Photo column: Stop and enjoy what's along the way

Every weekend students drive their regular routes to and from various destinations. In my case, the destination is often Springfield, Ill. From Illinois Route 13 to Illinois Highway 127 to Illinois Route 64 to Illinois Route 4 to Interstate Highway 55, I get to my destination.

There are so many times in my drive that I will see someone or something I keep telling myself I want to check out the next time I can afford the time to stop. It is crazy how many times I will say this but never stop to check these things out. For a long time, I kept telling myself I would love to do a photo essay on Illinois Highway 127. There are so many little communities that line the highway and have their own stories to tell.

One day, I finally stopped into the Pinckneyville Antique Mall located in the downtown square. I am a sucker for antique shops. Not only are there slices of history on the shelves of these shops, but sometimes there are little slices of life and stories from voices in the community that often do not get heard. The day I went into the antique shop to look around, 9-year-old Kaitlyn Svinning was catching up on her reading. Svinning, of Elkville, was reading “The Boxcar Children” to antique store owner Sherry Ridgeway during her day off from Vergennes Elementary School on a designated deer-hunting day.

Svinning said she dreams of becoming a mystery novel writer.

The antique shop is one of the many places often overlooked by travelers driving back and forth from school. I blame myself sometimes for rushing through all of these communities that contain places and people who have stories that would be really interesting to learn about. I think it is important to remember the little slices of life for those gloomy days that often trump everything else happening.