Sunday we drove to Springfield to tour the Lincoln Museam. It's an amazing place that brings history to life with life like wax statues, live actors, lighting and visual effects, computer graphics, smoke and mirrors.

My favorite room had a wall size map of the United States at the time of the Civil War and computer graphics that showed the progression of troops and the Northern and Southern boundaries. One second represented 1 week, the whole progression of the war completed in 4 minutes. To remind us that the real cost of the war was in human lives, a counter in the lower right corner started at zero and progressed in time with the rest of the map, leaping by tens of thousands for major battles.

From Springfield SKEA continued west to Kansas City, DRL went back to Peoria, and I drove to Mom's house in Bloomington in time to say good-bye and catch the flight to O'Hara and then San Diego where Keith again provided taxi service.

This was an amazing trip for me in many ways that are hard to describe. I travelled alone but I wasn't lonely. I was with myself in a way I hadn't been before. I created and defended my own agenda for the weekend so I wasn't just following the herd. And through photos, places, and people I connected with the past in meaningful ways that gives me confidence going forward into the future.

Love to all. Thanks to God.