Saturday (7/18)   Well today is day one of week 14.   We cannot believe how fast this trip is going. We spent the day in Amana, IA.  The members of the Amana Colonies came from Germany in 1843-44 to get away from religious persecution and economic depression. They lived in New York State prior to establishing the seven villages of the Amana Colonies. They lived a communal life where everyone worked for the good of all the members of the community from 1855 to 1932.  The seven villages have been declared a National Historic Landmark.  The  buildings and the landscape are very quaint and there are many flowers around the home but these wonderful buildings are filled with your typical tourist gift stores. There is a very small museum but beyond that it is all about shopping.

This evening we went to a performance at the Old Creamery Theater in Amana.   Today, in the seven villages, events and a certain percentage of all sales in stores is being donated to cancer research.  The performance tonight was by the McPunk Bros. and Gregg Brown.   The McPunk Bros. played bluegrass and were very enjoyable.  Gregg Brown was the headliner and has written songs that have been preformed by Willie Nelson, Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana and Mary Chapin Carpenter.