The Hidden Gems

We have been on the look-out for some "hidden gems" within Mishawaka. I mentioned Ritter's frozen custard last week, and it is still a gem. But since we are trying to avoid Ritter's 29 days out of the month (we want but don't actually need those calories) I thought I'd pass along some of the other surprises that have appeared.

I know already that this blog post will sort of look like an advertisement, but I don't care. We've been working hard to find ways to feel at home in this strange new place and here are some of the things we've enjoyed and will share with you when you come visit. You're coming soon, right?

Now that we have left the east coast, we can purchsae a truly midwestern special....Vernor's soda. While Vernor's may be confused with the standard ginger ale, it is far from it. It is, as some say, "liquid gold."
We discovered just yesterday the best of bread franchises one can imagine....Great Harvest Bread Company. The store here in Mishawaka is not as hip as the one in Misosula MT but the items are just as good. Sweet lovin' we found a Great Harvest. Forget Panera ever existed.
Yesterday we bought the "Apple Cheddar Bread" and it was pretty darned good. What was missing in ambiance was made up for in the quality of the product.
I also recently discovered the favorite cereal of my childhood. Boo-Berry. I didn't even hesitate to grab it off the shelf. It was an automatic reaction. BAM! Boo-Berry in basket without balking for a bit about wellbeing at the breakfast bar.
Oh baby, we are living the good life.

Another discovery has been the South Bend Studio Arts Center where art classes are amazingly affordable. I'm taking a landscape painting course that uses pastels on Friday mornings. Today was the first class and it was pretty cool. For just 100 bucks I get 8 classes that are 2.5 hours long. The same course in Cambridge would have been at least 2x as much. I'm thinking about taking one of their calligraphy classes taught by Anne Binder - here is a piece you can see at her online gallery.
We're still on the lookout for a good Indian and/or Thai food restaurant, but maybe we can't replace all the things we loved in Cambridge with something here. Maybe we just have to find new things we love. So far, we're not doing so bad on that goal.

This weekend we head to the Nappanee Apple Festival to do a 50km bike ride. We'll see some of the Amish country there and enjoy some apples. Can't be all bad now, can it?