A Trip To Amish Country

It's good to be home. 

We got home Friday evening from a short trip to Ohio's Amish country and home never looked so beautiful.  Of course, a couple nights on a lumpy hotel bed and I'm sure anyone would feel the same. 

The trip went well, with very little bickering on the ride and even fewer "Are we there yet?"  Of course borrowing Mamaw and Papaw's Tahoe with the DVD player went a long way toward the serenity of the trip.  The only snag in our trip was that mid-trip Isaac came down with Strep throat.  Go figure.  He was such a little trooper, despite the fever and malaise.  He was determined that he would ride the train, ride in a horse-drawn buggy, play in the hotel pool and stop at Lego Land on the way home. 

Our hotel was in the center of Berlin, so most of the tourist-y destinations were within walking distance.  The fun stuff, however, was on the outskirts of town.  The real Amish country. We went to a farm/petting zoo, bought handmade baskets from a roadside stand and watched how they make cheese.  And we went to the world's biggest non-electric hardware store.  Can  you guess what I brought home from said hardware store? 

A yo yo. 

It was so huge and so overwhelming, I didn't by a thing for myself.  I sort of choked under the pressure LOL. We did bring home a free catalog to plan our next visit.  Because there WILL be a next visit.  Maybe in the fall, when the temperatures are cooler and the harvest festivals are happening. 

I love Amish country.  It's sort of what spurred me on to live the life we do.  5 years ago, we took a trip to Millersburg/Berlin with my mom and dad and there was something about that life that really charmed me, though at the time I couldn't put my finger on it.  I just remember seeing rows upon rows of produce in their gardens and roadside stands where children were selling their family's handmade wares, and I remember thinking WOW.  I totally wanted to be Amish, but without the stifling religious laws and lack of air conditioning.  Okay, and I didn't want to wear black all the time.

Only a couple years ago, I figured out what had so enamoured me of the Amish.  Their self-reliance.  They are their own people, beholden to no one but God.  And I love that.  I don't ever expect to accomplish what Amish families do, but every trip there inspires me to do more.  To work harder in the garden.  To develop simple skills.  To give thought to a cottage industry.  To pull away from pop-culture and modern trends.  To come out of Babylon. 

So that's what I did on my summer vacation. 

Today we're staying home from church...don't want Isaac to pass Strep around to the entire 1st grade Sunday School class.  And today we're going to work on our own little farm, although it's hardly work when you enjoy it so much.  Today we work on our rainwater catchment, hang out laundry and harvest onions from the garden.  Tonight we enjoy a meal out of the garden: green beans, new potatoes, kale and marinated cucumbers.  Tomorrow we wake up early and do it all over again.

For your viewing enjoyment, here's a few pictures from the trip.      

Mara eyeing "Big Ben", the biggest horse in Holmes County.  8 years old, 3000 pounds with shoes the size of dinner plates.  To quote the old Amish man who gave us a buggy ride, "Yah, 'e is one beeg 'orse."  Notice the little Amish boy in the background.  He strutted around like he was hot stuff!

This picture just doesn't do Big Ben justice.  To put the size of this horse into perspective:  his head is as long as Mara is tall.  Yah, he is one big horse.

Mara feeding a calf much more her size.

The Amish Farm Express.  A genuine, miniature Amish train LOL.

Isaac riding the train.