On a recent post on Amish architecture, I shared some sure-fire ways of picking out Amish homes from the non-Amish. Some of those ways have become less sure-fire as Amish homes have come to resemble English ones. Rich Stevick helpfully added some other signs of Amish abodes, including the trampoline, loved by Amish children. Here’s a shot of one from the hilly Munfordville-Horse Cave, KY Amish…
How do Amish folks maintain such a calm demeanor? Well, while poking around my friend’s library, I think I came across the secret. Attitude Adjustors: This innocent box just happened to be lying there on the shelf (within easy reach of a work desk, a stack of bills and other scary-looking papers, I might add). It seems Attitude Adjustors come standard in Amish homes. The…
Yes, these are Amish fellas in the photos. And no, definitely not something you see every day: These were taken at the PA Dutch festival held each summer at Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia. The event features a petting zoo, buggy rides, parade, country and bluegrass bands, and of course food. The dunk tank is for a good cause. A Lancaster friend who knows…
Tamara asked this question a couple of days ago. As she suggested, it seems like a pretty good topic. In fact, Tamara’s exact question was: “Has anyone had a very close relationship with someone who was a “member in good standing” in the Amish church?” Keith James has already shared a bit about a friend of his, an Amish bishop. Keith writes: He was 46…
A picture in need of a caption. Taken outside of Shartlesville, Berks County, Pennsylvania. I’m still not sure–would meeting this pair make me smile…or give me nightmares? Either way, one more reason to love America. Photo credit: Colin Grey
This question got a lot of interesting responses on the Amish America Facebook page this weekend. Four years ago, I wrote about my top 5 Amish settlements. Is that post still valid? Since then, I’ve visited around 20 more communities. But I’d say yes–with maybe one or two changes. So what’s your favorite Amish community? For ‘bonus points’, tell us why! NY Amish photo: las-initially
I just got off the phone with an Amish friend, “Alvin”, from Holmes County. I like to call Alvin, a furniture maker, from time to time, to check up on things in Amish Ohio. The big news? March Madness, or I suppose the Plain equivalent, is apparently heading to Holmes County. I’ve written a number of times about Amish and sports. Sports and games are…
Did you know that Amish have light switches in their homes? Neither did I. Well, I should say some Amish do have switches that don’t turn anything on. For instance, when they buy a home that was previously English-owned, then tear out the electricity, as they’d be expected to do. The wall switches remain. Not those. I mean a light switch that actually brings light…
Training for the 2014 Winter Olympics? Looks like this video was recorded in Knox County, Ohio (one county southwest of Holmes County). No SMV triangle, lights or storm front on this buggy. He even gets in a bit of a slalom at the end: Skiing is in fact popular with some Amish (primarily, but not only, youth), as is snowboarding. Lancaster County lies not too…
2010 was the 4th full year of this blog. I thought it’d be nice to look back at the year’s “best” posts. If you’re new here, it might also be a good way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Here, “best” means posts that got lots of responses from you, or lots of visitors, plus some personal favorites. Thanks to every one…