Shipshewana

It is the end of August and summer must be over. When I was a lad living at Wamplers Lake, the end of summer was officially on Labor Day when most of my lake friends left to return to their homes in Detroit, Dearborn, Toledo, Cleveland and elsewhere. We have left Michigan and begun our return to the desert of Arizona. Shipshewana has been our first "port" on this part of our journey.

Located in northeast Indiana and very close to both the Michigan and Ohio borders, Shipshewana is a unique place. It is in the center of the Amish-Mennonite culture that exists here and the town is very much influenced by this. Most shops close in the evening and are not open on Sunday reflecting the strong family tradition that the Amish-Mennonites hold. Horse drawn buggies are everywhere but some have adopted modern ways. The state laws require a reflective panel on the back of the buggies so that they are easily seen at night by motorists. Some have gone beyond this basic requirement and actually have turn signals which are battery driven as I don't believe these buggies have an alternator! Some of the buggies have rubber tires instead of the plain metal rims of wagons of long ago. They are fun to watch as they trot along the shoulders and you see them in the parking lots of most businesses as these quiet folks go about their daily lives. There are lots of bicycles too and some folks just walk.

The 2000 census says the population of Shipshewana was 536. At Auction Day or Flea Market Day the number of folks in town swells to many hundreds or thousands. Shipshewana is billed as having the largest flea market in the Midwest. From May through October, Tuesday and Wednesday are the days when the flea market is on. Whatever you might be seeking, they probably have it! Today, the market also included great farmer's market produce and I got excited about the peaches. There were bushel upon bushel of tree ripened peaches. For those inclined to can their own fruit it was a veritable bonanza. The end of season for sweet corn is behind us for most places but we found some plump, fresh corn still to be had. We have limited space in our motor home so we have to limit our purchases no matter how delectable they might be.

It was a hot, dusty day but we dutifully went up one row and down another searching for those things that we do not have at our beck and call. We found enough to make it fun and are happy we made Shipshewana a stop over.

There is a large RV lot with all the amenities located on the premises so it has been convenient and our AC has run continuously struggling to keep our coach at a comfortable 74 degrees. We'd opt for cooler but it is hard to do when the outside air temperature is close to 100 degrees.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, is also Auction Day and these auctions occur year round. If you are looking for a gasoline driven Maytag washing machine, then this is a great place to look because they have not been made since about 1950. The last time I was in Shipshewana, I saw several being sold and some looked as though they were almost new. We have no room for anything in our little house on wheels so we will hit the road tomorrow. We received a coupon when we registered at the RV park. It was for a drawing of a real live pony that supposedly is broken to ride and to harness. Needless to say, we did not enter the drawing. I have no expectation of ever winning the lottery but I don't intend to enter a drawing for ponies, dogs or cats!

Oh, did I mention the food? There are some good restaurants here. Some offer Amish cooking family style, just like they serve at home. The meal is all you can eat and the portions are endless, the kind of cooking most of us associate with our grandmothers. I'm afraid all you can eat is way more than we can eat but the meals we had were excellent. Tomorrow we're back to cereal in the coach, but with fresh bananas and peaches!