a sea of mennonites

a horse-drawn buggy just went past the window of the internet cafe i'm currently blessing with my patronage. for those of you who know me and my background, i feel like i just walked into a town somewhere between pekin and morris. lovely goshen indiana, nestled, well mostly among fields and trees. but mostly fields. i actually stumbled into a local artist community where there are potters and sculpters living in community here. i'm about to go and check out the local farmer's market, which considering the location should be an ample display of agricultural glory. the post is amazing (i came here to interview to be the director of a community center/venue known as the post). it's a huge building from the early 20th century. 6,000 square feet. great sound system. spiral staircases, etc. they are really doing some amazing work for the kingdom here, and i like it more than i thought i would.

a little history: goshen was settle in 1834 by amish and mennonite communities. alright. that's enough history. i'm going to watch a potter hone his craft and then i'm going hiking and then i'm going to read a fantasy novel (stone of tears). if you're reading this, i'd cross a goshen for you.

further reports.
since last posting many wonderous things have taken place. after i left the coffee shop i went down to the farmers market and bought some produce from a couple of guys with beards, only to discover that one of them lived in north lawndale and is from colorado, then i found out he's friends with a bunch of my friends from college and before. a very nice surprise. he lives in a log cabbin with no electricity or running water and works on a farm with another guy and his wife. interesting people. after walking out of the farmer's market i saw a sign for custom made guitars and mandolins. i walked into a little shop, stuffed with handmade tools and beautiful guitars and mandolins lining the walls and floors. every inch of space stunk of fresh-cut wood. i introduced myself and talked to the owner who disigns his own instruments, and i met a couple of the locals who play shows around the area (generally from a jazz/folk tradition, which is what i would like to be playing right now) and hang out in the little shop. i happened to have my taylor in my car so i brought it in and had him look at it, and then we played for a while and talked about the guitar making process. i found out that his wife runs the bakery down the street and puts on shows every week in the cafe area. after walking out of the shop with a promise from the owner that i would find musicians and plenty of shows i walked down a trail along the river until i came to an abandon factory of some sort and sat down on a ledge, looking out on the water. i was beginning to fall for goshen. i got back in the mini van after some time and headed up to main street where i found another music store with a vintage botique in the back. i talked to the proprioter for a time about 1920's and 30's fashion and left to seek sustinance. i found it in san marcos. a little taqueiera at the back of a grocery store. i put my spanish to use and had some excellent guacamole (incidently 30% of goshen in latino). i decided to drive by the mennonite college but felt the need to go on. i noticed a chain of lakes off the road and turned into a neighborhood. i found a sign that said "local traffic only" and started off across a bridge. the lakes looked perfect for canoing and i imeediately wished i had an old birchbark or something of that quality. but finding myslef boatless, i kept going until i chanced upon an apple orchard. i had to get out and pick some apples. only $0.49 a lb. and they were beautiful. i will be bringing back some jonathans (of course), macintosh and some other kind i can't remember that looked delightful. that's all for now. i'm glad we could share this moment together electronically, in goshen.