A New Refrigerator and a Visit with an Old Friend
Leg 7 – Shipshewana and Sheridan
10/10/2023 – 10/14/2023
A New (Rebuilt) Refrigerator
At Lonnnnnnnnnnnnnng last the day has arrived. We travelled to Shipshewana, heart of Indiana Amish country, to have our Norcold refrigerator rebuilt. Three weeks and two days we have been living out of coolers. The last few days I would joke that we were playing Russian roulette with the meat. At today’s prices, throwing away food is like tossing your hard-earned money in the garbage. So, for the last few nights, I’d pick the meat out for dinner, open the bag, smell it and if it still smelled good cooked it up and then we’d wait to see if we got sick. LOL I’m exaggerating… a little…
No way would I take a chance and eat something that could potentially make us sick, but you have to do something to make light of an irritating situation. I am proud to report that I only had to toss one pound of ground beef and one pound of chicken breast. Not bad considering what we started with.
We debated about getting a new residential refrigerator or going the route of having the rebuild done. I think we both liked the idea of a refrigerator that runs on both propane and electric. Bill did a lot of research and a group of RVers on FB highly recommended an Amish owned company called JC Refrigeration. We read nothing but good reviews. Our appointment was for 6AM. Boy, these guys get started early.
J.C. Refrigeration
We pulled into their lot the night before and enjoyed a peaceful evening in the Amish countryside. I loved the clip clop of the horses hooves on the road.
Bright and early the next morning we were ready when they promptly knocked on our door at 6AM. Bill rolled the rig into the shop, the technician explained what they would be doing, showed us the tubing they use and we could see the welder already at work fabricating tubing for future projects. Then he sent us off to get breakfast so they could get to work.
One hour later we got a call that the job was done and we could come get the coach. Bill pulled the coach out and we waited around for 45 minutes while the technician ensured the refrigerator and freezer were cooling properly. Hooray! It is working better than ever!! We are on our way. However, we didn’t go too far…
Time to Kill
It was a weekday and one of has to work 😉 We found a nice big parking lot and pulled in. While Bill did his work thing, I had some time to kill and went into town to check out a couple of quilt shops (I did not buy anything, thank you very much). One of the shops was located in what I would describe as an Amish department store. They had everything you would need for yourself and your home and a HUGE selection of fabric. I could have bought more fabric but at what point does it become an obsession? Shopped out, I went back to the coach and waited for Bill to finish working.
Before heading down to Sheridan though, we stopped at Yoder’s Meat & Cheese Co and picked up some meat to put in our very cold freezer 😊 I also discovered Amish popcorn. Let me tell you, it is sooooo much better than anything you can buy in the grocery store. Get some, try it, you’ll love it!
With the freezer partially stocked and the work day done, we make the 2-1/2 hour drive to Sheridan IN where I will get to visit with my best friend for a couple of days. Three visits in one year, how lucky am I?
A Visit with an Old Friend
We camped at the White River Campground in Cicero. Our site backed up to the river and it truly felt like we were “camping”. There is a big difference between RV parks and your state, county and city parks. It’s just a different vibe. I even saw my first snake here, ick!
We had a great time catching up over pizza with the hubbies the first night we were there and the next day Kathy and I got some shopping and girl time in. Then I introduced them to Smashburgers! Yum!! Even though the visit was short we took advantage of every minute we had.
