So(ul)journ!

Well, if you’re a small town just off Interstate 70 (Exit 129) and you decide the best way to get folks to visit your fair hamlet is to build big things, then yes—size matters.

This was not the first time Jacki had visited Casey, Illinois. As we were driving down the interstate, she asked if I wanted to see some big things. I had no idea what she was talking about. She explained that our eldest daughter, her son, and our middle daughter had stopped there while heading out to visit a friend and godmother of said eldest daughter.

From our first sighting of the world’s largest deer antlers to the town center, where the world’s largest mailbox invites visitors to climb inside and gaze out over the town in search of the next big thing, Casey proved to be delightfully quirky.

We checked out the giant birdcage, which took us three tries to get a timed photo. Eventually, we succeeded and captured two lovebirds happily swinging inside a very large cage.

Jack added a tiny quarter to a huge piggy bank, and we teetered on an oversized seesaw. The rocking chair was not just big—it was ginormous. Edith Ann of Laugh-In fame would have been jealous.

We found the people of Casey wonderfully friendly. The town is a gardener’s inspiration, with manicured lawns, beautiful borders, and colorful displays of flowering plants. We only had a little over an hour to explore before the rain arrived and it was time to get back on the road.

All I can say is that this place made a big impression on me.