A little poetic license there. The dog days are self explanatory. Even though we have avoided the extreme heat this summer that much of the country has dealt with, there have been more than enough unpleasant days, and Labor Day weekend promised more of the same. But so far it's not been too bad. We are here in Kewanee, Illinois because (a) grandson Elliot is home on leave from the Air Force and it's the first time I've seen him in a year (b) granddaughter Sophie is leaving her Kewanee apartment for one in Moline where she not only works but is also pursuing a civil engineering degree, and (c) it's Hog Days in Kewanee.
We are camped at Johnson Sauk Trail Recreation Area north of Kewanee, one of my favorites. However, when I made reservations, there weren't any sites left in the tall pines area, so we are in the western loop. The parking pad is small and there are not as many trees, but we do have shade in the late afternoon.
We are camped at Johnson Sauk Trail Recreation Area north of Kewanee, one of my favorites. However, when I made reservations, there weren't any sites left in the tall pines area, so we are in the western loop. The parking pad is small and there are not as many trees, but we do have shade in the late afternoon.
So Saturday morning, after breakfast, we headed to Kewanee where Andy, Sophie, and Elliot had a U-haul partially loaded to go to Moline. We got a few more boxes loaded and headed out in a caravan. Fortunately. Sophie is only 22 and hasn't accumulated a lot of stuff yet, because her new apartment is a walk up on third floor. The biggest challenge was her sectional and they didn't expect an 80-year-old grandmother to help with that.
Saturday afternoon, we visited the vendors in downtown Kewanee at the Hog Days Celebration. That included pork chop sandwiches and other treats. There was live music, but a little warm for us oldsters.
Sunday, Andy and kids had already planned to make a one day road trip to Indianapolis for the drag race finals or something, so Don and I figured on a recuperation day. We went into town in the late morning for a few groceries and to visit the Model A and T car show. There were only two entries in the show so we didn't spend much time there. However, we did make a stop at the Ryan Round Barn, which is also at Johnson Sauk and one of the largest round barns in the country. I had been there once before several years ago, so it was fun to see it again.
We also stopped for lunch at Cerno's, a bar and grill in Kewanee almost as famous as Good's Furniture. The fifty foot bar was hand carved in Belgium and brought to this country in 1898. They also have great food.
Back to the campsite for much needed naps and to get a fire started for our supper. We had some lovely steaks in the fridge and enjoyed them with asparagus and hash browns. After dishes and clean up, we expected a visit from a Chicago couple who wanted to hear how Don had planned his trip to Alaska. About 6:30, it all came crashing down. We suddenly had no power. Our neighbor, Ray, saw our dilemma and came to help but no remedy worked. We had power at the post but not in the camper. The Chicago couple, Mike and Monica, came by, but even though Mike is an industrial electrician, still no solution. Possibly the new converter put in in May. So, facing a very warm night without AC or refrigeration, we decided to pack up and head home. All plans for the evening and today cancelled, we managed to get the refrigerator and necessities unloaded by 10:30. A big bump in the road.
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