**In this series of posts, I revisit interesting locations and sites that I never got around to posting about when I originally visited them.**
Here's a blast from the past from more than a year ago. It is my last meal while living in the deep South and it comes from our favorite local breakfast place, Ann & Bill's Restaurant in Morrow, Georgia. I went with a fried chicken meal with coleslaw (on the right) and their attempt at Waldorf salad (on the left). I had been eyeing the Waldorf salad on the menu as an appetizer for a while but as I typically went with a breakfast item I didn't get a chance until the very end of our time there. Final rating: a bit odd with a thicker mayo sauce then I'm used to.
With each meal at Ann & Bill's, you can have a choice of grits or muffins. You should always give the grits a try once to say you've had true Southern grits but after that first time, it is muffins all the way! They are homemade and so tasty.
So that was it. Laura and I would shortly be headed to Washington D.C. and by the end of the summer we had made our way to central Illinois.
Back in 2005, indie rock all-star Sufjan Stevens released an entire album of songs about the great state of Illinois. This was preceded by an album about Michigan and at one time there was talk of a larger multi-album project that would cover all 50 states (can you imagine!). The album, entitled Come on Feel the Illinoise, features a song centered around Decatur with many subtle references for Decaturites to enjoy.
The title of the song is "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!" and I love the double title which are commonplace in Stevens' other work. As we take a look at the song, the lyrics will be in italics below
The song is great in that the Decatur references are wound into the song in a way that they can float right by you naturally and I'm sure there are meanings here that I'm still missing even after closely examining them.
We begin with banjo and accordion talking with each other and Sufjan softly sings about taking a trip, presumably with other siblings, to Decatur with their step-mom who they dislike greatly.
One, two, three, four Our step mom we did everything to hate her She took us down to the edge of Decatur We saw the lion and the kangaroo take her Down to the river where they caught a wild alligator
Here's the first reference to Decatur mythology with the mention of a lion, kangaroo, and alligator as each has a story in the cities past. Nellie the Lion was a lion that was shipped to a mansion (as one does) in Monticello, IL and then promptly escaped the grounds. The lioness wondered around central Illinois and made its way to Decatur and was actively hunted by armed citizens in 1917 before vanishing for good somewhere into the cornfields.
Decatur had a summer of the kangaroo in 1975 as one was spotted around town by many Decaturites. Lastly, alligators have been seen (and caught) around Lake Decatur, which sits to the south of the city, many times in the last century including recorded sightings in 1892, 1937, and 1966.
Sangamon River it overflowed It caused a mudslide on the banks of the operator
The Sangamon River is a major river in Central Illinois but not near Decatur. It runs between Peoria and Springfield which are far to the west of Decatur.
Civil war skeletons in their graves They came up clapping in the spirit of the aviator
Anyone who has visited Decatur for more than a few days will likely come into contact with Decatur's "smell" which comes from the Tate and Lyle grain factory that sits to the east of downtown. You will also probably have to sit in traffic and watch as a train passes through the middle of town on its way to the factory. The factory smell is not a constant annoyance and when we lived in the north part of town it was mainly a late night experience. After moving downtown near Millikin University, I now rarely smell it at all and it is a surprise when what I describe as "hot dog food" hits my nose. Steven A. Douglas was a great debater But Abraham Lincoln was the great emancipator
Stay awake and watch for the data No small caterpillar, go congratulate her
I'm still looking for a meaning in the "data" line but the Caterpillar company (based out of Peoria, IL) as a long standing factory in Decatur where they make large wheel loaders and compactors.
Denominator, go Decatur, go Decatur It's the great I am Abominate her, go Decatur, why did we hate her? It's the great I am Denominator, go Decatur, anticipate her It's the great I am Appreciates her, appreciate her Stand up and thank her Stand up and thank her It's the great I am Stand up and thank her It's the great I am Stand up and thank her It's the great I am Stand up and thank her
And so because the trip to Decatur wasn't so bad after all, Stevens and family appreciate their step-mother a little more. How nice! The phrase "It's the great I am" is a slight modification of the English language answer God gave to Moses when he asked what God's name was. It's still a mystery to me its meaning here.
I've always enjoyed the Illinoise album but since moving here I've come to love it even more. I mean, Stevens even wrote a lovely song about one of the state's favorite sons, Adlai Stevenson on a bonus of outtakes album call The Avalanche. I visited Stevenson's grave in Bloomington, IL back in April.
While I have a pretty formidable comic collection (purely in terms of number of comics), I don't really have a lot of key early issues from the 1960's and 70's. I do have a couple early issues of Daredevil but they are in pretty rough condition but as a kid collector I was more interested in the current issues than older ones and I didn't really care about owning the important issues when I could read reprints or graphic novels with those issues included.
All this recently changed when I received a great looking copy of Fantastic Four Annual #1 from 1963 for my birthday this year from my sister. I was flabbergasted as she included it at the bottom of a stack of inexpensive G.I. Joe comics from the 1980's and then BAM! a Jack Kirby cover smacks me across the face!
Here's the cover with colors just as vibrant as the day they were printed.
The issue story line finds the Fantastic Four running into trouble from the Sub-Mariner, prince of Atlantis. Written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby, I believe this is my early 60's Kirby. Jeez, thanks Avril!
The issue also features the Thing battling a hammer head shark!
The Marvel annual issues were always filled to the brim with just about double the size of a normal issue and Fantastic Four Annual #1 filled its pages with full page art featuring the teams key villains from their first year in comics. First we have The Mole Man the first villain the team ever faced in issue #1.
Although Alicia Masters, the Puppet Master's step-daughter, dated the Thing for many years in the comics, he would become the father-in-law to the Human Torch when Alicia married Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four issue #300.
There was also an incredibly detailed map of the team's headquarters in the Baxter Building. Before the days of comic information being easily accessible it was these type of drawings that provided the amount of detail super fans needed to know every possible thing about the Fantastic Four.
Thanks again Avril for the totally unexpected surprise!
