Member Update

Carmen Walgrave has four children, six grand children, and five great grand children. Her son lives close by, but she has a daughter in Texas. That makes for a good travel opportunity. She and Dick have also traveled to Branson, MO and Alaska to name a few.

2012 was a tough year with having to endure knee, hip, and back surgery. Dick also had open heart surgery. Recovery from that has taken some time.

Carmen and her family have always had a huge garden and done lots of food preservation. They have cut back on that somewhat, but Dick is now into raising dahlias.

Happy Halloween to everyone! Hope it's a great day.

Member Update

Mary Jo Stewart is still helping others through her work with the Good Samaritan Inn Soup Kitchen in Decatur. They serve as many as 300-400 people per day. I believe one of her specialties is homemade noodles!

She continues to be connected with 4-H and volunteers with the IFYE program statewide. Iowa and Wisconsin are also involved with this. She mentioned that she keeps in touch with Mary Kay Munson in Kansas through these efforts.

Her husband, Jim, has been having some health issues. They also had a trip to Branson planned for this year.

We received word this week that Dale Bateman of Monticello passed away on Sunday, October 19th. Not much information is available except that there will be a memorial service at Monticello United Methodist Church on Saturday, Oct. 25th at 10:00 a.m. Our condolences to his wife Margaret and the rest of the family.

Wisconsin/Illinois Trip Day 5

Day five was spent traveling the length of Illinois. We said good-bye to our travel companions as we made our way south.

Some shared with the group that they had a successful shopping day in Galena. This is Mary Clark in the "very warm looking" winter coat she purchased.

                                                                                       
 Lois Smith helped us out with a big "thank you" to Carol Schlitt for her efforts in making it a great trip. I believe everyone agreed that they had an enjoyable time. It's on to the Kentucky Derby for a smaller size group next spring. We are open to suggestions for other destinations after that.

Here is a last look at one of the magnificent chandeliers from the House on the Rock.

Wisconsin/Illinois Trip--Day 4

Saturday morning began with a tour of General Ulysses S. Grant's home in Galena. This home was given to him after he returned victorious from the Civil War. He and his family lived there for a short time before he began his bid for president. This is a painting of  him with his wife and four children that hangs in the house.

 After another delicious lunch at the Market House Restaurant, we were given a walking tour of Galena by General Grant himself (aka Bob Buman). We learned how Galena was first occupied by Indians, then the French. American Settlers came later, and built a prosperous lead mining town. The area is known for very high quality lead. The Galena River was a hub for steamboat commerce. However, the demand for lead decreased, and the Galena River became impassable to steamboats because of erosion. The population went from a high of 14,000 to around 3500. During the 1980's city leaders decided to focus on tourism, and Galena is now listed on some travel advisory sites as one of the top ten "charming little towns" in the US.

    For those who went to Mackinaw Island last year, the shops in Galena were a lot like that--without the cars, of course.

Dinner was at Fried Green Tomatoes, one of the best known restaurants in Galena. Then it was on to a surprise event for the evening!







                                                                                              

We were treated to a magic show by P .T. Murphy. He entertained us with disappearing $50 bills--which then reappeared in strange places. There were also some card tricks, and how in the world could he tell what people in our group were thinking? Glennon Schlitt is obviously not sure if he trusts Mr. Murphy in this photo.