We’re having a Route 66 summer! We kicked off the centennial celebration last week with a dinner from The Route 66 Cookbook, a volume that has recipes made famous at restaurants from one end of the Mother Road to the other. The main course was the “Route 66 Pup,” a hot dog with chili, onions, mustard blend, and homemade jalapeño spread, all topped with French fries, inspired by the menu at Tail o’ The Pup near the end of the route in California
For dessert I made the “Docs S’mores Sundae” inspired by the one served at Docs Just Off 66, a location a little closer to home in Girard, IL.
Stay tuned as we try more recipes from The Route 66 Cookbook!
Today I’m taking a look at a Miss Candyfloss piece that I didn’t expect to order…the Lalie-Violette romper!
This romper wasn’t pictured in the “Legendary Liz” lookbook, and was a surprise release. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it…I love the idea of a sunsuit for summer, the color palette is stunning, and there’s a coordinating overskirt, which is my favorite clothing combination at this time of year. But the largest size it was available in was a 3X, and I usually (but not always) purchase my pieces in 4X. After looking at the size chart, I decided to take a chance, realizing that it might not work out, but it actually fits perfectly!
I accessorized with hair flowers, an Erstwilder brooch, a Meteor Jewelry Co. necklace, a stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles, and wind…it gets pretty breezy on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which, as a part of the old Route 66, was the perfect place to photograph this mid-century marvelous look!
I love how easy a playsuit is to wear!
This is the perfect outfit for a warm summer day!
And here’s a look at the previously-mentioned coordinating Krila-Wisteria overskirt…I love the way it looks with the romper, but I’m also looking forward to pairing it with tops from my wardrobe!
I love a surprise Miss Candyfloss release, especially when it works out so well!
On Wednesday, we took a walk across the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects Madison, IL with St. Louis, MO over the Mississippi River.
The bridge was built in 1929 and was part of old Route 66. It was open to vehicular traffic for about 40 years, and in 1999 became a pedestrian bridge. At about a mile long, it looks like it goes on forever! I guess you don’t usually think about how long bridges are when you’re zipping across them in a car!
But if you look closely, you’ll notice the most remarkable feature of the bridge…a 30-degree turn that was added to the design to make the waters below easier for boats to navigate.
It’s a truly impressive bend…I can’t really imagine actually driving across it!
One of the reasons the waters of the Mississippi are tough to navigate at this point, besides the eponymous “chain of rocks” under the water, are the two “castles” (originally water intake towers) adjacent to the bridge.
There are a few references to Route 66 along the way:
It is an outstanding example of engineering!
There are gates at each end of the bridge that are presumably closed from sunset to sunrise:
We walked from one state to another…and back!
This was our first Route 66-themed field trip for this year’s summer school…I have a few more planned that I’m also really excited about!
The penultimate week of the 2025-26 school year has come to an end!
We are really wrapping things up at this point. Chickadee continued her massive algebra review. We read about Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the first Persian Gulf War in history. In writing, she analyzed and summarized a short story by Hemingway. We read about the atmosphere, especially atmospheric pressure and energy in the atmosphere, in science. We continued reading The Phantom Tollbooth. The final recipe we’ll make from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook this year (I have something special planned for next week) was Cheese & Chive Crackers inspired by Courtney.
And today we went on a field trip I’ve been looking forward to for weeks, and one that bridges the 2025-26 school year with our 2026 summer school focused on the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road. In place of their regularly-scheduled History Exploration Day this month, the Missouri History Museum is holding a Route 66 Centennial Festival all weekend, and we were able to hear a talk by Author Cheryl Eichar Jett about the women who worked behind-the-scenes along Route 66, see some classic cars and neon signs, plan a retro trip, and make our own version of neon using pastel chalks (a craft I may revisit at home!). And while we were there, we finally got to ride the much-maligned but still fun Loop Trolley from end to end!
Last week, we ventured over to Granite City, IL, to see the fairly new “It’s Electric” neon sign park at the intersection of 19th Street and Delmar Avenue. It’s pretty small (there are only three vintage signs…I don’t know if they plan to add more in the future), but really cool!
There’s a Sinclair DINO on display:
And a miniature replica of the old Chain of Rocks bridge, complete with love locks:
Plus a couple of cool murals:
And what I assume is a replica of a vintage billboard:
I’ll be taking a closer look at each of the vintage signs in the coming days/weeks, too!
In my continuing search for great vintage road signs, I came across the Greenway Motel in the Granite City/Mitchell, IL area. I’m sure it looked even better when it still had neon, but it has that great retro shape and aesthetic that I love. Old Route 66 may not be a major thoroughfare anymore, but you can still find some great throwbacks to when it was!
Would you believe that with all the vintage road signs I’ve photographed, I’ve never intentionally gotten a picture of the iconic Ted Drewes sign? I have photographed it once before (it’s actually the first use of the “vintage road signs” tag on this website!), but it wasn’t a great picture, and I wasn’t even getting the shot for the purpose of capturing the sign…instead, I was capturing a moment of celebration after a Cardinals game. Anyway, I figured I should correct that oversight, with a picture of the Ted Drewes sign in all its glory!
My continuing quest to find and photograph cool old vintage signs took us to the Granite City/Mitchell, IL area last weekend, where we drove down part of old Route 66, and came across this sign for a still-operational business…Luna Cafe.
