Almost every time we drive thru Galena and pass the sign for the state historic site of President Grant's home, I think we should stop there sometime. This afternoon the girls and I took a road trip out to Galena to have lunch with my parents. We werea bit ahead of schedule, so I thought we'd finally take a moment to stop and take a peek at Grant's home. We didn't have time to take a full tour of the inside of the house, but I learned some fascinating facts about the Grants while we were walking around:
*Grant married a woman (Julia Boggs Dent) whose family owned slaves, and it made his parents so mad they did not attend his wedding
*When Grant returned to Galena as a war hero in 1865, the house was presented to him as a gift from wealthy, prominent citizens as part of the town's celebration.
*Grant's wife was the first president's wife to be known as "the First Lady."
After stretching our legs on the Grant's grounds, we hopped back into the car to finish the drive to the restaurant.
We enjoyed a quick lunch with my parents - we truly don't get to see them often enough. As we parted ways, Dad and I remarked to each other that we should get together for lunch in Galena more often, and I agreed.
While road tripping it with my girls to have lunch with my parents made this a great day, the parting gift my mom gave me was worth more than gold: 19 pounds of the world's best sausage. My stash had run out, and Mom found a way to replace it. There honestly is nothing better than sausage made the old-fashioned way from my home-town butcher. He doesn't make it very often anymore, but Mom talked him into making a batch just for our family.
Priceless!
