My other favorite place is the Amish country of southeastern Pennsylvania, which is where we went last weekend. You see more sky in Pennsylvania above the rolling hills of corn and other crops. The farms are bigger. The landscape is more open, more expansive.
The towns are not quaint; they are old and down-to-earth. There are tourists, but the land is more agricultural. Corn is planted on every corner, even in town and along commercial strips. And the farmers make an honest living working their spreads, not catering to outsiders. Here an enterprising family has flowers for sale.
Everyone is happy to get their hands dirty . . . and their feet too.
Even the machinery is more work horse than show horse.
Occasionally you see an Amish family riding by in a horse and buggy.
Everybody has a garden.
And of course, you know what this is . . . I did not check to see if it was currently in use.
Still, there's always time to relax . . .
And make a friend.
13 comments:
My elderly aunt still lives on the potato farm she and my uncle had since the 1940's. Her farm is in a very rural in upstate NY. When I go to visit her, I can hear the pine trees rustle. Soft breezes blowing. There is nothing quite like it. It always takes me back to when we were kids and played there with our cousins. All kinds of secret clubs, with a lean to built in the woods. It was magic. And it still is.
Your slideshow actually had me relax for a few seconds or two.
Thanks for that.
I needed it!
PS: I like your new friend.
I like your new friend, too. I wish I had Amish nearby to give me a different perspective on farming. :-)
I have a friend who lives in Boyertown which I think is in that general area. I remember seeing the Amish carts, lovely farms and gorgeous covered bridges when I visited her several years ago. Beautiful country!
I live in the country, so a trip to the city is my adventure and fun. But there is nothing better than an early morning or late evening in my neck of the woods.
I grew up on a 60 acre farm in Lewisburg, PA and we were surrounded by Amish. In fact, an Amish family purchased our farm. When we were clearing out my mother's home recently and had a yard sale, the Amish came by and purchased her canning jars. They were riding their bikes, so we had to deliver the canning jars to several farms. It has always amazed me that people refer to their lives as "the simple life"...they drive horse and buggy, till the land with horses...there is nothing but labor involved in everything they do. We have a simple life with our electricity and cars and tractors, etc. My cousin is a retired pig farmer and so his job is driving the Amish to their appointments...I'm not sure why it is considered a sin to own and drive a car, but not a sin to expect someone else to drive you on their time, gas, and vehicle to your appointments. The Amish are extremely hard working folks, but nothing in their lives is "simple".
How idyllic. Glad you had time for this sort of vacation.
Thanks for a mini vacation in your photos. It's a lovely time of year in that part of the country.
Lovely pictures, very peaceful.
We used to visit B&Bs all over the SE, however, grew tired of them. If I want to 'get away' from the city, I can drive to my daughter's farm where my SIL has a beard like an Amish guy and drives a John Deere tractor.
After years of getting into rural areas, and growing up in them, BTW, I can assure you I am a "city mouse." Give me the city any day!
Looks like home to me.
This weekend I am drying strawberries and freezing fresh chicken.
After years and years of city---I love this life!
Your photos brought back Amish country memories from when I was a little girl in New Jersey and my Dad would drive us up for a day's outing. Here in Arizona, well, our backyards tend to be like resorts,so today, at 118 degrees, we will enjoy the pool,some TV and some Scrabble games! While it's still cool, I'll be meeting the neighbor for coffee at our local Farm Grill.For getaways, we live 2 hours from the "High Country"--mountains and streams galore, and also an hour and a half away from Sedona ,Prescott,Jerome, Cottonwood..all at higher elevation.. life is good,especially when you are retired and can get up and go whenever you feel like it! San Diego is only a 5 hour drive away too!!!
We owned a farm in Brock township for years. Crops had to be rotated on the various fields to keep the soil in fertile condition. Hay was often put in after a few years of corn. But farm life is hard and mosr farmers have other means to make money. I miss those days. We now live at the edge of our city and the last row or two of urban style housing before the fields appear. The air is sweet when hay is cut. And roads are country style thought there are the speedway not far off. Nor are the developers ready to buy pwime farmland for the next housing area.
Developers rule. Real estate is a huge money making business. Housing is becoming far too unaffordable.
I always prefer the rural over urban life.
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