Enjoying Samples of Irish and German

Our travels over the past week have led us from Indianapolis east to Cleveland, Ohio, for the Irish Festival. We spent three days last weekend with good friends, Mike and Suzanne Flynn, smilin' and singin'. We all soaked up the haunting ballads, gorgeous tenors, raucous rebel songs, red hair, sexy kilts, drums and pipes, and beautiful dancing children. And, of course, the Guinness and Harp were flowing. Just an overwhelming good time!!!

Since we had our home on wheels, we could park right on the festival grounds at the Berea County Fairgrounds. No fighting for parking spaces or using the crowded restrooms. There was so much fantastic entertainment, we all had a difficult time choosing our favorites. We always feel partial to the bagpipes, and the Westside Irish American Club was really super! But on the last day we found a new group of three energetic young men, The Kreelers, who ended our festival event by bringing everyone to their feet, clapping and stomping and singing along to their songs. It's a fun way to spend a few days, even if you are not of Irish descent, or if you are IRB (Irish By Marriage), like I am.
After the days in Cleveland we took to the road again, going west for about 250 miles to Elkhart, Indiana. This area is the home of many RV manufacturers. But the distinctive aspect is the abundance of signs of the German heritage, many good restaurants and bakeries, the skilled Amish woodworkers and farmers, etc. We are busy sampling and exploring. I'll share more later.....