A peek at our New Year...

2013. Unbelievable, isn't it?

Happy New Years, my friends!  I hope that you welcomed 2013 in style.  Our family headed up North to my husband's home town of Sycamore, Illinois for a belated Christmas/New Year's Eve celebration with family at our sister-in-law's family restaurant...
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(Parker and Reed with our niece, Rebecca.)

I have been meaning to do a post about Sycamore and its small town charm/ architectural goodies for YEARS.  Nestled among farm land, approximately an hour West of Chicago...

... sits Sycamore, Illinois.  While only boasting a population of approx. 18K, Sycamore wears a sizable hat acting as the county seat of DeKalb County.

Steve finds it to be a tad silly, though even after 20 years of visits to his hometown, I remain obsessed with the downtown region.  As a native, what Steve finds to be "regular" about Sycamore...  I find utterly fascinating.   Everything remains pretty much the same, including downtown parking for a PENNY. 

What Steve views as lack of progress, I see as a magical time capsule.

Sycamore boasts an adorable downtown area with lovely mid-19th century properties that have barely been touched by the hand of time.  I will let my photos do the talking.  Small town perfection... 

Magical, isn't it? *sigh*  I will never grow tired of it.

Regardless of the landscape and peaceful small town pace, the best part of our visit was obviously spending quality time with family.  As Old Man 2012 passed the torch to Baby New Year 2013, we hope that you enjoyed the same level of solitude and folly...

 

Happy New Year, my friends.