The Pioneer Trails Bus Leaves

Yesterday the bus came and today it left again for the north. Today everyone was on time and in fifteen minutes more or less the bus had all its passengers and was gone.

A little bit more visiting...

John Beachy from Ohio looks like he might be in a bit of pain. He has both crutches under one arm which may be a bit strange but how else would he pull his luggage.

After the bus left the local ladies catch up and visit a bit. We really don't see that much of each other even if we live in Pinecraft.

The Pioneer Trails Bus Arrived

Today the bus came in again, after four weeks of no bus. I didn't realize how much a part of my Pinecraft Life is the buses coming in and going out. It is not that I care so much who gets off and back on again, as it is visiting in the parking lot while we wait on the buses. Today some one's arm came and went in and out her car window while waiting on the bus to arrive.

Perry and Marie visiting while waiting on the bus to arrive.

Later, the most beautiful, colorful little girl came off the bus. She is a beauty, especially this time of the year, as we hardly have any little children among us.

On The Farm

Last evening I spend about an hour on a farm about a 45 minute drive from Sarasota. So these young farmers had lots of visitors while they did the milking.

Lena is not petting the dog, but the Pot Belly Pig.

Feeding the cows before letting them in to be milked.

And the cows are waiting. I don't know if they are that eager to be milked or if they can't wait to be fed.

Some bare feet.

Washing utters

And playing with the pig

I have never found a cat yet that likes her picture taken. It seems they are camera shy.

The calf or one of the bigger calves eye-balling me.

And the pigs squealed

More feet

The baby calf and the old farm dog...

The Pot Belly Pig is truly a pet. I think I saw it going into the house after the milking was complete.

This is the calf I wanted to kiss but it bawled for it's mother.

A pig is a pig, is a pig... The pig's way to drink her share of the milk. The dog will get his share too.

But the dog will not drink with the pig. He growls and the pig moves back. I love the expressions on the little boys' faces.

Cleaning manure off the boots.

The baby calf with her Momma.

Year Round People

Barbara Ann Miller walking home with Verna Mast.

Junior, Treva and the baby out on a leisure bike ride after the day's work is done.

Leander Coblentz's work starts in the evening. He is a night watchman at Yoder's. Here he is picking up cigarette butts, which gives him something to do while he is on duty. 

Mel Mullet at the Park. He gets a lot of good exercise with his daily walking or biking a few miles most every day. 

 

My first impulse was to write that Robert Detweiler and Menno Borntrager are loafing, but that is a bit unfair as Menno does a good job in taking care of customers at the Big Olaf retail store located at the corner of Beneva and Bahia Vista in the little mall. I assume Robert just showed up and sat down for a good visit. (If you love expressions then click on this picture to get a good look.)

Of course there are many more people that stay during the summer and do the work around here. I just need to find them at the right time and place. 

Lido Beach

Yesterday morning I went to Lido Beach. The view from the John Ringling Bridge.

I didn't go down into the water but instead sat and watched the clouds and looked all around me. Few people were out this time of the day and so I had a lot of space all to myself. This view is to the south.

This view is to the north, where storm clouds were passing through. At the first thunder clap, nobody stirred and everyone kept doing whatever they were doing. A few minutes later the second thunder clapped louder and about half of the people took notice, got up and left. We were in with the second clap and so I don't know if it rained or didn't rain. But I saw what I wanted to see, storm clouds coming out of the west and the sun shining from the east and I was sitting between the two forces.

I don't know who this old guy is but he looks quite fit. He was out walking the sandy trails and getting his exercise.

Adam Changes Oil

Adam is not his real name, but this reminded me of God calling Adam. Last evening the first time I opened my camera to take his shot, the lenses fogged over. And so I got this shot. I love it.  

Skinny's Barb - Mom's Cousin

Years ago my Grandpa's sister Sarah married Skinny John. I don't know why he went by the name "Skinny" but he did. Anyway Skinny and Sarah had a family and they named their oldest daughter Barbara, names after Sarah's Mother, Honsamony Bevely. Bevely was an Amish name for Barbara.

Skinny's Barb was one of the first of Honsamony's grandchildren to leave the Amish. She was of course excommunicated and probably is still in the bann to this day. Today I met Skinny's Barb in Pinecraft. She obviously is just like some more of us Honsamonys are; we have to know who is who, and where they come from and what they are doing. Anyway today she wanted to know who I am. I said I am from Holmes County and then she asked who my parents are? I told her Petie Troyer. She took a double look at me and asked Petie & Barb? I said Yes. And then she announced that she is my Mom's first cousin. This got got me going and I just had to know who she is. She is Skinny's Barb, the woman on the left in the above picture. Small world. We exchanged address and phone numbers. I think she has lots of Honsamony stories to tell.

Even before I knew who Skinny's Barb is I was drawn to her daughter pictured in the red dress. I didn't know why but there was just something like I ought to know who she is. But later I knew the reason I ought to know her. She looks like a Honsamony, like her Mother's cousin David Schlabach Lizzie.

Growing old and living in Pinecraft is very interesting, for I never know who I will meet up with.  

Alone

Tonight everywhere I biked I was alone. I biked to the park and there was not a single soul in the park, or within sight. I was alone, totally alone. Everything was quiet. I did not linger because I was alone. I went down the street alone, not a car or person was in sight. I decided if I am totally alone who cares what I do? So I biked slowly and carefully and in the process I saw other lone objects, like one lone flowering shrub planted besides an old green screen door and the door hung onto an old yellowish house for dear life, if there is life in an old green screen door. I biked up Kaufman and in one of the side streets two people came biking my way but they had their faces turned away and never saw me wave my arm at them. I biked on alone. Up ahead I saw a man walk his dog but since the dog stopped to do his job, I turned off because I wanted to be alone. I took a ride around Yoder’s Fresh Market. In their parking lot I saw one lone bird heading for the garbage behind the fence. The bird wanted to be alone and so I biked on. And then after turning onto Kaufman again I saw the man and his dog coming toward me again. This time the man and the dog took a cut through someone’s yard because they wanted to be along. I turned home but went pass my house to the end of the street. I sat alone under the huge old tree, draped with Spanish moss and vines crawling and climbing up the trunk. I saw one squirrel and it was alone gathering moss, stuffing it into his mouth. I sat there alone in total quietness. My mind wandered back thousands’ of years ago to Adam. He was alone when God made him out of the dust of the earth, totally alone except for the presence of God and the animals, the bugs and the bees. I wasn’t lonely but was just feeling alone because I was alone. And now all evening I think of others who are alone and lonely… God told Adam it is not good for a person to be alone and so He put him into a deep sleep and created Eve for Adam. And because of Adam and Eve I am not alone for any length of time. Tomorrow I will hustle and bustle with people again. I will let the nurse take my blood pressure and I will also let the doctor examine my heart…