Craig and I wrapped up our trip to Shipshewana today. We enjoyed being with the other CES couples, learning about the Amish, and then relating what we'd learned to our beliefs and the parallels we could draw.
I especially loved being in Amish country and around all those horses and buggies. They were everywhere! No pictures, though, since they prefer to not be photographed.
I did take these:
A two storey wall of antique sleighbells in the restaurant Das Essenhaus. They're beautiful, but I still would not trade my newish (1980s) sleighbells for any of them. My set has the most beautiful, musical tone. And, they're real horse sleigh bells, not the decorative kind you can buy. (I got them at Gordyville - a saddler had set up a booth in the flea market and had the one set for sale. When I heard their tone, and saw they were only $15, I snagged them. Never regretted it.)
Craig saw this sign and said, "That reminds me of your collection. Oozies, and shrinkies, and chalkies, and pearlies, oh my!"
I had to laugh - he is referring to my horse collection upstairs in my office. This summer I have been dusting and cataloging it. I knew I had one shrinky (a piece that, for some reason has begun to shrink in size and is significantly smaller than other pieces from the very same mold) but discovered a few more in my collection. Chalkies were horses made with a certain type of plastic during the 1970s oil crisis and the unusual plastic gives them a glowing color. They're highly sought after, and I have a fair amount of those. (Not that I knew it when I got them - I just thought they were pretty back then!)
Pearlies also date from the 1970s oil crisis and have a pearlescent color. I only have a couple of those. And oozies... You do NOT want an oozie! Once in a while, for unknown reason, a piece begins to ooze liquid! It is thought it has to do with degradation of the plastic, but no one knows for sure. I have one that I suspect may be an oozie, although it is not yet leaking, and I keep it in its own box away from the rest of the collection, just in case.
So, I guess I have been chattering about my chalkies and pearlies and shrinkies enough to make Craig think of them when he saw this sign. Too funny.
On our way home we stopped in Wakarusa and got some old time candies from our childhood!
Their jelly beans are huge - about the size of jawbreakers!
Incredible!
I got some Fizzies - haven't seen those in years, and I admit (a little sheepishly) that I bought three boxes of candy cigarettes. That was a favorite Halloween goodie when I was a child, and we used to mimic the adults we saw by pretending to smoke with them. They're a stick of sugar with the end painted red to look as though it's glowing. (Wow, how times have changed! That kind of candy would be unthinkable now!)
We got home safe and sound around 4:30 and have spent the rest of the day catching up with household tasks, unpacking, and laundry. I'd sure enjoy heading back to Shipshewana another time and spending more time shopping.
