More about Amish country

We are still here in Amish country, very interesting people. The longer we are here the more we learn about them. They are responsible to each bishop of their particular church, so, whatever he says goes. Some have phones (but not in the house), Some have gasoline engines on the farming equipment, although the are pulled by mules. Some actually own cars and drive, while most drive the horse & buggy as seen in a lot of books and magazines about the Amish.

As I stated in the last blog, we met these lovely people who are in a bluegrass gospel group. They had a concert on Sunday evening in New Holland (another small town not far from where we are camped). Brenda & I went to see them and they were pretty darned good. I don't particularly like bluegrass music, but they were really good. The groups name is Family and Friends. (picture below)

Yesterday we went down to Gettysburg Military Park. They have built a new visitor center, that is not on the battleground itself. The old one was actually built on the battleground, so they are going to tear it down and restore the land to 1863 condition. The people who are in charge of the park have done a lot to restore the whole battlefield to the way it was in 1863. Apple orchards and peach orchards have been planted. The flank of the Union position is now cleared of trees as it was during the battle.

We took a bus tour of the grounds with a certified tour guide on the bus. He was very knowledgeable of the battle and was very enthusiastic. We really enjoyed it.

The Museum is huge. It covers the entire war, from the cause to the Gettysburg battle to the end of the war. Very interesting, but too much information and artifacts for this feeble mind. It would & will take multiple visits to take in all that is offered.

Today we went to a gristmill. It was operational until 1977, when the owners, who were up in years (no children) started a trust and opened it up to the public. There is a house on the property where the owners (brother & sister) lived until they went to a nursing home. According to the tour guides it is exactly as they left it. The house and mill were built in the mid 19th century by their grandfather. Very interesting afternoon and also free.

Tomorrow we plan to go on a buggy ride through Amish country. We haven't decided which company we will use, as they are all different. We will try more Amish food again for lunch. We went to an Amish style buffet restaurant, last week, but were not impressed. The food had no flavor, and salt and pepper didn't help. There were several Amish couples there eating. They seemed to enjoy themselves, as they made several trips to the buffet table.

We will be here until Friday. Plan to kick back and stay around the coach Thursday.

So, will post after Fredericksburg and our visit with David and family.

Ta ta until then.

Still here in intercourse, PA

We are still here in beautiful Intercourse, PA. The weather has been spectacular. Cool and very low humidity.
I didn't think that life would be good without TV. But, the local stations don't come in very well (we are near Lancaster), so don't get very good reception.
We are under trees on all sides so satellite is out. Brenda & I have enjoyed no TV, and enjoyed visiting with our neighbors.
Speaking of neighbors, the couple next to us belong to a bluegrass gospel group.
They are all here for a session in a church this am, and will have a concert in New Holland this evening.
We sat in on their rehearsal last night. The music brought out some other couples, and we had a good chat and good music.
We did get to the Yeungling Brewery in Pottsville, on Friday. A great tour, not behind glass or any barrier from the brewery. The guide was very enthusiastic and was very informative. The tour was free with free beer samples.
The drive was very nice. I'm not sure I would take the coach, as there are 10% grades on the road up to Pottsville.
This is Amish Country. They are everywhere. They don't drive cars, so they have horse and buggies. They were here first so they take their buggies wherever they wish with little regard for traffic. I hear that there is an Amish museum close, and I really want to go to it so that I can learn more about these people.
They dress the same, very plainly. I hear that they are very wealthy, but they are not ostentatious about it.
We are planning a trip to Gettysburg tomorrow. The kids will be back in school, so should not be too crowded.
We went to Hershey for the tour. It was nice, but the crowds were horrendous.
We thought that the chocolate might be a little less expensive at the factory, but alas that was not the case. You can buy it cheaper at Sam's or Costco. We spent about an hour and a half there. If we had had Lindsay with us,
we would have done the amusement park. It is not aimed at adults our ages, but for children. (and there were a ton of them there).
We are leaving for Fredericksburg, VA. on Friday and we hope to see David and his family while we are there. There is a limited number of CGs close in around DC, so we decided to to go to Fredericksburg.
We have to be back in Houston by the 1st of October. Gwen Craig (Rayford Crossing) has offered us a job in her other CG (Timber Ridge Village) as camp hosts for the winter. We are looking forward to the experience.
Will post more as we continue our travels.
Ta ta for now.