September 7
Quilt Gardens Along The Heritage Trail
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Since I participated in a photo challenge called The August Break 2013 during the month of August, I have a few past Artist Dates to tell you about.
My girlfriend and I took our moms on a driving tour of the Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail.
The Quilt Gardens are 19 quilt-inspired gardens.
The Heritage Trail begins in Elkhart, Indiana, where we picked up a free audio tour CD that guided us through 7 communities in Elkhart county’s Amish country.
The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern living.
Motor vehicles are one such convenience of modern living. The Amish use horse and buggy.
The audio CD tells the area’s history with personal stories and fun-facts. More than once, we all said, “I didn’t know that!”
For instance, on roads in Amish country, there is a darkened strip on the edges. This is caused by the horses’ hooves.
We took all day visiting the different towns and quilt locations.
One of our last stops was super fun…Rocket Science Ice Cream & Coffee Shoppe.
They make ice cream from scratch using real cream and freeze it with liquid nitrogen. It was delicious!
It was a great day.
What lovely gardens. In Derbyshire (a county in England), once a year they have ‘Well Dressings’ They decorate the wells with beautiful flowers all telling a story.
Wikipedia says: Well dressing (also once known as well flowering) is a summer custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The custom is most closely associated with the Peak District of Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
The origins of the tradition are alternatively said to lie in pagan tradition[2] or in giving thanks for the purity of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death. It has been said to have originated in Tissington, Derbyshire in 1349.
Check out this link: https://www.google.co.uk/search?gs_rn=26&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=fJ0Prnm3KXT6JHaR31yCsw&cp=14&gs_id=1m&xhr=t&q=derbyshire+well+dressings&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.51773540,d.d2k&biw=1024&bih=643&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=hCIsUtHdN8yO7QbB-4GoDA
Oh, my goodness, Sue! I thought the well dressing would involve some pretty flowers placed around the wells. This is so incredible. I encourage anyone reading this to checkout the link.
That looks like a fabulous place to visit and the gardens are just lovely. Ice cream too….what a treat. Have a serene Sunday.
Best wishes Molly
Beautiful gardens. I especially like the one you are standing in front of in the last photo. Is that your Mum? The icecream sounds interesting!
It is! Both of our moms really enjoyed the day out.
That looks like a wonderful place to visit, thanks for sharing the photos. The ice cream shop sounds real cool too!
Mac and Maisie
wow what a great idea quilted gardens love it, fab photo’s Lori.
Love sue and the taylor hounds x
Beautiful flowers. My favorite is the first one with the flowers. I also love the last one. Very sweet.
Golden LOVE the flower garden, neatly done. Golden Thanks for sharing. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar
Really nice gardens Ive never seen anything like that
kate urban hounds and the old fashioned way
Oh wow, what a great place to visit! I don’t know what I would enjoy more, the beautiful gardens or the home-made ice cream – probably the ice cream 🙂
Lynne x
It is always great when you can learn something and have an adventure that includes ice cream:)
OH MY GOO0DNESS HOW ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL I HAD NO IDEA ONE COULD HAVE SUCH A VISION!! WONDERFUL TOUR FOR SURE.
MY EYES GLAZED OVER AT ICE CREAM. THAT IS MY ONE WEAKNESS.
HUGS TO ALL THE 2 AND 4 LEGGERS AT YOUR HOUSE
MADI AND MOM
This is by far the best post I have seen in a while!!! So interesting!!!
Beautiful pictures!! Really enjoyed it, thank you Lori!!!!
I do have a lot of love to give and I love getting it too!!! Didn’t have any growing up. Didn’t have any in the first marriage of 25 years. Thank the Lord he sent me Tom b/c I have it now big time!!!
Have had it for 31 years and counting!!!
You do live an interesting life !!
Quilted gardens, how very beautiful!!! Mom would love to have even a small flowering garden, but some of us pups don’t make it very easy for her:)
Woos – Phantom, Ciara, and Lightning
Looks like fabulous fun! What beautiful gardens! I’m still intrigued by the rocket science ice cream shop using liquid nitrogen to make their ice cream 😀
What a beautiful place. I love those flower gardens!
Wow, that is beautiful!
Nola
Those gardens are incredible. Truly “Quilt gardens”!!!! Thanks for sharing.
Lovely gardens and ice cream too. That is our kind of place 😀
Wyatt and Stanzie
We took a drive through Amish country on one of our holidays in the US. It was fascinating to see all the buggies and children playing in their traditional dress – and we were lucky enough to see an Amish man ploughing with a team of about eight horses! I didn’t take photos, because I’d been told they consider it very rude and against their ‘no graven images’ rule.
The ice cream being frozen with liquid nitrogen! That is so funny!
what a fantastic day full of excitement and fun. love the quilted flower beds!