Tuesday October 7
October 7 Tuesday, Bluebaugh’s yard, Mt Vernon, OH
Tonight, Ian and I are locked up….in Ruakiwi inside a vehicle workshop! We were driving into Mt Vernon on our way to a camp when we smelt a acrid burning smell, then noticed smoke pouring from in front of the left rear wheel. Pulled into a nearby carpark, and Ian investigated….. while I got the fire extinguisher ready! Couldn’t see anything, but oil must have dripped onto something hot. We were parked by a drive thru liquor store in not the most salubrious part of town. Ian went in to see if he could arrange some help, and finally after half an hour I went in to investigate!!! There was a lot of laughs as the shop guys and some of the customers were all helping…they had made a number of phone calls, and finally had got hold Bluebaugh’s who had the only large vehicle tow truck in the region! “Will” arrived shortly after in his rig, such a nice guy who very calmly and carefully hooked us up and towed Ruakiwi, with Ian and I in his cab, to their yard ready to have the mechanics look at her in the morning. Will had spent 20 years with the special services of the US Army and had served in all the hotspots during that time, retiring 2 years ago. So here we are, locked up feeling completely safe…and no camp fees tonight!
After a very cool night, it has been a glorious day. We spent it exploring Holmes County with their Amish population, and it was amazing seeing them in their traditional dress, and driving their horses going about normal day to day jobs. We had heard about a large horse carriage and harness auction in nearby Mt Hope, so that was our first stop…and we couldn’t believe our eyes, there was hundreds of cars, trucks and trailers and Amish horses and buggy’s. There were rows of used agriculture equipment, much of it horse drawn, and trailers and buggy’s also horse harness and tack. I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos, which was such a shame as it was an amazing scene.
Then onto Berlin, where we had a wander around, although this town was more tourist orientated with shops promoting the Amish. I found a genuine quilt store and got talking to an older Amish lady, who was very happy to tell me about their life and traditions. She even suggested that we might like to visit their farm and have a buggy ride tomorrow! There was also a quilting bee going on with about 12 older Amish ladies sitting around hand quilting a queen size quilt stretched onto a frame. The speed of their stitching was amazing. Such a sight seeing the ladies, in their plain dark dresses, with little white bonnets, chatting in their own language….and this wasn’t for tourists, just their normal way of life.
Had read about a huge hardware and tool company, Keim Lumber in a small town called Charm, so that was next on the agenda. What an amazing store, it was huge, more like a department store, with a very spacious and elaborate showroom all built in cherry timber….and the shelves full of top quality gear. We had lunch in their café and I left Ian to browse to his hearts content, while I wandered down to another quilt shop!
We headed south west and drove through more of the same rolling countryside with many farms and large areas of cropping, before arriving at Mt Vernon, and drama! I wonder where we will be tomorrow night!
Tonight, Ian and I are locked up….in Ruakiwi inside a vehicle workshop! We were driving into Mt Vernon on our way to a camp when we smelt a acrid burning smell, then noticed smoke pouring from in front of the left rear wheel. Pulled into a nearby carpark, and Ian investigated….. while I got the fire extinguisher ready! Couldn’t see anything, but oil must have dripped onto something hot. We were parked by a drive thru liquor store in not the most salubrious part of town. Ian went in to see if he could arrange some help, and finally after half an hour I went in to investigate!!! There was a lot of laughs as the shop guys and some of the customers were all helping…they had made a number of phone calls, and finally had got hold Bluebaugh’s who had the only large vehicle tow truck in the region! “Will” arrived shortly after in his rig, such a nice guy who very calmly and carefully hooked us up and towed Ruakiwi, with Ian and I in his cab, to their yard ready to have the mechanics look at her in the morning. Will had spent 20 years with the special services of the US Army and had served in all the hotspots during that time, retiring 2 years ago. So here we are, locked up feeling completely safe…and no camp fees tonight!
After a very cool night, it has been a glorious day. We spent it exploring Holmes County with their Amish population, and it was amazing seeing them in their traditional dress, and driving their horses going about normal day to day jobs. We had heard about a large horse carriage and harness auction in nearby Mt Hope, so that was our first stop…and we couldn’t believe our eyes, there was hundreds of cars, trucks and trailers and Amish horses and buggy’s. There were rows of used agriculture equipment, much of it horse drawn, and trailers and buggy’s also horse harness and tack. I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos, which was such a shame as it was an amazing scene.
Then onto Berlin, where we had a wander around, although this town was more tourist orientated with shops promoting the Amish. I found a genuine quilt store and got talking to an older Amish lady, who was very happy to tell me about their life and traditions. She even suggested that we might like to visit their farm and have a buggy ride tomorrow! There was also a quilting bee going on with about 12 older Amish ladies sitting around hand quilting a queen size quilt stretched onto a frame. The speed of their stitching was amazing. Such a sight seeing the ladies, in their plain dark dresses, with little white bonnets, chatting in their own language….and this wasn’t for tourists, just their normal way of life.
Had read about a huge hardware and tool company, Keim Lumber in a small town called Charm, so that was next on the agenda. What an amazing store, it was huge, more like a department store, with a very spacious and elaborate showroom all built in cherry timber….and the shelves full of top quality gear. We had lunch in their café and I left Ian to browse to his hearts content, while I wandered down to another quilt shop!
We headed south west and drove through more of the same rolling countryside with many farms and large areas of cropping, before arriving at Mt Vernon, and drama! I wonder where we will be tomorrow night!
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