The sixth part of our Virginia Trip 2023

We left Fayetteville, WV, under a cloudy, drizzly sky.

It was a long day on the back roads; many winding curves with the roads going up and down the mountains. Ray said he would probably dream about curves and hills. The curve signs had the speed limit in some areas.

The clouds began disappearing the further north we traveled. We ate lunch in Parkersburg and I did NOT visit a favorite quilt shop there since it had only been 2 weeks since I was there but... it was tempting! In the late afternoon we stopped in Coshocton, OH, for ice cream. The owner, a former Seabee, US Navy, mixed our treat. 

It tasted as good as it looks!

Ray enjoyed his too.

Shortly after leaving Scoops, we began seeing Amish buggies.

And then we arrived at our rental. It looked great and we were both excited about the shower in the master bath!

We began our first full day in downtown Berlin. The morning began at Helping Hands Quilt Shop. 

We were there quite a while with two other couples. As we all visited with the ladies working (Mennonite and Amish), we learned that the shop started 50 years ago when a husband started to cut back on his work and suggested his wife use part of his shop and clear out the living room. Mostly she made charity quilts. Well others began helping her quilt at her 'new' digs and Helping Hands was born. Fabric was added to the store a few years later. I found lot of things is this bright shop and left with fabric for three backs that I need along with some marking pencils.

We walked the Main Street of town window shopping and even checked out a few stores. After lunch we decided to tour some of the countryside. The first stop was very commercialized but things got better. Miller's Bakery was fantastic! Guggisberg Cheese, home of the original baby Swiss, was another great stop. The Swiss cheese is a Champion and exceptionally good - I think I have a new favorite Swiss cheese!

We enjoyed samples of cheese and bought some Swiss.

Miller's Dry Goods was our next stop. It was a nice shop and I found this jelly roll which I think will complete a quilt for which I have some fabric.

By this time, the rain which had started lightly around noon, was in full force. We headed 'home' and made use of our attached garage.

We kept seeing a sign for fabric at a corner we went by often, but we couldn't see the shop. It looked like it was at the school. Then one time, when no one was at the school, we (Ray) realized the shop was on the other side of the road.

Chestnut Ridge had machines, a great selection of thread, and a nice selection of fabrics, some I've not seen before. They also had beautiful locally made sewing cabinets. I found two fabrics - one I needed and one (the blues) that I decided to add to my stash. (I know I've broken my rule about buying on impulse again - at least I haven't broken it too often!)

We drove to Sugarcreek which bills itself a little Switzerland, via Walnut Creek, OH. It was a short, but pretty trip on a sunny day. We saw this giant cuckoo clock. 

"Featured on the cover of the Guinness Book of World Records in 1977, the World's Largest Cuckoo Clock is located in the center of Swiss Village in Sugarcreek. The clock is over 23 feet tall and 24 feet wide. Every half hour, a cuckoo bird pops out and then you hear Swiss polka music playing as the band emerges and a couple dances."

People sit and wait for it to play every half hour (even young men!). It was fun to see and hear.

As the music played, the musicians came out and played and the dancers danced.

We visited Carlisle Fabrics and Quilts in Sugarcreek. 

This shop had a lot of fabric that the Amish and Mennonites use for dresses and they had a nice selection of quilting fabric. The ladies working were friendly and nice. I bought one piece of fabric - I'm hoping it will tie a variety of fabrics together in a children's quilt.

The clerk used this cordless, power cutter when she cut my fabric. I need to find out more about it. It is only useful for straight cuts but so easy on the hands!

On our last full day, we ate Der Dutchman's in Walnut Creek The food was delicious. The place was FULL so we didn't get to sit next to the wrap around windows overlooking the valley. However, the parking lot had good views too!

Across the road from our rental, there was an outdoor basketball court, two volleyball courts, a baseball diamond, and a couple of small structures we haven't figured out.  We think at one time it was a park. On our last evening, around 6 PM, young people started gathering - they came by cars, bikes, ATVs, trucks, tractors, some walked in - to play baseball. There were Amish and English. About 8:30 PM (dusk) everyone left. It looked like a fun Tuesday evening even though it rained some. At least half of this county is Amish, probably more

We enjoyed our time in Holmes County, OH, - seeing the Amish buggies, the Amish bikers (many on e-bikes), the Amish or Mennonites in the golf cars, the Amish homes with 2, 3, or more houses per farm, the countryside, the horses in the fields, the laundry hanging out, the children dressed the same as their parents... We've been delighted with our rental homes so far and the one in Berlin also had an attached garage which came in handy when we had rain.

The next part of our trip will be about our time near Kent, OH.

Amish saying:

“A man is never old until his regrets outnumber his dreams.”