Today's Adventures
Aug. 21st, 2025 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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flaneursToday we visited several places in Tuscola, Illinois.
We reached Flesor's Candy Kitchen right after they stopped serving lunch. :( But they referred us to Mi Veracruz Mexican Grill nearby. I got a grilled chicken taco. My partner Doug got the Taco Tropical with grilled chicken, steak, pineapple, onion, chorizo, lettuce, and cheese. Everything was excellent. We both admired the art inside, too -- the tabletops and chair backs were all painted with Mexican motifs.
That part of town is lovely to look at. Lots of old architecture, live-work buildings with retail or office space below and one or more apartments above. Many of the buildings are brick, a few stone, some wood. Some have cut glass or stained glass windows. The wooden trim is carved into shapes -- spiral ropes, bullseyes, flowers. Some of the brickwork has fancy designs too. The sidewalks are part brick and part concrete. Some of the alleys between stores are paved in brick.
After lunch, we walked back to Flesor's where we picked out some candies. They usually have a couple dozen different kinds of locally made chocolates. Then we split an ice cream sundae with black walnut ice cream and caramel sauce, definitely a combination worth repeating.
While in Flesor's, I spotted the sign of a store selling flowers and live plants. We went to check that out, but it was closed.
Then we noticed The Vault art gallery across the street, so we went on to explore that. The place is huge -- it used to be a bank and still has the actual vault behind the counter, which was very cool to see. Inside are many rooms with a vast diversity of art. There were paintings in various media, marble pours, fine art photographs, ceramics, metalwork, jewelry, fibercrafts, and more. Prices ranged from a few dollars to several hundred, so there's something for most budgets. If you like any kind of art and you're in the area, definitely plan to spend some serious time here. It is absolutely worth a destination trip for holiday shopping, although I wouldn't be surprised if it gets mobbed in December, so you might want to plan that for fall instead of winter.
The artists include some astute businessfolk as well as artisans. One enterprising artist advertised that all his work is printed on fine art canvas, so if you want a different size, he could custom-print that for you in a wide range of options. Considering how often we've had to pass up a great piece because it was too big or too small, that is an awesome feature. :D Another one who had many tiny paintings of birds and other nature art had a "buy 5 get 1 free" offer -- really great for making a gallery wall or filling a narrow strip between doors, and the works were clearly designed to support that. Many of the artists have business cards either at their display and/or up by the counter. I wound up choosing two smallish pieces, both with a library theme, one botanical and one celestial in detail. \o/
The Vault also has a bunch of flyers by the door and more pinned up by the counter. One was for Fairytale Rides which is 10 AM-2 PM on September 6 in Monticello, but that's too early in the day for us. Tuscola Family Fun Day will be 11 AM-11 PM on Saturday, August 30 in Tuscola with free entry. It will include vendors, food, music, and various activities. We might catch that one, although the Arthur Cheese Festival is the same weekend. Oh hey, Tuscola also has an evening farmer's market too, I just spotted that on the town events page. So if you're looking for Tuscola news and activities, the art gallery is good for that.
Across from where we parked was a little pocket park. It has a gazebo surrounded by walking paths with beds for shrubs and trees. There is a Little Free Library and a Little ODD Pantry by the Oddfellows.
I was also amused by a billboard: Savior Roofing -- "All that you do, do with love." Carpenter god has carpenter followers. :D
On the way out of town, we also spotted the place where we got the Gypsy peppers last summer, that we couldn't find anywhere this year. Graber's Building Supply, but there also Graber's Greenhouse in Sullivan. We'll have to check there next spring.
Also on the way home, we finished reading the Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook. We marked quite a few recipes including Mexican Corn Pudding, Pinto Bean Chili with Corn and Winter Squash, Creamy Lamb Curry, Apple Pecan Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Apples, Sweet Glazed Chicken Thighs, Italian Beef and Vegetable Stew, and Whole Wheat Nut Bread.
It has been a productive day.
We reached Flesor's Candy Kitchen right after they stopped serving lunch. :( But they referred us to Mi Veracruz Mexican Grill nearby. I got a grilled chicken taco. My partner Doug got the Taco Tropical with grilled chicken, steak, pineapple, onion, chorizo, lettuce, and cheese. Everything was excellent. We both admired the art inside, too -- the tabletops and chair backs were all painted with Mexican motifs.
That part of town is lovely to look at. Lots of old architecture, live-work buildings with retail or office space below and one or more apartments above. Many of the buildings are brick, a few stone, some wood. Some have cut glass or stained glass windows. The wooden trim is carved into shapes -- spiral ropes, bullseyes, flowers. Some of the brickwork has fancy designs too. The sidewalks are part brick and part concrete. Some of the alleys between stores are paved in brick.
After lunch, we walked back to Flesor's where we picked out some candies. They usually have a couple dozen different kinds of locally made chocolates. Then we split an ice cream sundae with black walnut ice cream and caramel sauce, definitely a combination worth repeating.
While in Flesor's, I spotted the sign of a store selling flowers and live plants. We went to check that out, but it was closed.
Then we noticed The Vault art gallery across the street, so we went on to explore that. The place is huge -- it used to be a bank and still has the actual vault behind the counter, which was very cool to see. Inside are many rooms with a vast diversity of art. There were paintings in various media, marble pours, fine art photographs, ceramics, metalwork, jewelry, fibercrafts, and more. Prices ranged from a few dollars to several hundred, so there's something for most budgets. If you like any kind of art and you're in the area, definitely plan to spend some serious time here. It is absolutely worth a destination trip for holiday shopping, although I wouldn't be surprised if it gets mobbed in December, so you might want to plan that for fall instead of winter.
The artists include some astute businessfolk as well as artisans. One enterprising artist advertised that all his work is printed on fine art canvas, so if you want a different size, he could custom-print that for you in a wide range of options. Considering how often we've had to pass up a great piece because it was too big or too small, that is an awesome feature. :D Another one who had many tiny paintings of birds and other nature art had a "buy 5 get 1 free" offer -- really great for making a gallery wall or filling a narrow strip between doors, and the works were clearly designed to support that. Many of the artists have business cards either at their display and/or up by the counter. I wound up choosing two smallish pieces, both with a library theme, one botanical and one celestial in detail. \o/
The Vault also has a bunch of flyers by the door and more pinned up by the counter. One was for Fairytale Rides which is 10 AM-2 PM on September 6 in Monticello, but that's too early in the day for us. Tuscola Family Fun Day will be 11 AM-11 PM on Saturday, August 30 in Tuscola with free entry. It will include vendors, food, music, and various activities. We might catch that one, although the Arthur Cheese Festival is the same weekend. Oh hey, Tuscola also has an evening farmer's market too, I just spotted that on the town events page. So if you're looking for Tuscola news and activities, the art gallery is good for that.
Across from where we parked was a little pocket park. It has a gazebo surrounded by walking paths with beds for shrubs and trees. There is a Little Free Library and a Little ODD Pantry by the Oddfellows.
I was also amused by a billboard: Savior Roofing -- "All that you do, do with love." Carpenter god has carpenter followers. :D
On the way out of town, we also spotted the place where we got the Gypsy peppers last summer, that we couldn't find anywhere this year. Graber's Building Supply, but there also Graber's Greenhouse in Sullivan. We'll have to check there next spring.
Also on the way home, we finished reading the Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook. We marked quite a few recipes including Mexican Corn Pudding, Pinto Bean Chili with Corn and Winter Squash, Creamy Lamb Curry, Apple Pecan Sweet Potatoes, Cinnamon Apples, Sweet Glazed Chicken Thighs, Italian Beef and Vegetable Stew, and Whole Wheat Nut Bread.
It has been a productive day.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-22 05:33 pm (UTC)"Carpenter god has carpenter followers. :D"
You'd think he'd have more tradesmen tbh. Maybe they don't want customers who expect miracles. :-)
Thoughts
Date: 2025-08-23 03:45 am (UTC)It is. Most towns in central Illinois are old enough to have a good core. I'm delighted that Charleston's square is now mostly full instead of being half-empty.
>> "Carpenter god has carpenter followers. :D"
You'd think he'd have more tradesmen tbh. Maybe they don't want customers who expect miracles. :-)
Go figure. Another local offering is The Carpenter's Table, a local food pantry.