Day 14 - On the road again... Back To The Future...

Sunday, August 3rd, Springfield, Illinois

We said goodbye to the grandsons today and headed to Springfield... We stayed in the Historic State House Inn... the youngest building on the Illinois Historic Record. This hotel was restored to the tune of $1.3 million a couple years ago using 1960 decor! All of the furniture is authentic 1960's or exact replicas... Tyler and Jessica would love this place! It is billed as the most unique hotel in the Choice Hotels collection.

It is right across the steet from the State Capital and just up the street from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library... our destination tomorrow.

Day 13 - Historic Nauvoo Pageant

August 2nd, Nauvoo Illinois

Today, Brandyn and Jen needed to go with some friends from their ward who were going to the temple for the first time. Deb and I took the boys to an amusement place on the edge of town until they were finished.

Deb and I were anticipating attending the Historic Nauvoo Pageant this evening and wish the boys could have stayed with us to enjoy the pre-pageant activities, which included games and activities from the early Nauvoo period. Brandyn and Jen have seen the pageant before and decided not to stay for the show tonight because of the late hour that they would get home with the boys.

Deb and I spent the day visiting shops, buying books, and taking more photos of the Nauvoo Temple and surrounding sites.

The pre-pageant show started about 7:00 p.m. and included period music and games.

The temple looked awesome from our pageant seats (right behind the Mission President).


Deb lost it during this scene...

Four Brothers in Carthage...

This embroidered Temple was raised...


Then it was lowered and the real temple was illuminated on the hill behind the stage... it was quite moving!

The pageant was very well done and very inspirational... well worth the trip... the only thing that could have made it better would have been having the little guys with us!

After the show, I took some time to take a few more photos of the temple under the evening illumination... Deb wanted a photo of the windows... this is one of many.

Day 12 - Dinner and a movie...

August 1, Mapleton, Illinois

Today we slowed down a bit... Deb went swimming with the boys and Jen while I worked on copying the video I made at the Cat Demo in order to leave a copy with the boys. This evening, Brandyn and Jen took us out to dinner at Alexander's Steak House. The place was fantastic... you choose your own steak and then you grill it on a huge charcoal pit (or you can have them do it for a small fee). Of course, I grilled my own! I would love to have a restaurant just like this one.

After dinner, we went to see the 3D version of Journey To The Center Of The Earth. It won't win an Oscar, but the 3D effects were really good and it was a fun movie to see... Heck, what 3D movie isn't fun to see!

Day 11 - Family History and Fish Stories

Today we went to the Ford County Courthouse located in Paxton, Illinois to research some of Debbie's family history...

In the lobby of the courthouse, there is this monument to the soldiers that served in WWI from Ford County...

Arthur and Willie Rudolph are Debbie's great-uncles (her grandfather's brothers). Arthur served in a medical company and Willie was in the Foreign Service in the infantry. Both were inducted in 1917 and honorably discharged in 1919.

After a long day in the hot courthouse, we found this pretty little park on the way to Sibley and enjoyed a nice picnic together.

We located the deed records for this lot which was apparently co-owned by about 10 members of the Rudolph Clan and sold to a couple in 1946 for $1.00 and some other unnamed things of value... it is the west half of Lot 1 in Block 8 of the Hiram Sibley 1st Addition (corner of Indiana and Madison Streets) in Sibley, Illinois.

We got back to Brando's about 5:30 and headed out for the lake with the boys for an evening of Bass fishing... Ammon has been waiting to help grandpa catch the big one!

Hyrum fished for awhile but lost interest pretty quickly!

Kaleb used a rubber worm but did not have much luck... (great photo grandma).

Brando landed the first bass with a trout lure...

Hyrum was the net guy...

Grandma and Ammon waited patiently...

Grandma and Hyrum wait and wait...

Brando caught another one just as the sun went down... All together, Brando caught 3, Grandpa 1, and Ammon 1.

Brando's friend Mike caught this monster mud cat on a worm! That will be some good eating!

Day 10 - Honest Abe and Old Route 66

Springfield, IllinoisToday, I got a day out by myself and I went to Riverton (right outside Springfield) to see a friend, Lou Szokes, who happens to be the "Illinois Photographer Of The Year" for the 5th year running. I met him earlier this year when I took a seminar taught by him in Portland on Hollywood Style Lighting. It was great to see his studio and to discuss business with him and his wife Theresa. He gave me some valuable advice and it was great to visit with him again. You can check out his work at http://www.szokephoto.com/

On the way back to Brando's, I decided to visit some historical sites. This was a great time of day because everything was closed for the day and there were no tourists to mess up the photos... My first stop was the Camp Butler National Cemetery where 1642 Civil War soldiers are buried in addition to the veterans of all other wars since.

These are the headstones of the Civil War soldiers...

Next stop was the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum...

and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library...

Across the street is the Lincoln Union Station Park...

and just down the street is the Abraham Lincoln Home - National Historic Site...

This is a pretty famous photo op... (Check out the history books)

Finally, I visited the Tomb of Abraham Lincoln. It was closed for the day and I did not get to go inside... but it was pretty impressive from the outside.

Right across from President Lincoln's Tomb is this tomb for Governor John Tanner who served in the late 1800's... now this is a sweet tomb... I want one like this! (It kind of reminds me of something that Fred Flintstone would be buried in).

Tomorrow, Debbie and I are going to Sibley, Illinois for the day to do some family history research. In the evening, we are going fishing with the boys!

Day 09 - Home School and Birthday Fun!

Today the boys had home schooling...

Hyrum took art class to the extreme!

(Yes, they are washable markers)

Ammon had fun with the molding foam that grandma gave him...

Tonight, after a long nap, we all went to Chuck E. Cheese's for a triple birthday party..

Ammon and Papa Chief save the Mayor from the inferno...

There was a Toys R Us conveniently located right next door... so grandpa and grandma took each grandson on a shopping spree... Hyrum was pretty excited about his dinosaur family!

Kaleb got an Optimus Prime Transformer...

and Ammon got a Nerf Rifle!

It was a lot of fun for everyone!