My Indiana Talks, 6/13 and 6/14/16

Everything was going as planned.  I got home from church, ate a quick sandwich, loaded everything in the car, and headed west to the train station.  I left the same time I always leave, which means I would arrive the same time I always arrive, typically 30-45 minutes prior to boarding.  And then came the congestion on I-12.  Traffic is always heavy in places on the interstate, but I had never just come to a complete stop before.  And it happened in two different areas....both due to wrecks.  One involved five vehicles.


I nervously stared at my watch as I sat motionless.  I turned off the air and tilted my sun roof before checking the Amtrak app.  Yep, train's on time.  My mind began to whirl as I tried to decide what best to do.  I could depart the interstate....as....soon....as....I....got....to....the....next...exit and forsake my usual station for the next one.  I checked the app again.  It was now 15 minutes late.  Whew!  That was better, but I still had no idea how long I would be in the quagmire that was Interstate 12.   I decided to chance it and continue to my original station.  We finally started moving again, and I  made it to my exit and then to the station where I breathed a huge sigh.  My relief, though, was short lived.  As soon as I opened the car door, I heard the whistle, which sent me into a frenzy as I began slinging bags out of the car.  Thank goodness I had the presence of mind to lock it as I fled with two roller bags, a small duffel, a back pack, and purse.

The train was boarding when I raced across the road from the parking lot and up to the platform.  Thank goodness you don't have to go through ridiculous security (not yet anyway) or I would have definitely missed the train.  The nice sleeping car attendant met me half way, took some of my bags, and helped me get everything loaded.  I made my way to my room and noticed someone was in it.  I was already in a foul mood and decided it was best to let the attendant handle it.  The mother and daughter apologized and made their way to their room upstairs.  I finally settled in and collapsed from exhaustion and stress. 

This is actually a Meerkat at the Indianapolis Zoo that Mark and I were able to visit during our trip.

And then it hit me.

Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

I couldn't remember whether I closed my sun roof or not!  Since it had been intermittently raining, you'd think I'd have enough sense to do so, but in my rush, I couldn't be sure.  Over the next week and a half that I would be away from home, I would stare helplessly at the radar as storms passed through my area.  Surely, my insurance would cover it.  Right?  Getting older is torturous.

Well, the trip was off to a challenging start, and I couldn't help but wonder how my presentations would go.  Was my equipment going to blow up?

Mark and I managed to arrive at the cafeteria where I would be speaking at the year-end banquet for the Indianapolis Round Table.  Everybody was so nice and welcoming!  I am particularly impressed with the work Mrs. Jenny Thompson has done with their newsletter called the Hardtack.  It is packed with lots of information!  Speaking of publications, they presented me with a book documenting the first 50 years of their round table.  And one of their members, Ms. Nikki Stoddard Schofield, gave me an autographed copy of her Civil War novel called Confederates in Canada.  As she explained, it is a romantic tale but not "that kind."

Before the presentation, we shared a nice meal with them.  The conversation, along with the food, was wonderful, and I was good and stuffed by the time I spoke!

Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

The following day, Mark and I headed to Bloomington, Indiana, where I spoke for the Monroe County Roundtable (Some organizations use one word for "roundtable" while others use two).   Scott Schroeder, the president, had a nice introduction for me, and off I went.

Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

Afterwards, Scott took us out to eat where we shared a nice meal and wonderful conversation.  Scott is a Lincoln researcher and gives presentations as well.  It was fun swapping stories.

The two groups, which were comprised of between 25-30 guests, were very inquisitive.  Every time I glanced at the gear table at both places, there were tons of people keeping Mark busy with all sorts of questions.  He does an awesome job laying out all of the stuff and explaining the items while I am setting up my electronic equipment.  He is especially adept at pulling in folks who are more shy and may not have otherwise asked any questions.

Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

At both places, hands shot up everywhere as soon as I was done.  They had some great queries.  One gentleman even asked me to speak in my "man voice!"  I told him it was difficult to do out of uniform and even more so when they kept making me laugh.  But then I suddenly fell into character and abandoned my "teacher voice" in favor of a soft tone.  I also began to speak very slowly, which isn't anything out of the ordinary since we Southern folk tend to do everything slowly anyway.  The gentleman nodded his head in approval as if he was able to understand now how a women soldier would have been able to get away with the vocal part of her disguise.

I'm pleased to say that everything went very well with my talks.  I shared with both groups brand new research regarding one of the better-known women soldiers who had an Indiana connection, and I think the attendees appreciated that.  It also helps when your equipment doesn't turn on you.  That's right.  It actually behaved for both talks!

After bidding the extraordinarily kind folks of Indiana farewell, Mark and I headed to Springfield, Illinois where we spent a couple of days.  During our stay, we encountered an outstanding Lincoln reenactor named Fritz Klein.  We enjoyed chatting with him over ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.  He listened intently when I told him about the two women soldiers who had connections with Lincoln.  He seemed genuinely interested and asked quite a few questions with a tongue stained red from sorbet.

We took our leave of Springfield and headed to Nashville, Illinois for me to do research.  After coming up empty, we then went to Alton to see the remnants of a prison that once held several woman soldier prisoners.  Pictures are forthcoming on the Facebook page.  We concluded our road trip in St. Louis before returning to Mark's place in Iowa.  After spending three days with him, I returned home by train.

And yes, my sun roof was closed just the way I left it.

Until next formation.....rest.