June 7, 2008- Update on Final Days of Our Trip

We are now in Shipshewana, IN. The past few days we have been traveling in Michigan. We traveled down the coast of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. We stopped at both and I put my foot in the water to test the temperature. I wanted to see if they were about as cold as Lake Superior. They were. We saw people out in the water up in Ashland, MI I(Lake Superior). I say “burrrrrrr”. Maybe since they have such cold, long winters, they don’t mind the cold water. I think I’ll hold out for the pool in my neighborhood. I like my swimming water a bit warmer.

I have heard it said that the MI state bird is the mosquito, now I know why. Mike and I stopped along Lake Huron and got out and walked down to the water. As we got closer to the water, the mosquitoes started to swam around us - and I mean swarm! There were thousands of them and they are big. I don’t know why, but I did not get a bite. Maybe they were not hungry or my smell was not appealing to them. Whatever it was, I am thankful. I could have been covered with bites within a few minutes.

Like I said, we are in Shipshewana, IN. Shipshewana is a small town just a few miles south of the MI state line in IN. You probably wonder what in the world made us decide to come to Shipshewana. Well, about 8 or 9 years ago, we were in IN for our nephew’s wedding. He got married in a state park in IN not too far from Indianapolis. We had our travel trailer with us for that wedding and after it was over, we decided to tour a bit of IN . We lived in IN for 13 years when we were first married, but we did not travel into northern IN during that time. We had heard of Shipshewana because it is an area with a large Amish population. Anyway, we traveled up here that year and had such a good time that we said that we would like to come back someday. That someday is today.

This little town has a huge flea market that is open every Tue and Wed. We went to it last time we were here and it was so much fun. They had tons of stuff - some old and some new. They had a plant section with some of the most beautiful planters I have ever seen. I want to visit the flea market again this time. I don’t remember buying anything the last time we were here. Maybe I’ll find something that I just can’t live without on this trip.

I also want to go back to Yoder’s store. The Amish are famous for their quilts. Naturally, if they quilt, they have to have places that sell fabric. Last time I was here, I had just started to get into quilting. If my memory serves me correctly, they sell the fabric a few dollars a yard less than I can buy it at home. You know what that means - I MUST BUY. I cannot pass up a good price.
Yoder’s is more than a fabric store. They are like a Wal-Mart for the Amish. They have everything an Amish man or woman could want under one roof. It is fun to check out the hardware section. They have items that the Amish use every day that most of us have only seen. The tools are ones that our grandparents or great-grandparents used to work their gardens or farm. They have canning supplies because the Amish can a lot of their vegetables they grow in their gardens.

So what else is there to do in Shipshewana? This is a tourist town and there are lots of other shops that cater to the tourists. There are also some good golf courses in the area that Mike is hoping to check out. And, this is the area where many of the RV’s sold all over the country are made. I think they have factory tours. If they do, we may go to see how the Jayco’s are made.
There is also REST. Mike and I need a rest stop and we have decided to stay in Shipshewana for a week. We’re going to take it easy and do some reading and just enjoy being outside in the beautiful warm weather.