Holy Hush

On Saturday evening I went with family members to watch the sun set on Lido Beach. This is my great niece with her Daddy. I love their profile.

 

More families were walking the beach, with pant legs rolled up looking for shells and waiting for the sun to set.

It never fails when that last sliver of the round sun sinks down below the water, a Holy hush engulfs me and it makes me think of eternity, of endless ages, of eternity past, present and future. The sun has been rising up in the morning from the Atlantic and going down over the Gulf of Mexico each evening for generations...

Blood Pressure & A Stroke

Pinecraft had a Stroke this afternoon due to "High Blood Pressure". Mid-afternoon a truck ran into a small car in front of Yoder's Gift shop. And so Bahia Vista who was having high blood pressure stroked and for a while became crippled. The stroke came the reason for a crowd of people gathering just to see for it gave them something to do. You know figure out all the details of the accident. I don't think anybody was hurt as no sirens went racing to the hospital.

Haiti Benefit Auction

The first thing I did at the auction was read this sign. I actually thought the trash can is the donation box, until after I took my ride I saw the little ice cream bucket behind the garbage can. So that is where my donation went into.

I am ready for a ride. The ride consisted of spinning around in a tight circle about 6-8 times one way. Then to unwind me he spun around in the other direction and that was the end of the ride. He did promise me a real ride and told me where he lives.

 

A crowd of people between the sale arena and food tents.

Three of the children were sitting on this swing and when the fourth one saw that I have a camera ready to shoot, she too took a seat. I have no idea if these are siblings.

Photo shooting inside the arena wasn't the best but this is one shot of the selling & buying. For a long time I sat halfway up the bleachers and had a bird's eye view of the sea of people. I more or less avoided the crowd for fear I will be no more.

The parting shot - The Overholt men folks.

How to Climb a Tree

Climbing a tree at the park takes teamwork. The bigger girl helped the smaller up the tree, with the understanding the small girl is going to pull the other one up the tree. 

But it was of no avail. I watched until the small girl almost tumbled out of the tree. Then the big girl circled the tree a few times in trying to figure out how to get up there.

 

Finally after a silent meeting the younger one slid down the trunk and helped the bigger girl up.

It was a huge success, for the big girl has the strength to pull the smaller one up the tree. It was still a bit of a struggle but...

there she goes.

"We made it!"

A Day in the Life of Pinecraft

The Pinecraft Amish Buggy Maker - He is a buggy maker up home, so during the winter months he makes a buggy or carts in his back yard down here. This mini cart was brought back today for some fixing...

And a bit down the street John fisher was selling his fresh squeezed orange juice, grapefruits and pineapples right off his truck.

 

Waiting...

Today is David Swartzentruber's birthday. LeAnna was the first one to wish him a "Happy Birthday" upon his arrival at the parking lot where the incoming Pioneer Trails bus was going to land, well I mean stop and unload it's precious cargo - a load of people, who are going to enjoy the sunny days of Florida.

Paul Kauffman is giving Amish motorcycle rides just for the fun of it. His passenger here is Marvin Miller from Arthur Illinois. 

  

Here is the front view. Please click the picture to blow it up.

Paul & Fern Miller Kauffman. Fern just doesn't look as young as she used to 35 years ago. Makes me wonder why?

More of the Illinois gang... They were planning to go to the beach. This next week it is supposed to be beautifully warm like upper 60's, even touching 70 degree.

Then tonight there was a Benefit supper at the Park. There was a long line of people and they ran out of food and some had to do without. But on Monday night there is to be another Benefit Supper.

 

Questions & Answers about Pinecraft

Here are questions I have been asked and thought I would make an article out of it for the sake of others who have questions. And if you have other questions feel free to ask. I probably didn’t answer all questions correctly, so correct me if I am wrong. I do expect these corrections to come from people who live or have lived in Pinecraft.
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Hi, Katie,
You and I have been friends on Facebook for awhile now. I look at your pictures often. I still don't understand some things, though. Is Pinecraft a town? Where is this town? Is it like a tourist attraction? I don't understand the bus stops and people coming and going all the time. Did you used to be Amish and now are Mennonite?
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Is Pinecraft a town?


No, Pinecraft is not a town. I think years ago Pinecraft was at the edge of the city of Sarasota. Pinecraft is situated right outside the city limits. But even so the city has build all around Pinecraft and beyond. Present day Pinecraft is a winter resort for the “Plain People” and their off-springs, although there is a scattering of other people living in Pinecraft too. During the summer months Pinecraft looks and feels like a ghost town for 85% of the houses are empty and so 15% of the people are year-round residents, which includes me. There are enough year round Amish & Mennonites living here in Pinecraft that each group has their own church building. Plus there is quite a collection of Mennonite churches surrounding Pinecraft. But right in Pinecraft there are just two, one Amish and one Mennonite.
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Is it like a Tourist Attraction?


Probably more yes, than no because there are a few restaurants around doing Amish style cooking. That of course is always a tourist attraction. But other than that I don’t think Pinecraft is a tourist attraction, not in comparison to up north. We don’t have horse and buggy’s around here. The transportation mode is bikes, public bus service and taxi. All the Amish have electricity and phones and whatever else.
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The Bus stops and people coming and going all the time:


There are three private bus lines that make direct runs to & fro, just for the people who want to come down to Pinecraft and return back home sooner or later. They do make stops enroute if they don’t have to get off the interstate for more than a few minutes. The Pioneer Trails from Holmes County Ohio were the first to offer this service and this is their 27^th year. The Elite bus makes these runs from Lancaster County to Pinecraft, only three months out of the year. They start right after New Year’s and end the last of March. The Crossroads bus comes from Indiana and run weekly from the beginning to the end of the winter season. Why all this coming and going all the time? Most of the people spend a couple of weeks vacationing down here and then go back home. This is the reason of all the coming and going. Some of the people are winter residents, they come and stay for the winter, then leave for their northern home in March or so. Of the people who vacation for only a couple of weeks each winter, usually reserve an apartment from one year to the next year.
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Do you used to be Amish and am now Mennonite?


I was born and raised Amish and was Amish for about 45 years. Then I joined something similar to Mennonites. But right now I am neither of them. I am just me.

Misc. Shots of the Day

"In as much as ye have done until the least of these, you have done it unto me."

 Birders on my street, which is a very good place to find a few rare birds, especially if you come from Oregon.
                                     

The Backside...

John Schmid

Yesterday afternoon John Schmid was at Birky Square. He is a favorite among the Plain People, especially the Amish. It is not just because he sings songs in PA Dutch. John has managed to connect with them in a deeper way, in a way that is hard to put in words. The connection is just there. The Amish and Mennonites as a whole are very reserved and don't make a public show of emotions good or bad. So normally John Schmid doesn't get loud clapping and hooting after each song. But yesterday, at least in my corner it was different. I sat next to an old lady that did not spare her expressions of appreciation for John Schmid with hootin, tootin and clappin! Go for it, Old Lady!

Part of the crowd.

Gasoline Engine & Big & Little

I have been trying to determine if this is a new version a gasoline bike? I saw this at the bank so maybe the owner was in the process of taking out a loan to patent the bike. 

 

This is Big and Little - Big Fred Hershberger and Little Roman Schlabach. These two are a big enough of a contrast without me and that is why I stay aloft.

The Nile River?

This is not taken at the Nile River in Egypt. Instead it was at the Pinecraft Park down by the Phillipi Creek. He made a trip up to the top of the bank. I saw that he is wearing three pairs of shorts each three-four inches lower then the previous pair, so I just biked up close enough to get this shot and hightailed out of the area.

The Last Flower

When ever we were sick or not feeling well, Mom would say we look like the last flower in bloom for the season. Well, this flower is the last flower blooming on the bushes at the Laundromat, and it was the most beautiful flower of the season. so maybe looking like the last flower isn't such a bad thing after all.