A Few Last Days with Relatives

 

  We spent Thursday through Sunday with granddaughter, Cassandra, in Muncie, assisting her with a move to a different apartment.  Friday, the three of us relaxed in the campground (Big Oak), enjoying the chance to visit.  Grandpa used his time to work on the chain he is carving for Cassie, also.  On Saturday evening, the family pitched in and painted Cassie’s new bedroom, and moved all her items into the apartment.

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Sunday morning found us on the road northwesterly as we moved to Lakeville, south of South Bend, IN.

 

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As we passed through the small town of Wabash, we noticed an interesting sign (which I later checked out online).  Wabash has the distinction of being the first electrically lit city in the world! Check out the website HERE.

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We joined Passport America this year for the first time, and are finding we are using it more than we thought we would.  We found a Passport park in Lakeville, Beaver Ridge, which placed us only a few miles from son, Tom and Liesel.  They joined us for lunch and the rest of the day.  We don’t get to see them as often as we’d like, so it was great having a long afternoon  for a leisurely walk and visit with them. 

Monday we backtracked a bit, driving to Milford, where I have uncles and aunts. 

Milford sits in the heart of Amish country, and the roadside scenes having you feeling that you’ve stepped backward in time.

We try to stop in Milford for a brief visit anytime we pass through northern Indiana.  It’s always fun to touch base and reminisce with each relative.  We didn’t have the chance to visit with any of the cousins this year, but were glad to get to see each of the aunts and uncles.

Howard and Mary Jean Vanlaningham

Hazel and Helen Vanlaningham

Esther Vanlaningham

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heading West

We left McCormick's Creek on Labor Day, September 1, at dawn. We've had a good stay this summer camphosting at the park, and enjoyable trips with the grandchildren, but it's good to get our "itchy feet" back on the road.

Monday, we traveled north toward Topeka, IN to the Crossroads factory for some repairs to the 5th wheel on Tuesday. The drive up the back roads was relaxing, through farmlands for a large portion of the morning.

Son, Tom, and wife, Liesel, were to meet us for lunch. After two detours and a mix-up on restaurants, we finally reached each other in Middlebury for lunch at the Amish Essenhaus restaurant.
The food was served family style, Fried Chicken with all the trimmings. By the time dessert came, we weren't sure if we could hold it or not, but we each managed to eat a piece of their delicious homemade pies.
















The complex also offers shops, walking areas, carriage rides and even a garden planted in the pattern of a quilt.














This whole area of Indiana is Amish country. At times, we felt we were seeing more horse drawn vehicles than cars and trucks on the roads.




Tuesday morning, the Crossroads repair manager was at our door at 6 a.m. as promised. The repair needed was more extensive than we had thought it might be, and took all day Tuesday. We were so impressed by the Crossroads staff's service, expertise, and hospitality towards us. The whole experience from beginning to end could not have been better.

The manager offered us a tour through one of the five production plants, and took us from the conception of a fifth wheel through to a look inside a finished ready for sale model. We came away with even more of an appreciation for the Crossroads RV construction than before.




















While the repairs were being made, we visited with family in nearby Milford.

We left Topeka this morning, and are camped in the rain at Utica, IL. The remnants of Hurricane Gustaf are headed this way, and the forecast is for 2-4" of rain, lasting through Friday morning. We'll decide in the morning whether to try to move on, or to wait till the rain ends.