Indiana Amish Country - Embrace the Pace!

From the hustle pace of Chicago to the heart of Amish country.  We all agreed, the transition was a welcome one. 

Team Breitmann landed at the Elkhart County  4-H Fairgrounds, which is just outside of the east side of Goshen, Indian. It offers full-hookup camping.  We were glad to see more familiar faces, as my parents decided to come meet up with us and camp here.  You can read a bit more about the facility here: Elkhart County Fairgrounds

"A" marks the spot!  This is where we camped.  As you can see, it is smack dab in the center of Amish country and within about 15 minutes of nearly every town with Amish presence like Nappanee, Middlebury, Elkhart, Shipshewana, etc...   A great website to introduce you to this area is here: Northern Indiana Amish Country

Our "assault vehicle" gains a family friend!  In the foreground is my parents 5th wheel, nestled next to our motor home at the fairgrounds campground.  In the background  is one of the many barns located on the grounds.  This particular barn, to the joy of the girls, housed about a half dozen harness racing horses.  

A reminder that we are NOT in the big city any more! 

While staying on the fairgrounds, we were treated to being able to watch a harness race.   Hailey enjoys a track side vantage point for her first horse race. 

Two different worlds!  I took this picture at the horse race track of an Amish girl and an "English" girl.  "English" is the name that the Amish give to those who are not Amish.  We found it very interesting how so vastly a different peoples live closely amongst each other, yet keep their own identities.  

Outside of Nappenee, Indiana, we took a tour of a place called Amish Acres.   You can see the history of Amish Acres, as documented on the sign above.  You can also, read a bit more about here: Amish Acres

Heidi and Hailey at the door of the Amish Acres barn.  This 40 x 80 Schweitzer bank barn was built in 1876 from hand hewn timber cut from this farm.  The threshing floors and mows are in the upper level.  The milking stalls, corn crib and wagon shed in the lower.

Heidi and Hailey enjoy the swing in the upper level of the bank barn! 

Heidi finds out how hard it is to catch a "yard bird!"

"Ewe lookin' at me?!"  

Hailey gets up close to a couple of peacocks on the Amish homestead. 

The gals get a lesson on what it takes to make apple butter.  Here they observe the mixture being stirred.  It must be continually stirred so that it doesn't stick or burn in the seamless copper kettle.  To make apple butter you'll need:  about 7 bushels of apples, water, 60 pounds of white sugar, 10 pounds brown sugar, 1 cup cinnamon, 1 cup white sugar, 3 ounces of whole cloves and a WHOLE lotta patience as you stir and stir and stir and stir.......!

The girls pose in front of an old Amish school bus.  The Amish no longer use these horse drawn buses because the Amish schools are generally within walking distance (approximately no more than 3 miles) for each family, within the particular Amish sect.

Stacey admires the apple orchard on the farm. 

Heidi checks out an Amish mint still. We learned that at the turn of the century, Indiana led all states in the production of mint.  Stills like this one, which was moved here from 1.5 miles south, were used to distill the potent oils from mint.  Much of the crop went to the Wrigley Chewing Gum Company in nearby Chicago. We also learned that Wrigley originally started out as a soap company and in a promotional stunt, sticks of chewing gum were attached to each soap bar.  Ironically, no one liked the soap but, loved the gum!  So, in a smart move, Wrigley dropped the soap idea and went with chewing gum.  The rest is history!

After our visit at Amish Acres, we wandered over to the nearby town of Nappanee, which was in the midst of celebrating their annual apple festival.  We enjoyed this all-American town celebration.  Like the sign says behind Hailey, we enjoyed and "embraced the pace" of this small town! 

We also took a trip to the town of Shipshewana, which is known as the center of the "Plain People".  This term is meant to describe the vast number of Mennonite and Amish people that call this town and surrounding farmlands as their home. 

I took this picture in the parking lot of a Shipshewana Amish grocery store.  

Hailey models an Amish lady's bonnet.  We learned that the bonnets and caps the Amish & Mennonite women wear are in respect to 1 Corinthians 11:15 which states; "And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head--it is just as though her head were shaved."

The girls admire a dapple colored Amish man's draft horse. 

Once again, if there is a tree that can be climbed,  Hailey will do it! 

Back at the campground, Hailey shows off her art work to her Granparents.  

I added this picture to show you that we will be in Amish country for a long time.  I was born and raised in Ohio, which you can see has the highest concentration of Amish in the country.  We are off to my home state of Ohio, to show the gals of Team Breitmann, "God's Country"!  Look out, Buckeye state!  The Red-headed regiment is coming your way!