Here on the final day of 2014, I thought it would be a nice cap on the year to share links to favorites of the past 365 days. Below you’ll find those posts which got a lot of comments or otherwise good response from you, plus some of my personal favorites. Wherever you are today, I hope your year went as well as it could have–and that…
My calendar tells me it’s officially winter now, which may be what inspired me to start a log fire the other day (even though it wasn’t really fireplace-cold weather yet). In fact, I’ve got another crackler going as I write this post, since I love fires so much. Again not so much for heat purposes as much as for the smell and sound (I suspect I’m…
In today’s guest post, David Arment of armentphoto.com discusses those funny little buildings you see here and there in Amish communities. — One thing that seems generally true is that Amish are reluctant to accept technology that connects them to the outside world. We English would say they live “off the grid”. In our area, phone shacks have sprung up as the answer to the need…
Sarasota Magazine is featuring photos of a tiny bungalow that’s just gone up for sale in the Sarasota-area neighborhood of Pinecraft, popular with Amish and Mennonite vacationers and retirees from around the country. The magazine says this is “unusual as most are sold to friends and neighbors, unadvertised.” You’ll see a couple of photos below, and more at the link. Below, the exterior shot. The 2-bedroom, 1-bath property…
Today’s guest post and feature photo are by David Arment of armentphoto.com. — The Pumpkinvine (one word) Trail is part of a trail system running from Elkhart, Indiana to Shipshewana, Indiana. It is a liner park which is very popular and has many bicyclers and people strolling during the nice times of the year. The trail follows the old rail bed of the Pumpkinvine Railroad (to…
Don Burke takes us on a visit to the New Order Amish community at Ava, Illinois today. This small settlement, located in Jackson and Randolph counties in southern Illinois, is the state’s second-oldest (1991). As you’ll learn below, Don discovered a few things he didn’t expect. All yours, Don. — Heading out with nothing more than an Amish-settlement-highlighted IL state highway map and the name of a…
We got your questions over to Loren last week, and on Friday I got a fax back. “This is what I’ve got so far,” Loren writes. “I plan to give the other questions some attention, too.” You’ll find about a dozen-and-a-half responses below. I’ll get the rest up when I get them in from Loren. Until then, I hope you enjoy. Win a copy of Chasing…
From the AP: Four members of an Amish family died after their hired van was struck by a cement truck as they traveled home from a funeral in central Pennsylvania. The York County coroner’s office said the fourth victim, Elizabeth Esh, 22, was pronounced dead Tuesday, a day after she delivered a stillborn boy. Her relatives, brothers Emmanuel Esh, 73, and Melvin Esh, 66, were…
To hopefully close the book on an awful story, the Lancaster County man who shot and killed an Amish-owned horse has been given 1-2 years in prison, plus probation (hat tip to commenter City Slicker): According to testimony at Diggs’ March preliminary hearing, Diggs was a passenger in his own car when the horse was shot last Nov. 24 in East Lampeter Township. Horse owner Levi Lapp was driving…
We’ve looked at Amish participation in Pennsylvania fire companies before. And each year mud sales are held throughout Lancaster County to support those companies, which are known for their heavy Amish makeup. But did you know that some Amish in New York also serve as volunteer firemen? According to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Amish are members of two fire companies in western New York, in Ovid and…