Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Arthur's Garden Deli

5 things I miss about my hometown

I was one of those kids who swore she would never return to her hometown, never miss it, never want to go back. Then I ended up living there for seven  years after college, and now that I’m 800 miles away, I do find that I miss it.

Some of our summer fun this year has made me a bit nostalgic for the unique things that make my hometown special. Most of my readers, I think, fit in one of two categories: you either live in or grew up in Dixon, or you’ll probably never find yourself in rural northern Illinois. If you’re part of the first group, feel free to add your own memories! If you’re part of the second group and you do find yourself west of Chicago (yes, there is life on the other side of Chicago!), stop by Dixon, IL for me, okay? wpid-20150708_131200.jpg

Here are five things I miss about my hometown, in no particular order:

1. The Petunia Festival. Yes, petunias. As in the flower. The Petunia Festival is an almost week-long event around the Fourth of July that involves all kinds of community fun: art shows, 5K run, concerts, patriotic events, carnival, parade, fireworks, food. When I was growing up, I always thought it was funny that people who no longer lived in Dixon came back just for this event. Now, I want to be one of those people. So far, it hasn’t worked out with our schedule. But maybe someday.

2. Lowell Park. You guys. We have a park in Dixon that is more like a forest. It’s a huge park with walking trails and a gazillion trees and it borders the river. I think my love of nature was birthed here. I love the mountainous hiking we get to do around here, but so far nothing has quite captured my heart like Lowell Park.

3. The Rock River. And speaking of the natural world, Dixon is divided into the north and south sides by the Rock River. I’m not particularly fond of being in water, but I always love to be near water. On the banks of the Rock River I found my peace, sitting, thinking, dreaming and being lulled by the sound of the water flowing over the dam.

4. Arthur’s Garden Deli. The best restaurant anywhere in the world. Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but this, too, is a must-have when anyone who has been away from Dixon returns. Some people plan their visits around a trip to Arthur’s. Deli sandwiches, homemade soups, loaded baked potatoes. No description does the food justice, but my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

5. Books on First. Now that I fully embrace that I’m a coffee-drinking, book-a-holic, writer, I love the idea of local bookstore/coffee shop. We have some of each where we live now, but nothing like Books on First, which is the quintessential local bookstore. I think if I lived in Dixon again, this would be one of my favorite places to spend time.

Dixonites, what would you add to the list? And those of you who don’t live in your hometown, what do you miss about it?

A Fair day

I don’t have to say much. This picture pretty well describes our afternoon at the Carroll County Fair.

We started the day with haircuts, then lunched at Arthur’s Garden Deli, a must for our trips home. Oh, Arthur’s how we miss you when we’re gone. Isabelle ate a bowl of cream of potato soup herself. “I love crackers!” she exclaimed before we ordered her soup.

After lunch, it was off to Milledgeville for the style show. Isabelle’s MeeMaw made her a Dora the Explorer nightgown that she entered in the fair, and Isabelle had to show it off for judging. Paired with Dora slippers and a Boots monkey friend, she was the picture of cute. (Of course, I’m her mother, and I’m biased.) See for yourself.

Her outfit didn’t win. She got a participation ribbon and a package of fruit snacks. (Really, they could have just given her the fruit snacks and she’d have been happy.) But she enjoyed herself and is loving her new friend, Boots. Don’t worry, there’s not Toddlers and Tiaras in our future.

We explored a few more areas of the fair — a kids farm display where Isabelle completed “chores” typical on a farm and got a goodie bag when she was finished; the chicken barn; the cattle barn; and her absolute favorite, the rabbit barn. I’ve never been a big fan of animals beyond cats and dogs as pets, but after a walk through the bunny barn, I can see why some people are bunny people. Awfully cute.

Phil and I wanted to treat Isabelle to a fair-style treat, so she got her first taste of shaved ice. Lemon-lime, once again her choice. Although, she did eat about a third of MeeMaw’s blue raspberry shaved ice. Pretty sure she’d have eaten just about any flavor of shaved ice.

I know Isabelle had a great day because she passed out in the car on the way back to Dixon. That’s her sign of a good day.

Me, I had a great day because she did. The whole county fair thing is still new to me. I went to my first county fair when I was 22 and covering it for the newspaper, so Isabelle has me beat by 20 years. I didn’t grow up on a farm or around farm animals. I’m still learning to appreciate the camaraderie and fun of the county fair. I haven’t really gone to any fairs for fun, always for work purposes.  Not that it wasn’t fun to go, but I’m reminded of deadlines and tracking down stories, trying to make sense of breeds of cattle and chickens and pigs. (Jeannine, if you’re reading this, don’t make fun of me too much!)

I’m glad my daughter gets to experience farm life. She can join 4-H in a few years, and I think she will. My husband had great experiences with it. I never really knew it existed. I’m in new territory, but I think I’ll adapt quickly.