Last Tuesday I went to Amish Country with Nana, Aunt Roise and an old friend of theirs', Joan. Nana and I drove up on Tuesday afternoon after dropping the dogs off at the boarder's. It takes about two hours to get to Amish Country from my house.
Up there, in the country, you can breathe.The air is so clean and crisp! It smells like how the world should; cow poop, fresh breeze, cut grass, straw, and bread baking. The Amish don't use cars, instead they use horse and buggy. There are cars up there, used by tourists and the Mennonite community. Even with the Amish people not using cars you can tell a difference in the air! It is truly amazing. The landscape is very hilly and green! There are trees everywhere. I'm sure it's beautiful up there in the fall. The hills are covered in green grass or they are a field of something. White fences keep the horses and cattle in their space. Cute little houses are on the tops of the hills, over looking the valley.
Up there, in the country, you can breathe.The air is so clean and crisp! It smells like how the world should; cow poop, fresh breeze, cut grass, straw, and bread baking. The Amish don't use cars, instead they use horse and buggy. There are cars up there, used by tourists and the Mennonite community. Even with the Amish people not using cars you can tell a difference in the air! It is truly amazing. The landscape is very hilly and green! There are trees everywhere. I'm sure it's beautiful up there in the fall. The hills are covered in green grass or they are a field of something. White fences keep the horses and cattle in their space. Cute little houses are on the tops of the hills, over looking the valley.
We stayed in the cutest little place; The Inn at Walnut Creek. It was decorated very quaintly. Handmade quilts were on the bed and "shaker pegs" were all the way around the room. The view from the room was overlooking the valley. A few horses were just over the hill from us and I could see them from the window, grazing the night away.
For dinner Tuesday night, Nana and Aunt Rosie and I ate at The Der Dutchman Restaurant. The food is homemade and AMAZING! It's like grandma's cooking. The restaurant over looks the valley and from the windows you can see a wheat field. We watched the Amish men work in the field while we ate. When Nana and I arrived in Amish Country the men had just started cutting the field down, by hand, and by the time it was dark the field was completely gathered and stacked into piles. It was truly amazing.
For dinner Tuesday night, Nana and Aunt Rosie and I ate at The Der Dutchman Restaurant. The food is homemade and AMAZING! It's like grandma's cooking. The restaurant over looks the valley and from the windows you can see a wheat field. We watched the Amish men work in the field while we ate. When Nana and I arrived in Amish Country the men had just started cutting the field down, by hand, and by the time it was dark the field was completely gathered and stacked into piles. It was truly amazing.
The next day we went to Yoder's Amish Home to tour how an Amish farm works. The family owns 116 acres and they still live on the property, but they don't live in the home that we toured. There are two houses that we toured. One was the oldest house on the property. It's called the doughty house, where the grandparents would live. It's a small, one bedroom house with no bathroom. The bathroom is an outhouse close to the garden on the side of the house. The sink is a pitcher and basin. The stove is an old wooden stove. It was so cool to see!
The second house was toured was the bigger house. It was two stories with five bedrooms. This home had a bathtub like we have and indoor plumbing. The kitchen was HUGE compared to the doughty house. The upstairs was all of the children's bedrooms and we got to see the kind of clothes they wear. The picture below is a picture of little boy's shoes in the boy's bedroom. Everything that the Amish have is super clean, super neat and in order. Even their shoes!
The second house was toured was the bigger house. It was two stories with five bedrooms. This home had a bathtub like we have and indoor plumbing. The kitchen was HUGE compared to the doughty house. The upstairs was all of the children's bedrooms and we got to see the kind of clothes they wear. The picture below is a picture of little boy's shoes in the boy's bedroom. Everything that the Amish have is super clean, super neat and in order. Even their shoes!
These two are Percheron yearlings. I quickly made friends with these girls.
The second thing we toured at the Yoder's farm was the barn! The barn was my favorite part in the whole tour! There were horses, pigs, goats, chickens, a calf, a beagle puppy, kittens and cows.
There were two young foals, only months old, with their mothers. The horses were Percherons. They are so big! I know that when I get a horse I'm going to get a Percheron. They are so massive and thick, but so gentle. Kind of like a Great Dane is!
There were two young foals, only months old, with their mothers. The horses were Percherons. They are so big! I know that when I get a horse I'm going to get a Percheron. They are so massive and thick, but so gentle. Kind of like a Great Dane is!
After we were done with the barn tour we went for a horse and buggy ride. Our driver was an older Amish man named John. I got to sit up front with him and Nana and Aunt Rosie sat on the back bench. He asked me if I liked horses, if I rode and if I owned one. I told him that I love horses and that I had taken riding lessons, but sadly, didn't own a horse. He paused, then asked me if I wanted to drive! Of course, I said yes! So, he handed me the reigns and I drove a horse and buggy! It was so much fun. I grinned so hard I thought my cheeks were going to fall off! It was probably one of the best moments of my life. John was an extremely nice man and I am thankful he trusted me with his horse. He told me after we stopped that the horse had only been pulling a buggy for six months. He trusted me with a new horse! How crazy is that?!
After the amazing buggy ride we went to the school house and learned about how the children go to school. It's a one room school house with one teacher and she teaches all the grades. The lady we spoke with taught Kindergarden to 8th grade. She brings one grade up to the front and teaches them, then she sends them back and they work on their "homework". The next grade comes up and she teaches them, then they return to their seats and work on their work. It goes like that all day and the students don't take any work home with them. It's really smart and quite amazing. I learned that the Amish don't go to college because they don't need a college education. They work in the fields or with their hands all their lives, so they don't need a degree in anything.
Eventually we had to leave the farm and we went to lunch. We went to Der Dutchman again, just because it's so good! After lunch we went to a metal shop called Windell August. They make so many amazing things out of metal, like things for your table, or for your wedding, baby things, holidays and jewelry. I got to hammer my own lighthouse onto a thin sheet of metal. It was really fun! Check out the website for more on what they sell and if you have the chance go and see how they make their items. When we went there wasn't anyone there to show us, but we still got to see all of the artwork the workers had made.
Our last stop of the day was Pleasant View Furniture. Everything in the store is made by Amish men and it's all hand carved. That place is amazing and the furniture they have will blow your mind. There are rocking chairs right inside the door to the right, at least three dozen different ones! I love rocking chairs and was in rocking chair heaven in that store! Of course, they make and sell other things, like dressers and tables and cabinets and highchairs. Anything you would need to furnish your house, they have it.
My time at Amish Country was so much fun! I really enjoyed learning how the Amish people live. The simple lifestyle is really what I want. Being around people that lived that way encouraged me to see why we should live simple and how much fun it can be! Of course, I would have air conditioning and a car, but who needs a computer or a TV? All you need is the Lord, family and the outdoors.
Our last stop of the day was Pleasant View Furniture. Everything in the store is made by Amish men and it's all hand carved. That place is amazing and the furniture they have will blow your mind. There are rocking chairs right inside the door to the right, at least three dozen different ones! I love rocking chairs and was in rocking chair heaven in that store! Of course, they make and sell other things, like dressers and tables and cabinets and highchairs. Anything you would need to furnish your house, they have it.
My time at Amish Country was so much fun! I really enjoyed learning how the Amish people live. The simple lifestyle is really what I want. Being around people that lived that way encouraged me to see why we should live simple and how much fun it can be! Of course, I would have air conditioning and a car, but who needs a computer or a TV? All you need is the Lord, family and the outdoors.
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