Our Weekend Excursion

It is 4:30 a.m. Monday morning, and we are already at the dock at Jewel Osco in Melrose Place Park, IL. We are SUPPOSED to be going home today. It is 62 degrees and I don't think it got much colder than that in the night. Last night we walked a good 2-3 miles and did a little Christmas shopping, and I was amazed by how warm it is here for November 21-22. I DO think it will be colder in northern Wisconsin when we get home, but that's okay!

On Saturday we were tooling along down I-55 in south central Illinois when Mr. Trucker was suddenly overcome with an episode of what we can only figure was food poisoning. He suddenly felt the necessity of being stopped, somewhere with a bathroom. How fortunate that we happened to be passing a roadside oddity that I briefly mentioned in these pages before

Remember THIS guy?

We always see this place from the highway and I try desperately to get pictures of the oddities outside, usually failing miserably. But THIS time we had researched it on the internet, and knew a bit about it, including how to get there...

We're gonna get our kicks...

This is more than just a roadside oddity, it's an actual Antique store that takes up an entire (more or less) former High School. It's apparently called "The Pink Elephant", although the only reason I know this is because inside there is a motion-activated tape recording that plays, everytime you pass it, and it says "Welcome to the Pink Elephant. We have antiques upstairs, downstairs, and on the stage..." And they DO! Mr. Trucker wasn't able to fully appreciate the enormity of the place and all it contained because he was about ready to pass out and fall over from stomach cramps and dizziness. He didn't want to leave until his ill feelings had passed, so we were there quite awhile.

This setup made me think of you, Aunt Jenny,
although I don't think you even have the internet to see it

Old cameras, including a Brownie (remember those?)

There were some very nicely set up displays

Very visually appealing

And there were some things that just made me scratch my head and go "seriously?"

Elvis I can understand, but Vinnie Barbarino as an antique?
I mean John Travolta is still alive, for crying out loud!

Hmmmmm...

People COLLECT Strawberry Shortcake? Why?

 Here's a shot Mr. Trucker wanted me to take for his Dad, Mr. Mechanically and Electrically Inclined

Dad D, I think you would have liked this place
It looked like your basement, only on a larger scale!

And Rick S, you will be gratified to know that the phone you have at your pottery shop may be worth some money. Although you might have to soak it for a week or two to get all the clay off it

Rotary dial telephones. I remember these distinctly, although
our kids would probably go "huh?"

For some reason that I can't explain (because I generally hate antique stores), I was fascinated with these little guys

Maybe I had one of these in a FORMER life...

Or perhaps they strike some cord of remembrance from childhood?

I sensed a definite ice cream theme to this place

The antique on the far right is not for sale...oh wait! That's
the guy who works there. Oops. My bad!

In the summer months, this place is open for business

But all in all, it's the stuff outside that really makes the place...

I guess this is why it's called "The Pink Elephant", rather than
"The Spaceship", or "The big guy in the blue swim trunks"

Betcha didn't know there were really FOUR Stooges!

Take me to your leader

According to the "Roadside America" website, this guy was
featured in the movie "Flatliner", which I'm embarrassed to say
I own. I'll have to watch it again now, more closely

So if you're ever near Livingston, Illinois, you can check it out for yourself...or just marvel as you drive by.

Today's Silly Sounding Place Name is actually a Silly Looking Place Name, because I don't know how it's even pronounced:

NOT Mt. Olive, the OTHER one!