Great Times in Lancaster,Pa

We've had a wonderful time here in the Lancaster area. There is just so much to see. We took the Farmlands tour of the area which was very informative. We learned lots of new facts about the people in this  area. Our tour took us through the countryside with a stop at a shop that sold lots of quilts made in the area and small items to purchase. We had a fun time looking at all the items. I imagine if we were not quilters or didn't sew it we would have been purchasing. These are a few pictures from our Farmlands Tour.

 Most of the farmers in the area were plowing with their team of mules or horses. Across the street from the CG Sam was reaping, bailing and storing fields of alfalfa.  Most of the farms were quite large. The houses were also very large as the Amish usually have a large family. The parents bedroom is downstairs and the children upstairs. The houses are added on to so it may have different sections as the family grows. When the daughter reaches the age of 16 she get her own bedroom. When the parents get old and retire the youngest son inherits the farm if he wants it and the parents live with them in a new section of the house called a dawdy house.

Here we are all bundled up, waiting for our tour.

After the farmlands tour we took a buggy ride with Ben Kinsinger an Amish man from Eprhata, Pa.

After the ride Ben invited us to his house for dinner with him and his wife Emma.

Kathy and Mark on the buggy ride.

An Amish farmer plowing his farm.

This is Sam's farm right across from where we are staying. It is so interesting to just sit and watch all the work that is going on at his farm. We can see and hear when the cows go out in the morning after milking and again at night. We can watch as he brings in the crops and stores them in his silo. Everyone, including the children work hard on the farm. After school the children run home, change their clothes and start helping with the chores.

Later, we went back to the Kettle Village to do a little more shopping.