Dense early morning fog did not affect our visit to LARK Toys, a huge toy store complex just outside of Kellogg, MN. Everyone rode the carousel of hand-carved animals, none of which were horses. We continued down the Mississippi River road to Winona. With a step-on guide we explored the college town, stopping at the Watkins Museum and a huge, ornate Polish Catholic church. The fog lifted just as we started our drive to the top of Garvin Heights. The view down into the pencil-shaped town of Winona was beautiful with the river, bluffs and fall colors. After a picnic lunch at a lakeside park, we went to Garvin Heights Winery. This new winery uses cold climate grapes to make both red and white wines which we were able to taste.
Our tour continued through the winding roads of bluff country to the small town of Harmony. A step-on guide took us out into the country where there are about 1,000 Amish residents. Although our first stop was at a non-Amish angora goat farm, our other three stops were on Amish farms. We stopped at a shop that specialized in hand-crafted baskets and found that they also sold the delicious cashew crunch candy. Their display was noticeably smaller when we left. Our next stop was a bake shop with an adjoining building that also sold baskets. Our final stop was an unexpected pleasure, as for the first time ever, we were able to go into an Old Order Amish home. We saw some of the quilts the lady has made using her treadle sewing machine, noted that all the woodwork and doors were painted blue and that they had plain dark blue curtains at all the windows. We also noted the lack of microwave, TV and computer.
Returning to Harmony, we had a delicious meal at the Harmony House. We were told to choose our pie for dessert first, and it was noted that quite a few had eaten half their pie before the main meal was served! Our stay tonight is in Rochester.
Our tour continued through the winding roads of bluff country to the small town of Harmony. A step-on guide took us out into the country where there are about 1,000 Amish residents. Although our first stop was at a non-Amish angora goat farm, our other three stops were on Amish farms. We stopped at a shop that specialized in hand-crafted baskets and found that they also sold the delicious cashew crunch candy. Their display was noticeably smaller when we left. Our next stop was a bake shop with an adjoining building that also sold baskets. Our final stop was an unexpected pleasure, as for the first time ever, we were able to go into an Old Order Amish home. We saw some of the quilts the lady has made using her treadle sewing machine, noted that all the woodwork and doors were painted blue and that they had plain dark blue curtains at all the windows. We also noted the lack of microwave, TV and computer.
Returning to Harmony, we had a delicious meal at the Harmony House. We were told to choose our pie for dessert first, and it was noted that quite a few had eaten half their pie before the main meal was served! Our stay tonight is in Rochester.
No comments:
Post a Comment