July 31, 2015: The Real Housewives of Amish Country

Today was my mom's 69th birthday.    She saw this tour in the Orchard View Travelers Brochure tha she thought would be fun for her birthday so we signed up.    It was called "The Real Housewives of Amish Country".    We left around 7 am for our day trip.

We picked up our guides in Middlebury, Indiana, which was named after the Middlebury in Vermont.    Our first stop was at Schlerger's Kettle where we saw a kitchen where they make all kinds of jams, salsas, etc.    We got to try a bunch of samples of jams, chocolate peanut butter, salsas, etc.   

Our next stop was the Bender Camel Dairy Farm which was in Shipshewana.    The owner of the farm, an Amish man, told us about his trade.     He wanted to make something that others in the area did not make, so he bought 16 camels for $16,000 a piece.   He milks them 2 times a day.     Here are some interesting facts about a camel.

Camel gestation is 12 to 14 months.   They can survive up to 40-50 years.    There are 15 million camels worldwide and 90% of them are Dromedaries which have only 1 hump.    The hump stores fat which can be broken down into water and energy.   They can drink 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes.   They grow a shaggy coat in the winter.   When walking, camels move both legs on one side of the body at the same time.    Their nostrils can close and they have bushy eyebrows and 2 rows of long eyelashes to protect them from dessert sands.  

Camels have big, thick footpads to help them navigate the rough rocky terrain and shifting desert sands and can run up to 40 mph.    

Camel milk is rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins, and insulin.  Compared to cow's milk, it is lower in fat and lactose yet higher in potassium, iron, and vitamin C.   It is closer to human milk than any other type of milk available.  It can readily be made into a drinkable yogurt called kefir that is great in fruit smoothies.  

Camel milk is a natural source of Alpha-hydroxide acids which are known to plump the skin and smoothes fine lines.   It may even have been the original milk bath of Cleopatra fae.   

Camel milk has been shown to be effective in treating the following illnesses:  autism, diabetes, Crohn's disease, cancer, tuberculosis, hepatitis, liver disease, milk and food allergies, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, depression, and immune system disorder.

We got to feed the camels carrots which was kind of fun.  They sure liked those carrots.        This farm used the camel milk to make soaps and lotions.   

We stopped at an Amish family home and had a nice lunch called Haystacks.  It was family style dining.    On the bottom of your plate, you put crushed crackers, followed by lettuce, rice, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, hamburger, crushed Doritos, and this melted cheese.  I thought it was very good.   It is a typical meal to serve a large family, which often the Amish have.
They had some homemade bread and some of this sweet peanut butter spread made with peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, marshmallow crème, and butter.  

Then, we went to another Amish home overlooking a lake.  Her name was Carolyn Yoder.   She showed us how to make peanut butter pie. We had a slice of blueberry and a slice of peanut butter pie.   Both were very good.

We learned several things about the Amish on this trip.     In this area of Indiana,  about 90 percent of the Amish work in factories such as Jayco, which makes campers.       Only about 10 percent of the Amish in this area actually farm.
They go to a one room school house and go through the 8th grade.   In the state of Indiana,  it is allowed for the Amish to have just an 8th grade education.  They have to follow the same guidelines as a public school.

If an Amish person gets divorced, which rarely happens, they are not allowed to remarry.     
Their weddings are a big affair.    Sometimes, they have up to 1,000 guests.  Schools are closed so the teachers can attend the weddings.    

We stopped at Sonshine Baskets which was run by Anna Yoder and her daughters.  There were over 50 styles of woven baskets.  You could tell they were very good quality.  I got a small one for holding my mail.    

It was a very interesting day filled with some good eating.    I would recommend this trip.     Glad my mom was able to do something fun for her birthday which I know she will always remember.

July 4, 2015: Abi & Lakeshore Art Show

My mom’s friend, Abi and her fiancé, Tom, came to visit us in the morning.     We had never met Tom so that was nice to finally meet him.   Mom, Abi, and Tom went on a walk on our trail.     After their walk, I gave them a glass of wine.    I had received several bottles of wine from my supervisor, who used to own a winery in downtown Muskegon.     She was trying to get rid of the bottles of wine from the business.

We went to the Farmer’s Market late in the afternoon and had pizza at Whistle Punk Pizza, which tasted delicious.   Then, we wandered around the Lakeshore Art fair, which we always like to do.     I saw a booth where you could do your own canvas art, so I paid the $5 and spent 45 minutes doing my own painting, which is something I have wanted to do.     Usually, the canvas painting costs about $35 at other places.   It is a larger canvas, though.        

Found a new spot to watch the fireworks this year.  I remembered driving down Grand Haven Road into Ferrysburg and turned by the fire department.  Went to the Ferrysburg side, across from the Grand Haven Coast Guard Station and watched the Grand Haven fireworks.    It was a great place to go, as you didn’t have to deal with the traffic jams after the show. 

July 3, 2015: Downtown Rockford

It was nice to have the day off of work for the holiday.   Mom and I drove to Rockford to meet Betty & John Westra.  We had hot dogs for lunch. It was one of their favorite places to eat.     I got a Reuben dog which wasn’t too bad.      Of course, I love to eat at Arnie’s.     Then, Betty, Mom and I went shopping in the stores.    I found a cute orange purse at this boutique called Jade.       I had been looking for an orange purse, too.    They have some nice stores in their downtown.      We took Betty home and stopped at Aunt Charlene’s house to pick up the Tupperware order I placed for my mom.    It is my mom’s early birthday gift.  Then, we went shopping at Woodland Mall and the Younkers store in Grandville.