Shipshe Again

We're still killin' time in Amish country before we move to Elkhart tomorrow.  We've been waiting for some last minute parts from Newmar so we decided to go to the Shipshewana Flea Market.

It's billed as the largest in the state, and it probably is.  We spent 3 hours strolling the grounds and checking out the cool stuff.

 Our best find was a shop selling wooden baskets:

It looks like it's woven, but it really is made of solid cherry wood cut on a scroll saw in a "wavy" pattern and held together with vertical wooden slats.  Each layer or level of the cherry is cut precisely from the same flat piece of wood, so the grains all match.  These baskets, of all sizes and styles, are made by a family (not Amish) that lives 2 1/2 miles from downtown Shipshewana on a farm.  The 3 sons developed the prototypes, and now their dad makes the projects.  We talked to Jared, one of the sons, and a really nice young man, who invited us to their shop, and to also look at their work online at www.teaberrywoodproducts.com. Evidently the website is a catalog only, and orders must be made by phone.  Check it out because they have some great pieces, and it's an all american, family enterprise.

As we were leaving, we saw this sign at the entrance to a nearby store:

It's Amish country!

One interesting shop in the Flea Market was one selling ice cream made with the use of a gas engine to run the ice cream makers:

The ice cream was delicious and the use of the engine was clever.  Later, when we got back to Nappanee, we stopped at Rocket Science, an ice cream store where the ice cream is made from real cream, flavorings of your choice (fruit, chocolate, etc), stirred in a bowl and then flash frozen with liquid nitrogen in front of your very eyes!

You can combine any ingredients to make your own concoction, or choose from one of their recipes.  As you can see, the shop is run by a young Amish girl who didn't talk much, but smiled every chance she got!  BTW, the ice cream was delicious here also!  Malted Chocolate Malt:  Chocolate with malt and Milk Duds stirred in...Yum!

We heard heard from Newmar late this afternoon that our parts are in, so after picking them up in the morning, we'll say goodbye to Nappanee.  Our stay here has been very good; we've met a lot of people, discussed a lot of RV'ing problems and pleasures, and have had a chance to meet with a number of wonderful people in the Newmar organization.  They have all been very understanding and courteous. I'm sure a few more things will pop up that need professional attention, so we will most likely be back here in the future.