A Visit to the Heartland - Pictorial
Last week I flew to Illinois to see my first born baby, Humbly Ann and enjoy a wedding reception local to her husband's family. Get that? Her husband. I'm still having a wee bit 'o trouble settling into the notion that my baby is married but I'm getting there, having been a guest in her very grown up home. It doesn't hurt that I love her husband and feel blessed that my child found someone who loves her and takes care of her so well.
The trip was really fun. You can click on any of the pictures below to see a larger image and/or you can watch the slide show at the end.
We drove a few hours to get to very heart of the heartland, passing many a corn field and bean field on the way.
We stayed on the lovely family farm where Humbly Ann's husband grew up and attended a lovely party his parents put on:
We communed with cattle and toured the farm
and saw these GIANT pieces of equipment:
The Combine (which combines harvesting the corn or soy beans and stripping them down to kernels and individual beans) which are then put in GIANT wagons and taken to storage bins or silos:
The Combine has HUGE wheels:
Then we did something really, really fun (it was my only workout for the entire trip). We climbed a 70 ft. grain silo and saw the world from another perspective. It was a hazy, cloudy day but it was still quite a view:
We played with babies, met aunts and uncles and cousins and 2nd cousins, and 2nd cousins once removed and old family friends. Humbly Ann got to see friends from home and Mr. HA saw many friends from high school and college. It was the stuff family and American Pie are made of and it was good - very good.
And as though all of that weren't enough, HA's friend who shares my birthday and occasionally my brain gave me this most fabulous coffee cup to honor my athletic pursuits
This last pic is for you, Momo
Comments
Very nice. This is where the real world is. Glad you got to experience the old fashioned hospitality.
Posted by: Vickiw | June 28, 2007 1:51 AM
Very nice. This is where the real world is. Glad you got to experience the old fashioned hospitality.
Posted by: Vickie | June 28, 2007 1:51 AM
Yup, that looks like rural Illinois alright - when I lived in central Illinois I couldn't find a hill to run up if I tried! (Not that I tried that hard :-))
Posted by: Danielle in Iowa | June 28, 2007 3:40 AM
coffee tastes way good in a mug with runners running around it. -- i have that mug too. love it.
Posted by: suzanne | June 28, 2007 4:04 AM
I'm glad you had a good time and that HA's new family is so welcoming.
I always find it amusing when 'city folk' are so fascinated with farms and equipment. This is where your food comes from!
Is that girl (not HA) wearing high heels while looking at the combine?!?
Posted by: Laurie | June 28, 2007 4:56 AM
Great pics of a great time! Those are my roots there in Illinois!!
Posted by: Nancy Toby | June 28, 2007 7:37 AM
what a lovely trip and family! sounds to me like mr. HA married well.
photos are great too!
Posted by: jeanne | June 28, 2007 9:37 AM
I spent much of my childhood on a farm as well - a horse farm, not a "food farm", but its still very familiar. Makes me feel nostalgic.
How great that you have such a peaceful place to go and visit HA.
Posted by: Larissa | June 28, 2007 1:44 PM
there's some old spoof to the tune of ...whatever that song was that went "i've got a brand new pair of roller skates" going on in my head now. i'm not sure this video covers it (youtube.com/watch?v=d2eSP3D0s0w as i'm at work...sh! and can't watch it). but the lyrics are here: Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)
Posted by: The Wurzels | June 28, 2007 5:18 PM
Thanks for pictures and story! I can almost smell the green and the ripening corn! My husband spent this last week in Indiana at his Uncle's farm-and he was experiencing the same type of landscape! I am jealous! Nice change of scenery and what fun with your daughter! I bet it was hard to say goodbye....
Posted by: fe-lady | June 28, 2007 6:23 PM
Thanks for pictures and story! I can almost smell the green and the ripening corn! My husband spent this last week in Indiana at his Uncle's farm-and he was experiencing the same type of landscape! I am jealous! Nice change of scenery and what fun with your daughter! I bet it was hard to say goodbye....
Posted by: fe-lady | June 28, 2007 6:27 PM
that is definitely a change of scenery - glad you got some quality time with your little girl.
I cannot imagine what it's like when they grow up.
please. Tell me they don't grow up?
Posted by: the Dread Pirate Rackham | June 28, 2007 9:16 PM
how sweet ... what a lovely family and a special daughter
Posted by: iliketoast | June 29, 2007 3:47 AM
testing comments emailing
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | July 9, 2007 12:56 PM
your daughter is hot
Posted by: nolace | November 1, 2007 6:08 PM