4 September 2013 Shipshewana

Today we visited the Flea Market and Auction at Shipshewana, Ohio. There are over 300 vendors in this market, selling everything one can dream of. I bought a wind-sock pole and Patrice several practical items at very good prices. I stuck my head into the auction barn and saw eight booths where auctioneers were selling items ranging from step ladders to plain old junk. It was a riot of noise! Jerry, Marge, Patrice, I had lunch at The Auction Restaurant--good food with pies for desert.

Patrice has not seen Amish folk going about their lives before, and was fascinated by the horse-drawn buggies on the streets. There were Amish women manning some of the booths at the market, and some of the waitresses in the restaurant we had lunch at were Amish. They all wore similar white caps and pastel dresses, and sensible shoes.

Carlos stayed in the rig in Howe while we went to the market, and we picked him up and went to Lagrange to go get his nails trimmed, then Patrice and I got our haircuts.

We stopped at Miller's, a large grocery store in Lagrange, and soon there were seven buggies parked under the trees, while their riders when in to do some shopping.

It's possible that the black cap this woman wore may denote marital status, but we're not sure.

Patrice and I had dinner at the Howe Family Restaurant, recommended by the girls int he beauty shop--great food, and great service--the proprietor asked us where we were from, then thanked us for coming in. While we were there, an Amish couple pulled up in their buggy, parking in the spot with posts like the ones at Miller's grocery store. Patrice suspected that they were a courting couple.

Tomorrow we move to Utica, Illinois, on I-80 across the southern end of Chicago.