Over the Bridges and Through the Trees

This will conclude the photo summary of our Indiana trip.

One afternoon I went alone to visit the tiny Shiojiri Niwa Japanese Garden in Mishawaka.  I find this sweet place to be so peaceful and serene.  I try to visit here almost every trip and love seeing it in different seasons.  Sitting quietly in the Teahouse Pavilion offers a time of quiet reflection and meditation.

Come walk among the trees and plants and over the bridges with me.

Afterward I drove to the Mishawaka Riverwalk.  Mishawaka is nestled along the beautiful St. Joseph River.  The city is named after Princess Mishawaka, daughter of Shawnee Chief Elkhart. The legend of her romance with white trapper Deadshot, and abduction by her jealous Indian suitor Grey Wolf, makes for a very romantic and mysterious story.

The Battell Park was designed and built in 1881.  In 1884 this Civil War Memorial was constructed and dedicated.  The title "Shiloh" on the statue had significance for me.  Even though this is a memorial to the Union Army, Shiloh is the name of a small community in North Louisiana where my dad grew up and where my paternal ancestors are buried.  It was very much Confederate land at one time.

Wars fought for just causes on both sides can be honorable!

In the 1930's as part of an economic development initiative during the Great Depression, government workers, part of the WPA project, built the stone walls and gardens along the St. Joseph River.  These stone benches and steps are the remains of that work.

Today there continues to be building projects along the river as the city grows.

I hope you enjoyed visiting the city of Mishawaka with me.

This site, Shiojiri Niwa will give you the interesting background and history of the garden and how it came to be in Mishawaka.

For more information about Mishawaka, Indiana click on This LINK.

Happy Friday from Snow-Covered Michiana

Michiana, a small area that includes counties in southwestern Michigan and north central Indiana and centered around the home of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN.

Hubby and I drove up to Granger, IN from warm and humid Louisiana on Wednesday.  It was a 15 hour drive for us, but one we make as interesting as possible. Actually, the view from the car is not one that would keep you awake; on the contrary, it is a rather boring drive.  So, we entertain ourselves by listening to audio books. This trip was spent with David Baldacci's "The Forgotten." 

Anyway, the day before we left, the temperature in Shreveport was in the mid 70's. I kept my back porch doors open all day, enjoying the wind that was blowing a storm in our direction. After the cold front that preceded the storm, the temperature when we left at 4AM was 48 degrees. It was interesting to watch this number make a steady decline as we drove northward. 

When we reached Kankakee, IL where we take the country road eastward in order to avoid Chicago traffic (honestly, the GPS actually sends us through a corn field at one point, dirt/mud and all), the temperature was 32. Once we reached the Toll Road, about 60 miles from our destination, the snow started.  Oh how I wish we had the means to capture what these trillions of tiny sparklers swirling around in front of you look like.  When we arrived in Granger, IN, it was a cold, windy, snowy 28 degrees.

Unloading the "Hillbilly Clampett" wagon was done in short order with all 7 of us participating.

The next morning, it was 18 degrees with a windchill of 4.  And the snow!  Oh my!

If you have never seen lake effect snow, there is no way to describe its absolute beauty.  The flakes are huge and it blows - sometimes it is completely horizontal, other times it is swirling from all directions.  I simply cannot get enough of it!  We are supposed to get an additional 2-4 inches.

Yesterday afternoon I did get outside long enough to take a few pictures.

 This little bird landed on a branch right above my head and was perfectly content to be photographed.

Have a great weekend, my friends.

Indiana Trip Continued

Indiana Trip Continued!

I want to share a bit more of our trip to visit our family in Indiana.

A night at Amish Acres in Nappanee, IN.

The Round Barn Theater is the most awesome attraction at Amish Acres.  Built of wood in 1911, it’s probably one of the most unusual theaters you will ever be in.  It is actually ROUND! And it has such an interesting history.

After the barn was purchased from an Amish farm a few short decades ago, 100 Amish carpenters in Nappanee and beyond were hired to take apart the old round barn.  Each piece was numbered, moved to its new home at Amish Acres, and reassembled in order to house a permanent memorial to Joseph Stein and a theatrical hub in the small Indiana town of Nappanee.

A view upward of the completely wooden ceiling.  An awesome sight!

The Amish Acres Historic Farm and Heritage Resort has celebrated 40 years of historic interpretation.  It opened to the public in 1970 to preserve and interpret the Amish lifestyle to the outside world while respecting the integrity and privacy of these plain people.

The center point of Amish Acres is the historic 80-acre farm that was homesteaded by the first Amish family to settle in Indiana and is the only Amish farm in America listed in the The National Register of Historic Places.  Pretty amazing, isn't it?

This century old barn restaurant where the famous Thresher's Dinner, a family style feast of Amish country favorites, is served daily, sits slightly to the left and behind the theater.

 We have had the pleasure of attending other productions at the Round Barn Theater, but none any better than the "Sisters of Swing - The Story of the Andrew Sisters." Sisters of Swing

I just have to tell you that had I not known these precious girls were not actually the Andrew Sisters (of course an impossibility) and were not lip-syncing, I would not have believed it.  They were fabulous!  Even my two granddaughters enjoyed the story and the music.

 Before we went out to dinner prior to the play, we had a Mary Kay make-up session.  How fun for me and the girls.

 The after!  Aren't they just beautiful?

 Another highlight of our trip was making a trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan where our grandson has made a verbal commitment to play football at Western Michigan University in 2013.

Yes, and now I can honestly say, "I've been to Kalamazoo and back!" 

I see one of these in my future!

 You know these Midwestern girls are tough when they play soccer in freezing cold temps with winds over 30 mph and in a driving rain.  But the grandparents from the South are not quite so tough, but we loved every minute of it.

Thank you Day Family for another great visit.