SHOPPING OUR WAY OUT OF TOWN

After we checked out of the hotel (and Becca got a final swim in) we headed across the street to the Yoder's Meat Shoppe.  The name Yoder is pretty popular in this area as evidenced by Yoder's Red Barn Shoppes, Yoder's Auction House, Yoder's Mercantile, etc. You get the picture. Here, at the meat shoppe, we stock up on the meats we'll need for summer, such as fresh Bratwurst, Jalapeno Bratwurst, Hawaiin Bratwurst, Smoked Bratwurst, pounds and pounds of hamburger patties, more cheese, particularly string Mozzarella (Becca's favorite) and Sharp Cheddar (white and regular) for use in the many meals Charles cooks.

Now that we are stocked and ready, we so desperately wish summer would arrive!

On our way out we stopped at one of the bulk food mercantiles where all the Amish do their shopping.  We are continually amazed by the amount of horse and buggies we see all around this part of the country.

We took some back roads on the way home to hit smaller, unique variety stores and I think I counted nearly a dozen Amish schools before we even left LaGrange County.  Amish children attend school up to eighth grade, but then do not have to attend any longer in order to work on the farm.

Here is Becca outside the Menno-Hof Museum in Shipshewana. Inside, one can hear the Amish-Mennonite story and how this unique society came to be in our country. As you can tell, it was really bleak and overcast.  Becca says, "Thank goodness for indoor swimming pools!"

We had a great time and headed out on our return leg to Knox.  We had so much fun shopping in Shipshewana!

Becca absolutely loves to swim. So, when we found a hotel with a heated swimming pool, hot tub and play facilities for kids, we decided we needed to stay over rather than driving all the way back to Knox. 

As long as Becca gets several hours in the pool, she's a happy camper.  Driving to dinner last night at Deutsche Keuken Haus in Middlebury (only 10 minutes away) Becca had a hard time staying awake. All through dinner she looked like she was about to fall asleep.

Once we pulled in to the hotel parking lot and walked in the room, she was raring to go!  So, it was back into the pool.  This picture, of course, is from the hour she swam after breakfast this morning.

SHOPPING IN SHIPSHEWANA

While on Spring Break, we took a day to go shopping in Shipshewana.  The trip from Knox is about two hours driving.  There is so much to do and see that we decided to reserve a hotel room and stay the night.

Shipshewana is in the heart of Indiana Amish country.  Along the road one sees horse-drawn carriages aplenty!  It's amazing that a people exist in our country that have virtually sworn to live the simple life. Now, we have seen Amish use power tools and farm implements to help around their farms, but for the most part, this is how they live.

In this picture you see Charles and Becca on the steps of the Guggisberg Cheese Factory, on the outskirts of Shipshewana.  This is where we buy our cheese blocks to last us through the year. Becca's - and Grandma's - favorite is the Garlic Cheese, which is great on crackers or wheat thins.  Charles' favorite is the Pepper Jack, or Pepper Colby Jack, or the Salsa Cheese.  He uses it with his Mexican food.  Bizzy and Grandpa likes all of them.  We also pick up fresh blocks of Mozzarella for our Italian food, and butter cheese by the bucket.

When we first started buying our cheese here, this was just a local operation, but was bought out a couple of years ago by an Ohio company. Now, the cheese is shipped all over the midwest.

THE WRITING TEACHER BLOG


I've begun a new blog. Yes, I know. "What!? A new blog?" Finding the time to write on the blogs I do have, QUE PASA and BASS LAKE BUNCH is hard, but something came up the other day that I just couldn't resist and am feeling the urge to begin yet another new project.

Rebecca turned 7 last month.  A milestone in and of itself, Becca is also expressing the desire to write. As we near the end of her first grade year, we are seeing her grow, becoming a high leveled reader (she's reading Junie B. Jones and Cam Jansen, both third grade leveled chapter books).  Now, she wants to write.

For the past several years, Becca has written (I should say scribbled) in notebooks and we've encouraged her to express herself positively, so naturally, keeping a journal would come next in her writing development.  What caught me by surprise is that she asked me to teach her how to keep a journal and the idea about me keeping a journal right along with her came to me like an epiphany.

So, go check out my newest blog.  It will contain mostly journal entries, right along with my daughter, but I will also use her writing, with her permission, of course, displayed in the blog. You can find it by going to the Links area to the right of this post, and click on "THE WRITING TEACHER", or just click on this link writingteacher2006.blogspot.com and enjoy.

The final goal of the blog is to explore how to teach primary students writing in order to bring about a change in their skills, to help them be better writers.  As I explore teaching primary writers, I want to record my thoughts and revelations, and hopefully become a better primary writing teacher.

Thanks for following!

Biz went to Chicago last week for a conference and got to stay in a beautiful hotel. This is a shot with her camera looking outside her window down on the Chicago River.

We don't get to Chicago very much, but when we do, it can be an amazing city to visit.