Late last week, Sarah and I got our first extended Oliver-free break in quite some time. My parents came into town to watch the boy, and the wife and I headed to Springfield, Ill. (not to be confused with the hometown of my parents, the Springfield down I-44 in southwest Missouri). It was definitely the Land of Lincoln, as it was the hometown and is the current resting place of our 16th president.
We had a wonderful time, and I plan to write about what we did each day. For now, I’ll tell you about the place we stayed: The Rippon-Kinsella House Bed & Breakfast. Built in 1871, this bed and breakfast was full of charm … and antiques. Yes, proprietor Roger Schmitz is a former antique dealer (“I was terrible,” he told us, with a chuckle, the first morning while we ate breakfast. “I tried to keep the good stuff and sell the crap.”).
Despite the creaky bed, we had a blast there. The inside and outside of the home has so much to look at. Taking photos was a blast. Below are a few to give you a flavor of the place. First, the sign:
Sarah, standing on the wraparound porch (built at least a decade after the building):
Another shot of the porch, on which we tried to spend and afternoon reading but had to give up due to mosquitoes:
The creaky bed:
Our private bathroom:
A cool ship from The Captain’s Room, in which we did not stay:
There were old radios everywhere, including this one:
And you didn’t go see The Place of My Birth? Or visit my parents? Or see the Lincoln museum? Or is all that in your next post?
Casino 1243960312
Casino 1243960312
Too funny. We did see the Lincoln museum (and yes, that’s to come as I wade through all the details and photos this week). Sadly, we couldn’t find the marker for your place of birth! Next time, maybe …