MIDWEST'S LARGEST FLEA MARKET

Tuesday, September 13 – We walked around the Shipshewana Flea Market today. That is one HUGE flea market! It took us nearly four hours to walk most of the aisles.

Our first stop. Got to set priorities!

There were quilts galore. Each more beautiful than the last.

The Amish and Mennonite make the most beautiful furniture.

Now this has to be the most unusual weather vane we have ever seen. Be sure to read the sign attached to the vane.

This was Marsha's favorite items of all those at the Flea Market. You remember her fetish with pigs from the Fair. She thought these were just daring.

We picked up some note pads, bungee cords, plastic storage bags, and a bag of apples. All at very good prices.

The produce was great! Here is where we got our delicious apples.

We then took a ride around Shipshewana. We stopped and walked the main area. What gorgeous flower beds. Marsha had a ton of camera moments. She didn't know where to shoot first.

While driving in this area, this is a very common sight.

This gal was waving to us as she got closer. She was such a happy gal!

We visited several RV Surplus stores without finding the chairs we were searching for. That was disappointing. We had heard this area was a mecca for RV'ers searching for furniture and surplus parts. It's the main reason for us heading this way. We did find some nice chairs at Lambright Comfort Chairs. They are Amish built in the shop in Shipshewana, but we felt they were a little too expensive. We have several other places to stop at before giving up on our search. We'll keep looking!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

 

 

RV CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Monday, September 12 – We drove five hours in reaching our new one-week home base, Goshen, IN. For every 10 RVs you see, six of them are built in Elkhart County. In fact, 82% of all recreational vehicles are manufactured in northern Indiana. We are here to check out some new MH furniture.

We must have hit a swam of gnats. The front of the MH was splattered with them.

Saw this sign at the BP station.  Diesel fuel for $3.74…WOW!  Pulled in to fill-up. After pumping $100 worth, Paul noticed the price on the pump read $4.06. After inquiring at the desk, he was told that was for tax exempt drivers. When questioned, the grumpy lady behind the desk said it was stated on the sign…..can you see the "fine" print on the sign? Another BP stunt….JEESH!

We are staying at the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds. They have 900 sites with 10 dump stations. We opted for full-hook ups. We are in a section with only 12 sites. We are in Site 172 on the end. It is a great spot for Bella. She has all the grassy area to explore.

Looking down our short road.

We took a ride around the city of Goshen. The Quit Gardens Tour is in full swing. The Quilt Gardens along Heritage Trail joins quilting, gardening and art into a one-of-a-kind event.  A colorful patchwork of quilt inspired gardens and quilt-themed murals linked by the roads that form the Heritage Trail.
There are 100,000+ glorious blooms • 18 gigantic gardens • 18 super-sized murals at 12 locations • 36 quilt designs • 7 welcoming communities.

We saw two so far. One at the campground and one at the County Courthouse.

The County Courthouse is a very beautiful building.

We haven't seen much of the next topic but Marsha is on the look out…Elk Art on Parade. Elk Art on Parade will benefit Child And Parent Services (CAPS), Elkhart County’s non-profit child abuse prevention agency. It is a public art exhibition that places life-size fiberglass elk designed and created by local artists in county landscapes for the public to view and interact with. There are 29 life-sized fiberglass creations throughout Elkhart County. We saw our first one today. If Marsha has her way, you will be seeing more of these in future blogs.

"Peace Through  Pieces", Goshen High School Art classes.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

 

TIME TO MOVE ON

Monday, September 12 – With a little sadness in our hearts, it's time to pull out of Canton, Ohio. We've enjoyed spending time with our family and friends and will miss them dearly.....we'll be back soon!

We are heading West to Elkhart, IN, to check out the RV furniture stores and motorhome factories. We have quite a few sights to see in the area and plan on spending about a week in that area.

After Elkhart, we will travel to the Louisville, KY, area again staying about a week. We plan on seeing the Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum, Churchill Downs, check out a couple restaurants recommended by our daughter, visit some distilleries on the Bourbon Trail and several other sights.

From Louisville, we'll travel to Augusta, GA, to visit with Paul's brother and our nephew. Our nephew, Ryan, and wife, Holly, recently had twins. We are anxious to see them and big brother, Noah.

From Augusta, we want to spend a week or more at the beach in Bay St.Louis, MS, or Foley, AL. We've stayed at both these beach towns in the past and had enjoyed are stays.

We want to be in Houston, TX, for Thanksgiving at our daughter's house. We'll stay at the Stafford Elks, just south of the city. Marsha will be flying back to Canton, OH, for some eye surgery and to spend the Christmas holidays with family. Paul will remain in Houston until Marsha returns, or like last year, will meet her in Mission, TX. We will spend the winter months of January and February at Hidden Valley Ranch in Mission.

These plans, of course, are etched on our Magic Slate and could easily change several times.

On Friday, we had a wonderful dinner with our daughter, Kelly, and her boyfriend, Dave. This is the last time we will see her on this visit. Thanks you two for a great time. We love you!

Observation from a past blog…
We are aware that many of you are conscientious about buying U.S.A. products. Thanks to our friend, Duane, Duane and Louise's Travels, who reminded us…our new Honda CRV was made in Ohio!!! If possible, buy U.S.A.!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!