Catching up!

Well, here we go with some long-awaited updates!  Nobody told me how difficult it was going to be keeping up with myself!! 

February was an awesome month!  So many places, so many miles!

February 1st was the Salute to African American Veterans at Zablocki.  Just a couple days later on the 3rd, we returned for the observance of 4 Chaplains Sunday.  This was a wonderful, moving ceremony.  I was glad my husband Bob and 4th District President Sue and her husband Gene could accompany us.  Commander Wayne, his wife Donna, 5th District Commander Ensley Brown and many others from 4th & 5th Districts joined in the solemn observance of the 4 Chaplains.

The rest of that week was pretty quiet which was a good thing because the next week was a very long trip, over 1,200 miles by the time we got back home!

We started out on Monday, February 11th and headed south to Springfield, IL. for the Annual American Legion Lincoln Pilgrimage.  It was a cold, windy morning and as Sue and I  watched the morning weather, wondering if we had enough warm clothes along!  That weather guy promised partly cloudy skies with some light snow flurries for the early going.  After the mandatory coffee stop, we hopped on I43 and headed south.  The further south we went, the worse it was snowing!  It was really interesting at times when it was snowing sideways & complete white-out! 

We got to the toll plaza when we got into Illinois, paid the fee and mentioned that it would be nice if they could turn off the snow for us.  I guess requests work because about 10 miles later, it stopped and the sun sort of came out.  But, boy, was it windy!!  The "company car" was being blown all over the place & I know that my fingers and hands hurt from hanging on so tightly to the steering wheel. 

One of our funnier moments came when we stopped for some coffee for us and gas for the car & the wind kept me from opening the car door.  That wasn't bad enough, but when I got out I had to try to put my coat on in the freezing winds.  I really looked ridiculous, line a bat flying!  We did get the car filled up but I was so cold the heat went way up till I got warm again.

Somewhere along the way my companion came up with the idea of stopping at an original Route 66 diner for lunch!  I agreed and we went in search of one.  We drove a long way and never did find one!  We arrived at the Springfield Hilton in a flurry of wind!  We managed to find the Wisconsin delegation without much difficulty and then went off to our room to change for the evening dinner that the organizers told us was with the National President.  Well it was, it just wasn't ours!  We ended up out with a group that was taking the National President, pardon mois the National Chapeau of 8&40, out to a local historical restaurant.  We did have a nice time, but were a little miffed by the communication gap.

When we had a chance to chat with the others from Wisconsin, they were telling us some interesting tales about our hotel.  Most of them had arrived the day before in some equally strong winds and a lot of rain.  Seems that the hotel, which is a tall hotel-in-the-round type structure, groans and sways in the strong breezes!  Most said they were not able to sleep very well the night before so we were lucky that although it was still pretty brisk, at least the building was not moving by the time we got there.

Tuesday morning we attended a wonderful breakfast hosted by the Auxiliary Department of Illinois.  National President Peggy Thomas was on hand to tell us about some of her many experiences as she has traveled this year.  Great time and photo-op before we headed off to meet the Legionnaires for the trip to the cemetery.

By the time we got going it had warmed up some and turned into a pretty nice day.  We joined the Commander and his wife as we patiently waited for the procession to depart.  With the requisite number of delays accomplished, we got rolling on the short trip through Springfield to the tomb of Abraham Lincoln. 

Once parked, we all had the opportunity to walk around the monument a bit and of course have our picture taken touching the nose on Abe's bronze statue for luck.  The Commander and I were finally ushered into the tomb to receive our instructions for the wreath-laying ceremony, while Adjutant Dave escorted Sue & Donna to a place where they could observe the ceremonies. 

It was such an honor to be a participant in these ceremonies, something few people get to do.  It was an amazing experience and awesome honor to be able to lay a wreath on behalf of the Department of Wisconsin at the tomb of one of our greatest presidents.  We had the privilege of hearing many local dignitaries as well as the National SAL Commander, National President Peggy Thomas and National Commander Jimmy Koutz and they so eloquently spoke about the president that had such a lasting influence on our country.  It is an experience I will never forget. 

After the ceremonies concluded we headed back to the hotel for the annual luncheon sponsored by The American Legion of Illinois.  After listening to the speeches and bidding our good-byes, we again embarked on a journey to find Route 66.  As of today, still looking for it!! 

It was a long ride to our next stop, Portage, Wisconsin.  We eventually wound our way north for a meeting at headquarters the next morning.  If there was ever a long day on the road, I think this was it.  It got dark pretty early so the last part of the trip seemed longer.  We did finally make it to the hotel in time for a nice dinner and even a dip in the pool and hot tub. 

We had a very interesting meeting in Portage on Wednesday.  This one was all about planning for our convention in July.  The time passed to fast but working out the details with Department Secretary Bonnie was great.  Finally got down to making decisions on some specifics for the big event.  So many details to put in place.  Many changes for this year, all for the good of course!  Guess there will me many more planning sessions but if they all go as good as this one did it will be one great event.

More shortly...I promise!!