Dusk in Dixon ...

Tonight, I had the privileged opportunity of enjoying a wonderful home-cooked Thai dinner atop one of the roof-tops in downtown Dixon. As you can see, the view was splendid as it overlooked the river from the historic downtown area. Several friends, both old and new, made the already splendid meal, fantastic. The menu was chock full of Thai shrimp (which are enormous), seasoned and grilled pork, basted chicken wings, and Thai crunchy peanuts. Far from anything else, there is nothing that brings people together better than a meal shared with friends ... I am blessed.

Buggin' out ...

I made a quick stop along the side of the road at the pulloff between Dixon and Oregon, today. Took a five minute walk along the trail and came across some busy workers sharing some food ...

Top of the world ...

A view off the top of the grain bin on Saturday night after a small thunderstorm passed through ... those are star trails at the top.

A bird by any other name ...

On Friday afternoon, I was fortunate enough to have the wonderful opportunity to board a mighty pirating vessel and travel along the dangerous waves of the Rock River with good ol' Captain No-Beard. Seriously, though, what a wonderful jaunt down the Rock on the pontoon around the little island where we came across these spectacular blue herons. I've been trying to get close enough to these new-age dinosaurs for awhile now, and finally, my friend Bob helped me accomplish this task. For those of you who don't know, this little island in the middle of the Rock used to be home to an amusement park prior to the dam being placed on the river. I hear that on some nights, you can still hear the laughter of children who tried to swim across to the island when they didn't have money to pay for a ferry ride.

Potential ...

On the way to Sterling on Route 30 going to Morrison, I thought I would intercept this fast moving storm. It had produced a large bow-echo on the radar and tornadoes had been reported in the Clinton, IA region, just across the border. When I stopped the SUV, it was still about ninety degrees outside and muggy. These clouds were tumbling right over one another and you could hear the wind rushing through above. Radar indicated sustained shear winds of over 70 MPH! Shortly after my arrival, the storm appeared to become organized and its potential for tornadic threats severely diminished, at least in that area.

Franklin Grove Summer Harvest Festival ...

John and Diane Nicholson, the official honorees of the Franlin Grove Summer Harvest Festival.

Essie takes some quiet time for herself amidst the chaos of the beginning of the parade.

Uncle Jim, Aunt Janet, and the rest of the family!


My boss taking a break after chatting with the locals on the parade route.

John Nicholson walking back through the streets of Franklin Grove after the parade (this guy is always busy!).


Sunset on the way home from the parade. Gorgeous day!

This was the first time that I've been able to celebrate Franklin Grove's Summer Harvest Festival. What a great place, and what a wonderful time for a parade! Sunset is the perfect time for a parade. The lighting is beautiful, the temperature has dropped, and everyone has had the opportunity to spend time with their family all day. Franklin Grove has got it goin' on. John & Diane Nicholson, good friends of mine, were the honorees for the parade and for good reason, too. John sits on the Lee County Board as vice-chair, while Diane works as the director of the Lee County tourism as well as a trustee for Franklin. More than anything else, these are good people who are genuinely trying to better the area.

It was a nice surprise to run into my Aunt Janet and the rest of the family. Her ties with Franklin stem from growing up in the Dixon area and working in Ashton at Crest foods as a computer programmer for many years. It's always great to find friendly faces in the crowd.

As for next year, I plan on getting to Franklin a little earlier to hit the town-wide garage sales and staying later for the square dance!