Shipshewana

     Leaving Elkhart on Sunday, we headed for Shipshewana. It was just a short distance and we did some exploring along the way.

At the Elkhart County Historical Society building we found another Quilt Garden.

We stopped at the Bonneyville Mill, a grain mill in a beautiful setting along the Heritage Trail.

 

     I need to say it again. We love Northern Indiana. It is amazingly green and beautiful. Maybe because it rains every. single. day

     We were the only visitors when we entered the mill. The attendant gave us a great talk and demonstration of how everything works. I was surprised to see no water wheel. He explained that they used underwater turbines because Indiana is so flat that they have a hard time pushing water over a wheel. I didn’t even know you needed an elevation change for that. Good to learn something new…at any age.

We bought a bag of corn meal that was ground at the mill. Looking forward to trying a couple recipes he passed along to us.

And there was a Quilt Mural.

Middlebury is another lovely small town along the Historical Trail where we found a couple of Quilt Murals.

 

    Our motorhome is parked in front of that hardware store. We were really curious about the stores in the building but alas…it was Sunday. A couple things we’ve learned about this area; everything is closed on Sunday and everything closes at 5 pm every day. Kind of nice, really.

In the small town of Bristol we found a Quilt Garden and a Quilt Mural.

 

Coco wasn’t quite sure what to make of these very large “dogs” when we arrived at our Shipshewana campground    Pretty pink twilight sky.

     There’s LOTS of shopping in Shipshewana. And LOTS of tourists. We were surprised. Didn’t know it was such a popular spot with the tour companies. It is a community with many Amish families, picturesque farmlands, horses and buggies, wonderful woodworking and foods. Many businesses appear to be shared between Amish and non-Amish residents.

     For a long time, I’ve seen Yoder’s Department Store ads online. I don’t know all they sell online but, for sure, they sell quilting fabric. So I was curious to visit. And it’s an amazing store. Hardware, clothing, everything you could want and FABRIC…I mean a LOT of fabric. GREAT fabric! I was definitely on sensory overload. Just wish we had a Yoder’s at home!

In the hardware section, this display of Monopoly games cracked me up. Who knew all these even existed?

    

And in the same parking lot, I enjoyed the smaller but very nice Cotton Corner shop. It’s clear they have their own niche and kind of compliment rather than compete with Yoder’s.

     Shipshewana is planning a Quilt Show in a couple of weeks. I mean, all of Shipshewana. There are already banners all over town indicating where there will be workshops, lectures, show quilts and lodging. It’s not as convenient as when we attend a quilting convention in SoCal where it’s all in one big convention center. But so much more fun that the whole community is involved! And, you need to understand that in Shipshewana everything is along the same street through the middle of town. That street is also the highway into and out of town. So different…I love it.

We found our first Mexican food since leaving New Mexico! Wonderful food but we were the only folks there. Hoping they make a success of their restaurant but it’s hard to compete with the Amish tourist trade.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday people flock to Shipshewana for the “largest outdoor flea market in the Midwest.” So we checked it out. It’s ok but we think Orange County Swap Meet is better.

This was a very interesting innovation for churning home made ice cream. We both had 2 scoops; raspberry and chocolate. Delicious!

 

  

Of course we needed to visit the local auto museum.

In Shipshewana it’s the Hudson.

How about those flames Doug Barton

Cute guy…cute car.

Looks to me like Mr. Hudson liked yellow…a lot.

    

This one has dual wig-wag tail lights. See how they actually hang loose? Cute!

         

Hudson made service vehicles.

    

The surfer/woody Hudson.

          

Jim’s next project truck???

       

And my personal favorite…red, of course.

         

Shipshewana had a few Quilt Murals but, for some reason, hadn’t yet planted their Quilt Gardens.

 

     This is actually the end of the Heritage Trail for us. We saw most of the towns, found most of the gardens and murals and had a great time along the way.

Wishing you a great day!
Pat