Winona Lake, Indiana

This year is the centennial of the founding of the town of Winona Lake. It existed as a flourishing Chautauqua-type summer gathering place hosting thousands of seasonal visitors before that, but 1913 is the year it became incorporated. It has had its booms and busts, but currently puts itself forth as a destination spot for shopping and dining in the restored village by the lake and canal leading out to the lake on both ends. The Village at Winona has some interesting artisan shops (art gallery, beading, specialized soap and body lotions, spice and tea shop, weaving shop, olive oil shop, home décor, pottery shop) and several restaurants and a bakery.

The bakery serves sandwiches and pizzas besides pastries, muffins, breads, flavored coffees, and the famous Hoosier Mama cookies. It sits on the main road through the village, Park Avenue.

 

Across the corner is Kelaineys which also serves light meals and specialty drinks, but is best known for its ice cream. During Masterworks Festival in June and July, it is humming with pre-concert and post-concert customers, including many of the musicians. 

     Cerulean is a fun restaurant. At lunch, you select an entrée and 3 sides which are served in an Oriental bento box. The Asian-influenced food has nice sauces. There are sushi choices, too. Local products like duck (our county is a big supplier of duck), honey, etc. add flavor, too. Even if you don’t like Japanese or Chinese food, you will find items on the menu to your liking.

 

The Boathouse sits right next to the lake and is popular for lunch and dinner, especially on nice days when sitting in the screened-in porch suspended over the water is pleasant. It has a gift shop within. 

Many of the businesses are located in historic houses moved from nearby areas. However, some of the housing are original structures. Last weekend there was an open-house tour of many of these. A fire that swept through the summer cottages in 1914, but a few buildings survived as well as those further away from the village’s entry point.

Felsenheim (“house of stone”) built in 1910 at Chestnut and 4th Street was one of the survivors. The window frames and other wooden trim were charred, but the house was intact. I stayed on the third floor of this house back in 1976 when it had been divided into many “apartments”. My friend Carol who was a seminary student let me stay with her for two nights until my little apartment at Lamp Post Manor was ready. What I remember most are the bats which Carol hit with a tennis racket, dazing them long enough to get rid of them. The whole house has been lovingly restored into an individual residence, and the third floor now dazzles.

 

Another building with which I have past associations is the Winona Hotel. It is the oldest building in the village, having been built in 1888 as the Eagle Lake Hotel (the lake also has changed names). In 1975-1976, I lived on a wing of the second floor being used as a dormitory for Grace College female students. My room had a great view of the lake. I was not a college student, but worked part-time in the college library while taking some seminary courses. Instead of a paycheck, I received free lodging and a meal card for the dining commons. About a decade ago, the hotel was purchased by private investors who converted it to luxury condominiums. I recognized on the tour the original staircase (there is now also an elevator) and what was for me a laundry for the dorm residents but now is just a little alcove.

 

I had seen the Terrace Drive buildings restored when I would visit family after moving to Texas. These buildings were built 1898 thru 1902 and were not endangered by the fire which swept up the hill to the west.

                                                 The Hillside served as a boarding house for many years during Winona’s “Golden Age” 1904-1914. During this era as many as 250,000 people came to the educational and cultural events during the summer. Distinguished speakers and musicians throughout the world provided the programming. One popular speaker, the evangelist Billy Sunday, decided to build a home in Winona Lake. Mount Hood was completed in 1911. It was part of the open-house tour; I had been in it decades ago, and it remains pretty much the same as it was when the Sunday family lived there, at least the way it was prior to his death. The Hillside was owned for awhile by Homer Rodeheaver, the music director for Sunday’s evangelistic campaigns. Virgil Brock, composer of  Beyond the Sunset, a popular Christian song, also owned this house for awhile; since the house has a wonderful view of the lake’s sunset, it is not hard to see how he would be inspired.

Though not on the house tour, the Beyer home remains a prominent landmark of Winona Lake.

The Beyer brothers bought the tract of land around the lake in 1881 because its natural springs could be used to store the milk, butter, cream, and eggs of their dairy business. In 1887 they decided to develop the area into Spring Fountain Park, a place where families could stroll and enjoy the lake. There was eventually even a roller coaster and a golf course. The Beyers were the ones to build the hotel to house the guests that started pouring in. They prospered, and in 1907 two of the brothers decided to construct a mansion that was symmetrical, each of them occupying one side with their families. It had electrical wiring and outlets which was considered quite modern. This building has housed Grace College students and summer workers for the Christian Assembly during some down times for the community. It was restored by a historical restoration group, then sold in 2012 to become a private residence. In the photo you can see some benches. These are part of the Hillside Amphitheatre which has existed in some form since 1910. It faces the lake.

 

Rodeheaver built a grand home on Rainbow Point and hosted well-known national figures such as J. Edgar Hoover, Billy Graham, Will Rogers at dinners and lawn parties that hosted 200 people. Today, this structure stands but is surrounded by newer construction. You can see a portion of the home (the white building on the left). The idea was to make the house look like a great ship.

Many interesting buildings from Winona Lake’s heyday still function in the community: Mount Memorial, Westminster Hotel, Rodeheaver Auditorium. Most of them are currently owned by Grace Schools, but community events take place there. The Westminster houses an historical museum, the Reneker. 

      

 An eccentric home built in 1902, Killarney Castle still graces the island created by the canal.

The housing stock is often cottage-like and the way you would expect a lake resort town to appear, though most of the residents are now here year-long. The town still has run-down areas though; I don’t want to mislead. Out in the perimeter are newer subdivisions with golf courses. There is a nice playground park and Senior Center along the lake beach. The town has developed the property once known as the Chicago Boys Club campground into mountain bike trails, and there is a paved walking/biking path that meanders through the forest. It abuts Warsaw, a larger town known as a leader in the orthopedic industry. Grace College and Seminary plays a big role in Winona Lake. Grace Village, while not in the town shopping/dining area, also is a big part of the community. Come visit us sometime and see for yourselves.    

                                  

New Stuff

Tuesday afternoon was beautiful with white puffy clouds in a bright blue sky. It was also rather cold once one stepped out of the car in the gusty wind, but that didn’t keep us from heading for Berrien County Michigan with its fruit groves. We bought Red Haven peaches, some for us and some to share. We have enjoyed eating them as is, but today I baked a peaches n’ cream pie, a recipe I cut from a newspaper several years ago. It smells divine with a cinnamony undercurrent. I made this once before.

In this recipe, you use peach halves, not slices. I only used 3 as our peaches are rather large.

 Peaches ‘n Cream Pie

 

1 uncooked 9-inch deep-dish pastry shell

4 cups peaches (7 to 8 fresh peach halves; canned fruit to equal 4 cups; or one 1-pound bag frozen peaches)

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy cream

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If using fresh peaches, peel them; drain canned peaches or defrost and drain frozen peaches. Place peaches, rounded side up, in pie shell.

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and cream. Pour over peaches. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Once the crust is brown, put foil over the edges to prevent overbrowning. Serve warm. Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

After we bought our peaches, we dined at Wheatberry restaurant in Buchanan, Michigan. It was too chilly to sit on the deck (yes, we are having very unusual summer weather). My beef brisket and baked beans were very good. My husband said his walleye was also good. The waitress raved about the peach cobbler so we split a dish. Nothing to write home about in my opinion. 

Yesterday I went to Carsons to see if the summer slippers were discounted yet. They weren’t; I passed thru the scarf department to get to them, however, and decided to look around as I will be traveling in September and a spot of color on my neutral tops would be pretty. I wasn’t looking for an infinity scarf (didn’t set out shopping for a scarf after all), but that seemed to be what was marked down. I suppose these are a trend that has passed. Oh, well, the price was right and the scarf is pretty. I looked on the internet to see how to wear an infinity scarf. Some people are very creative, even making a mini-skirt and hood and shrug out of a scarf. My scarf is not as big as some and not a stretchy material, but I did try doing a small shawl look and it worked. How have you worn an infinity scarf? 

                                         

 Last but not least, dreams do come true. My husband found a Dodge Dakota pickup truck that has the features he wants and fit into the price range I had agreed on. He now belongs to the fraternity of pickup truck owners.

 

Summertime

I am so glad that we have a local farmers market. This morning I bought Ambrosia sweet corn and an assortment of small tomatoes.

It will be interesting to see how these different varieties taste.

A dish that we tried earlier this week is shrimp taco salad which also is enhanced by the bounty of summer.

3 ears fresh corn, shucked
2 med. zucchini, thinly sliced on an angle
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 lb. shelled deveined large shrimp (16 to 20 count)—I used thawed-out frozen ones as they were on sale.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper sauce
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 avocado, thinly sliced
2 cups (1/2-inch pieces) watermelon chunks
3/4 cup crushed corn chips (such as fritos)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves


Prepare grill for direct grilling on medium.
Grill corn 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly charred and tender, turning over once halfway thru cooking. Grill shrimp 2 to 4 minutes or until opaque throughout, turning once halfway thru.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, pepper sauce, cumin, coriander, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Cut kernels off ears of corn. Arrange zucchini and avocado on platter closest to edge, alternating.
In center of plate put corn, shrimp, and watermelon. Salad can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated, covered, up to 4 hours.
To serve, sprinkle with corn chip crumbs and drizzle with dressing. Top with cilantro.

Makes 4 servings

Wakarusa Dime Store

Our retirement condo residents get together once a month for lunch. Usually that is in the community center. Sometimes though we go to a restaurant, even some that are a bit of a drive. Today we went to Wakarusa, Indiana. After lunch in a local café, we visited the Wakarusa Dime Store. Known for its jumbo jelly beans (4-5 times bigger than regular jelly beans), they also have almost 50 flavors of salt water taffy, and lots of what we called in my childhood penny candy but believe me it costs more than a penny these days. 

They sell the taffy by the pound as well as some other bulk candies, all at the same price so you can fill a bag with an assortment and have them weigh it for you. I bought a little over 1/2 pound. They also sell Jelly Bellies already packaged. The jumbo jelly beans have maybe half a dozen with free samples. Watch out for the cinnamon flavor. It is like eating a fistful of red hot candies at one time. Clears the sinuses. My husband threw in the Tootsie Rolls, and I included some individually-wrapped hard candies. One of those, with a raspberry center in a hard candy shell reminds me of what we used to get in our church post-Christmas-program goody bags. I doubt I will remember the exact flavor of the taffy and be surprised when I take the first bite. The green one, for example, is a pear flavor, but not sure of the other colors. They also had large jars of unwrapped hard candies from which to select with the assistance of the clerk. A sugar high ahead for us these next few days.

Reaching For the Invisible God

I have read several of Philip Yancey’s books. Reaching for the Invisible God was relevant for me at this time. I bought this at a library sale months ago, but picked it up to read now because our Adult Bible Fellowship class is studying about ministering in the church and discussing how we relate to God so that we are equipped to minister.

 

If you find God with great ease, suggested Thomas Merton, perhaps it is not God that you have found. Relating to an invisible God has its difficulties, not the least of which is the differences in perspective between God and man.

 

Since God remains invisible, people tend to remake God in their own image. God transcended our limitations by revealing Himself thru Jesus, the full expression of God, yet veiled in human flesh. He reached out to us; how do we reach out to Him?

 

We come to God on His terms, i.e., through faith. Faith means following, trusting, holding out a hand to an invisible Guide. Faith is trust, not certainty. In the presence of certainty, who would need faith? Merton again: “We do not first see, then act; we act, then see. . . . And that is why the man who wants to see clearly before he will believe, never starts the journey.” We must take the first step of knowing God by faith.

 

As Yancey points out, we seldom run into visual clues of God unless we are looking. The pursuit makes possible the encounter. The Spirit of God brings to us recognition of God’s presence in places we may have overlooked: a baby’s smile, a beautiful sunset, the kindness of a friend. Ann Voskamp shines in this department. Her recognition that these “gifts” in our lives come from God, that by being thankful, we build up trust in His goodness complements nicely Yancey’s thoughts. Are you looking? Am I pursuing?

 

Faith gets tested when a sense of God’s presence fades or the very ordinariness of life makes us question if we even matter. God is a self-revealer but also a self-concealer. Isaiah says, “Truly you are a God who hides Himself.” Here is an interesting thought. Yancey speculates that just as in a game of hide ‘n seek where the child does want to be eventually found and delights in being found not ignored, perhaps God delights in being found. He wants us to pursue Him, to make the effort.

 

Faith can only be exercised in circumstances that allow for doubt, such as God’s hiddenness. God is free to reveal or conceal, to intervene or to restrain from intervening, to work within nature or outside it, to rule over the world or to be despised and rejected, to display Himself or limit Himself. Human beings have no competence in trying to figure out all the intricacies of why things happen. Faith means continuing to trust God while accepting the limits of our humanity, i.e., that we cannot answer the “why” questions.

 

Since we are limited, we do better by not looking backward for explanations but forward for redemptive results. God can use the events in our lives to transform us if we let Him. We have to trust in His goodness to redeem the bad. But God respects our freedom, making Himself dependent on our co-operation. Sometimes God allows us to determine the intensity of His presence thru our chosen responses.

 

I cannot learn from Jesus why bad things happen, but I can learn how God feels about tragedy. Jesus gives God a face, and that face is streaked with tears. We see God’s love for us; a love that should remove our doubts and fear. I must accept whatever falls into my bowl (life) knowing that a good God will redeem it if I return that love with trust.