Ocean City to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Lancaster County, PA. At every corner, a postcard.
The pastoral life of the Amish (and Mennonites) is unpretentious, organized, raw, honest and its people are extremely property-proud. Such precious qualities in these fast-advancing times. These people work from sun-up to sun-down. They live in Days Gone By. We stayed here for a few days on our return to Maine and I'd like to share with you some of the million magic moments we experienced.
About 5 minutes into the rural farming community we saw this. Three horses and a mule waiting patiently for the farmer to return to plowing. That pretty much sums it up for the humble, honest farmers whose steeds stand steadfastly in place, obediently waiting to work. Discipline and dedication. That says a lot about the Amish people. We surmised the farmer went for dinner.
And so did the team.
The following morning we toured the side roads and saw five horses and two mules hooked to a plow,
basking in the sunshine, ready to start their day.
basking in the sunshine, ready to start their day.
How impressive to witness
a young woman standing up, ploughing with a team of seven.
Her dress, apron and bonnet are made by her own hands.
I have nothing but admiration for the Amish who work so incredibly hard to create food for their family and the animals who support their farms. This is a team of nine, turning over the sod in a lush green hayfield:
The Amish people use mostly ex-race horses for transport (they don't generally use cars); some equines are utilized for tourist buggy trips. These two guys were especially handsome and happy to chat. I've missed the smell of horse. And sh** on my shoes.
Look at these lovely heads.
Nobility at it's finest.
This part of PA is a living postcard.
Driving by sights like these Amish children playing in a schoolyard at an Amish School, it's impossible not give yourself whiplash, there's so much to take in:
Manicured fields.
A simple, pastoral life.
Driving by, we saw this team hauling a hay baler, making round bales. Usually a job for a large tractor, these mules have it covered.
As does this mixed team.
We saw many Amish on these cool scooters.
On every road there are horse-drawn buggies.
(Mennonite buggies are black, Amish buggies are gray).
This area has been on my Bucket List for decades.
It was Heaven to spend a few days to soak it all in.
I took these photos one evening from the parking lot of our hotel.
Such a peaceful few moments .... a day in the life ....
I watched the farmer and his helper unhitch this horse from a team of seven; they'd been plowing all afternoon.
The Chosen One.
We're pretty darned thankful we had the opportunity to see this.
We will go back.
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