On Tour With Jim

June 7, 2013

Jim picked me up at my room about 10 a.m. this morning and we met Terri and two grandsons (9-year-old Ashton and his younger brother, Alton) at a nearby restaurant.  Mannerly boys, they joined the breakfast conversation and eagerly recounted their hunting and fishing exploits. Ashton told of his recent success on a turkey hunt with their father and Alton shared his experience of catching a 7-pound catfish.

Having lived his whole life in and around Washington, Jim knows the countryside like the back of his hand and is happy to drive me around, showing me the sights. Given my fascination with Amish culture, he humored me with an excursion along the backroads east of town where the sect is most prominent, all the while with me wielding two cameras in an attempt to capture the moment through the windshield.

Video

Women, dressed in their Amish attire were working in various yards we passed. I saw more than one operating gas-powered weed-eaters, dust and rocks flying up around their bare legs. Two others were rolling down a driveway on a full-sized tractor. Jim shared his knowledge, saying you never see the men doing yard work, just the women. As for the modern conveniences, he says it depends on whether they are "new order" or "old order" Amish, the "new order" being more in tune with modern living. Seemingly a dying breed, there are fewer and fewer "old order" Amish left. Also, it's hard to tell the Amish and Mennonites apart. Both are prominent in the area, the latter being much more progressive. Chuckling at the irony, Jim says though Amish reject electricity, many keep food in the freezers of their English friends/neighbors and depend on them for automobile transportation from time to time. 

The distinguishing characteristic of the Amish --- the horse and buggy --- is still a common sight in the area, so much so, says Jim, the buggy wheels and horse shoes, especially because cleats are added for traversing icy roads in winter, wear ruts in the asphalt. He pointed to lengthy road patches and said there has been talk of creating special off road paths for the Amish but that's as far as it's gotten, just the talking stage.

PICTURES

The day went quickly and it was nearing appointment time for the big interview. We met with Terri, Britney and the newspaper reporter at Britney's and made it through the interview with minimal pain. Here it is:

Larger Image in Smugmug

I told the reporter of my Smugmug site from where she later selected the Tonkin Gulf sunrise picture of Jim and me in 1971. An interesting coincidence is ball-cap wearing Jim standing with nearly an identical pose in both pictures, with his left forearm at a 45 degree angle.

Larger Image in Smugmug

 

Me-n-Jim

Britney, Jim, Terri and Lucy

June 8, 2013

After a deli sandwich at "The Amish Kountry Korner" we headed west about 20 miles to  Vincennes, a fair-sized city on the banks of the Wabash River, which serves as the south border between Indiana and Illinois. In addition to being the hometown of the late comedian, Red Skelton, Vincennes is famous for its historic affiliation with famed frontier leader George Rogers Clark who wrested the area from the British during the American Revolution.  A memorial, honoring Clark, stands next to the river on the west side of town.  After a visit to the memorial, where, in the adjacent park, a pioneer re-enactment was just finishing up, Jim and I stumbled upon a Vietnam-era Army Display at the Military Museum in town. Although it was, by then, after 5 p.m. and the building was closed, the outside event was still open to the public. 

Had Lunch at The Amish Kountry Korner

Vincennes, Indiana

Frontier Re-en-actors, Vincennes, Indiana

Black Powder Shooting Explanation

George Rogers Clark Memorial

George Rogers Clark Memorial

Military Museum, Vincennes, Indiana

Jim On The .50 Caliber

MORE PICTURES

"Boy, we hit the jackpot today," Jim mused on the drive back to Washington, reflecting on our day of touristic overload. We were home in time to catch grandson Alton's T-Ball game at a nearby ball-field.

I spent another day in Washington, touring the area and visiting with Jim and his many family members and friends. Having listened to my GPS tales of losing myself in America, Jim sent me off with a spare road atlas for back up and, as a reminder of my visit to Indiana, a red-hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with his state's name and university logo.  I will treasure the memories of our enjoyable visit and look forward to the next one, which will hopefully be sooner than 41 years.