We always like stopping in Shipshewana. It feels time has stopped and we get to relax and see some great Amish shops in the area as well as see family and friends.

• We were fortunate to see niece Miriam and great niece Lexi play high school volleyball at Elkhart Christian Academy. GO EAGLES!
• Patti and I grew up in Mishawaka and it was great to see some of our high school friends like Joan Coddens, Mike and Lisa Portolese, and Tammy Eggbeer.
• Spent quite a bit of time seeing Patti’s sister and brother-in-law Cheryl and David.
• Dinner with Mark & Cheri along with their kids….
• Celebrating their wedding anniversary with Greg & Jaime Funk.

Broasted Chicken!

So Amish food is always amazing and abundant in Shipshewana. No matter where you go, it is a great meal. Buffets are popular and although I am not a buffet fan, I love the buffets here. Which brings me to my new favorite place – Das Dutchman Essenhaus!

This place is awesome! Not only great dining and buffet but also a terrific bakery with fresh bread and pies! Every time I left this place, I didn’t have to eat again for 2 days! And did I mention the broasted chicken?

The broasted chicken is the best in the area. I normally am not a chicken eater however, I am addicted to this chicken. We do the buffet and I push old ladies out of the way to get to this chicken. If children are in the way, they go hungry because I am getting my chicken. So I definitely have a chicken addiction!

RV Upgrades

In the last few weeks, we took the time to upgrade some aspects of the USS Dutchstar.

New satellite dish. We had the Winegard In Motion but it was limited with only 1 line coming in. We replaced it with a Wingard Traveler dish which brings in multiple lines.

We installed a new wireless internet antenna called the TOGO Roadlink C2. With AT&T, we can have true unlimited data for $30 a month. The antenna connects to the internet thru AT&T 4G cell service and includes a WiFi router in one piece. I was able to use the existing wiring (12V) from the In Motion satellite dish for this antenna.

We went to Bradd & Hall in Elkhart for them to install our new Fold N Tumble sofa to replace the Jack Knife sofa. The Fold N Tumble folds out like a sofa bed but instead of a mattress, it has an air mattress with a built in electric pump. The size matches a queen size bed! Patti picked out Chamois for the color and it matched perfectly and we ordered it with Ultraleather, the best in the industry! Tori came over the next day and spent the night on the new bed and it worked great. Very happy with this upgrade.

While at Bradd & Hall, I talked to them about our existing furniture. The passenger captains chair and euro booth was starting to show some cracking & peeling. I wanted to see if there was anything they could do to fix the problem. This is common in the industry, the manufacturer picks the cheapest material for Flexsteel. And since our warranty has expired, Newmar offered to sell covers at $2K a piece. Unfortunately, Bradd & Hall couldn’t do anything to fix the problem and they showed me some furniture they replaced that was 100 times worse.

Since Patti and I worked over the winter (and Patti is still working), we had some resources. Fortunately Bradd & Hall had 2 upgraded captains chairs and a new euro booth with the Chamois color in Ultraleather that matches the new sofa. For the same cost as the covers, we were able to get new, upgraded captains chairs and euro booth! Feels like we have a new RV!

Our next stop – Nashville!!!