Lancaster ho!
God creates us all with unique strengths and weaknesses. I was never meant to be an IT guy. That much was written in the stars. Despite this, I think I’ve figured out most of the font and random-code-gibberish issues on the blog. After quite a bit of frustration I began to seriously consider picking up the Amish word processor and just composing everything in one of those. Simple (usually)=better.
I’ve just gotten back to the USA and will be in Lancaster County from next Tuesday August 12th through late September. Will be living again with some Amish friends, Abe and Sarah, as well as Daniel and Mary, and possibly sleeping in a horse barn or two if I wear out my welcome or if Daniel decides my worth as a manure-sweeper and sometime taxi driver in fact does not equal room-and-board. The Amish tend to be good at these kinds of cost-benefit analyses.
One thing I’m looking forward to:  as a part of book research I will be doing a fellowship at Elizabethtown College in LanCo. This should include one or two public lectures on Amish business in late September. Might be a good chance if you are in the area to kill an hour or two, assuming you’ve already seen Batman, Kung-Fu Panda, and Space Chimps by then.
Eric –
Let us know the exact dates once you find out. I have work obligations on the 25th but I should be able to catch your lectures on any other day.
Glad to see you got all the bugs ironed out on the blog too!
Have a good time back in the US. Let me know when you’re next “passing through” the UK and I’ll buy you a cuppa tea 😀
I live in South Jersey and am looking forward to your lectures! I would love to go!
Erik,
Glad to see you got the code issues straightened out. Its amazing how simple coding errors can create big headaches!
Best wishes for safe travels and a profitable learning experience.
Matthew
Erik:
I will be in the Lancaster area and am wondering if you know of any Amish families who cook dinner for Englischers? A few years back there was such a lady but she no longer does it. I was just hoping to have some real good Amish food when I am visiting.
Just visited the Amish community in Beeville TX. I hadn’t been there for over two years and was pleasantly surprised. There are many more houses then before. I saw more horses and a few head of cattle. Does anyone know how many people are living there now?
Keep up the good work.
Debbie
Please let me know the dates/times of your lectures.
I’ll be heading to Lancaster for the weekend and so looking forward to it! 🙂
Eric,
I will be visiting Lancaster county and will be staying there for couple of days. i would like to stay with an Amish family and try to understand their rituals and lifestyle. is there someone i can talk to? how should i work things out.
Lancaster County Amish homestay
Mahee, I usually recommend people to try to learn as much as they can about the Amish beforehand and then get to know someone first, form a genuine relationship with them, and then just ask if you can stay for a couple of days…if you have the time to do that it would probably be the best way with the added benefit of making friends. But there may also be short-term homestay situations in Lancaster, to be honest I am not sure and among my acquaintances I do not know anyone that does that. I am aware that there are options for having a meal in an Amish home and this may be searchable on the internet. Sorry my info is not better than that.
I don’t know how much you have studied, but if you read up as much as you can beforehand, it will help you to understand aspects of Amish society when you come. Hope that is of some help, and best to you!