Shipshewana

Click on any photo to get a better view!

Only a trip to the Shipshewana Festival in Northern Indiana could get me up after six hours of sleep Saturday morning! We had planned this trip to visit our friends who live near Ft. Wayne a few months ago.

They actually live on eighty acres (originally one hundred) just a couple of miles from Gene Stratton-Porter's home (not the Geneva home where the Limberlost museum is located). As we walked through their property and then drove around the Stratton-Porter acreage, I could envision how she came to write her books.

I can't begin to tell you how lovely it is in that area of the country. The Amish farmhouses, the "English" ranches and farms, beautiful Victorian homes in small towns... like looking at a continuously changing still life.

We lived near this area many years ago so we were looking forward to dining at one of our all time favorite restaurants... Das Dutchman Essenhaus... Saturday evening (our friends were treating us to a meal there). My husband and I hadn't been there since I was expecting Christopher and it did not disappoint. Yum... There were hundreds of people there but this place is used to large crowds. We were seated immediately and had salads, homemade bread, and coffee in front of us within minutes.

The meal came after a day in Shipshewana. I had planned to take many more pictures but somehow got distracted. We laughed on the way home, realizing I had taken a lot of pictures of horses rumps and none of our friends!

I find it fascinating that many of the Amish ladies in that area wear dresses made of very bright pastel colors. The Amish women in our area continue to wear darker dresses. I wish I had taken pictures of the young people and kids (adults do not want their pictures taken).

My hubby and Dan took in all the "guy" exhibits while we ladies visited every fabric store in walking distance (and being an Amish and Mennonite community, there were a plethora). I also was drawn to anything "tea time".

We awoke this morning to a breakfast table set with china and real linen napkins, sourdough pancakes, homemade grape juice (made with Splenda!), and coffee. By the time we left for home (very early this morning), I could tell I had worked five days of long hours combined with a long (if short in duration) road trip. Believe me, it was good to arrive home to see my boy and Sasha... and to prop my feet up!

Included are the few pictures I took. The apron "curtains" were in the windows of a diner where we ate lunch... in some small town on the way to Shipshewana. I asked permission to take a picture since it was so unique. The scene from the mural was from a very small section of it but one I thought interesting. It was in the same small town.

The horse and buggies... well, I just couldn't resist taking those pictures. They are from two different parking lots in Shipshewana. My feet are complaining that I have abused them in the past seven days. They will get it over it, about the time I lose weight from eating all weekend!