MENNO-HOF..The Story of the Amish and Mennonite. August 20, 2010

Bonnets, that is.. most, but not all, of the women wear bonnets. In their native countries which was Germany and Switzerland, they were made of straw for summer and felt for the winter. They were worn mainly for head protection while in the fields. At first they thought the bonnet wearing was vain and to much pride. Gradually it came to be accepted and the bonnets are worn in almost all the communities today. The bonnets are to foster the meek and modest.  Their long hair, which cannot be cut, is held in a white mesh net cap usually under the bonnet.

The Amish honor the inspiration of the quilt pattern.  Quilts are the center of the Amish  heritage.We saw some of these beautiful designs by the planting of certain flowers that form a heritage quilt in bloom. Some of the quilts having a  price tag of over $5000.00 in some of the samll shops owned by the Amish  in Indiana.

We attended the large flea market called Shipshewana and it is one of the largest in the U.S.  Every Tuesday and Wednesday from May through the middle of October, there is an antique and livestock auction that the Amish and Mennonites take part in as well as the flea market. They are all on the same grounds and buildings. We were very lucky to have been there to witness both the flea market and both auctions. We saw well over 100 horse drawn buggies and they have the right of way on the farm roads and bikes are also a mode of transportation for the Amish. They do not like to have their pictures taken.....oops....I didn't know.  The children only attend school up to 8th grade and college is always  out of the question. The boys are taken to the fields at about age 16 and the girls always taught the ways of being a wife and mother and most are married at a very early age....something interesting we found out though....even though they do not have cars or do not believe in driving or any modern conveniences ...they can ride with someone in the car if they need to.  Hummm...

It would be well worth your time to visit this place, pronunced ( Ship-she-wana) Indiana. Full of  heritage  in the heartland.

ELKHART..CROSSROADS OF THE HERITAGE TRAILS...AUG 19, 2010

A little history...Elkhart Indiana grew into a bustling area for major railroads in the 1800's. The rivers St. Joseph and Elkhart became a major power source thus small industries were lured to Elkhart and today it is now a prominent center for a number of  manufacturing plants.  They now produce 50% of Americas band instruments. Also pharmaceuticals, fire fighting equipment(yes..fire trucks). The repair shop was right next door to the plant where they manufacture the fire trucks and emergency vehicles.  R V's were one of the largest products of Indiana but this area has been very hard hit by the recession and has caused several of the plants to close.

We visited an Amish Restaurant in Middlebury just about 15 miles out from Elkhart. The food was not much different from ours. I don't know what we expected but they eat bacon and eggs also. The difference being that they raise the chickens for the eggs and grow the hogs for the bacon. Almost everything they eat, they grow.  Oh, and yes, they eat MUSH....Das Dutchman Essenhaus the restaurant that offers over 30 kind of pies.  Lunch and dinner is family style when you eat with everyone at the same table and platters of food are brought out.
The Amish community is very large in Indiana. Most live in and around an area called Shipshewana, Ind.  Only about 10 miles out we began to see the black horse drawn buggys and the women and children in them going to do shopping. Some with black bonnets and some with white bonnets. Not to be mistaken, the Amish and the Mennonite story will follow later...it's a story in it's own right.  

AMERICAN FARMERS MARKET...August 18,2010

Well we decided if we were going to be here for awhile we might as well make the most of our time. We found this beautiful huge red barn looking building that said it was the American Farmers Market. Well this was the largest farmers market we had ever seen. The building was 2 stories but we noticed the sign that said it was only open Tues - Saturday. It was Monday...I decided to stop in the middle of the parking lot and take a picture since there was no cars in sight. As soon as I got out of the truck...here came another truck and we were in his way. I figured he was saying...Texans...they think they own the world. Instead he stopped by us and ask...well are you from Texas or are you from Florida..(we proudly display window decals that say...University of Florida...Go Gators.)  and our license plate said Texas. We told him where we were from and he ask if we had seen the place. No, No, just taking pictures. Glenn told him the place was closed today. The guy said...Really???   ever seen it??? we said No...then in an instant he said..Follow Me. We thought well maybe this guy was the maintenance man or something.  Well he took us under his wing and told us to just make our self at home....HE OWNED THE PLACE. This beautiful building on the inside was constructed entirely by the Amish. It had the most beautiful woodworking we had ever seen. He introduced us as his new friends from Flor/Tex.  Kent Bemiller owner/manager he told us as he gave us his card.  We had the place to ourselves but there were no vender's there. Just a few vender's cleaning out their booths.  He also told us that the place was closing on Sept 5th... for good. We could just not believe that a concept like this would be closing. He showered us with gifts and told us of the treasures the vender's would sell there.  Lots of food booths and hand made quilts made by the Amish.
 Like Elkhart its self,  The American Farmers Market was also hit hard by an economy that was just to slow to return and sadly they were closing their doors. No doubt Kent will find something else to fill this beautiful building with. If you ever get to Elkhart Indiana just look for the Big Red Barn on CR 26 and tell him Glenn and Georgia from Flor/Tex says ...Howdy.

COOL FRIG...COOL

Well as with everything that is purchased brand new...there are some kinks that need to be worked out. We arrived in Elkhart Indiana, the place where our 5th wheel was made on August 17th. We had developed a problem with the cooling in the refrigerator. Since we were close by we thought we might as well take it to Heartland. They make several types of trailers and 5th wheels. Well to our dismay they said NOPE...no can do, but this is where you need to take it. Well we found the place OK and the tech assured us we would be out in no time. Got a ladder and looked in the back of the frig and said...YEP...that's whats wrong. Glenn and I were so excited that they could fix it....QUICKER THAN WE COULD BLINK  he said...told us to go get some breakfast and they would call us. Well 10 days later, a brand new entire cooling unit, new parts, and then finally they threw up their hands and said...Ok need a entire new one. Well since they build these 4 door refrigerators (the size of the one we had in our house) around the RVs they ended up removing one of our large side windows and with the help of a hoist, and 5 guys, we finally got a brand new frig. We lost alot of food but the guys at RV Capitol Repair in Elkhart, Indiana were absolute gems. We spent 10 days in the parking lot in back of their shop along with 6 other couples that were having warranty work done....that part was not fun but we consider it a little bump in the road.  By the way that little breakfast place they told us to go to turned out to the the best breakfast we have EVER had, or at least in 10 years. The COCK-A - DOODLE CAFE , if you are ever in Elkhart Indiana around breakfast time, it's the place to go.

OOHH..so that's how they do it...August 14, 2010

We  traveled to Frankfort,  Ky yesterday. We are traveling east and north.  There were several farms that breed stallions for racing. One of which offered a tour of the grounds and stables.  It was called 3 Chimney's Horse Farm.  This breeding thing is a very technical process and they have it down to a science. I never knew that it sometimes took up to 6 people to breed these horses. DNA tests are done, blood tests, and some of these "standing fees", that's what the breeding fees are referred to as, can run as high as $1,000,000.00  ......wow...and they don't even lay down..   : - O ...    Smarty Jones who ran and  won the Kentucky Derby was raised at this farm.  There were many horses there and they all have their own field to graze in and each one has their own stable...some as large as a small house.  They are groomed everyday by their groomsman, washed and brushed. Beautiful horses and some live to be well in their 20's.    Our tour guide Juan  was excellent and knew his "stuff" concerning horse breeding.
Our next stop was the best part of the day... a Bourbon and Whiskey tour. Our tour guide was a 3rd generation family to work at this brewery called Buffalo Trace..where bourbon has been produced since 1787. He is now doing his Dad's job from 50 years before.  Buffalo Trace is on the Bourbon Trail,  and this brewery is the oldest continually operating distillery in America. We picked up a bottle of their  Cream Liqueur. I have to say this Liqueur beats Bailey's for sure. We toured the distillery room and saw where they make Bourbon that will sell  for $400.00 a bottle. 
The Kentucky River forms an "S" curve as it goes through the Bluegrass region. Frankfort, being the capitol of Kentucky, the north and south sections are separated by water. There is alot to do there and if you are ever close it deserves a stop....if nothing else to get a drink of whiskey.....by the way..you can tell American whiskey from Scotch and Irish whiskey.American whiskey has an "e" in it  and the other two are just spelled ...WHISKY. 

VETTES AND TOBACCO ...August 10, 2010

We traveled to bowling Green Ky and stayed at the KOA while there. The park was just ok. The Corvette factory is there in Bowling Green and what a treat that was. Anyone that knows me knows how I love" Vettes" and was sad when I sold my 1989 cherry red one in 1991 when we moved from Tucson, Az.  I think that my kids thought it was one of my  children. General Motors Bowling Green assembly plant is the only production plant for this classic American made sports car.  The Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac XLR are the only cars produced at this plant.  Every Corvette produced since 1982 was produced at this plant which meant that's where mine was built.... and every car produced there daily has already been sold to a dealer for someone. The people that the cars are made for can come and pick it up at the plant but it has to be sold through a dealer. They offer a 1 hour free factory guided  tour Monday - Friday. We were looking for a freebe, like most factory tours offer, but we were out of luck this day. No freebee's.
We also visited the National Corvette Museum while we were there and saw over 70 actual models including the original 1953. There is even a Corvette Diner inside the museum where we had lunch.  Kentucky is largely known for its tobacco farming, dairy and livestock, but this state well deserves its name as the Bluegrass State.  Its beautiful...

We're on a roll...August 8, 2010

Well we left Texarkana on August 8, 2010 to begin Georgia and Glenn's excellent adventure.... Our first stop was Graceland in Memphis Tennessee.   We had been through Memphis many times but had never taken to time to visit there so we decided this was a place we should see as we began our American journey.
In the 1950's Elvis was known as "The King". Plain and simple he rode into stardom on a wave of rock, roll and rhythm. The mansion and grounds are toured with digital audio headphones.
I was never a big Elvis fan but I did like some of his music. I never cried when he was on the Ed Sullivan show or scream at any of his concerts but a trip to this museum you can tell he was the "King". There are several rooms which display his gold and platinum records as well as all of his awards . This tour ends with a stroll through Meditation Garden
where Elvis and his family are buried.  It even included a tour of his 2 airplanes both of which are named after his daughter Lisa Marie. They are just as he left them.

We ate while we were there at a restaurant called Neely's Bar B Q. They have a cooking show on the Food channel. The food was very good. Glenn had his favorite Beef Ribs and I had my favorite Brisket. It was short on atmosphere but pretty good food. While we were there we met a man from Atlanta Ga (Stone Mountain area) who was at the next table. He was employed with the FFA internal affairs. After visiting with him and letting him know my love for cooking he told me about his secret recipe for  5  Bean Salad that has never been given out but always requested.  I promised never to reveal it. I have made it and it is Yummy. He always makes it for his tailgate parties when he attends the Atlanta Falcons game.
We enjoyed our time in Memphis and stayed at the
E-Z Days R V Park. It was very nice and quite.