Howdy Everyone!
I really enjoyed spending a couple days in Flora, IL. Pat had made several arrangements for me, including free lodging, free meals, and giving talks at the High School. People were so friendly in that town. The High School even gave me a t-shirt. Besides all that yet, her son, Stephen Barber, DMD, cleaned & polished my teeth and gave me 2 fillings, all for free too! On Thursday I made it to Olney, where I met Gwen at the Chamber of Commerce. Gwen wrote to me a yr ago when I was writing letters about my trip. She has followed along with me ever since the beginning, so meeting her was a lot of fun because she knows all about my trip. On Thursday afternoon she showed me around town some, then took me out to Shady Timbers Lodge, a beautiful lodge located a mile out of town. The cabin is located out in the woods, and you feel like you're miles away from anywhere, but really you aren't. The lodge is beautifully decorated with a rustic, cabin theme and many antiques. It was built with 100+ year old barn beams and has a cozy, cabin feel to it. On one wall is an awesome stacked-stone fireplace that is 25' tall. The floors are hardwood, and upstairs in the loft are 2 bedrooms. The tin roof makes rainy days fun, and the huge wrap-around porch makes this cabin a wonderful, relaxing place to unwind and enjoy the wildlife. While I was there I saw 4 deer in the morning. The cabin also has a full bathroom, kitchen, and laundry, but no phone (yes!) There are trails to hike and the scenery is breathtaking (I used up a roll & a half of film there!) Thanks to Gwen, I was able to stay there one night for free, but if you'd like more information about Shady Timbers Lodge, here it is:
Scott & Connie McDowell, 5569 Sugar Creek Rd, Olney IL 62450 (618)393-4900. On Friday, Gwen drove me out to the radio station to do an interview, and then took me to St Joseph Catholic School where I spent the afternoon giving talks about epilepsy. One 5th grader had brain surgery last August for her seizures, so I enjoyed visiting with Courtney. She was pretty bashful, though. Then Gwen took me to "Fessel's Cabbage Rose B&B," a beautiful, majestic home. The home was built in 1883, and has been restored back to its natural beauty. The interior of the home is Victorian, including stained glass windows and fireplaces. The home sits on a full city block and is over 8,000 sq ft. There are 32 rooms, 92 windows, seven bathrooms all with original porcelain tiles on the floors and walls, and 7 fireplaces. They installed a furnace of 999,000 BTU's! The first floor includes a huge kitchen, butlers pantry, dining room, living room, music room, library, and sunroom. In the music room is a beautiful, concert size Grand Piano. The second floor is made up of mostly bedrooms, and the third floor used to be a ballroom, but is now being made into the master living quarters. The home has been beautifully restored and I am so lucky to get to spend the wkend here! And again, thanks to Gwen and Bruce & Kat's hospitality, I'm staying here for free. In fact, when Gwen brought me here, she was telling me how this house belonged to her husbands grandparents from 1945 till the 90's.
If you'd like more information about Cabbage Rose B&B, you can contact Kat & Bruce Fessel at (618)392-0218 or cabbagerose1@hotmail.com. Y'all take care and have a great day! KB