Here is some more rambling about my fascination with Amish country......I guess you have to be somewhat like me if you are still with me on all of this Amish talk. :) Anyway, the buggies are amazing! They build them to last for around twenty years. Compare that with how quickly we turn in our cars for new ones. They also seat a large group. I am guessing maybe eight to ten people. I was surprised with how many people they can fit. We have to buy a cargo van to fit our crew and yet they efficiently seat a large family in one buggy.
They do use very old fashioned washers and then hang their clothes out to dry on long clotheslines. Some of the lines were on a cable system so that the clothes would go up quite high in the air. It is a pretty sight to see all their black and jewel toned attire hanging out to dry. In the community we visited Monday was the wash day, so everywhere you looked you saw clothes adorning the beautiful farmlands.
The one room school houses are incredibly sweet! School is usually taught by a young, unmarried girl, and the grades are first through eighth grade. They stop formal education after eighth grade and then move into farming, homemaking, and cottage industries. Some work at local stores and businesses as well. The children are taught German, which they speak in church services, PA Dutch, and English. They do not use calculators or computers in school so the children have to learn to THINK. :)
I LOVED visiting Reihler's Quilt Shop. It had a huge array of assorted handiwork. Everything from quilts, quillows, pot holders, dolls, baby blankets, clocks, bird houses........etc. I could have spent hours but had to hurry as we were on a tour. We did make a second stop there but again we were in a hurry. We purchased some pot holders, quillows, and little Amish dolls along with some locally made jellies. AWWWW, I wish I could go back!
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