Monday, May 12, 2008

A Sunny Spring Day In Bluffton Indiana




Cathi and I had a nice leisurely Saturday afternoon. We wandered around Bluffton Indiana. It is a small town about 30 miles south of Fort Wayne.

Bluffton is a very pretty town. It has a riverwalk, footpaths, unique parks and beautiful buildings. The courthouse is stunning.

Bluffton also has a less than perfect past. In 1880 three African-Americans entered the city looking for work. When they arrived at a local hotel they received notification, in writing that they had to leave the city.

Well, I like Bluffton, a lot, but not because of its past, in spite of its past! Bluffton brings out the best that is American. They acknowledged their shortcomings (that seems like an inadequate description) and became one of the first towns in America to publicly acknowledge its exclusionary past and to then publicly work at becoming and inclusive city. I admire that.

Of course that is not all the city is famous for. It is the home town of Patrick Moynihan the late Senator from New York. He also served as ambassador to the United Nations and to India. Not too shabby for a town of about 9000.

However, we weren’t there for a history lesson. We just walked, looked at the antique shops and restaurants, talked with the shop keepers. It was just a nice spring afternoon.

Afterwards we drove around the country roads, went to a few barn sales and looked at horses and horses and still more horses. It was just a nice day for tow city folk.

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