This morning we had a meeting with the farm operators Dave and Steve to discuss the removal of some buildings and trees that need to be removed.

For lunch we met a second cousin of Kent’s named Nancy on the Macomb square at a place called Chubby’s. They offered a variety of salads, tacos, sandwiches and fish dishes. We had an enjoyable time catching up on the extended family.

After lunch we visited the Pennington Point Cemetery located near Macomb, Illinois where Kent’s parents and many relatives are buried. The cemetery is only about two acres in size but has been there since its first burial in 1834. In 1881 or 1882, it was surveyed and laid out into lots. The cemetery name comes from John Stuart Pennington who donated the land for use as a cemetery.

We spent the afternoon with Kent’s cousin Lennie’s wife, Bonnie, who is the mother of Steve and Dave. They have a farm just across the street from one of Kent and Dedra’s two parcels of land. While we were visiting inside, Steve, Dave and Blaine were cleaning out the last storage bin of their corn to be sold at a grain elevator in Adair. The bin cleaning process required the boys to get into the storage bin with shovels to assist the auger in clearing out the remaining kernels of corn. After cleaning out the bin Mark had a chance to ride one of the small tractors.

For dinner, the family headed to a nearby township called Bernadotte with a population of about 275 residents. The Bernadotte Café is a restaurant and bar that serves up pork tenderloins, fish, burgers and homemade specials. Several of us had the famous tenderloin sandwiches. We only had the 1/2 tenderloin portion sandwiches but they also come in a ¼ and full tenderloin sizes. Pepper jack cheese and onion rings finish off the sandwich.