Horse and Buggy Territory

We are in northern Indiana, specifically in Shipshewana. This is the RV capital of the country where many RV manufacturers are located. As we neared the area we saw an increasing number of trailers and motorhomes on the roads and we weren't surprised. Our 5th-wheel trailers were all made in the neighborhood. We aren't far from Ohio where our Airstream was manufactured. But we came here to appreciate the Amish culture and workmanship, so we are seeing lots of horses and buggies. Bicycles are also frequently the mode of travel.

Today we walked a block to E and S Bulk Sales, a nearby Amish market. This was one row of the parking lot. The other day we saw both buggies and trucks at the grain mill.

I didn't realize that buggies needed to be licensed until I really looked at the license plate on them.

Amish farms are well-kept and beautiful. And they don't have electrical lines running to them.

We arrived here Wednesday and when I looked through the events in the area I learned the flea market was only open Tuesday and Wednesday. Those days are shopping days, I read. We visited E and S Sales that day and it was packed. On Thursday we were driving around the area and I decided that was laundry day. Clothes lines in backyards were full of drying laundry. (Sorry about the Colorado State Parks pass in the lower left. I couldn't take the photo without it in the corner.)

We went shopping but we didn't do much buying, except for food. We ate both breakfast and lunch at the Blue Gate Restaurant. Believe me, we didn't need to eat much else on either day.

The people who operate our RV park obviously love birds. Two sites are blocked off with cones. The only reason we can figure out must be that a killdeer has a nest in each site. Look at this little bird.

The shopping area in Shipshewana is beautifully landscaped with lots of flowers.

Serendipity

Traveling across the country, we seldom really know what we will get into when we choose an RV park in a new location.  We use RVParkReviews.com and Trailer Life to help us choose, but we still wonder what we will be getting into.  The last couple of campgrounds before this one were OK but not good or great.  At one park, the site wasn't level, the wifi non-existent and the office area a real pig sty.  The  next park family destination with children everywhere and lots of seasonal campers with golf carts who drove up and down the dusty road in front of our site all afternoon and evening.

So yesterday when we checked into the Sauder Village Campground in Archbold, Ohio, we were delighted to find large, grassy sites, good hookups, peace and quiet and a living history farm on the grounds. What a serendipity!

This is the candy counter in the Country Store.  We were glad we didn't have our grandchildren along.  We would have had to buy candy--and I, at least, would have helped them eat it.

The garden has a creative trellis in the vegetable garden.

This is a very old building.  I imagine it was moved to the living history village from somewhere else.  Click on the photo to enlarge it and see how old it is.

The nearby fields are used to grow corn and the birds who built this nest used dried corn husks in their construction.

We checked in to the campground in the lobby of the Sauder Heritage Inn.  This beautiful light fixture hangs from the high ceiling.

Everyone, it seems, has a cell phone today.  However, there are Amish and Mennonite settlements nearby.  Perhaps those folks don't use cell phones.  We used to see phones like this in campgrounds when we first started RVing.  Instructions say use for local calls or use your calling card.

When we drove into Archbold to mail some letters and get fuel for the truck, we walked around the pretty town. I especially like this attractive, well-painted house.

Fountain Cleaning

Last Saturday was Spring Cleanup Day at Church of the Epiphany. It is always good to spend time getting better acquainted with other parishioners and we enjoy helping spruce things up before Easter. John and I were assigned to the team that cleaned the fountain in the church courtyard.

The first step is to remove all the river rock surrounding the cross in the center of the fountain.

We then removed the screening that covers the iron grate supporting the rocks. Next, it was time to cut new screen wire to fit the grate.

The same screen material is used to protect the pump housing.

John used a shop vac to pick up all the gunk that had accumulated on the bottom during the past six months or so. The gunk is mainly mud and pine needles. I used a hose to wash that stuff off the sides and into piles so he could vacuum it up,

Next the grill and screen were replaced, then the rocks distributed around.

After the fountain was filled with water, I was given the job of turning on the pump.

I hope you can see the water flowing over the large rock platform in this picture.

On another note, remember this picture I posted earlier?

Unfortunately, we think the dove abandoned the nest. Hopefully it was only for a few minutes. This is what we saw the next time we walked along the same path.