About Last Weekend: A Grand Buffet, Legion, 145,000 Miles and the Lincoln Funeral Car

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

A day of the doctors.  Afterwards a grand buffet at the Grand Buffet Chinese restaurant in McHenry.  You sure get some great food (including crab meat and shrimp) at a price just a bit more expensive than a Big Mac meal.

Went to the Legion for 50-50 but didn't win anything.  Enjoyed Margaritaville and the Ultimate Jukebox when we got home.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

The 2003 Malibu rolled over 145,000 miles on my way to Antioch.  Before this car, we'd never had a car go over 100,000.  We're impressed.

I toured the Abraham Lincoln Funeral Car which was on display in Antioch, Illinois, by the bandshell behind Main Street.  That is an amazing recreation of the train car that carried the body of Abraham Lincoln from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois, in 1865.

I'll write more about this eventually in my Saw the Elephant Civil War blog.

--RoadDog

TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD:  When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do as long as you're down there.   That old "Help I've fallen, and can't get up" isn't so funny anymore.

25 Ways To Know You're From Lake County-- Part 5: General Mitchell All the Way

17.  You have an annual subscription to the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.

18.  You know at least four different ways to avoid driving on Routes 120 and 176.

19.  You try to fly out of General Mitchell Field in Milwaukee because it is easier than it is to fly out of O'Hare.  Much cheaper daily parking and flights that actually leave on time.

20.  You can always find a seat on the Metra trains into Chicago (as you get on earlier).

--RoadDog

25 Ways to Know You're From Lake County-- Part 3: Always, Chicago Suburbs

8.  You understand that North Chicago is not actually in Chicago, nor is it anywhere near Chicago.  The North part is right, though.

9.  You may be geographically closer to Milwaukee, but still say you're from a "suburb of Chicago."  (I'm looking at you, Antioch.)

10.  You have a relative who works for Abbott, CDW, Baxter or Walgreen's.  (Or, you work at one of them.)

11.  At least once a week you are late for work, school, practice or an appointment because of a freight train.

12.  You say "Great America" instead of "Six Flags."  (We had Marriott's Great America before it became Six Flags.)

--RoadDog

On a More Fun Note: More Christmas CDs

I found three more Christmas CDs that I didn't list up by the stereo by the family room tree: CHRISTMAS ISLAND-- Jimmy Buffett //// SOULFUL CHRISTMAS-- Aaron Neville ///// CHRISTMAS ALBUM-- Beach Boys. ///// I had been listening to them while setting up the Christmas village under the tree. Liz had already put the tree up (I do the outside decorations) and the railroad tracks going around the tree (we have a train with a Chicago & Northwestern engine and a Milwaukee Line car, two railroads who had a huge impact on the Chicagoland area until merged into the current Metra. //// Merry, Happy. --RoadDog

The Toy Train and Village Under the Tree

About seven years ago, I bought a toy train set at Walgreens, the great usurper of classic corner buildings, for $20 marked down from $60. This is a Lionel-size train with a short track. It consists of a steam engine, coal car, cattle car, and a caboose.

What I really liked about the train was that the caboose and coal tender both had the logo of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad (C&N)' a famous line from our area. Dad took this everyday into work when we lived in Palatine and he worked in Chicago at Quaker Oats in the Merchandise Mart.

The cattle car has a Milwaukee Road insignia on it. That railroad provided service out to Round Lake and Fox Lake before Metra replaced it. Metra also replaced the C&N.

After putting it up around the base of the tree, it was decided that a village was needed. Over the years, it has grown to occupy just about the whole area with a barn, lighthouse, winery, tavern, church, a house, blacksmith shop, two bridges, a covered bridge, lots of trees and people.

Making for a Real Christmas Feeling. --RoadDog