It was a wet run from St. Louis to the northwest suburbs. I was running in front of a storm that was expected to bring 3 to 5 inches to the St. Louis area.
It rained on the road until beyond the middle of Illinois. Then the roads dried and the speed limits dropped.
I don't remember much of the road system out here. I've not been back for maybe 15 years. Google maps comes through again.
I got in about noon and drove around the old neighborhoods in Palatine. Even circled the parking lot at Fremd high-school. It looks grander than I remember and larger too. Was Phineas correct that you can't go home again?
The big goals in this part of the country are to eat some Italian beef and a Chicago hotdogs, maybe get some peppers to take back, and see some friends and play some golf.
We did Italian beef last night. So sad, it didn't taste as good as I remembered. Maybe it's better to leave these things in the past.
Bob and I played Wing Park, which is a 9 hole course in Elgin. I managed to par a few holes, but it was rough going. They have small greens that are very hard. No ball hit to them stayed on.
Today is July 4th. Last night the neighbors were using fireworks until 11:30 or so. Big ones too. Ariel displays and big boomers. I think I heard the coyotes serenade the sound effects. I've been told they react to sirens too. I wonder how many there are. I've not seen a lot of stray cats.
This area, Eastern Elgin, has a lot of forest preserve. I've not seen any where on my travels where it is done to this extent. The roads are over grown with trees and there are access roads that don't go anywhere.
I saw three deer thinking to cross the road on the way back from Buono beef last night.
Road kill report: several deer and a skunk yesterday. Did I mention the armadillo in Missouri? I wouldn't have thought they would have been that far north.
How to pronounce Missouri... If you are from St. Louis you say Miss-ur-ee, but a bit more South and it's Miss-ur-a, The mining engineer from the lead mine said it with an "a" at the end. Otherwise his English was impeccable and I am not sure he wasn't right about that one. Old line in the family, "a man with two watches doesn't know what time it is."
I'm expecting a slow, restful day today. I may drive a bit around Elgin and see the old sites. There is a driving range at the Spartan Meadows golf course, that I think I'll hit. Assuming it's still there. Stuff is different that it was. The landmarks and sizes of streets and areas don't match my memory.
Yesterday, I drove past the old homestead. It looked pretty good. The garage has a noticeable tilt to the left. Perhaps the residents are Bernie supporters.
That's all for now. I slept ok. It's a bit warm here and humid. My sinuses have been slightly unhappy for the duration of the trip so far. But always to good to sleep well. I'm not sleeping late at all. That may change when I hook up with the Grime's clan in NC, with a new time zone and different "stay up patterns."
Rich
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