More Amish Experiences

Wednesday 3rd

Woke up to rain this morning. We had breakfast delivered again. This time Baked Oatmeal, eggs, milk, and brown sugar. Quite nice tasting but quite heavy. Fresh baked bread and fresh eggs also delivered. Because it’s wet us girls decided to go into a shopping mall nearby, while Philip, Hugh and Tristram returned to Paradise to meet with John, our host from last night. He had planned to show them his business, Medical Equipment, wheelchairs etc and also the local Fire Station across the road. He used to be the Captain of the Station for many years and is still an active volunteer.

The shopping expedition was very successful with us all making purchases. Once Philip picked us up we headed to the Good and Plenty Restaurant for lunch. As the name suggests the meal was good and plentiful. We were seated at a table for 12, others were already seated there. The meal starting off with chicken salad, coleslaw, fresh bread, jam, iced water, iced tea and lemonade. Then mains arrived, large platters each of roast beef, fried chicken and sausages plus mashed potatoes, peas, corn and gravy. All these were shared between the guests at the table and as soon as one platter was emptied another was bought out to replace it. Everything was delicious. Once mains were finished, desserts were bought out; Shoofly pie, cherry pie, some weird custard-ish stuff with saltine crackers in it, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla and then vanilla and chocolate ice cream and orange sherbet. We all left having eaten way too much but thoroughly enjoying the local Amish food. (By the look of the chef, he was eating all the leftovers from the hall that seats 420!).

After lunch we decided to look at a couple more covered bridges in the area. The countryside here is beautiful rolling hills, gorgeous farm yards and homes, quaint little villages and lots of horse and carriages along the roads. Also kids on scooters and Amish kids walking home from their local schoolhouse.

Slight interruption while kids have their go writing on the blog on the last couple of days.

Once we returned to our accommodation Hugh and Claire, Tristram and Joanne went over to the barn to watch the milking and give the horses a pat before tea.

Hugh

I liked visiting the Amish area. I like playing with the Amish kids after tea. Mr John took us to see his big fire truck, I got to sit in it with daddy. We went on a horse and buggy ride and I really liked it. Today we are going on a 24 hour train ride to Orlando. I am going to sleep on a bunk. Im in the same room as daddy. It is really fun looking at all the stuff out the train window. I have seen lots of interesting things, like a river, boats, houses, an army helicopter and more boats and creeks. We watched the Amish man milk his cows.

Lillian

Today we are on a train trip to Orlando in Florida. I have had a great time in America and all the other places that we have been to. We went out to an Amish family’s home for dinner I really enjoyed this. On the train I am in a room with mummy. We have bunk beds. Yesterday morning we went shopping at a mall. I brought a new back pack. Today we went to get a manicure and we then drove on to Union Station. Then we caught the train.

Claire

We went out for tea with an Amish family. We went shopping and I bought the best thing in the world, an Omelette maker. We went to an all you can eat restaurant and filled ourselves up. Today Ma and I had a manicure because I have grown my fingernails and don’t bite them anymore. We both got the same colour polish, PINK. Ma is sharing my cabin on the train.

Thursday

Today we left our Amish Stay to head back to Washington to catch our train to Orlando. 20 hours with Claire in my cabin. It could be a long chatty night!!!! On our way to Washington we stopped at a mall to stretch our legs and we finally found somewhere that Claire and I could have our special manicure that I promised her if she stopped biting her nails. She worked really hard to do this before she left home and today we have beautiful pink nails. She chose the colour. Lilly and Joanne also had their nails done but after Claire and I.

Once we arrived at Union Station and dropped our hire car off we visited the food court for lunch, not quite as good as the Good and Plenty Restaurant In Lancaster County PA. Then as we boarded our train, the Silver City, to Orlando there was much excitement from the kids (Big and small) as we found our cabins and stowed our luggage. Preston, our host on the train introduced himself and showed us round our minute cabins, made sure our luggage was stowed and gave us directions to the dining car etc.

After an hour or so the kids excitement started to ease and we settled in for the ride.

(P- The visit to Lancaster County Pennsylvania was as good an experience as it was in 2000 when we visited with OLDER sister Eileen and her husband Ross, coincidently our lodgings on an Amish Farm were just 400m from the camp ground we stayed in in 2000 in the Motorhome. The apparent “simplicity” of the Amish lifestyle doesn’t exclude them from the challenges of modern society. Small farms and a labour intensive way of farming still feel the effects of low milk and grain prices just as intensive operations do. The home we stayed on (Beacon Hollow Farm) was traditional with no connected electricity etc. the hosts were friendly ( once they found we were from a rural base we were invited to wander the farm as we wished). The 50 cows (indoor herd) were milked with a “bucket “ milking machine similar to what my father used in the 1950’s. It took approx 3 hrs to milk the 50 cows! (Our modern dairy’s can milk 1000 in this time frame). The Amish and Mennonites we met were all friendly and loved to share their stories with us and listen to ours. We left with warm memories and I so enjoyed the sound of the horses and carriages clip clopping along the road, the heavy horses working the fields and the old fashioned gas lit general stores, markets, oh and did Any one mention the old fashioned FOOD?)

We also visited an Amish/Mennonite village store today. We would consider it very old fashioned but they certainly carried a wide variety of goods, from hardware to Amish Prayer Caps, books to paper plates and everything in between. The gas lighting just topped it off.