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Eight days after having major cancer surgery to remove a large tumor from my jaw and throat I had a check up with my doctor and he set up my next appointment eleven days later. That gave us ten free days and those were exactly the days of the Fall Escapade and Escapees Chapter 51 Rally in Goshen, Indiana. I had the choice of sitting in the motorhome and feeling sorry for myself or hitting the road and attend the rallies. So we drove from the doctor’s office to the motorhome, packed up inside and hit the road for northern Indiana. It sure felt good being behind the wheel and traveling again. The 252 mile drive was tiring and to explain how tired I was, near the end of the trip we stopped at a McDonald’s and Linda went inside to order and brought my food and drink to me. Hey, we never stop at McDonald’s, but I was too tired to go inside a restaurant and we didn’t want to cook. A few miles down the road we stopped at Newmar (the manufacturer of our motorhome) and parked in their large gravel parking lot for the night. The next morning we were joined by Don and
Gloria Martin and Rich and Diane Emond. The Emonds had come from Precision
Painting in nearby Bremen where they had their 2000 Dutch Star painted.
Precision did a great job and also replaced their awnings with power awnings
and replaced the yellowing headlights. (Emond's
Dutch Star)
Linda taught Pine Needle Basket making. Pine
needles are collected on the ground and turned into beautiful baskets using
sinew or raffia to tie them together. Walnuts slices, buttons or other
items can be used as centerpieces to enhance the baskets. Linda had collected
enough pine needles to supply everyone in her class and she had a large
attendance.
Diane Emond taught making Beaded Earrings.
She taught the wire wrapped method using polished glass beads with silver
or gold embellishments. Both men and women attended and the class was so
popular that by request she did a second session.
Don Martin taught Stick Weaving from techniques
used by Native Americans and pioneers. Yarn is woven on sticks to create
unique patterns for lanyards, bookmarks, belts, sashes, etc. Not only was
his class well attended but others gathered to watch. Many attending were
planning their next weaving project before the end of the class.
Sharyl Tholen taught a class on Iris Fold
to make lovely greeting cards. She had prepared sets of coordinating strips
of wrapping paper or ribbon which the students folded and followed a pattern
to shape designs set into the cards. The technique is similar to foundation
piecing that quilters use.
There was a Show and Sell day where crafters
could display and sell their wares. Anyone who made homemade crafts could
pick up a One of the big events at Escapees is eating
out with friends and we went out every night. In addition to the Emonds,
Martins and Tholens we were joined by Stan and Betty Bober, Cindy and Phil
Devonshire, Don and Elaine Phelps, Doug and Ann Craw and Mark Nemeth. Mark
is a former fulltimer and now is “Da Man,” a multi-talented employee of
Escapees.
After the Escapade ended we moved across
the fairgrounds to join the Escapees Indiana Chapter 51 Rally with many
of our friends. We had pot-lucks, meals, prize give-a-ways and a great
time visiting with friends. One day we drove to the Nappanee Apple Festival,
walked around the vendor and craft booths and ate lunch.
Another day we drove to the American Countryside
Farmers Market in Elkhart, Indiana. WOW, what a place. The building is
constructed of wood beams using old world techniques with 51,452 square
feet of floor space. Inside we found Amish selling fruits and vegetables,
baked goods and meats. Other stores sold clothing, handmade furniture,
crafts and other items. The central main floor had a food court where we
ate lunch. There are grand plans for the Farmers Market including hotels,
a convention center, restaurants, stores and a family entertainment center.
We will be watching to see if their plans progress or fade into oblivion.
After the rallies we went back to Louisville
and a few days later the Emonds joined us for a couple of days. We took
them to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, the prime manufacturer
of baseball bats for the pros since 1884. A replica of Babe Ruth’s Louisville
Slugger bat leans against the building and the bat is 120 feet tall and
weighs 68,000 pounds. The museum has a movie about baseball, a mockup of
a baseball diamond and dugouts, baseball bats and gloves used by stars
over the last 100 years, and more baseball memorabilia than a baseball
enthusiast can absorb. After touring the museum we took a guided and narrated
tour of the plant where the bats are made. In the old days all bats were
made by hand, but now they are turned out quickly by computerized lathes.
The tour guide showed us bats that were being stamped with the Louisville
Slugger logo and signatures and painted for stars such as Ken Griffy, Jr.
and Derek Jeter. Rich took a few swings at balls in a batting cage and
all I will say is “Rich can use some more practice.” Before leaving they
gave each of us a miniature souvenir Louisville Slugger bat.
For our evening meal we took the Emonds into the hill country of southern Indiana to a unique restaurant at Huber’s Farm. They start everyone off with fried biscuits and apple butter. Man, those biscuits are delicious and melt in your mouth. We could make a meal out of those biscuits, but we knew to go easy because their country cooking is delicious too. |
