Photo: Bull Durham Tobacco Ghost Ad – Collinsville, Illinois
Found just ’round the way from the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle on Main Street in Collinsville, Illinois.
Location: Google Maps
38.6701867,-89.9857204
Found just ’round the way from the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle on Main Street in Collinsville, Illinois.
Location: Google Maps
38.6701867,-89.9857204
My husband Kenny’s sarcasm came through loud and clear, even in text. It’s one of those things you learn to interpret after you’ve been partnered for a while. But, for all his disbelief that I hadn’t sought out the giant rocker – it was true.
While bumbling along The National Road in Illinois, I saw a sign for the World’s Largest Wind Chimes. Look… when something like that is advertised on a road sign? You visit it. It could go one of two ways: A fantastic triumph of roadsidery -or- a letdown of epic proportions. Both scenarios could be a win.
When I pulled in to Casey, Illinois following the signs for the chimes I was treated to a fantastic display of roadside Americana. Not only were there giant wind chimes (which you can ring), but sweet holy moly, there was a giant rocking chair, a mailbox, a pencil, a metal cactus. Holy crap, this place was awesome!
Casey wasn’t on my radar to visit, I’d just been passing through. Perhaps the universe tugged me there.
You never know where you’ll find inspiration to get out and see good stuff! 🙂
The Blue Whale
Route 66
Catoosa, Oklahoma
The Gemini Giant
Route 66
Wilmington, Illinois
Tall Paul
Route 66
Atlanta, Illinois
These days, our lives are filled with information. Maybe too much of it. Every second of the day we open up wide and words and images are shoveled in. This information tsunami fills up a lot of space set aside for daydreams.
What we do then, I suspect, is a massive amount of filtering. Every meme, article, news clip and sound bite goes down a giant conveyor belt inside your head where the sorting team goes through the whole lot, cataloging what will be thought about immediately, and what will get filed away to wake you up at 3 am on a Tuesday six months from now.
And the rest? Well, a large majority of it probably goes out through the ear-hole garbage chute. Space is the ultimate commodity in Brainville.
Knowing that we’re on full-tilt information overload, it is interesting to see what ideas stick over time.
Which of the farfetched daydreams will come to fruition? What unconscious machinations will you employ to keep something simmering until it can reach full boil?
Time and memory are at work and often we don’t even know it. The answers reveal themselves at a later date.
One of the great things about keeping a blog is that you get to re-read what you were thinking in the past and perhaps pinpoint the spark that ultimately ignited. I love that.
In 2015, I fulfilled a daydream when I visited the Gemini Giant muffler man in Wilmington, Illinois. I don’t have any superpowers or special ability. The only thing I ever do is recognize that the happiness I will feel is worth the effort.
Now, to some people, this particular daydream might be dumb. You rode your motorcycle more than 900 miles to see THAT? But each day we’re all on a personal journey that reaches far beyond what the 3-dimensional clings to. Shiny green fiberglass was much more than just shiny green fiberglass.
Keep dreaming, keep doing, keep adventuring. Your life depends on it.
While riding Historic Route 66 in Illinois, I tried to take a turn through the towns that seemed to pop up like an oasis after a stretch of nothin’ much. Often my ride would be like road, road, road, TOWN, road, road road…
These places that punctuate the route seemed to hold the most lovely treasures, if you’re the Americana-lovin’ sort. This Selz Royal Blue Shoes ad is in the town of Chenoa, Illinois.
Before the trip, I’d never heard of Selz Royal Blue Shoes. But like so many other things, once my eyes were opened to it and I began looking for information I had myself another rabbit hole to fall down. There are many lovely Selz ads across the midwest.