The Racine Strep Carwash Blues

Until today, everything has gone to 'plan.'  (Actually we don't have a plan, other to be in Lennox, MA by the 15th and start heading home on the 22nd.)  We're staying in a beautiful county park north of Racine, and things have exceeded our expectations so far.

Cliff side County Park, Racine, WA

However, Kathy has not felt well for the last couple of days, but she rallied for a 1.5 hour driving shift yesterday and was excited to tour the famous home of H.C. Johnson designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  The tour featured a video by the two children (now in their 80s) who grew up there, which made it interesting.  Frank was a very flawed genius, and we learn more about his brilliance and peccadillos every time we tour one of his buildings.

Wingspread, by FL Wright

The expansive interior

The tour exhausted her.  Suspecting strep throat, we found an urgent care clinic, and yes, she does have strep. Fortunately, it's easily cured with four days of antibiotics.  It's great to be alive in the 21st Century!

While there, I spotted a car wash across the street and started drooling.  I couldn't wait to get pounds of grime and bugs cleaned off and the grit and crumbs vacuumed off the carpets.  It was so nice!

Then, at the vacuum station, I couldn't find my wallet.  I searched high and low--I even found some ancient Cliff Bars under the seat.   The manager and I searched the bowels of the car wash with a flashlight, but no luck.  She later viewed the surveillance videos and saw that it fell off my lap and out the door as I inserted my credit card into the pay station.  She called in a maintenance crew and they couldn't find it directly below the pay station either.  They figured it bounced off a rail and ricocheted into the pool below which starts six inches deep and descends to an eight-foot depth!

So, if it rains heavily in days ahead--when business is slow--they will pump out the liquids until they find it and mail it to me.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast looks pretty sunny.  But all wasn't lost.  I got to meet a very nice woman who took it upon herself to try to solve my inconvenient problem.We drove through some historic neighborhoods, and  I got in a nice 15 mile bike ride in along a dirt path, which was smoother than most of Racines bone jarring streets.

Tomorrow morning, we'll tour the SC Johnson Wax building also designed by Wright. I may post my own photos later.  Interestingly, Frank Lloyd Wright submitted a scaled down version of these plans for the Oregon Statesman (now the Statesman-Journal in Salem).  He was turned down because of his reputation for vastly exceeding budgets.  He recycled the plans and won the bid for Johnson Wax, now SC Johnson, makers of Drano, Saran Wrap, Off, Glade, Pledge, and much more.

Then we'll head off toward Chicago and beyond-- with one good credit card in a nice clean VW, pulling a very dirty Airstream, with a much healthier Kathy as our navigator. If I don't get pulled over by a cop or try to buy booze, I should be fine.  (I got carded at the grocery store yesterday!)