The last entry on this OC,SH website was 4 years ago yesterday afternoon, 07.21.2021’s “Cleaning Detail”. While posts on the website have been silent, statuses have continued intermittently on the OC,SH Facebook page. I’ve also shared happenings & news on my personal Facebook wall. You may’ve even heard me back on the radio, September 2024 – January 2025. In addition, I’ve consistently maintained the OC,SH events page, as well as the events pages for CD Consulting Service & CD Showcase.

What prompts this post? A late June 2025 road trip with my close friend, Brendan LeBaige, to southern IL & northeast MO! While drafting a related Facebook-only post, I thought of additional noteworthy items to be shared, including a milestone reached in 2022, some heart news & a few other tidbits.

Fittingly, 9 years ago today, I posted this video as one of the entries for 07.22.2016:

Road Trip

Brendan & I were supposed to attend the 2025 Monte Carlo Nationals in Ohio, but a trailer breakdown delayed him a few days in Oklahoma City OK, causing him to return home Sunday, 06.29.2025, versus the planned prior Friday.

[To track his travels, follow the TRUCKER PUCK Facebook page.]

So, our altered journey began Monday evening, 06.30.2025 (his birthday). We headed south on I-57, stopping in Arcola IL. Tuesday morning, we continued south, dropping off a trailer in Dieterich IL. We then drove to MO, west of St Louis [you can imagine how hard that was for this Cubs fan…] to visit Brendan’s friend Kyle. Tuesday evening, we drove to Festus MO to visit his family; we played a game of Scrabble & I enjoyed exploring his parents’ brick farm house.

Coming Home

Wednesday morning, 07.02.2025, we drove back to the home of my long-time friends Jay & Beth in Dieterich IL to pick up the trailer which then carried my 1981 Monte Carlo SC to northern IL. My car had been in Dieterich IL ~10 years. It was time to finally bring it back home, tho it is at Brendan’s place in Cary IL [a town with history for me: home of 2 friends who have since died] instead of in my hometown Elgin IL.

As we headed north on “Dieterich blacktop” (becomes Main St in Dieterich proper), the song “She’s Coming Home” by Restless Heart flashed in my head & I played it via YouTube on my phone.

Brendan plans to do restorative work on my car with the goal of going to the 2026 MC Nationals in Collinsville IL, along Route 66. I had suggested that location to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 next year. My major Route 66 journey was in 2009; that year, I was along Route 66 three notable times: March for a Valve Replacement family reunion in the St Louis area; June for the MC Nationals in Collinsville IL; & 09.05-19.2009 for my Illinois to California 2-week+ Route 66 road trip.

6 pics are in the slideshow below. I took the 4 photos of my car on the trailer before we left Dieterich IL. My sister, Joylyn, took the pic of Brendan & me with my car on the trailer. We stopped at her home so she could see it again, along with Nephew James (who originally saw it November 2011, the weekend before my 11.11.2011 open heart surgery) & Niece Jillian (who’d never seen this car in person). I took the last image of my car in its new home.

Mile Marker

Just after 3p, Sunday, 02.27.2022, my beloved 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (featured in the aforementioned prior post on the OC,SH website) rolled over 200,000 miles while I drove east on historic US 20 in Elgin IL:

Why’d it take so long to share this? Well, a few weeks after the milestone occurred, my closest-ever friend died 03.15.2022, & I kept delaying a special post. Then, after a year, I kinda just dropped it since the car quickly blew past 205,000 miles, now nearing 218K!

Heart Notes

A few months after my closest-ever friend died in 2022, my favorite pacemaker technician, Mary Navarrete, died unexpectedly. Though she’d changed jobs to a different area of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, we kept in touch & made a point to meet each time I had my checkups. She’d even brought me a cherry coke while I recovered in the hospital after my 11.11.2011 open heart surgery.

Then, 03.15.2024, my closest “heart buddy”, Lorraine Schulz, died. She was 1 of the 2 friends who lived in the Cary IL area, near Brendan’s home . Our “bruncheon luncheons” were famous because we’d always find topics that caused us to laugh hysterically.

& now, my cardiologist of 25+ years, Dr Marla Mendelson, is retiring. My last checkup with her was Tuesday, 07.15.2025. I will certainly miss her, but am confident I’ll be in good hands with Dr DeFreitas, who actually saw me in the hospital after several of my open heart surgeries & has read-reviewed tests ordered by Mendelson; 1st appointment with him is set for Tuesday, 10.21.2025.

Two Tidbits

I still have some Elgin IL Downtown Neighborhood Association gift certificates to give; contact me if you’d like one.

I also have handouts. Some are from the Kane County Health Department relative to opioid overdoses, while others are from the ACHA relative to congenital heart defects. If you’d like some, please advise.

Radio Show

If you missed my time back on my hometown radio station, the 01.18.2025 broadcast is still (as of now) available on YouTube HERE.

PEACE