Under the Wire

Today has been an interesting day to say the least. We were going to get a bunch of stuff done around the house in preparation for a singles ministry get together/cook-out on Sunday night. The interruption occurred when we woke up and it was a beautiful sunny day. It has been cruddy in West Michigan for the past couple of days so this one had Harley ride written all over it. 

It had been some time since we had been down to Shipshewana IN and it makes for a really nice ride. So off we went. If you have never been there it is smack-dab in the middle of Amish country Indiana style. Black horse drawn buggies and all. The picture below is pretty much a normal sight in Shipshewana.

I am not at all going to bash the Amish. They are really great people and a little separation from the wackiness of the world might just do us all well. Try leaving you cell phone at home one day. It is very liberating. The interesting point I will make here though is this... Regardless of our belief structure, persuasion, or non-belief, we are a peculiar people. We all have our quirks. This one I find interesting in the Amish community. That is depending on the area or association, the separation rules have different application. One observation is in this photo below. It looks like any small town USA with all the cars. No buggies here. Hmmm.

Actually there are areas specifically designated for buggy parking. Generally the town is there for the world to come and visit (another interesting bit of irony). Without sounding like the Shipshewana tourist center, the people are very pleasant, the food is wonderful (visit the Blue Gate), and the town has kept it's times gone by feeling (thanks again to the Amish culture).

The photo above on an often observed scene. The ladies are shopping and the men have found some place in the shade to relax (see the gents in the circle).

When it was time to head home we were about two hours later than I had wanted to as the TRW's were forecast for later in the afternoon... which is what time we departed. It wasn't five minutes out of town when the sky opened up. We were able to stop at a gas station and put on out rain gear and head out again until we got just South of Kalamazoo. It was getting really dark so we parked the bike behind a Citgo station and held up inside while it passed by.

That kind of does it for this week so it's off to work next week.

Cya... Doug