The main reason we went was to see Jane's nephew Joe and his new baby. This may have been the first time he'd been back home since she was born. He lives in San Diego. So we had a family thing out at Jane's brother Mark's house. I suppose the high point for many of the children was getting to ride in the back of pickup trucks back to the giant tree in the timber on the old Pratt homestead. Here is a pic of 17 of the 23 grandchildren of Allen and Sarah in front of the tree.
Saturday night we had the pleasure of being introduced to the Psycho Silo Saloon in rural Langley, Illinois. What a great place! We had heard about it, and it lived up to the hype. Here is a newspaper article about the guy who bought this old grain elevator in the middle of nowhere (Langley) and turned it into a top-notch biker bar. People drive from miles around to hang out here. It is very cool. Especially so since I used to drive past this place almost every day when I worked at the gas station along I-80. It was just a weed-overgrown dump back then, and always had been to my knowledge. I guess this just goes to show what a little artistic genius, money, and gumption can do. Here are some pics, but there are a bunch more on their Facebook page.
We topped the weekend off by visiting a newish church plant in Kewanee that our nephew (Dr. Tim & Elizabeth) are helping to launch. Tim wasn't there that day, but we knew several other people. They are meeting in the old Sears store on what used to be the main drag through town.
So, it was a nice weekend. I am always kind of down after returning from trips like this, and today is no different. I am downright grumpy. I also seem to lose all control when it comes to eating junk when I'm staying at my parents house. Ugh. Now it's back to real life, I guess.