Photoessay #243 - Off to Rockford

On Wednesday, I'm off to the midwest. I'll fly to Indiana to visit my sister in Lafayette and we'll both go to Rockford to visit my mom for the rest of the weekend. It's cold, COLD there though it will warm up through the weekend. My sister has a good car and my mom's place will be warm so I'm not too worried.

My destination, Wesley Willows, a large (for Rockford) retirement and skilled nursing facility. Run by the Methodists, my parents and the lady from India one house over, comprise the only 'diversity' in the place. Reasonably priced, many ministers retire there. The widow ladies sometimes pass around pictures of their husband's past churches along with the those of their grandchildren. If you need a minister, one can be had at any time.

The main facility (first picture) referred constantly as 'across the street' has apartments, meeting places and a nursing home. My father spent his last days in that facility. My mom has one of the cottages in the large development across the street. The second picture was taken from the same spot as the first, I twirled around to shoot the development of attractive duplex units. My parents live on the first street just to the right of the unit facing the camera. The pictures were taken on my last visit in August (the landscape will look very different now).

She can eat 'across the street' whenever she wants and we encourage her to do so. Often I stay 'across the street' in one of the guest rooms. At age 55, with an upper back condition, I am beyond sleeping on the floor though my siblings are willing to do so. This time, the guest rooms are all filled up. I will stay on the cot. My husband is encouraging me to just go rent a motel room. We'll see how it goes.

Rockford, a representative midwest city, fine as far as it goes. My favorite place, the Japanese Garden will be closed this time of year. By kismet, the 18A Nationals, a recruiting tournament the year Susanna was recruited, was held in Rockford. So the whole Oregon recruiting contact happened right there.

Hey, I have a photograph! Right here on the wall. Love having the scanner working. Dust optional. The Washington LadyHawks Blue in my parent's backyard in August 2002. Look how young Naomi Looks. Many of those kids ended up playing in college but only 3 played all of the years of their eligibility. Susanna and her two closest friends on the team, Kristina Thorson (Cal) and Amy McKean (Virginia). I don't see Ashley Crane in the picture but Northwestern recruited her at this tournament and she played all 4 years.

So true that it's more fun to talk about softball than the general Wesley Willows scene. But I try to have a good time and give more than I take. Often my mom will have me cook but maybe not this time. She likes to call the shots. That's ok, it's her house.