June 6, 2003 - St. Clair, MI - 1 (Alton and Carlinville, IL (Sears homes), and Shipshewana, IN (Amish country))
Well, as far as we're concerned, the Midwesterners can keep their weather. And we've not met any that really want it, either. Been in the 50's and 60's for so long, we've almost forgotten what sunshine and warmth is. Until today. And I'm sitting here in shorts and tank top with all the windows open, and just finished taking a break under the awning. Neither Barb nor I can remember the last time we sat under the awning. We tend to leave it rolled up when the wind is howling, the lightning is flashing, and the rain is coming down in torrents.
Couple of days before we left Carlinville, IL, we were talking to somebody and they asked us if we'd seen the tallest man in the world statue in Alton. We admitted there actually was something we'd missed, not having ever heard of him. So, the next day we're off to see Robert Wadlow, the "Gentle Giant" of Alton. Or a reasonable facsimile of him, since he died in 1940.
Big fella, yessiree. Stood 8'11.1" tall, had a shoe size of 37, and really had difficulty living in a world built for men 3 feet shorter than he was.
Barb's hand just got lost in his and the top of her head about hit his waistline, but you'll probably agree, that he had a kind face.
A furniture maker took an interest in Robert, and built this chair for him. Actually, the one I'm sitting in is a bronze replica of the actual chair. When he was born on February 22, 1918, there was nothing unusual about him. He weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces. In 6 months when he weighed 30 pounds, it was a lot, but nothing to be alarmed about, but when he was 18 months old he weighed 62 pounds. He continued to grow at a fantastic rate, reaching 6' 2 1/2" and weighing 195 pounds when he was 8 yrs. old. He became the tallest man in the world in 1939 when he "outgrew" an 8 feet 4 inch Irish giant who died 60 years before. Nobody has grown taller since Robert died at the age of 22. He'd had trouble with his feet and ankles most his life, and an infection on his ankle did him in. He tried to live as normal a life as possible, joining the Alton YMCA when he was 11 and becoming the tallest Boy Scout ever at 7'4" when he was 13. He swam, fished, played with his little brother, Harold Jr., and loved ice cream. When he was 17 he opened a soft drink stand in front of his home on Brown Street and the next summer he operated a similar stand at the 1936 IL State Fair. He was 8'4" and weighed 390 pounds at the time.
That's the home he was raised in, and it's in the process of being renovated or restored, whatever you call it. And then on the way home, we saw some long-legged pigs that looked a lot like cows.
Matter of fact, they were magic pigs. They turn into cows when you get close to them. Sort of like the magic bears in Alaska that Barb's always seeing. The magic bears turn into stumps when you get close to them. Anyway, the farmer who was mowing the ditch near the road, gave us permission to go get a better look at his fancy cows. They're called "Dutch collared." When we turned around in the farmers yard, it was fun to see laundry on a line along with an old pump that was still working. This cow had a white face, but several others were just black all over with that big white band around their middle, much like a pig.
Somebody asked us where we find such unusual things. Our answer is we just look around us! The same could be done even if you lived in a house on a foundation rather than one on wheels. And then in Carlinville are houses that were ordered through a Sears and Roebuck catalog back in 1918, after WWI (yes, there actually were mail-order homes available through Sears!); eight models were available. According to the literature, 156 of them were originally ordered, delivered, and built in a 12-block neighborhood for workers in the local coal mine (which has long since been closed down). This makes it the densest neighborhood collection in the US. The houses are now 80+ years old, 152 of which are still lived in . All three of the houses in the above photo are Sears houses. They have about 1056 sq. ft. of living space unless additions have been made.
Most have been altered/improved in one way or another, and 4 are no longer here. One got moved and 3 burned down, but all the rest are still standing. On a Sunday when I'd left the camera home (groan!) we drove through town and there were a couple of them for sale and having open houses, so we stopped and wandered through them. Small rooms by today's standards, but full basements. The ones we looked at were for sale at $43,000 to $48,000. Couldn't find anybody who knew what they originally cost from Sears.
Some have had nice additions built on and show the love the owners have for them.
Some are still being worked on, and who said all vinyl siding was alike? Since the vinyl siding disaster is right next to the house with the scaffolding, perhaps the house being worked on had a fire which affected the vinyl on the house next door. What else could cause this?
And some have changed the look considerably. On the left the original porch has been enclosed, and on the right some fancy sheathing along with filigree.
This one has had extensive changes made, and is neat as the proverbial pin.
Barb liked the little fisherman...and lots of other things. Good thing the Road Abode is already full! And then it was off to visit the Amish country of Howe, IN. Two-day drive (an easy 200 something each day) with an overnight in an empty factory parking lot. The factory or office building wasn't empty, just their parking lot. Good enough for us. It had been threatening to really storm on us all day, and that funnel shaped cloud was white and moving fast so we just watched it. The water tower is for the town of Watseka, IL.
We made it. And the Menno-Hof Amish and Mennonite Story barn was fascinating. We never did get enough of the buggies with their beautiful (mostly) horses trotting down the road. This larger one usually is for the more mature family, with more kids.
Just after I took the picture above, this smaller buggy came along and passed the larger one. Isn't that just typical of any young man with his faster smaller vehicle? We were parked in the parking lot of a shopping center when I took these shots. The Amish do not want their picture taken, something to do with their belief about a "graven image," or breaking the second commandment. Now, let me make it perfectly clear, that I'm no expert on the Amish or Mennonite belief system. I'm not an expert on the Christian beliefs either, even though I profess to be one, so any mistake I may make when I'm trying to explain something about their beliefs is already covered by this caveat, OK? And while we were poking around the town of Shipshewana, we noticed that most businesses had places for tying up horses that were pulling buggies. Several times we saw (but weren't quick enough with the camera) these buggies pulling small trailers with different stuff in them. Lumber, flowers to be planted, sacks of what looked like feed or seed, and the kinds of things you and I might toss in the back of the pickup truck.