The Route 66 Chick

This past week, Joe Sonderman and I received some news about our Route 66 in Kansas pamphlet, er, book. (As expected, we have taken a lot of ribbing about producing a whole book about 13 miles of our favorite highway!) Anyway, Arcadia Publishing informed us of the publication/release date of Route 66 in Kansas . Talk about patriotic. Our official release date is July 4th! We had guessed that the book would likely be released in May, since that is roughly six months after our materials submission date. But that's okay. We think July 4th is cool.  Tentatively we will have some book signings in July and/or August in Galena and Baxter Springs. We'll post those dates once they're firmed up. And one or both of us will be at the following festivals with the new book: Aug. 12-14    Birthplace of Route 66 Festival                                Springfield MO Sept. 3        ...

(First published in Show Me Route 66,  Vol. 23 No 4, 2013 Second published in the Prairie Land Buzz , February 2014) In 1961, two AWOL Texas GIs went on a cross-country killing spree from Florida to Colorado, killing seven people in a two-week orgy of robbery, violence, and murder. Their travels brought James Douglas Latham, 19, and George Ronald York, 18, to Illinois' Metro East, where they made several tragic stops. Their senseless, brutal slayings of Albert Eugene “Gene” Reed and Martin Drenovac along Route 66 sent the Illinois communities of Litchfield, Edwardsville, and Mitchell/Granite City reeling. Reed and Drenovac were victims #4 and #5 respectively of nine victims assaulted (seven of which died) at the hands of Latham and York from May 26 through June 10, 1961. On the morning of Thursday, June 8, 1961, Martin Drenovac was at work at his Twin Oaks Gas for Less service station on U.S. Bypass 66 in Mitchell, Illinois. The service station, along with a restaurant ...

(First published in Show Me Route 66 , Vol. 23 No. 3, 2013 Second published in Prairie Land Buzz , January 2014) In 1961, two AWOL Texas GIs went on a cross-country killing spree from Florida to Colorado, killing seven people in a two-week orgy of robbery, violence, and murder. Their travels brought James Douglas Latham, 19, and George Ronald York, 18, Illinois' Metro East, where they made several tragic stops. Their senseless, brutal slayings of Albert Eugene “Gene” Reed and Martin Drenovac along Route 66 sent the Illinois communities of Litchfield, Edwardsville, and Mitchell/Granite City reeling. Reed and Drenovac were victims #4 and #5 respectively of nine victims assaulted (seven of which died) at the hands of Latham and York from May 26 through June 10, 1961. Stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, Latham and York each seemed to have a large chip on his shoulder and a big nose for trouble. As a result of theft and AWOL charges, both were serving terms in the stockade when...

On Thursday morning (January 8), I was ready for a few hours of soaking up history before I headed for home. From the Nashville Music City KOA, I drove back south through Nashville to the small city of Franklin.  My mom and I had visited the Carnton Plantation and the Carter House in Franklin a dozen years ago. Since then, I had read Widow of the South , the spellbinding novel by Robert Hicks, which is based on the true story of Carrie McGavock. And so I was ready to return. The Franklin area was part of the last big campaign of the Civil War, and the Battle of Franklin played out around and within the city in 1864. At the Carter House, the family sought refuge in the cellar while the battle raged white-hot around their home. When you take the tour, guides are quick to point out the bullet holes and chips in the bricks. Read more about it at  The Carter House . Carnton Plantation  was the home of John and Carrie McGavock, but it was taken over by Confe...

On Monday morning, January 4, I took off for home. Crazily, I argued with myself most of the first day on the road over which way I was going. Dixie Highway all the way? Drive over to the Florida West Coast and follow the coast up, then up through Alabama? Do any of you do this? From Tom and Nicole's house, I drove east through Pompano Beach and picked up the Dixie Highway. Apparently, the argument was at least temporarily over. It was drizzling just a bit (note raindrop on windshield in photo), but the forecast predicted clearing. First stop was Boca Express Train Museum in Boca Raton. It was Monday, so predictably they were closed. The highway was jammed as I drove north through the picturesque towns. (Why weren't people at work?) It was too early for ice cream but I snapped photos of one of the Carvel's Ice Cream locations. After hours of driving on U.S. 1, my enthusiasm and energy waned, and I finally realized what was going on. I was sad ab...

I arrived at Tom and Nicole's on Christmas Eve afternoon and was greeted warmly by them and also by two very excited dogs. (They know their grandma loves them.) Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were full of love, good cooking, and fun watching the pups (Six and Scout) open their presents. They have that down pat. Speaking of good cooking, Tom and Nicole are both excellent cooks and bakers, and made many wonderful dishes, including a tomato gratin and from-scratch cherry pie. We self-confessed foodies also visited several excellent restaurants in the area while I was there. Several of these I have been to before and always look forward to visiting again.  Ethos Greek Bistro  is a delightful restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. The evening we were there was slightly cool and very comfortable. Billed as "a modern take on healthy Greek cuisine," this is a very popular place, and you can usually count on a little wait time for a table. It's definit...