historic district of elsah, illinois

jose' meta stood in his side-yard examining his new table saw. i saw him examining his table saw as i rode leisurely through the village of elsah, illinois. he seemed to be the only living thing in the town. i needed water, so i parked my bike across the street and approached him.

"hi", i said. "you live in paradise. this town is charming."

"thank you," he replied. "what are you doing here? most people who live in this town are associated with the principia college up on the hill."

"i'm on a bike trip from new orleans to northern minnesota. i saw this town from the highway and wanted to turn in and explore it."

i continued, "what are you doing? you have this brand-new table saw and i see another huge box with a picture of a saw on it."

"i've been working on my house for a couple of years without these tools. now i'm going to build a garage and i'm will have the proper tools."

"your home is beautiful. you built it all by yourself?" i asked, noticing the intricate stone work and the old-world look about it. i also noted his european accent and his brown, expressive eyes.

"in this town, all homes must be built in the style of 1837. it's a national historic district and they're very particular about architectural structures here. my wife and i came over here when our daughter enrolled in the local college. we saw this lot and imagined what we could build on it. this house is my dream."

"your dream is fantastic," i concluded. "i don't want to interrupt your work. would you be able to give me some water so i can continue on my way?"

"of course. i will even give you some lemonade. would you like that?" he inquired.

he came back out of the house with the drink. i thanked him and went on. i felt like i had taken a short trip to spain, his home country. he was gentle, professionally competent, and endearing....just like all of elsah, illinois.

i turned my bike toward the small downtown area, where i joined my fellow bikers for a piece of home-made pie in a cafe called "just desserts"...another adventure along the meandering mississippi.