Hay, There!

 Did you know that culinary tourism is becoming more popular? The US boasts many unique drink and food trails all over the country. In all our travels, we have heard of the Kentucky bourbon trail, salsa trails (in Arizona), the Boise potato trail (Idaho), the margarita trail in New Mexico, (how did Sparky miss THAT one??!), a pork tenderloin trail in Indiana, (oh, yes, there is such a thing!), the North Carolina Oyster Trail, the Macon Bacon Trail in Georgia, the Buffalo Wings Trail in New York, and many many more....winery trails, whiskey trails, farm to table trails, a BBQ trail in Alabama AND the Beer City Air Trail in Grand Rapids, MI, home to over 40 craft breweries. (HOW did I miss that one?! wonders Eldo.) 

But if you aren't a foodie, and live in northwest Indiana like we do, you can check out another kind of trail, the 2024 Straw Hay Bale Art Trail in Shipshewanna and Middlebury, IN. Both towns are decorated up the wazoo with all kinds of all decorations--TONS of them! while you are driving around the towns looking for the hay bales, be sure to check out the beautiful and whimsical fall decorations in both towns.

"Be the 'I' in Shipsee"

It's part of the Autumn Adventure in the   fall in Shipshewanna and Middlebury, IN. Two towns, 24+ festivals and events in the area, and 30 giant hay bale pieces of art, depending on the eye of the beholder. On Sunday morning, we headed out to Middlebury and Shipshewanna to see how many we could find. It was a BEE-YOU-TI-FUL day and here was our first one:

"Thank you for your BEES-ness" says the sign where there were two of these cute bees in front of the shops at La Guana. There were MANY hay bales to be found in Shipshewanna. Quite a few creatures...."Henry the Panda"....

"Jack the Mouse and His Cheese" at the Heritage Creamery....

"Farmhouse Frederick the Steer" at the Farmstead Inn in Shipshewanna....

"Bacon the Pig" at the Ace Hardware store in Middlebury....

Some famous characters....Stuart and Bob of the Minions...(Sparky LOVES the Minions!)

Some popular fair food items...popcorn and pies....

"Life is Short, Eat the Pie!"

And a "Cheeseburger in Paradise"....

This little camper above, "The Mini Morton Camper" was out in front of the Morton House in Shipshewanna, right downtown. So cute! It was Sparky's favorite of all of them. There were many more. We saw about 26 out of the 30. It was fun driving all around Shipshewanna and Middlebury. They are small towns and the art bales were easy to find. You can find a map to all the hay bales artwork here: https://visitshipshewana.org/straw-bale-art/

We hope you enjoyed our little travel adventure this weekend! Thanks for stopping by to have a read....

                                    

                                    Sparky and Eldo

While We Wait.....And Some Big News

We are keeping ourselves busy while we wait for our August 14th date to bring in our damaged RV for repairs.  We had a family graduation, Eldy got hired as assistant golf coach for the Concord High School girls' golf team and will be coaching during a short golf season under the direction of the head coach, his granddaughter (!). So we decided to get an apartment for the remainder of this year and into next summer. We will rent an apartment for a year, recover some of the financial costs of repairs, deductibles and other things and have decided we want to downsize our RV to a class C or small class A if we can sell the big fifth wheel. Campgrounds are getting much more expensive and even with our Thousand trails camping membership, we were starting to have to follow the same travel patterns repeatedly in order to afford to travel full time. We'd really like to branch out and see more of the country with less restrictions on where we can stay. We can do that if we come off the road for awhile, save some money get a smaller rig, and not travel full time. We don't know how long repairs will take and that could be months, so that's another reason we decided to stay put for awhile.

So with some sadness at coming off the road for awhile, but with much gladness at the benefits of having lots of Eldy's family close by and a chance for Sparky and Eldo to both work for a bit, we look forward to the next chapter in our lives of being stationary for awhile. Sparky will still post on the blog, but we certainly understand if readers stop following us since we are not going to be full timing for awhile, or possibly changing over to part timing as snowbirds when we downsize our RV. It seems to be the natural progression of aging with full time RVers to come to the point of traveling less and less due to lots of different reasons. 

So here we are, in Elkhart, IN, our home for the next year...We have an apartment lined up, and we are back to shopping for furniture! Trying to be frugal about furnishing an apartment as we don't have any furniture of our own, we have been visiting thrift shops and garage sales and here is what we have so far.....an almost new couch for 85.00....

An old HEAVY entertainment center for 6.00.....Sparky landed that one at a thrift shop on a 50% off day!

Sparky has removed the really heavy slide out trays and heavy fan motor and is going to outfit the interior with shelves for craft supplies. (Of course! says Eldo,) She might lighten up the finish a bit, too.

A floor lamp for 10.00....

A small roll top desk for 60.00...It has a hole in the roller part, but we think we can fix that enough so it won't be too visible....Why somebody would make holes at the top of the roller part of the cover is anybody's guess!

A craftsman style (?) end table. Sparky is going to refinish the top and paint the lower half of it a deep charcoal gray to go with the gray of the couch. Ten dollars....

And how could you not buy lemonade from the cutest kids and the cutest lemonade stand at this garage sale? (Sparky is a sucker for kids' lemonade stands. She bought lemonade the very next day from Amish kids selling it on Father's Day weekend! explains E.)

Sparky is on the Pumpkinvine Bike Trail at least two to three times a week...trying to keep her sugar and weight down. The spring wildflowers have died down but there are a few colorful summer ones now...The beautiful bluish purple spiderwort....

Sweet William perennials on the lane to Moody's Ice Cream Shop off the trail...

Sweet pea blossoming outside of the Winnebago plant near Middlebury...

The scenery is ever changing on the trail....

The Amish are plowing their fields....

A buggy peeking through the trail's vines and trees...

A bit of whimsy on the trail just outside of Abshire Park...

Seen the day after Father's Day on the trail...

You can see two of the Heritage Trail quilt gardens as you ride from Goshen to Middlebury. Kryder Gardens is a beautiful rest stop in Middlebury with picnic areas, gazebos, a little waterfall and even a windmill. There is a quilt garden there.

"Tree of Life" quilt garden at Kryder Gardens

Another quilt garden is right at Abshire Park in Goshen, at the beginning of the Pumpkinvine Trail. It's called the "Crosshatch" pattern. In another month, the flowers will have filled in and the pattern even more beautiful.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday is the Shipshewanna Flea Market. We have been going to it for years and years. It's really changed. There used to be a TON of individuals who crafted beautiful things...lots of handpainted woodwork, doll clothes, etc, but now, most of it is from China or other places. Lots of yard art and home decor can be found. It seems though, that handmade has gone by the wayside, except for a couple of booths. But you can find lots of home decor, faux leather goods, clothing....and bargains if you look hard.

There are multiple auctions going on in a building next to the flea market. That has changed as well. There doesn't seem to be as many furniture finds and vintage stuff as there used to be, at least that was our impression when we visited last week. But it's fun to watch the action and the bidding. Who knows what you might be looking for, it's possible it's here! 

Sparky liked this shot of people watching the bidding and the statue pose.

Some might say the flea market is for the birds, haha, but we don't think so!

Sparky liked this metal sign....

Lots of pet lover merch....

dog breed wooden spoons

We finally visited Biebs & Ash in downtown Goshen, IN for some terrific smash burgers and fries...WOW! Highly recommend...

beautiful fabrics at Lolly's

You know what else is in Shipshewanna? Besides lots of cool little vintage furniture, ice cream, and home decor shops? Handmade pretzels at Jojo's in the Mercantile building, and Lolly's fabric store, filled with LOTS of quilt ideas and the most extensive quality cotton fabric selection you could hope for a small town shop. Sparky hopes to make some home decor small quilts this year. (Uh-oh, worries E, there goes the budget!) Naw...Sparky plans to exercise restraint and not go there very often this summer....(HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's Eldo rolling on the floor laughing his butt off.) Hey, they do have rockers for you guys to wait on your woman shopping at Lolly's but you might be there awhile.....

With that we will say bye for now.....You may not hear from us for awhile, but if we do something special in the area, we will let you know! It's been a great ride, a total of SIX YEARS full timing, but it's not our last foray out into the great USA...Don't be surprised if we say, HEY, we are going out on the road again, we do love to travel! We will keep you posted as our plans evolve and our lifestyle keeps changing. Thank you for following along and hope you still will.

                                        Sparky and Eldo

Hanging Out Everywhere in Howe, IN....

Howe, IN. Twin Mills Campground Site: C-55.  High: 70.  Low: 61

We are having great weather as far as temps go, but crummy weather as we are being followed by rain wherever we go as we head our way back to Indiana and parts south and west eventually. We decided to skip Florida this year and change our doctors and dentists to where much of Eldy's family is, in Indiana. Besides, driving all the way south to Florida just to catch up on our health needs doesn't make a lot of sense when we like to travel to the Dakotas,Texas and Arizona. It's way down to Florida, then way back up out of Florida, to be precise. Hahahahaha....So here we are....in Howe, IN, for two weeks, then Brian's house ("mooch docking" for a week), back to Howe for another two weeks, then finishing up the end of October back at Brian's house for a week. Sparky LOVES to do landscape work, like cut grass. Remember that zero turn lawn mower story awhile back? Well, she's going to give it another go here soon, if the rain will quit. (uh, oh, I better warn Brian, laughs Eldo.) If you have been reading along, you might recall Sparky's maniacal ride on the zero turn lawn mower with zero experience. Haha...

Today, one of Brian's dogs got into a skunk, or SOMETHING dead. With the adult kids having to go to work, Eldo and Sparky dog sat and

Sparky shampooed the dog, trying to get rid of the smell. There's commercial stuff you can get for skunk odor removal available at big box stores and PetSmart. What is it about skunk odor that clings and clings and clings? You can just walk around in the nearby vicinity of a skunk kill and smell like one for the next three hours!!!

We don't know if that commercial stuff works or not, but there's also a great recipe from the American Kennel Association that came up several times. Off to the grocery store to buy a quart of hydrogen peroxide, some Dawn, (good ole Dawn, that stuff is great for EVERYTHING! says Sparky, who was NOT paid for that endorsement) and baking soda. Mix a quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, a few teaspoons of Dawn, slather it all over the dog, wait five minutes then wash it off. It worked pretty well. Sparky now has tie dyed peroxide capri pants. (I TOLD you to watch out for Izzy shaking herself off to dry! warned Eldo.) Yes, sir, he did. It's ok, Sparky needed a pair of work/hitching up pants anyway.

What else is going on? How about our campground in the Halloween spirit three weeks early? Every weekend starting the last weekend in September, up till the week BEFORE the 31st, which is when they close for the season, they have trick or treat on Saturday. And the campground is decorated up the wazoo for the camping families and kids who show up in droves on the weekend. They have been doing this for YEARS and it's on both sides of the campground which is split into two sections across highway 120 in Howe. Inflatables seem to be the big thing, haha. Literally.

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We love it. It's just for the weekend, then everybody goes home on Sunday and the campground is empty during the week. The kids' costumes are great, the decorated golf cart parade is great after trick or treat night, and everybody appreciates the talented teams that bring TRAILERS of decorations to make the campground so spooky and fun to be there. Sparky absolutely LOVES the "Bone Collector' truck that has been there the last couple of years. (Gee, it's probably because she's such a BIG Coke drinker, ya think???? laughs E.)

While we were at Howe the first time, we stumbled on a classic car show at the Das Essenhaus restaurant grounds. It's every Thursday from May till October, and we just happened to see the very last show of the season. There were about 2,000 cars there! All over the grounds. People start coming a couple of days ahead of time. There is no rhyme or reason to where you put your car. You show up with your beautiful classic car, you find a place on the grassy hillside to park it, and BOOM! Wait for the people to come chat and take photos of your beautiful baby. Sparky loves this one. No idea what kind it was, it was just cool!

The flower quilts all over Elkhart and Goshen are winding down...You can take a quilt garden tour earlier in the summer, get a map and drive to the different locations. They are quite spectacular and at their best at the end of the summer and early fall....This one at Das Essenhaus Restaurant was still looking quite amazing!

Sparky rides the Pumpkinvine Bike Trail a lot while staying at Twin Mills. She's been riding a couple of BIG rides for her....25-33 miles. That's what's great about the Pumpkinvine, you can go for short rides between Middlebury and Shipshewanna, (about 6 miles) or keep going and ride from Shipshewanna to Abshire Park in Goshen and back, and that will give you about 33 miles. She LOVES seeing the Amish out farming with their teams of horses, meeting the many Amish who bike the trail regularly going to work or to shop, and the scenery is always changing. It's fun to see the Amish kids out at recess, (there are a couple of schools along the trail) every last one of them barefoot, the girls in long dresses, the boys with suspenders, playing baseball with their teacher. It's a beautiful ride any time of year....

A typical parking lot on Saturday

Sparky loves to shop in Shipshewanna (Eldo says: and that, my friends, is the understatement of the year...there are mysterious bags coming into the RV quite often that quickly disappear from sight when we are at Howe, IN) Gotta love Lolly's fabric store and Yoders' department store, where they have an amazing collection of shoes and fabrics. Now just to clarify things, Sparky ONLY loves to shop at: 1. craft stores, 2. good fabric/craft stores, and 3. donut shops and 4. Etsy. She hates shopping at department stores or malls. (Well, THAT'S a relief! exclaims E.)

And finally, a visit to a real genuine cider mill in Middlebury, another burg close by to where Twin Mills Campground is located. It's called Miller's Mill, and you can go watch REAL cider being made with antique cider presses while you wait to buy some AMAZING cider to take home with you. They were super busy the day we went, so we just watched for a brief time, and were not able to talk to the owner about the process. It was fascinating just the same to see a delicious product made with the old press still functioning just fine. You watch orchard owners drive up with apples in the back seat and dump them in a chute. 

The apples get ground and smashed and the juice pours out beneath the press. 

Then the apple juices are poured into jugs. Not sure what they do with the mashed apples, but that part looked delicious, too.

Mr. Miller had a great helper the day we went. He's learning early the value of hard work needed to run a successful family business the old fashioned way. It really was the best apple cider we have ever had!

And that about covers a couple of weeks in the Howe/Shipshewanna/Middlebury area. Lots to see and do, that's for sure! This is "home base" for us, so we always enjoy seeing family and friends in the area when we come. Eldy is going to play golf with his brother soon, and we are getting doctor and dentist visits in before we head south towards Texas. Thanks for following us along on our journey! See you next time.....

PS. Sometimes Blogger does weird stuff with fonts and spacing. Sparky apologizes for that because she has tried many times to fix it in the editing and sometimes it doesn't "take". It looks fine in the editing part, but then publish it and WHOOPS! something happens....sigh....