And so it was fitting that the celebration of Trinity Sunday 2024, timed for May 26, provided a backdrop for a trip over Memorial Day weekend to visit my parents in their new retirement spot.
After an exciting day back in middle school, I spent the night in my Abuela's residence to be poised and ready for our drive to Tennessee.
We were packed and ready to go at about 8:50 AM on Friday, May 24, 2024. It was a great day to head out on a trip by car because the Friday before Memorial Day weekend is National Road Trip Day. (Please note that all times in this post are CDT unless otherwise stated.)
After making it through two slowdowns, we reached I-65 in northwest Indiana. We stopped at Costco in Merrillville for gas and then at the Roselawn southbound I-65 rest stop, which was a fabulous place, especially with the exhibits and decor inside. There, we had some food while enjoying a pleasant day.
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| Above and below are displays inside the Roselawn rest stop. As usual, all photos in this post are mine unless otherwise stated. |
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| Look at all those butterflies |
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| Here I am posing by the signage outside the Roselawn rest stop building that reads "Indiana Welcomes You." Abuela photographed me. |
Once we got past Indianapolis, I looked for a place to stop for a quick bite to eat, and I went for the first Culver’s I saw, which was around 2:15 PM EDT. We made another stop at the final rest area on I-65 before we reached the Louisville Metro Area. There, we exited I-65 to bypass the toll bridge and used the US 31 bridge to cross from Indiana over the Ohio River into Kentucky, right by the Yum Center. After winding around on downtown Louisville streets for less than 5 minutes, we returned to I-65. We made another stop at a rest area south of Louisville.
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| At the rest stop south of Louisville, there's a sign between horses that reads, "Welcome to Kentucky". |
At Cave City, we exited I-65 and drove on several state roads through rural Kentucky. Around 8 PM, we entered Tennessee. In about another hour, we reached Monterey, where we picked up I-40 and it was a straightforward journey east to Crossville. We finally reached my parents’ house close to 9:30. I was glad my Dad and a neighbor were able to get Avila unstuck from the drainage ditch at the end of the driveway when I made a sudden turn in, since, at first, I had missed their house due to the different nature of the mailboxes. Mom and Dad already had dinner waiting for us, and we spent time together while Abuela and I ate before bed.
The next morning, Saturday, May 25, Dad went with me in Avila and directed me to the community center to pick up a pancake breakfast and we carried it out and brought it back to the house--please see photo below.
Shortly after 9:30, Mom and I departed in Avila for Crossville. First, we visited the Art Circle Public Library, where Mom volunteers.
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| Outside the Art Circle Public Library |
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| Inside the Art Circle Public Library |
Then we walked around in the downtown area. Next, we went on other errands, including the Flying Pig BBQ restaurant where Mom picked up her birthday dinner meal. And then we returned to the house for lunch.
Later in the afternoon, we went for a 4:00 boat tour on the lake, which was about an hour and a half. The pilot took us around the perimeter and told us about the houses on the lake.
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| The boat dock |
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| The lake |
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| Above and below are views of some houses along the lake |
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| Our boat pilot and guide |
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| Another house on the lake |
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| Out on the lake |
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| Out on the lake |
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| Mom photographed me as we neared the end of our boat ride tour. |
Back at the house, we had dinner, which was a chicken and rice dinner that Abuela cooked.
The next morning, we attended 8 AM Mass at St. Francis Church, about a 5-10 minute walk from the house. It was a wonderful time to worship God, and today’s liturgy was fitting for this weekend of being together as family since it was Trinity Sunday, a mystery that we recognize as real because the Trinity and Their Love is manifested in our relationships.
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| Outside St. Francis Parish |
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| Above and below are views inside St. Francis Parish. The two photos show the opening lines of the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty." |
After Mass, we went out for breakfast at the nearby golf course restaurant. It was a splendid morning as we ate our breakfast alfresco in the gentle breezes.
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| Here are the breakfast plates. I got pancakes with ham, hashed browns, and eggs. I gave the scrambled eggs to Dad. |
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| The server got this group photo. |
When we finished, I walked with Mom on the path back to their house--please see photo below.
We relaxed for much of the afternoon, which seemed fitting when it started to rain.
My friend Richard called me out of the blue and we chatted for a while. Then I watched some of my former RE students at the OPRFHS graduation ceremony.
For dinner, we had food from the Flying Pig that Mom picked up yesterday when we were out, which included pulled pork, ribs, baked beans, coleslaw, and banana pudding, much of which is featured in the photo below.
It was wonderful to continue the spirit of celebration. After dinner was the moving National Memorial Day Concert on PBS.
The next morning on Monday, May 27, Memorial Day Observed, I went to 8 AM Mass at St. Francis. Upon coming back to the house, I had breakfast.
A little later, Mom, Abuela, and I went for an outing. We went to Bucc-ee’s, a gas station/retail outlet chain, which is quite a happening place with lots of gas pumps and lots of merchandise inside, especially with all the Memorial Day weekend travelers. I was tickled with delight looking at the Bucc-ee’s Beaver. And we also stopped to shop for a few items at Kroger.
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| To the left is the Buc-ee's store, and to the right is a view of the gas pumps, of which there are nearly 100. |
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| It was a happening day inside Buc-ee's. |
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| Here's the Buc-ee's mascot making an appearance. |
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| A fellow visitor photographed us by the Bucc-ee's Beaver statue outside a store entrance. |
Once we were back at the house, we had lunch. Subsequently, I went to the nearby Food City to get something I had forgotten about at Kroger, and on my way back, I stopped at the nearby Custard Cabin, which is in the photo below. (I think I got a special flavor, which was peach or a red berry.)
At the house later on, close to 3 PM, Dad and I made homemade tortillas.
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| The finished product of the homemade tortillas |
There was a concert later, in the early evening, which is something that happens often nearby on select evenings of the week. We attended the opening part of it.
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| The concert |
Then we returned to the house for dinner, which included burgers from the grill along with a potato/bell pepper medley--please see the two photos below.
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After dinner, we sat outside on the front place in the driveway and listened to the music from the concert, which was about half a mile away. There was something special about hearing “God Bless the USA”, especially the line “From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee...”, which prompted rousing cheers from the crowd. It was nice to linger out in the night under the stars.
The following morning, on Tuesday, May 28, we had one final meal together over breakfast. Abuela and I got packed up and we departed shortly before 9 AM.
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| The rising sun over the house before our departure. |
We got on I-40 and exited at Monterey. Then we took a series of roads through small towns and the rural hillside from Tennessee into Kentucky.
Around 1 PM EDT, we reached Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHS. I was eager to stop there and show it to Abuela. We parked at the visitors’ center and then had our lunch. Next, we stopped inside the center for shopping. Then, we followed the wooden plank path up the hill to the Memorial structure housing the symbolic birth cabin.
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| Abuela stands next to the Symbolic birth cabin inside the Memorial Building. |
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| The view of the Memorial Building exterior. |
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| Abuela photographed me by the Memorial Building. |
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| I photographed Abuela near the same spot, with a view of the steps that lead up to the Memorial Building. |
Within the hour, we were on our way again. It was a short drive to I-65, and as we skirted the outskirts of Hodgenville, Laura, my cousin, and Abuela’s niece in the Denver area, called for a brief chat.
Once on I-65, the journey was straightforward for heading north. Like on the way south, we exited in downtown Louisville to skip the toll bridge over the Ohio River, using the US 31 Bridge instead.
During the ride, I played some Relevant Radio programming, along with other music.
Getting into Northwest Indiana, I stopped at a Love’s Truckstop for gas. Further north, we stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel in Hobart/Merrillville, around 6 PM.
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| Beef pot roast dinner at Cracker Barrel |
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| The server kindly photographed us at our dinner table. |
By 8 PM or so, we had driven through the city of Chicago and I pulled up to Abuela’s residence. Then I returned to homebase, arriving after 9 PM.
Over and over, as I reflect on this trip, the idea of Trinity surfaces. It is a Mystery, yet we know It’s real, especially in our relationships.
That was what this trip was all about for me, spending time with family, connecting with Mom and Dad, particularly at such a special time for celebrating my Mom’s birthday. It is a way for us to remember we are all special and we contribute something to each other and our world, and that is what makes birthdays special. So there was a sense of joy in being there. I am glad that could share the experience of this trip with Abuela.
It had also been several years since I had last been in Tennessee. I noticed that it’s very green, although Mom remarked it’s the result of all the rain they’ve had. There’s also a nice sense of community I felt, and even a sense of patriotic pride that feels more defined.
It was nice to travel and see some of the country on National Road Trip Day. This country encompasses a vast sense of geography, which I felt particularly when crossing the Ohio River between Indiana and Kentucky in the Louisville Metro Area. Stopping at Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace on the way back was special, because it’s a way to connect with the origins of a most distinguished Illinoisan. I think a defining moment of the trip was hearing the words "the hills of Tennessee" during "God Bless the USA" during the concert while we were seated in the driveway of the house.
The term hill factors into a notable Biblical story that was liturgically celebrated just after we got back to Chicagoland. The Feast of the Visitation is annually on May 31, and the text in Luke says that Mary went in haste to the hill country of Judea to visit her relative Elizabeth. And there we were, heading to the hill country in Tennessee to embrace our relationship with Mom and Dad. Through it all, I recognize that so much of what made this trip special turns back to the beloved place of 1036 Clarence Avenue in Oak Park.
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| Keeping 1036 Clarence close on this blanket on my bed, even hundreds of miles away |
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