Cranwill’s Drive In

We didn’t actually stop at Cranwell’s this trip back to Pekin. We were back for a birthday party and to see our final retirement home, plus to leave off some things we’d brought from Florida. We hadn’t been in the house long when our grand daughter came home from school. She actually took the afternoon off from her job to visit. As mentioned in other reviews, our daughter’s family is staying at the house until their newest new home is finished. Heavy rains in Pekin set them behind so we can’t move in.
Knowing grandma and grandpa love Cranwill’s rootbeer, our grand daughter drove all the way from the east campus of PCHS to get a gallon of Cranwill’s rootbeer. They’d be closing for the season in a few days.
We visited her till our daughter called that she had picked up our four year old grandson. She wanted to know if we were hungry. We’d driven 300 miles non stop and the last thing I had was a sausage-​egg-​biscuit and sort of cofffee! She picked up a Monical’s pizza to go.
After greetings and hugs, we all shared the large pizza and Cranwill’s rootbeer in our new to us kitchen. Best darn pizza and rootbeer in the world! At least it was with family in our new home. See post below for more about our love of Cranwill’s.
The next morning my wife and I stopped by our house to drop off something else. I’d backed in the drive. We hadn’t planned on going inside because at the time it really wasn’t our house. Two adults, two kids, and two dogs were living there and only the dogs were home! So my wife and I just sat under the breezeway on our daughter’s patio furniture taking in our newest home and suroundings.
Nature callled and my wife needed to use the restroom. While my wife was busy I checked the fridge to see if there was any more Cranwill’s rootbeer left. Ah Ha! There was. I got a brainy idea. Went out in the garage and looked thru some of the boxes we’d brought from Florida. There they were, two small glass Cranwill’s original A & W rootbeer mugs. I took them inside, cleaned them off, and filled each with Cranwill’s rootbeer. Together we walked out with our rootbeer mugs and got into our maroon/​red Chevy impala. I tuned in some old time rock-​n-​roll on the radio, we sat there drinking Cranwill’s rootbeer and staring at the world thru the windshield, walking down memory lane together.
For a moment it was 1956. I saw two school kids sitting in a maroon ’49 Dodge, me staring into the eyes of my 16 year old girlfriend. Powerful stuff, that Cranwill’s rootbeer.
I waved at our new neighbors next door on the hill. Told my wife I’ll bet they’re saying «there goes the neighborhood.»