Click thumbnails to see fullsize images

In the Chicago-Rockford metroplex, check out the Brer Rabbit Motel in Villa Park, a suburb of the Windy City. One of the most photographed motel signs in Illinois, the Brer Rabbit offers pleasant rest from the highway with its tree-lined rooms bordered by tiny postage stamp lawns, each immaculately maintained. Further west in Rockford, the Rustic Motel manages to hold on despite the cars that whiz by unaware of its charms. While we photograph the site, a little girl in a blue sundress dances in the driveway waving an American flag. As her blond pigtails romp in the breeze, the Rustic appears at once to be a little brighter than it was before.

All text copyright Andrew Wood. Photos copyright Jenny Wood and Andy Wood.