Summer Vacation Cont'd

Ok! Where were we? Day 3?

Day 3 cont'd
(Tuesday)
We left the Creation Museum around 2pm, having seen all we could handle (little people attention spans, remember?) and we went back to the hotel for an afternoon siesta. We decided to go into Cincinnati for dinner and to go take a "Duck" tour. We were the only people there, so we got our own private tour on the Ohio River! It was really neat. Have you ever seen these Duck things? They are WWII-era buses that convert into a boat. The boys loved it and the tour guide and pilot were very nice. They even took us on an extra little tour of downtown after the river tour!


Day 4
(Wednesday )
The night before we decided that we'd seen all Cincinnati had to offer, so we didn't stay the 3rd night like originally planned. Instead, we left for more sight-seeing in Ohio! We had the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH in our GPS and got there pretty early. It opened at 9am and we pulled into the parking lot about 10. We could tell it was going to be awesome, the museum itself was HUGE. It had to be, because there were so many planes inside! Dan and the boys were in heaven all day, checking out all the cool airplanes and exhibits. The best part was, it was free! (Dan said they made up for it in the cafeteria where we ate lunch...) There was even a memorial park outside, you could bring a picnic or just hang out there, whatever. It was a really cool museum.

We left there and headed to Holmes County, OH where the world's largest population of Amish live! Now it was MY turn to be 7th heaven! Just driving into the county, I was so excited! It was close to sunset, but we had just enough time to get a few glimpses of farmhouses and buggies on the way into town. One couple in an open buggy waved to us as we passed and I was seriously giddy! I have always been so interested in the Amish and love to read about their way of life. (More about that in a minute...) We passed deer in open fields, pretty little white farmhouses and giant red barns, sigh, I was so ecstatic! We pulled over about 3 times to take the "perfect" sunset shots.

Finally, we pulled up into the little town of Berlin and we saw our little cottage. It was just off Main St. and it was adorable! Dan wanted something different than just a hotel, so he booked us two nights at the cutest little cottage ever. It was called "Lofty Places," because the master bedroom was upstairs in a loft. The boys had their own room downstairs, there was a living room, a small kitchenette and a full bathroom, a half bath and a jacuzzi tub. Hurray!! We were excited!! We quickly unpacked and got the littles into bed. I spent the evening looking over all the brochures in the cottage binder, until my head was spinning from so many tourist options!! :-) The next morning, we couldn't wait to go exploring.

Day 5
(Thursday, )
We woke up and I had a vague plan of action definite idea of what I wanted to do. No, let me back up. We woke up and ate the most delicious cinnamon buns (they call them "sticky buns") EVER MADE ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH. Sigh. It was yummy. Our hostess had made them and they were good!! She was either Amish or Mennonite, we never saw her face-to-face as the cottage had a code to get in, and there was no office for checking in. She called the next morning to ask what all we needed for that day and we made sure to ask for more of those!

Anyway, I wanted to go visit some of the shops on Main St. and buy some Amish-made something! So, we went up and down the street, checking out the coolest little quilt shops and woodworking shop, and a few touristy shops as well. We came back to the cottage to drop off our goodies and went to lunch at a nearby restaurant. The Farmstead Restaurant was awesome! We thought it was absolutely incredible! (Little did we know, it wasn't even considered one of the best restaurants around!) After lunch, we headed to Yoder's Amish Home, about 20 minutes away. Just the ride out there was so pretty! The farms and countryside were just beautiful, Dan and I were in awe.

Yoder's Amish Home had two houses set up to show what life was/is like in a typical Amish home. The first one was an Old Order house, and it was exactly what I expected. No electricity whatsoever, wood stove, straw mattress, etc. The second one was very surprising! It was a New Order Amish home and it had a LOT of the conveniences you and I have in our homes. They were tweaked just a little bit, to avoid using actual electricity, but they were definitely "convenient." (More about that in another post...) Indoor plumbing, gas stoves, gas heater, battery-operated lamps, lots of toys for the kids, teenage daughters had frilly curtains and bedspreads. It was very homey and the peace and quiet of not having tv's or radios blaring was just amazing. Caedmon sat down and started playing with the wooden kitchen set, he did NOT wnat to continue on the tour with the rest of us. I finally got him away from the kitchen set and loa dn behold, there was a farm in another room! Ha. The lady leading the tour said, "It's ok, let him play!" (She was very impressed with how well-behaved the kids were. And frankly, so were we. Haha! They were the only children around, since we went on vacation after most schools were back in session. That draws enough attention already! )
Next,we toured the barn, took a buggy ride, and then went into their replica schoolhouse for a tour. The Amish lady inside the schoolhouse was very intrigued when I said we had used "Rod and Staff" books, which are made by a Mennonite company. I think she was amazed that someone who wasn't from a Plain background would be using their curriculum. I didn't tell her that Rod and Staff books are one of the biggest sellers at homeschool fairs all over the country. Ha, I think that might have completely blown her mind. :-)


More in a bit...the kids are making a ruckus in the living room.