Day 36 - 7/26

As we traveled for several hours in the car today, we spent time going through and experiencing the Amish Country of Ohio. We went to a Farmer's Market that had many little shops.  There were many Amish made items such as baskets, rugs and soaps. My mom got a baked potato cooker. It looked like an oven mitt and is microwave safe. To use it, you put the potato in it and then just microwave it until they are cooked enough. We also got some soaps.  One scent, Plumeria, I liked a lot. We came across this one shop that had lots of wood miniature men. Each one had a label such as The Piano Player or The Couch Potato under them. They had over 240 varieties! My favorite one was The Trombone Player because I play trombone in band. There was a stand that was selling vinaigrettes, salsas, and chips. They had free samples that we thoroughly enjoyed. We ended up buying some of the vinaigrette and salsa. The salsa we got was a jelly salsa that tasted excellent. The texture was like strawberry jam, but it tasted like salsa. We also got some Amish made jelly.
After seeing the different shops, we went to have lunch at an Amish restaurant. It was a buffet so everyone got their fill of mashed potatoes, fried chicken, Jell-O and whoopee pies. Emily especially liked the Jell-o and insisted on eating mainly that. Dad remarked how inexpensive Jell-o was and that they will make their money off of Emily. In a quick defensive reply, Emily said, "Don't worry Dad, I'll pay you back!" We laughed and let Emily continue to eat her Jell-o. Unfortunately, Nathan wasn't able to join us because he felt sick. Hopefully he'll be able to get better. For the seventh time in a row, we drove to our hotel in a thunder and lightning storm. While it may be fun to watch a giant lightning bolt strike less than a mile away from where you are, driving in it is a little more stressful. However, Mom has been doing great so far!