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My Dolly Parton

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Count me in the all inclusive group of those who loved Dolly Parton, and didn't realize how much until she left us. Or God called her home, as she and I--we--might put it. Dolly seemed like everyone's best friend. I had thought for a long time that she should run for President. She would win and she would be good. It's fun to imagine her on the world stage, negotiating with Putin or Xi. They wouldn't know what to do. Since Dolly's passing, I've been falling down the rabbit hole of watching videos, reading about Dolly, and reflecting on memories.  It was not love at first sight with me for Dolly. I remember seeing her on television in the mid-70's in an especially outlandish wig, thinking that she was rather strange. How could someone want to look like that? Was she for real? Of course, a major part of Dolly's appeal was how real she was behind all the makeup, glittery outfits and wigs. Those were a part of her too, but not the most important part.  Count...
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Photos from the first week in May 2026

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Grandview: World's Most Beautiful Drive We had an event this past weekend called Hidden Peoria , a tour of 13 buildings. This photo was taken from the top of the Murray Building in the Warehouse District. A barge going down the Illinois River Flowers in west Peoria The Bisontennial of Peoria County From the Sugar parking lot in the Warehouse District Beautiful butterfly in the Hebrew Cemetery. A rose between. . .  nevermind. The scoreboard from the Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse at the Pop-A-Shot headquarters, another stop on Hidden Peoria. Enlightenment on Forrest Hill Inside the Converse Marketing Building, formerly the Easton Manor, on the corner of Main and High, another stop on Hidden Peoria. Teddy Roosevelt, a former guest at the Easton Manor, and the man who allegedly called Grandview, the World's Most Beautiful Drive. The Easton Manor A bison at the castle on Grandview. The greening of upper Bradley Park. Peonies from my grandparents Above and below from the walking tra...
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What was.

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A few weeks ago, as winter was fading into spring, I drove by this scene on Route 40 north of Peoria. It was obviously the setting of a home, from days gone by.  The windmill looked in amazingly good shape.  The forerunner to the wind turbines that more than dot the Illinois prairie. It's a lonely tableau, with the road ending near where the house must have stood.  All kinds of questions: who lived here? When was the house built? When did it get demolished? Why? Did children grow up here? Was it a farm family? Did they put up Christmas decorations? Why is the windmill still standing? Where did the last family who lived here go? Wouldn't it be nice to have a time machine, if only to see what happened at this spot over the years.  The last remnants of the home that was.
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Black History Month 2026: The National African American History & Culture Museum

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I have wanted to go to the National African American History Museum since it opened in 2016. I wanted to learn more about the contributions of African American's to our country's history and what they have endured to make them. Our country isn't the clear cut beacon of democracy that we like to portray it.  Given the current administration, I decided I needed to go there soon while the museum was still open and intact. I planned a trip from February 21-25, 2026. I wanted to get this post up while it was still February, Black History Month, which it barely is. This post will mainly consist of pictures I took with my iphone in the Museum and around D.C. The Museum is huge. It starts underground with our--I'm trying to think of an adjective, but I can't--history of slavery. I'm mainly going to let the photos speak for themselves. But as the words in the above photo admit: it's not like they didn't know how what they were doing with slavery, but they wanted ...
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