Saturday, May 16. 2015

I had spent two hours yesterday cleaning and waxing our coach, so it was no real surprise when we woke up to rain.  It was nice that the rain stopped while we prepared to travel and emptied the holding tanks. We had arranged with Leon at National RV Refrigeration, in Shipshewana, to get an ARP (Absorption Refrigeration Protection) controller installed on our Norcold refrigerator.  His shop was on our way to the American Coach Association National Rally in Goshen, Indiana, so it could not have been more convenient.  The installation only took about 30 minutes, including all of our questions.  Leon was a wealth of knowledge and patiently answered every question.  He also showed us how to read the refrigerator fin temperature on the front panel.  The ARP controller will give us some peace of mind keeping our refrigerator from misbehaving.

Since today's move was so short, Joani just followed me in the car. We had already driven to the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds the day before, so it should have been easy, right?  Wrong.  It was very unsettling driving the coach without my navigator.  At least I recognized when we were lost.  After finding a place to pull over we conferred with Google maps and got our bearings.  A few extra left turns, a bit of backtracking and we finally made it - 34.9 miles (74,207.8 total).

Parking at the fairgrounds was a bit confused.  Four guys took a meeting, compared notes and decided we should be at site 246.  The first try at parking left us on the wrong side of the hook-ups.  The next try left us hanging in the road and too far from the utilities to hook-up. Our parking guide went for help and after a short conference, they decided I should park in another direction.  Everyone was parked on a SE-NW line except for us facing SW.  It all worked out and we got settled in.  We were greeted by Debby with our registration package which included a really nice ACA 25th Anniversary blanket and various other information and trinkets.  Ray and Pauline welcomed us and filled us in on the Southeast Chapter schedule of events.

There wasn't even time for a short nap before heading out to the SEACA (Southeast American Coach Association) chapter "social hour" and dinner.  There was quite a turnout for our pre-rally (50 coaches expected from SEACA - and nearly 250 coaches registered for the ACA rally).  Below you can see Ray trying to manage the semi-rowdy crowd.  Everyone had a good time and enjoyed lots of great food and lively conversation.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Shipshewana Flea Market was billed as the largest in the mid-west.  It was supposed to cover one hundred acres.  It was large, but I suspect I must have misread that or maybe they included parking lots. Still, there was more than we could see in a single day. 

The little dog below, Katie, was so excited to see Sam - she nearly jumped out of her carriage.  When they got close enough, she licked him like she had never seen another dog.  Sam must have liked it since he made no attempt to flee.

Tiny houses seem to be all the rage now and Joani spotted this one with quite a high "cuteness" factor.  She chatted with the owner/builder for a while and learned that the house on wheels is complete with kitchen and sleeping loft.

One booth immediately reminded us both of my uncle, Allan, who had quite an extensive collection of toy tractors.  His collection was larger than this booth so he might not have found anything new, but he still would have spent most of his time here.

After a couple of hours, Joani conceded that we had seen enough and we headed home.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

When you are this close to the birthplace of "Baby Swiss" a visit is a must.  While at the Guggisberg Deutsch Kase Haus Cheese Factory we learned Alfred Guggisberg, master cheesemaker, developed Baby Swiss in the 60s to "appeal to the less-developed American palate."  We sampled over two dozen cheeses and they were all very tasty.  The surprise was the very reasonable price, prompting us to take home enough cheese to last a good while.

The factory tour aspect of Guggisberg's is really just a window allowing a peek into the operations behind the store.

We could have taken a little bit of everything home, so leaving with only four different cheeses, sesame sticks and some pepper bacon showed great restraint on our part.

Just a few miles down the road, Shipshewana offered lots of shopping and dining options. 

The Davis Mercantile building was just recently built.  Inside there were a lot of pictures of the cool post and beam construction.  I did not understand the inclusion of the large tree at the center of the main stairwell.  It was delivered from Kinbasket Lake, British Columbia (just 100 miles from Lake Louise) and weighed over 18,000 pounds.  The "large log" with a diameter of 44 inches was more than 370 years old. It did not support anything and was apparently intended as a conversation piece.  I certainly heard a lot of people talking about it - mostly asking "why?". 

  

The Shipshewana 1906 Dentzel carousel on the third floor of the Davis Mercantile was carved by Al Bontrager.  There was no one wanting to ride, so we never actually got to see the carousel in motion.

Outside there were plenty of places for one to hitch up the old horse and buggy while shopping.

The building below had a lot of street appeal which required some closer inspection.

The store owner caught us checking out the architectural details and filled us in on some of her struggles in getting the place built.

Joani had the privilege of hearing the story behind Mary Master's shop. She is very proud of what she has built (rightfully so) but fears she will not be able to keep it much longer.  In an effort to buy up properties, the town is raising taxes to the breaking point.  $12,000 a year is quite a burden to a tiny shop.

Joani consented to model her new scarf - clearly, Sam approved of her choice.

Monday, May 11, 2015

There was nothing too flashy about the campsites at Grand View Bend Campground, but they had 50 amp electrical and water and plenty of space between coaches.  For the first time in a long time, I did not hear any trains.

A lot of folks have settled into the park on a permanent basis.  The collection of gnomes and frogs was a sure giveaway.

The campground was bordered by the Pigeon River which explained the many canoes we saw throughout the campground.  Joani remembered canoeing trips on the Pigeon River when they stayed at Camp Potawotami. 

We drove about 5 miles north of Howe, Indiana to Sturgis, Michigan to shop for a few groceries at Kroger and Walmart.  After we returned home, the on-again, off-again rains created a beautiful double rainbow that touched down in the field just a few hundred yards away.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

It was another of those really easy moving days - 54.0 miles (74,172.9 total).  The only Interstate we saw was the one we passed under as we left Fort Wayne on our way to Howe, IN.  The rural roads were smooth with very light traffic - if only all our traveling was so relaxed.

Grand View Bend Campground had a pretty laid back check-in procedure - their instructions were to drive in, pick any available spot along the fence, and then someone would drop by later to collect money and issue a parking pass. 

This will be a great base for exploring the Amish country in and around Shipshewana, until we head over to the American Coach Association National Rally in Goshen, IN next week. 

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Some of Joani's favorite childhood memories were of the last week of each summer spent at Camp Potawotami in Wolcottville, IN.   The facility was part of the Fort Wayne YMCA.  Joani called and arranged for us to visit the camp in-between their group engagements.  She remembered it being a pretty long drive, but it was actually only 35 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Every year the YMCA boys camp became a family camp during the last three weeks of summer.  From the age of 5 until the year before I married (1960 thru 1972) my family enjoyed the last week of summer at Camp Potawotami.

From the outside, the lodge appeared unchanged except for the colorful Adirondack chairs on the porch.  Long ago Joani did this view in watercolor and it is still one of my favorites.

The rustic log and branch rockers were missing.  The old lodge smell brought the memories flooding back.

Inside the lodge there were significant changes - it did not look the same.  There were a few other changes - the cabins were gone and the YMCA no longer supported three weeks of family camp.  I'm sure the camp experience is no longer the same fun it once was, but then is it ever, really?  

The handcrafted rustic log furniture, card tables and ping pong tables were gone.  The wall behind me was new, blocking what was once the dining hall.

Of course, Blackman Lake looked so small.

When I close my eyes, I'm in a rowboat fishing with my Dad.

I remember the camp myself after spending a week there with the Goodman family in 1977.  In a nostalgic tribute to days gone by, Joani included a few of the pictures I took on that trip.

Blackman Lake at sunset in 1977.

That's my mom sitting up in the middle.

My baby brother, Ken, at about 11 years old.

The old cabins had eight bunks, but the six of us (Joani's mom and dad, Marlene and Joe, her brothers, Ron and Ken, Joani and me) managed to fill the cabin.

There were always wet clothes drying and since we didn't spend a lot of time in there, we didn't waste a lot of time keeping it neat. 

My other little brother, Ron at about 14, in the kitchen after hours.

Oh yeah, I was cool in my flashy shirt, tinted glasses and mustache hanging with the teenagers!

Gotta love the twenty-something married guy chaperoning the teens.  Back off girls, he's mine!

Friday, May 8, 2015

It was another beautiful day in Fort Wayne, so after I washed the car windshield (again) we headed out to find the church Joani remembered as a young girl.  It was still there but appeared to be a private school now.  It was locked up, so there was no looking inside to trigger memories.

I love trees!  Trees are so inspiring!  But the pollen bombs and sap tears are a mess that I won't miss.

We were so close, we cruised the old Branning Street neighborhood again.  Joani really liked many of the houses, but she was aware of the problems with a 90-year-old house, so I don't think we will be seriously considering real estate in northern Indiana.

I am so taken with this area of Fort Wayne, IN.  I wish I could transport it to a location closer to our family.

This little gem is the ideal size at 936 sqft., a lot of porch and only $62,933.