on the Midwestern Front

We all fell asleep as Round Three of the thunderstorm came through.  I never heard another thing storm-wise, but as we pulled out of the campground this morning, there was water everywhere.

I woke up at 2:30 a.m. because of another issue, however.  Ruth says it's because I'm too old to play tennis.  That's love, I tell ya.  But she might have a point.

The kids brought their tennis rackets and balls along for the trip, and the Springfield campground had a tennis court.  I originally walked over to watch and take some pictures, but since Jeff was playing, I decided to play too.  I was teamed up with Henry.

I have not picked up a tennis racket since shortly after Jeff and I got married in 1998 and our apartment building had tennis courts. So I had no business thinking I could just starting running around, backhanding and forehanding tennis balls.  Billie Jean King, I am not.

That was pretty evident when an errant serve walloped Ruth right in the face.  To be fair, I think she tried to hit it, but with the angle of her racket, the ball ricocheted off her face.  Oops.

So at 2:30 this morning, my sciatic nerve let me have it.  I took some Advil and remembered my friend Jen saying to put a pillow between your knees when you sleep, and it worked well. 

I think my tennis days might be over.

Now, we're on our way to Kansas City.  We'll camp in Kansas City, Kansas and do some sightseeing in Kansas City, Missouri.  And eat lots of barbecue.  We're still driving under cloud cover, but no rain so far.  Once we got out of the Springfield area, the darker clouds have gone away.  Now, every once in awhile, a little patch of blue pops out.