Galena, your blogmeisters new union suit, and the way home.

Greetings, Blog Pickers, Blogmeister David back again! It’s Sunday and we are in Illinois, about 60 miles from Normal (such an odd name for a place…..but I guess it is better than having another York, Springfield, Peoria, or other such multi state name). We left Galena around 10 am this morning and have been driving for about 2 hours already. CyberBitch, the voice in the GPS, tells us that it will take about 7.5 hours to get home so I thought that this would be a good opportunity to wrap up the blog for this trip. We are sitting here (driving here?) listening to the Glee- 3D The Movie soundtrack and Lea Michelle has just belted out Don’t Rain On My Parade, the song we had at the opening of our wedding last year. I am also watching yet more corn whizz past the window. I just posted a question on my Facebook page asking where all the wheat is grown in the America. All I ever seem to see is corn……and LOTS of it. Ah well…the multiple uses of social media. I look forward to hearing the responses!

We pulled into Galena at around 3 pm yesterday and checked in at the Aldrich Guest House. It is an absolutely gorgeous pre-civil war era home owned by Brian and Fran. It had taken some time to find somewhere with availability and who would let us stay for just a Saturday night as most have two night minimums at the weekend. We also had to find a place that would be welcoming to two men as well, something that straight couples are fortunate enough not to have to worry about. Having already discovered a few places that we didn’t think would welcome us due to wording on their websites, we were relieved when we actually spoke with Brian on the phone and he assured us that it didn’t matter one bit to him. Just another equality issue for you all to think about in the coming election cycle…..

Anyway, after checking in and having a quick tour of the house, we headed off to downtown Galena with a spring in our step after having spent 7 hours in the car. For those of you who have not been to Galena it is a beautiful place filled with tremendous history. We really didn’t have time to do it justice from a history perspective so shall have to return some time in the future. But for the few brief hours that we did have we busied ourselves on the main street. We found a bank, I withdrew $50, tucked the receipt away, photographed the bank, and had the bills changed into a $50 bill at a little store across from the bank by a young lady called Lauren. With that, we headed off to find our antique store for Illinois. Right across the street was a suitably run down store called “La Belle Époque” and so in we rushed. At the farthest end of the store sat a man with wild hair, wild beard, and wild eyes. I went over and said hello and asked him his name. “Buz”, he replied. I asked him if he was an Illinois native, at which point he got a little shifty in his chair but responded yes. I guess he may have thought I was from the IRS or something so I quickly stuck out my hand, told him my name, and that I was a photographer. I explained to him the project I was working on and he got really excited! He asked me what sort of stuff I wanted and I gave him the same answers as I gave Joan. Well, Buz lit up with the biggest smile ever which made him look even wilder than before and said he would love to do it. He even said he would throw in the box as well. So without further ado James and I departed and left Buz excitedly hopping around his store rooting through boxes and junk like a man possessed. I wondered what on earth we were going to get this time and we headed off to the shops.

Walking around Galena was a very different experience to the previous week of vacation. Garrison had been a very down to earth, sort of homey vacation experience. Galena was all about smart gift shops, antique stores, and expensive little boutiques. The contrast was really quite marked and made for an interesting hour as we wandered along the very crowded main street, seeing people decked out in Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and other assorted designer brands. But everyone seemed in a holiday kind of mood so we mingled in and had a good time. I also made the ultimate purchase of my vacation in a strange little shop selling t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, and underwear. A bright red up to date Union Suit! Yes, dear reader, you can see it now can’t you. These are an updated version of the traditional Union Suit and I can’t wait to wear it. You can check out my purchase at www.lazyone.com. I am tempted to take a picture of me wearing it when I get home, but I have a feeling that it might be just a little too revealing and I wouldn’t want to scare any of you silly. So you’ll just have to look at the website and image yours truly standing there posing for you. James is really not too sure about this new purchase especially as I am threatening to wear it with my new woolly hat from New Glarus….ah well.

All too quickly we found that it was time to return to see Buz. As I entered the store he was sitting there waiting for me. He presented me with a small cigar box that contained just three objects. Was I a little disappointed that we hadn’t received this enormous container of things? Maybe, but I had set the parameters of the project and it was up to Buz to choose. Buz, however, was like a little puppy. He was SO excited and I took advantage of the moment to do his portraits. We found a great spot next to the window of the store and this time I had him hold the box of stuff together with the $50 bill. I took a couple of shots, some where he was smiling like a mad axe murderer, and some where he was looking serious and really rather menacing. He was a good guy and told me that I was the highlight of his week. He was thrilled that he been a part of my project. That in itself makes the whole thing work for me. It is becoming clearer that I may need to continue to tweak the project, so when I return to school tomorrow I’ll start the process of discussing the concept with a few folks and see where it leads.

We had dinner reservations for 8 pm at The Goldmoor Inn, a nice looking place outside of Galena, so after stopping off for a quick glass of wine at the DeSoto Hotel in Main Street we headed back to the hotel to have a bath (David) and a nap (James). I was eager to use the beautiful old claw-foot tub in the en-suite bathroom and so threw a handful of bubble bath salts into the water and disappeared under a cloud of heavenly lavender bubbles for 30 minutes while James snoozed on the beautiful iron framed bed, surrounded by fluffy blue and white pillows like the bearded renaissance man that he is. Then a quick change of clothes and we were off to eat. I had been looking forward to this meal but was also aware that I was approaching my dining limit. Although all of my clothes still fit I am fairly sure that I have gained around 8 pounds or more on this trip. Seeing as I had just lost 17 pounds on weight watchers this, dear reader, is not good news. So I resolved to eat sensibly tonight.

Dinner was lovely. The location was a modern constructed inn, which, as my nephew Jack commented on Facebook, looked like it had been constructed out of flat pack materials. Still the location was outstanding in that we were overlooking the river as the sun set in the distance. We dined on caprese salad, crab cakes, pork tenderloin, and beef wellington coupled with a lovely bottle of Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier. It was all very nice and as you can see, the eating sensibly concept failed to even get started. So feeling like we had each eaten a Zeppelin, we headed back to the guest house and lay on the bed groaning with gluttony until we fell asleep, sleeping the sleep of those who have eaten too much and will pay for it in the morning.

Awakened by the smell of bacon and coffee at around 7.30 am we showered and headed down to breakfast. It was a lovely affair and Brian and Fran cooked up a storm and presented it all in front of us (groan, more food). This was my first experience of a bed and breakfast in the USA, although they are a staple of the UK, and I can honestly say that it was a fantastic experience. The standard was very high and provided almost the same quality as some of the hotels we have been staying in, although in a very different and extremely comfortable way. Next time we’ll certainly be looking at more of these places to stay and can whole heartedly recommend Aldrich in Galena. There was even a little guest book in each bedroom for you to write about your experience as well. I took great pride in writing both of our names in the book as we were the only same-sex couple to have done so. I love the fact that it will cause some people to no doubt have sleepless nights due to the horror that two men have been sleeping together in the very same bed…..ha!

And there, dear reader, you have it all. We are now 3.5 hours away from home. We just stopped for lunch at Hardees where I felt an almost uncontrollable desire to get up on the table and do a solo “Flash Mob” style routine when Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” was played on the tinny restaurant music system. But, seeing as we had stopped at El Paso, IL, I took a quick look around me at the other patrons of the restaurant and reigned myself in. Probably a shrewd move considering the rather large and scary looking truckers, seated at the table next door, devouring mountains of burgers and fries. Instead I am contenting myself with typing to you while listening to “The Very Best of Judy Garland” in the safety of the car as we pass yet more corn. Such is the life of the passenger on a road trip.

So our vacation is almost at an end. It has been a great trip. It has been quite different for me and I certainly have enjoyed myself immensely. I feel privileged to have been able to share in James’ reminiscences and have had the opportunity to see and do things that would not normally have been on my radar. “Homos on the Road” has been a riot of fun and splendor in many ways. From the Four Seasons to Cabin Number 6 and everything in between it has been a merry and dare I say it, a gay old time. I hope that you have also enjoyed keeping up with our crazy activities. I often get messages from people saying how much you enjoy the blog and that is one of the things that keep me going with it. I look forward to the next trip where we can travel with all of you by our side once more!. I hope you have also enjoyed all the pictures that have been posted through Facebook and the micro-blogging with pictures through Twitter as well. It’s been a blast! School starts back for me tomorrow with my first meeting taking place at 7.30 am in Lexington. So I’ll be up at 5 am and on the road by 5.30 am, this time on my own with only a cup of coffee, a banana, a hardboiled egg, and maybe a few pieces of toast on a plate to keep me company for my commute. James will be heading off to the University for some Meetings. So think of us both as we return to our version of reality.

And with that, dear reader, I’ll leave you with a line from a song by The Beautiful South which is “You can’t have too many good times”.

So Big Love to you all. It’s been a blast!

D&J