We took Mom Camp on the road yesterday, going to Galena, Illinois for the day.
Galena sometimes calls itself “the town that time forgot” because for about 100 years no one except the locals seemed to know it was there.
But then people from Chicago discovered it was a nice distance for a weekend getaway. And then more people discovered it was a step back into what small-town America used to be like (ideally) and they came.
It’s also where Ulysses S Grant lived before heading off to fight in the Civil War, so there is a local “Grant’s Home” claim to fame. In other words, there’s lots of stuff to see and do and antique shops galore to prowl around in.
These days it’s pretty much wall-to-wall tourists during the summer months.
We went there last year and wandered around, had a great lunch at Vinny Vanucchi’s and wandered a bit more. So this year we did the same.
The food was possibly even better than last year. The wandering was just as enjoyable, though I don’t quite know why Galena is always so much hotter than Iowa (at least where we live). Maybe the breeze just doesn’t blow down Main Street.
Anyway, we had a great time. And no one lost any teeth.
Today is Micah the dog’s 6th birthday. We are celebrating with Greenies and rawhide sticks. He’s quite pleased as he thinks food of any sort is cause for celebration.
And then we are making Jeremy Jackson’s sinfully rich Chocolate Sink Holes to be shared by those who join us after dinner tonight. Dinner itself is going to be at the local Japan
ese restaurant. I love watching someone else cook!
We are not getting any slimmer this week, that’s for sure. Maybe next year Mom Camp will have to be Anti-Fat Camp.
My daughter has gone off now to revisit the Girl Scout camp she attended for many years. As a leader herself, she’s intrigued to see if her memories reflect at all what the reality is.
“I remember it being soooo big,” she said the other day. She’s afraid it will be far littler than she recalls.
Doesn’t matter. The memories are big and have lasted a lifetime.
Did you go to camp? What do you remember? Have you been back to see it as an adult? How did it compare to your recollections.
My husband has wonderful memories of a camp he attended every summer in western North Carolina. He became a counselor there when he was old enough. I never went to camp. But I remember watching Spin and Marty and thinking I’d like a camp like that!
